If you spend most of your working day at a desk, here’s a simple, science-backed habit that could genuinely lift your mood, sharpen your thinking and ease that mid-afternoon slump — and it takes just five minutes an hour. No gym. No kit. No major schedule changes.
Encourage your desk workers to boost wellbeing by sharing this quick fix:
Table of Contents
1. The research
A large-scale study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in June 2026 has confirmed what many of us have suspected: hourly movement breaks of just five minutes offer the best balance between practicality and effectiveness for countering the health risks of prolonged sitting.
The study looked at nearly 20,000 adults taking part in the interactive ‘Body Electric Challenge’ organised by National Public Radio in the US, spanning a wide range of ages, occupations and work environments. Almost 60% of participants — over 11,000 people — took five-minute walking breaks at an interval of their choice – either every 30, 60 or 120 minutes – for 14 days in a row, immediately after a week following their usual routine.
The results were clear. The subjects reported that they felt less fatigue and that their mood improved significantly across all three break frequencies. And the more often they moved, the greater the benefit.
2. Why every hour is the sweet spot
Taking a 5 minute break every 60-minutes offered the best balance between being doable and delivering results. Participants found that this was close to being as achievable as a break every 2 hours, achieved meaningful results and was the most popular choice — selected by nearly half of all participants.
3. Your work won’t suffer — it may actually improve
One of the most common reasons people resist taking breaks is worry about losing momentum or losing their train of thought. The research addresses this directly and noted that all break frequencies actually showed small but noticeable improvements in engagement and performance.
Lead researcher Keith Diaz put it plainly: “movement breaks can improve executive function, attention and memory, and help people feel more relaxed and refreshed. Far from being a distraction, stepping away may be exactly what your brain needs to come back sharper”.
4. Practical ways to make it happen
Here are some easy ways to build it into your day:
- Set a reminder: when you sit down, set a reminder to take a break 55 minutes later if you are still sitting
- Stand and step: if you have a standing desk, stand when the reminder pings and walk gently on the spot for the next 5 minutes
- Walk and talk: Walk outside or up and down a corridor when you take phone calls
- Meet and move: Suggest a walking one-to-one instead of a seated meeting.
- Pace and think: Working through a problem? Try pacing while you do it – if you can get outside, even better
- Stretch and brew: Use the tea or coffee run to walk to a different floor or around the office.
- Steps between tasks: Use the natural pause between finishing one piece of work and starting the next as your cue to get up.
5. The bigger picture
In the UK, office workers can easily spend 9 or 10 hours a day seated, including time at the desk, TV, phone or screen time for leisure, and commuting. When you add in sleep time, physical inactivity can represent over 75% of any 24 hours, which creates higher risks of developing many long-term conditions.
The researchers suggest the 5 minute break approach has real potential to improve health and wellbeing for many people, especially those that sit most during their average day, and it’s easy to see why – the benefits are real, and most people found it both realistic and achievable.
At YoPO, this is exactly the kind of evidence we build our content around — giving desk workers practical, research-informed tools to feel better in their bodies and minds throughout the working day. Whether you’re managing fatigue, low mood or difficulty concentrating, small movement habits like this are an easy place to start.
Helen Withers, Director, YoPO Wellbeing Limited
If you would like any further information or to request access to YoPO’s wellbeing resources for desk workers, please contact hello@yoponow.com.
References
Evaluating movement breaks as a public health strategy to mitigate the harms of prolonged sitting: a large-scale pragmatic intervention. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2026. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2025-111221