Scientists said that although Tai Chi did not improve glucose levels, it did have a positive impact on better maintenance of concentration and well-being.
“Breaking up sedentary behaviour using three-minute bouts of yoga significantly lowers blood glucose in healthy individuals without compromising concentration or well-being,” researchers wrote in findings published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health.
Study lead author Alexander Colvin, a researcher at GCU and a physiotherapist at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, told The Telegraph: “This is a short routine of three minutes to be done every hour at the desk.
“This reduces the impact of sedentary time. We don’t have a direct number for the impact of yoga on diabetes risk but extrapolating from the known impact of sedentary time then it would be in the region of a 10 to 25 per cent risk reduction.”
‘Good news for employers’
The boost to concentration provided by the brief exercise also helps counterbalance any drop-off in work output, the scientists found.
“This is also good news for employers who dislike the use of physical activity to break up sedentary time, because they have this misplaced perception that it will negatively impact on production. As we have found it’s quite the opposite,” Mr Colvin added.
“We measured concentration and well-being throughout the study. Although there wasn’t a change with yoga and Tai Chi, at least it didn’t get any worse, which disproves that doing these types of things is bad for worker productivity.”
He added that this is the first study to look at quick bouts of yoga and Tai Chi as a potential way to improve health and productivity during the work day.
Prof Sebastien Chastin, study co-author, said the findings were just as valuable to workers stuck in the office for five days a week as to those who work remotely.
“Clearly we all spend far too much time sitting in the office or working from home,” he said.
“This shows that short bouts of yoga, that can be done anytime during the day, can be turned into an intervention or reduce the risk of diabetes.
“What’s also really important about this research is that it demonstrates that it doesn’t reduce the productivity of workers. That’s always the worry of the bosses.
“Allowing them to have that time shows that it actually doesn’t reduce productivity at all, if anything it probably increases productivity. So there’s not just a health incentive for the workers to do it, but also for the employers to support that and implement it.”
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
