Office Worker Chained to the Office Desk

The chairs have held us hostage for too long.

It’s time to break free! If you’ve ever felt like your chair was slowly fusing to your bottom, this is your reminder to rise up, literally.

Struggling with back pain? Is the waistband on your trousers getting tighter? Feeling irritable for no apparent reason? A 5-minute active break could be the answer.

At The Hourly Uprising, we’re not handing out workout plans, but what we do have is a collection of satirical stories inspired by personal experience to raise awareness of the physical and mental toll of endless sitting.

Take five minutes, read a story, and who knows, you might just stumble across a revelation that changes the way you see your workday.

Join Fiona as she tackles the classic ‘get fit, lose weight’ resolution by breaking the ‘bottom-chair’ connection, one stretch, squat, and biscuit-free moment at a time!

Resolutions

    • Stand up for 5 minutes, every hour of the work day.

    • Set an hourly alarm to remind you to get up and move for five minutes.

    • Stand up when a colleague comes to talk to you at least twice a day.

    • Stand up after completing every major task.

    • Schedule one stand-up meeting per day.

    • Complete 5 mins of body weight or resistance exercises hourly throughout the workday.

    • Stand during your commute instead of sitting.

    • Get off the train, bus, or tube one stop early twice a week.

    • Organise one walk-and-talk meeting per week.

    • Use the printer furthest away at least once a day.

    • Limit meetings to a max of 55 mins and use the remaining 5 mins for movement.

    • Walk outside at lunchtime, for at least 30 minutes every day.

    • Walk to speak to a colleague instead of emailing at least once a day.

    • Stand up during phone calls longer than 10 minutes.

    • Have coffee meetings away from your desk twice a week.

  • STORIES

    Check out our humorous stories.

    Stand while you read.

    Laugh while you learn.

    If you enjoy it, come back in an hour for another story.

    Stories

  • SHOP

    Buy digital prints designed to inspire you to move throughout the workday.

    Download, print, and add a little humour to your workspace.

    Shop

  • THE COURSE

    For the inside scoop on breaking the chains of your sedentary habits check out our less humorous and more practical sister site:

    Active Break Challenge.

    Learn