Why Movement Breaks Matter at Work
Sometimes the simplest wellbeing intervention is getting people away from their desks.
WORKPLACE WELLBEING
Wild Thing Studio
8/10/20267 min read
Think about a typical working day.
Open the laptop.
Check email.
Join a meeting.
Sit through another meeting.
Grab lunch.
Return to the screen.
Keep going.
For many people, movement has gradually been designed out of the working day.
But current UK guidance is moving in the opposite direction.
The updated UK Chief Medical Officers' physical activity guidance published in July 2026 places renewed emphasis on reducing prolonged periods of sitting, increasing light-intensity activity and recognising that every movement counts.[1]
For employers, that creates a useful question.
What if workplace wellbeing did not always need another programme?
What if part of it simply meant creating more opportunities for people to get up and move?
The working day has a sitting problem
Sedentary behaviour is not simply the absence of exercise.
It describes periods spent sitting, reclining or lying down while using very little energy.[2]
For desk-based workers, that can make up a significant part of the day.
The World Health Organization estimates that 31% of adults globally, around 1.8 billion people, did not meet recommended physical activity levels in 2022.[2]
WHO recommends that adults complete at least 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week, or an equivalent amount of vigorous activity.[2]
But the latest UK guidance makes another point especially relevant to office workers:
movement does not only count when it becomes a workout.[1]
Light movement matters too.
Walking to another room.
Standing up.
Changing tasks.
Stretching.
Taking the stairs.
Moving between meetings.
The bigger opportunity is to stop thinking about movement only as something that happens before or after work.
Your lunch-hour workout does not make sitting irrelevant
Someone can exercise regularly and still spend much of their working day sitting.
That is why modern physical activity guidance increasingly looks at both how much we move and how much time we spend sedentary.
The UK's 2026 guidance specifically renewed its emphasis on reducing prolonged sitting and the benefits of light-intensity movement.[1]
That does not mean employees need to constantly interrupt productive work.
It means the working day can be designed with movement in mind.
Short breaks.
Walking meetings.
Standing conversations.
Movement between tasks.
A lunchtime yoga session.
Thirty minutes of Pilates before the working day begins.
Small changes are easier to repeat.
And repetition is ultimately what creates a healthier rhythm.
Screen breaks are already part of UK workplace guidance
There is another important reason employers should think about breaks.
The Health and Safety Executive's guidance for people who regularly use display screen equipment recommends short, frequent breaks rather than occasional longer breaks.[3]
As a general example, HSE says 5 to 10 minutes every hour is better than 20 minutes every two hours.[3]
These do not always need to be formal rest periods.
HSE says changes in activity can also provide a break from continuous screen and keyboard work, and where possible breaks should allow employees to get away from the screen.[3]
For employees who regularly use display screen equipment, employers also have responsibilities around workstation assessment, reducing risks, training and ensuring appropriate breaks or changes of activity.[4]
That makes movement during the working day more than a wellness trend.
It already fits into a wider conversation about how healthy desk-based work should be organised.
What should a movement break look like?
Probably simpler than we make it.
A movement break does not need changing rooms, specialist equipment or an hour away from work.
It could be:
Five minutes away from the screen.
Walking while taking a phone call.
Standing for part of a meeting.
A short mobility sequence.
Taking the stairs rather than the lift.
Walking outside at lunchtime.
A 20 or 30-minute yoga or Pilates session.
Moving between long periods of concentrated work.
The goal is not to turn every office into a gym.
It is to make movement normal again.
Does breaking up sitting actually work?
Research increasingly suggests workplace interventions can reduce sedentary time.
A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis found that interventions designed to reduce sedentary behaviour were generally effective at reducing workplace sitting, with multi-component interventions showing particular promise.[5]
A large 2025 umbrella review examining 36 systematic reviews and meta-analyses found several workplace approaches could reduce sedentary time, although results varied substantially between studies and interventions.[6]
One of the clearest findings was around sit-to-stand workstations, which were associated with meaningful reductions in workplace sitting in the evidence reviewed.[6]
Another 2025 systematic review looked specifically at computer prompts reminding workers to interrupt sitting, reflecting growing interest in simple and scalable ways to change sedentary behaviour during desk-based work.[7]
None of this means every organisation needs expensive equipment or software.
The more useful lesson is that the environment around us influences whether we move.
If the working culture encourages people to stay glued to a desk all day, behaviour follows.
If movement becomes normal, behaviour can change too.
Working from home creates another challenge
Hybrid working has created flexibility for millions of employees.
It can also remove some of the movement naturally built into an office day.
No walk to the station.
No journey between meeting rooms.
No trip out for lunch.
No walking over to a colleague's desk.
A 2025 systematic review examining working from home found that sedentary time tended to increase compared with onsite work.
Its meta-analysis estimated approximately 31 additional minutes of sedentary time during working hours among people working from home, although the authors also noted considerable variation across the available research.[8]
This does not make remote work inherently unhealthy.
It does mean employers and employees may need to be more deliberate about movement when the commute and other incidental activity disappear.
Online movement can work particularly well for hybrid teams
This is where digital wellbeing can become genuinely useful.
Not another platform to log into.
Not another dashboard.
Actual movement.
A live yoga class employees can join from home.
Pilates before the day begins.
A lunchtime mobility session for people across different offices.
A class that does not require travelling to a studio or changing an entire schedule.
The value is largely in accessibility.
At Wild Thing Studio, our approach to movement is open-level and designed to help people feel stronger, more mobile and more connected to their bodies without pressure or intimidation.
That philosophy matters in a workplace environment.z
Not everyone identifies as sporty.
Not everyone wants a gym.
Not everyone can perform the same movements.
A successful workplace movement programme should create options, not another expectation.
Movement should not become another productivity hack
There is an uncomfortable tendency to justify every aspect of employee wellbeing purely through productivity.
Move more so you work harder.
Meditate so you concentrate longer.
Rest so you can produce more tomorrow.
That misses something.
People are not machines.
There may be organisational benefits associated with healthier employees, but improving wellbeing should also matter because people spend a significant part of their lives at work.
Creating a working environment where people can stand up, move, go outside and take a meaningful break is valuable in itself.
And perhaps that is a better foundation for workplace wellbeing.
Start with the working day itself
Employers do not need to redesign everything overnight.
Start by looking at the rhythm employees already have.
Where are the longest periods of sitting?
Are meetings unnecessarily back-to-back?
Do people feel comfortable stepping away from their screens?
Could some meetings become walking meetings?
Can managers visibly take breaks themselves?
Could a regular live movement class make participation easier?
Could wellbeing become part of the week rather than another optional portal somewhere in the employee benefits folder?
Small changes can send surprisingly strong cultural signals.
You are allowed to move.
You are allowed to step away.
Looking after yourself is part of the working day, not something you have to squeeze in around it.
That feels like a good place to start.
Bring More Movement Into Your Working Week
Wild Thing Studio offers live online yoga and Pilates classes built around accessible, open-level movement.
For organisations, we can also create regular workplace movement sessions, team classes and tailored wellbeing experiences for remote, hybrid and office-based teams.
Simple movement.
Good teaching.
No pressure to perform.
Move well. Work well.
Explore Wild Thing Studio's online yoga and Pilates classes:
https://wildthingstudio.co.uk/online-yoga-pilates-classes
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should desk workers take a break?
The UK Health and Safety Executive does not prescribe one fixed break schedule for every worker.
Its guidance recommends short, frequent breaks from continuous screen and keyboard work. As a general example, HSE says a 5 to 10-minute break after around 50 to 60 minutes of continuous screen work is likely to be better than a longer break every two hours.[3]
Do movement breaks count as physical activity?
Yes.
The updated UK Chief Medical Officers' guidance emphasises that every movement counts and highlights the health benefits of light-intensity activity as well as reducing prolonged sitting.[1]
Movement breaks should complement, rather than replace, recommended levels of moderate and vigorous physical activity.
How much physical activity should adults do each week?
WHO recommends adults complete at least 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity each week, or 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, alongside muscle-strengthening activity on at least two days.[2]
What are some simple movement breaks for office workers?
Simple options include walking away from the screen, standing during a phone call, walking between meetings, light mobility, taking the stairs, going outside at lunchtime or joining a short yoga or Pilates session.
Can online yoga and Pilates work for hybrid teams?
Yes.
Live online sessions can allow employees in different locations to participate without travelling to a studio. They can be designed as open-level sessions with movement options for different levels of experience and mobility.
Is workplace yoga a solution to burnout?
No.
Yoga, Pilates and movement should not be presented as solutions to unhealthy workloads, poor management or systemic workplace problems.
They can form one part of a wider wellbeing approach alongside healthy working practices, good leadership, appropriate breaks, psychological safety and occupational health support.
Sources
[1] UK Government. New UK CMO activity guidelines show every movement counts. 10 July 2026.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-uk-cmo-activity-guidelines-show-every-movement-counts
[2] World Health Organization. Physical activity.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity
[3] Health and Safety Executive. Working safely with display screen equipment: work routine and breaks.
https://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/dse/work-routine.htm
[4] Health and Safety Executive. Working safely with display screen equipment.
https://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/dse/
[5] Wang C et al. Effectiveness of interventions on sedentary behaviors in office workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2024.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38503064/
[6] Rouyard T et al. Effects of workplace interventions on sedentary behaviour: umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. 2025.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40175011/
[7] Leppe-Zamora J et al. The effect of computer prompts on breaks in sedentary behaviour at work. 2025.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40514667/
[8] Schöne C et al. The impact of working from home on sedentary behaviour and physical activity: systematic review. 2025.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41249967/