Movement breaks at work: easy ways to sit less during the day

What if your boss paid you to go for a walk? That's the idea behind a planned Australian trial reported by SBS on 11 October. The trial, led by Dr Faraz Pathan at the Heart Research Institute, is due to start next year. Around 100 healthcare workers at Nepean Hospital in Western Sydney will get 30 minute exercise breaks during their shifts, with activities such as walking and boxing, and the researchers will measure heart and other health outcomes as well as productivity.

Few workplaces offer paid exercise breaks yet. But the question behind the trial is one worth asking about your own working day: how long do you sit for, and how often do you get up? Here's what the guidance says, a few realistic ways to move more at work, and how the Thrive Health Band can help you see your own pattern.

Why sitting matters, even if you exercise

The Heart Foundation says Australian adults sit for an average of nine hours a day. Some of that is unavoidable: the commute, meals, a desk job, a bit of TV at night. It all adds up.

The point that surprises people is that exercise doesn't fully cancel it out. The Heart Foundation notes you can meet the physical activity recommendations and still be sitting too much, and that regular breaks from sitting help at any age.

Australia's physical activity guidelines say the same in their own way. For adults, Australia's 24-hour movement guidelines (updated in March 2026) recommend moderate to vigorous activity for 30 minutes or more on most days, muscle strengthening on 2 or more days a week, activities for mobility, balance and coordination on 3 or more days a week, and several hours of light activity every day, while limiting sitting and breaking up long periods of it as often as you can.

So a morning run is great, and so is getting up from your chair every so often. They do different jobs.

Easy ways to move more during a working day

The best changes are the ones that fit the job you actually have. A few ideas, many of them straight from the Heart Foundation:

Stand up for calls. A phone or video call is a natural cue to stand, stretch or walk around the room.
Try walking meetings. A one to one catch-up often works as well on a loop of the block as it does in a meeting room.
Use a sit-stand desk if you have one. Switching between sitting and standing through the day is easier than standing for hours.
Take the stairs. Even one or two flights a few times a day adds movement without needing extra time.
Walk to a colleague instead of sending a message. It's also a nice way to break up a long stretch at the screen.
Set your own reminder. A gentle repeat alarm on your phone or calendar, every 30 to 60 minutes, can prompt you to stand, refill your water bottle or stretch.
Build in a lunchtime walk. Ten or fifteen minutes outside, especially in spring, gives your body a break and gets you some daylight.

If you work from home, the same ideas apply. Some people put the kettle in the next room on purpose, or do a lap of the garden between calls.

Start small. Getting up once an hour is a good first habit, and you can build from there.

How Thrive can help you see your own pattern

The Band has no screen, so it won't buzz you with targets during a meeting. It records your movement through the day, and the Thrive by Optihealth app shows the picture when you choose to look.

The Activity tab. You'll see your steps, distance, active minutes and estimated calories burned each day, against goals you set yourself.
Today's Load. Thrive shows how your steps and active minutes sit against your sleep, as part of Today's Vitality, which brings together your sleep, heart, Today's Load and your mood.
Workouts and programmes. You can log a workout, follow a strength programme, or record a walk or run with GPS from your phone, so a lunchtime walk shows up as its own session.
Your own normal. Thrive learns what's usual for you across nine areas of your health, from what the Band measures and what you log, so a week of more movement shows up against your own history rather than someone else's number.

You can ask Ask Thrive questions in everyday language, such as "How have my daily steps and active minutes on workdays compared with weekends this month?" or "On days I had more active minutes, how did my mood and energy check-ins look?"

Thrive also keeps track right across your health, from meals and Food Fit to blood tests, medications and supplements and your medical history. If you'd like a trainer or someone you trust to see your activity, Thrive Loops lets you share selected information with a participating trainer, health professional or someone you trust. You decide what to share and with whom, and you can change or revoke access at any time.

Starting to move more, at your own pace

If you've been mostly sitting for a while, or you live with a health condition, it's a good idea to talk to your GP about the right starting point for you. Ask Thrive can help you get ready by summarising your recent steps, active minutes and how you've been feeling, so the conversation starts with your real week. Thrive isn't a diagnosis, and it isn't a substitute for your GP's advice.

If you ever get chest pain, pressure or tightness, or feel faint or very short of breath while moving, stop and call triple zero (000).

For more ideas on walking, see how many steps a day you really need.

Before you buy

You'll need a compatible iPhone or Android phone, because the Thrive app is on the Apple App Store and Google Play, in Australia and eight other countries. The app stores are only for downloading the app, though; they aren't where you buy the Band or a Plan. You can buy at thrivehealthband.com, or at a participating World Gym Australia location or health and wellness clinic.

The Thrive Health Band is A$660 for the first year under the launch offer (usually A$740). That includes the Band, which is yours to keep, and 12 months of the Thrive by Optihealth app, My Health on the web, Health Fingerprint, Ask Thrive, Thrive Loops and your data, paid once upfront. Prices are in AUD and include GST. Free Australia-wide shipping during the launch offer (usually A$14.99).

Nothing renews automatically. After your first year, you can get a new band plus 12 more months for A$660, or keep your band and renew the Thrive Connected Plan for A$240 a year (A$20 a month).

You're also covered by a 12-month Thrive Care Warranty, and consumer guarantees under Australian Consumer Law always apply. See Returns if something is wrong with your purchase.

Common questions

How long is too long to sit?

There's no single cut-off. The Heart Foundation and Australia's guidelines both say to break up long periods of sitting as often as you can, even if you exercise regularly.

Does standing at a desk count as exercise?

Standing is a change from sitting, which helps, but it isn't the same as moving. Switching between sitting, standing and short walks through the day works well.

Does Thrive remind me to move?

No. Thrive shows your steps and active minutes for the day, so you can see your pattern. A phone or calendar reminder works well for prompts.

For more answers, see Questions.