The Benefits of Movement Breaks
If I asked you how you could help yourself be more productive, I doubt you would say the most effective way would be rest? However, rest is exactly what we need in order to increase our productivity, motivation and general well being.
Now, when I say ‘rest’, I don’t mean having a lil’ snooze under your desk (although, plenty of research shows the benefits of that too- article coming soon!), but for this article what I am referring to, is a movement break.
There are plenty of scientific studies that show the damaging effects that sitting all day has on our health. And we sit A LOT these days- in the car, in the classroom, on the bus, on the couch, in bed! This sedentary lifestyle can lead to an increased risk of diabetes, dementia, heart disease and depression- to name a few. (Reference)
Keith Diaz, a researcher at Columbia University, ran a study to find out what the least amount of physical activity a person needed to participate in, in order to negate the health risks of sitting. The study found that just 5 minutes every hour had a huge impact. (Reference)
Here are three surprising ways that movement breaks can impact our brains;
Breaks help to increase our level of motivation. According to author Nir Eyal, “When we work, our prefrontal cortex makes every effort to help us execute our goals. But for a challenging task that requires our sustained attention, research shows briefly taking our minds off the goal can renew and strengthen motivation later on.” (Reference)
Breaks can help to increase our creativity and productivity. If we work for too long with no breaks, we can get stressed, and when we are stressed we can’t think, let alone create. Taking breaks helps to keep our minds fresh, which helps us focus more. Win win! (Reference)
Breaks can prevent “decision fatigue.” Working for too long on the same problem can actually be counter productive. We can get so worn out and over it, that we start taking short cuts and even procrastinate. Research shows that small breaks help to keep us energised and on task. (References)
Movement breaks are essential for our physical and emotional health. Getting up from our desk to do any sort of movement can help negate the negative health effects of sitting all day. Yoga, walking, chair stretches and breath work – you name it, it all helps.
But “TIME” I hear you cry high school Teachers! “We don’t have time for breaks!” I get it, the curriculum is crazy full and as a result you are crazy busy buuuuuuuuut… what if I told you that these breaks would actually give you back some class time?
Now you’re listening!
One study showed that on average Teachers spend 144 minutes a week on classroom behaviour management that more often than not, leads to worse behaviour rather than an improvement. (reference)
That is an average of 28 minutes a DAY wasted on small, time consuming things like “Sit down” “get the right webpage up” ‘Focus please” “Stop touching each other” “put your phones away”.
You could do SIX 5 minute movement breaks in 28 minutes instead (okay, technically 5.6 five minute breaks, but who is counting!).
So, will you “lose” 30 minutes a day to movement breaks that boost focus and motivation, or lose 28 minutes a day to classroom behaviour management that boosts nothing but your insanity levels?!
Even ONE 5 minute movement break a day will have an impact! So, don’t overwhelm yourself and think you suddenly need to incorporate one exercise every class (although that of course would be marvellous!). Even one movement break a day would be beneficial and help you to build a habit as a school. Start with one, and slowly build it up once students and Teachers start to feel the benefits.
WELLBEING WEDNESDAY is a great way to do that – in roll call, or PE or a welfare class- just chuck one weekly session in that the whole school has to participate in, and before you know it your whole school is getting regulated.
Best of all? We are about to launch Brain Breaks- a series of 21 five minute exercises split into three categories- stretch, focus and energise. So, all you need to do, is decide what emotion you need to cultivate, chuck it up on your white board and press play! Brain Breaks launches in Term 4 2023- To find out more about how we can help you incorporate movement breaks into your classroom, head to our website and sign up for a free trial.
The Teen Yoga Project- self regulation exercises for the classroom, tools for life
Bibliography:
Aubrey, A. (2023). Sitting all day can be deadly. 5 minute walks can offset harms. NPR.
Bailey, B. (2013). How to be happier and more productive by avoiding decision fatigue. Buffer.
https://buffer.com/resources/are-you-too-tired-to-make-good-decisions-the-rise-of-decision-fatigue/
Court, B., Jain, V., Manasiev, L., Stoneham, K., Talbot, P. (2019) Breaking Bad Behaviour. The rise of Classroom Disruption in Early grades and How Districts are Responding. EAB. http://pages.eab.com/rs/732-GKV-655/images/BreakingBadBehaviorStudy.pdf
Eyal, N. Robertson, C. (2023). Research reveals how to take a better break. Nir and Far.
Oppezzo M., Schwartz DL. (2014) Give your ideas some legs: the positive effect of walking on creative thinking. J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 40(4):1142-52. doi: 10.1037/a0036577. Epub 2014 Apr 21. PMID: 24749966. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24749966/