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Taking 'micro-breaks' at work could improve your health, researchers find

By Mallika Marshall, MD

September 1, 2022 / 6:36 PM EDT / CBS Boston

BOSTON - Taking "micro-breaks" at work could improve your health.

So what are "micro-breaks?" Anything up to 10 minutes.

Researchers in Romania found that breaks of only 20-30 seconds can help fatigue, optimize energy, and improve performance.

What can you do in a minute or two? Do a few knee bends, stretch, fill your water bottle at the cooler, go say a quick hello to a colleague, run to the restroom, and take some deep breaths.

Try to take a micro-break every 30-to-90 minutes. And whatever you choose, make sure it involves getting up. Taking a break at your desk to check your social media or shop online doesn't really count.

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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