Out of your head, on your feet!

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3 April 2024

Thursday April 4 is 'Walk During Your Workday': get out of your desk chair more often and for longer.

Adding walking to the daily routine has a positive effect on the mental health of employees. Walking makes people happy, positive and relaxed. Wandelnet (the official manager of long-distance and regional footpaths in the Netherlands) wants everyone to be able to walk, even on a normal working day. With the Walk During Your Workday campaign 'Out of Your Head, On Your Feet', the organization is calling on employers and employees to take steps on Thursday, April 4. We at VU in Motion are happy to participate in that! After April 4, too.

VU in Motion
VU in Motion aims to get employees and students to move a little more on and around the VU Campus. It has been scientifically proven that (more) movement leads to (more) physical and mental health. VU is also part of the sitting culture that has almost replaced natural movement worldwide. And we want to change that! Each week we will provide a tip or a fun fact to encourage you to meet one of the three movement guidelines. These guidelines for adults and seniors are as follows:

• Movement is good; more movement is better. Do at least 150 (preferably 210) minutes per week of moderate-intensity exercise, spread over several days.
• Do 2-3x/week an intensive(er) workout of 30-60 min, focusing on strength and conditioning, for the elderly additionally combined with balance exercises.
• And avoid sitting still! In other words, half an hour of movement/sports a day cannot compensate for the damage of further prolonged sitting still. 2 minutes of moderate-intensity movement every 20 minutes has very positive effects.