Six healthy habits to add to your work day

Raised desks may pose more health problems than they solve. Photo / 123rf
A new study has found that standing desks aren’t as healthy as they seem. An expert reveals the best habits to add to your day instead.
Sitting down for most of the day is obviously bad for us, known to raise our risk of weight gain, cancer and even an early death. However, it’s largely unavoidable for those of us with desk-based jobs.
However, raised desks, hailed as an easy solution as they allow employees to work while standing up, may actually pose more problems. A study by the University of Sydney found that standing does not lower the risk of heart and vascular issues, and may even increase the chance of developing circulation problems such as varicose veins or deep vein thrombosis.
Professor Brendon Stubbs, a researcher in movement and mental wellbeing at King’s College London, says the emphasis should be on incorporating movement and other healthy habits into our working day. “Each habit can contribute to positive mental health and the more people do, especially over time, the greater the physical and mental health benefits,” he says.
Here, he shares his top tips.
Most of us are spending up to nine hours a day sitting down. If you’re seated for your commute, at least make sure you’re engaging your brain, Stubbs says.
“It is passive sedentary behaviour (such as sitting down to watch Netflix or scroll social media) and not active sedentary behaviour (sitting down to read a book or play a game, for example) that is particularly not good for our mental health.”
A study by Stubbs and colleagues that looked at the self-reported health habits and medical notes of about 40,000 people found that those engaging in more than three hours of active sedentary behaviour a day had a 26% lower risk of depression than those who did less than this.
“Additionally, our research has shown that excessive social media is literally rewiring our brains and altering our reward-processing systems, making it harder to become motivated for everyday tasks,” he says.
Separate research, funded by Asics, found stress levels start to rise after only two hours of desk-based work – so about 11am if your working day starts at 9am.
“To combat this, do some deep nasal breathing in the morning,” Stubbs recommends.
Research from Stanford University found just five minutes of breathing exercises can reduce anxiety and improve mood and slow breathing, which is a sign that the body is calm.
To try it, sit up in your seat and relax your shoulders. Inhale slowly through your nose, letting your belly rise and fill with air. Once your lungs are comfortably full, take another inhale of air to expand your lungs as much as possible. Then, exhale slowly through your mouth, making sure that it lasts longer than your inhale. Repeat for five to 10 minutes.
“This can help calm the nervous system and set our body and minds on a good foundation to be clear of mind and calm for the day,” Stubbs says.
More than half the calories we eat each day come from ultra-processed foods (those containing ingredients you wouldn’t find in your kitchen cupboard, such as preservatives, emulsifiers and artificial flavourings).
A diet high in these foods is linked to a 30% higher risk of depression in the future, and there are also links to obesity, type-2 diabetes, heart problems and even some cancers.
A homemade lunch that avoids ultra-processed ingredients and instead incorporates elements of the Mediterranean diet (vegetables, fruit, whole grains, fish and olive oil) can help protect against these risks and improve mood, Stubbs says.
“Make something that includes a good amount of whole grains, such as wholewheat bread and brown rice, fish – especially those rich in omega-3 fatty acids – or lentils and pulses, which are a good source of protein.” This could be a tuna sandwich made with wholemeal bread, a chickpea curry with brown rice or a lentil and vegetable soup.
It’s around halfway through our working day that stress levels spike – sitting around a fifth higher than at the start of the day – the Asics study found. However, taking a 15-minute exercise break reversed this effect.
“Our recent research has shown that moving for 15 minutes, especially after sitting for a prolonged period of time, can reduce stress by 14.7% and improve your state of mind,” Stubbs says. This could be a walk, which would add about 1500 steps to your daily count, weightlifting or a short HIIT (high-intensity interval training) class.
The positive effect of movement is thought to be down to it triggering the brain to release mood-boosting neurotransmitters, including endorphins, dopamine and serotonin.
Swap your afternoon biscuit for a bar of dark chocolate for a healthier option that can lift your mood, Stubbs suggests.
Dark chocolate is full of antioxidants and fibre and has been linked to lower blood pressure, healthier cholesterol levels and brain function. The afternoon is the ideal time for this snack, as it contains caffeine, which may disrupt sleep for some people if it is eaten in the evening.
Research from Stubbs and colleagues that examined the daily chocolate consumption and mood of about 13,000 people found those who ate about 100g of dark chocolate a day were about 57% less likely to develop depression symptoms than those who didn’t eat chocolate.
However, bear in mind that 100g of dark chocolate will contain around 600 calories and 14g of sugar, so a smaller portion may be best. A single 10g square has still been linked to health benefits.
Despite its initial relaxing effects, alcohol isn’t good for us. It harms our hearts and brains and raises the likelihood that we will suffer from high blood pressure, stroke and cancer.
Britons are told not to exceed 14 units of alcohol a week (about six 175ml glasses of wine, six pints of 4% beer or 14 single shots of spirit). However, “the research suggests that no level of alcohol consumption is associated with better health”, Stubbs notes.
So when it comes to after-work drinking, try to avoid it. “Swap to a hydrating drink,” he suggests. “Try kombucha [a fizzy drink made from fermented black tea] or an alcohol-free option of your favourite drink.”