The 60-Second Desk Reset
By Diana Campbell, Employment & Training Services Lead
Many of us spend our workday sitting in front of a computer screen. More than a decade ago, Mayo Clinic researchers published a study with a stark warning: “sitting is more dangerous than smoking, kills more people than HIV, and is more treacherous than parachuting.” While it sounds exaggerated or extreme, sitting all day has profound effects on our health.
Sedentary behavior can lead to chronic disease. Some studies show that sitting for just two hours a day might increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 20%. It impacts our cardiovascular health, leading to increase in blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and poor circulation. Certain cancers, such as colon and lung cancer, are linked to inactivity. It causes the pain we feel in our body during the day – neck and shoulder pain from hunching over the keyboard, back pain, tight hips, even our knees, due to muscle weakness caused sitting for too much of the day. There is also a toll on our mental health, showing up as anxiety, depression, and increased inability to regulate our mood. Mental performance is also impacted, reducing our processing speed, attention span, and memory.
That can feel overwhelming to anyone who sits at a desk for a living. Maybe you can’t change what you do for a living, but you can make micro-changes throughout the day that support better health.
The 60-Second Desk Reset
Even sixty seconds every hour can help reduce muscle tension and pain, boost circulation, support better posture, and enhance energy and mood. Here’s how:
Feet Down & Breathe
Sit in the middle or edge of your chair. Ground both feet on the floor.
Relax your shoulders and soften your jaw.
Inhale slowly through the nose for a count of 4.
Exhale slowly for a count of 6.
Repeat 3 times.
Shoulder Rolls
Inhale as you draw your shoulders towards your ears
Exhale as they roll back and down behind you. Repeat 3 times.
Reverse directions, repeating 3 times.
Move the Spine – Seated Cat/Cow
Sit up straight with your hands rested on your thighs.
Inhale and slightly lift your chest and draw your hands towards your hips as you draw your shoulder blades towards one another, lifting your chin towards the ceiling.
Exhale and round your back towards the ceiling, pulling your shoulders towards one another, tucking your chin towards your chest, gently pushing your hands back to their original position.
Repeat 3 times.
Side Body Stretches
Reach your right arm toward the ceiling.
Inhale, growing taller.
As you exhale, gently lean to the left.
Take 2–3 comfortable breaths.
Return to center and switch sides.
Repeat 3 times on each side.
Move the Neck
Rest your hands gently on your lap. Turn your head to look over your right shoulder. Hold for 3 breaths.
Gently move through center to look over your left shoulder, and hold for 3 breaths
Return to center.
Slowly move your right ear towards your right shoulder and hold for 3 breaths.
Repeat on the left side.
That’s all there is to it.
Small pauses throughout the day can help us get our blood flowing through gentle movement, release accumulated tension, and return to our work with greater presence and awareness.