Work out while you work? Ten strength-building office exercises you can do in everyday clothes

"Fiorella Rafael remembers feeling stiff at the end of every day in her old office job. That lack of movement would creep up and compound over the week, she says. Though standing and walking meetings were encouraged, with deadlines to meet it wasn't always tenable. It's partly what drove me to become a pilates instructor, she says. Now Rafael teaches pilates at Sydney's Scout Studios, where she meets people like me who spend far too much time sitting."

"It's not as easy to find the time for classes, or an active commute, and I am generally better at constructing an email while sitting. We're not really designed to sit the whole time like we do in modern life, says University of Sydney school of public health professor Cathie Sherrington. Too much time spent sitting has been linked to heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers. So anything that breaks up that sedentary behaviour helps."

Many workers experience stiffness and compounded lack of movement from prolonged sitting, prompting some to adopt active roles like pilates instruction. Nearly half of Australian adults describe jobs as mostly sitting, and only 22.4% met physical activity guidelines in 2022. In England one in four people do less than 30 minutes of exercise a week, and about half of US adults meet guideline targets; worldwide nearly 1.8 billion people are insufficiently active. Returning to full-time work and childcare limits time for classes and active commutes. Excessive sitting links to heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers. Short, stacked habit bursts of activity throughout the day can help break sedentary behaviour and improve fitness.

Read at www.theguardian.com