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- A new study found that taking a five-minute walk every hour may improve energy, mood, and work productivity.
- Hourly walking breaks appear to strike the best balance between being realistic and providing meaningful health benefits.
- Experts said the strategy is a simple, sustainable way to counteract a sedentary lifestyle and support overall health.
You probably know sitting all day long isn’t great for your health, but how often do you actually need to get up and move your body? Research may finally have an answer that’s both effective and realistic.
A new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine shows that taking a five-minute walking break every hour boosted energy levels, mood, and productivity throughout the day—while still being realistic enough to stick with.
What the Study Found
Prolonged sitting has been linked to harmful physical and mental effects, including a higher risk of chronic diseases, fatigue, depression, anxiety, and stress. But current movement guidelines for adults are vague, simply saying to “move more and sit less.”
Researchers wanted to find a specific, viable movement goal to help offset these effects, said study author Keith Diaz, PhD, a certified exercise physiologist at Columbia University Medical Center.
They tested five-minute walks because previous studies have found that this time frame yields better cardiometabolic, mood, and fatigue outcomes than shorter intervals, while still being a realistic goal. “Walking is a free and accessible strategy we thought people would be willing to adopt,” Diaz told Health.
About 11,500 adults were recruited for the study through NPR’s Body Electric podcast to participate in a two-week walking challenge. Participants were instructed to walk for five minutes every half hour, hour, or two hours throughout the day.
They were also asked to report their fatigue, mood, and productivity levels before, during, and after the program, and note how feasible it was for their lifestyles. It should also be noted that most participants were white, female, generally healthy, and held steady full-time jobs.
After the two-week challenge, everyone reported less fatigue, better mood, and small improvements in work engagement and performance. But the 30-minute group saw the greatest benefits, suggesting the more often you get up and move, the better you’ll feel. However, the study found that hourly breaks offered the best balance between feasibility and effectiveness.
The research still had several limitations. For one, it only followed participants for two weeks. “We don’t know the long-term impacts of regular movement breaks,” Diaz said.
Participants also self-selected their time interval, and outcomes were self-reported, which may introduce participant bias. Additionally, the study population didn’t represent enough men or diverse ethnic groups, limiting generalizability, Diaz said.
How Your Body Benefits From Hourly Walks
Walking breaks serve as physiological reset buttons—they reactivate the muscles in your legs, improve circulation, and give your brain a much-needed break, Michael Stack, ACSM-EP, an exercise physiologist and founder and CEO of Applied Fitness Solutions, told Health.
“Based on this research, standing up and taking a five-minute walk is enough to change how you feel,” Stack said.
Taking walks every hour may be the best strategy because it's realistic but adequate for improving health, said Emily Hernandez, MS, ACSM, an exercise physiologist at Orlando Health. Think of it like finding the right “dose of medicine,” she told Health.
Hernandez emphasized that it’s still important to meet regular exercise recommendations of at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity and two days of strength training per week.
“Five-minute walking breaks are a really good habit… but I don’t think they replace exercise,” added David Gazzaniga, MD, orthopedic sports medicine surgeon and division chief of sports medicine at Hoag Orthopedic Institute in Irvine, California. “I don’t think it will fully offset the sitting unless you find some way to exercise a few days a week.”
Instead of replacing exercise, “this study reinforces that what you do between workouts matters,” Stack said.
Should You Start Walking Every Hour?
Experts agreed that everyone could benefit from hourly walking breaks. “There is a hidden cost to our sedentary lifestyles,” Diaz said. “Our study shows that a simple strategy like walking for a few minutes every hour can make you happier, healthier, and more productive.”
To help incorporate the walks, experts recommended setting alarms on your phone or desktop, wearing comfortable shoes, and recruiting friends or co-workers to walk with you. Scheduling walks after every meeting or task, or walking during phone calls, can also help make the breaks feel more natural.
If five-minute walks are too long, or walking every hour is too frequent, start with a more realistic goal for you. Some movement is better than no movement, Hernandez said. Stay consistent and work toward additional physical activity.
