Chinese workers strive to exercise in the office whenever they can

The benefits of physical activity are well recognised, but it’s not always easy to find time to work out during business hours.

Some workers in China are doing their utmost to break the sedentary lifestyle that comes with office life by improvising mini-workout sessions between meetings.

This practice has been gaining ground in China since a photo was posted in early July (2024) on the popular Xiaohongshu platform, according to the South China Morning Post.

The picture shows a woman flexing her biceps, with the help of a heavy tote bag and a plastic bag containing a takeaway meal, while she waits for the elevator.

“Office workers have their own gym,” the caption reads.

China’s social networks are brimming with testimonials from employees who are improvising little exercise sessions during their working day.

Some run to their company premises, while others use their office chairs to do Pilates exercises.

Everyone has their own solution to help them get moving more, and above all, maintaining their health.

While the benefits of exercise are well documented, many workers in China complain that they don’t have the time for regular physical activity.

This is due to the “996” system, which involves working from 9am to 9pm, six days a week.

In other words, they work 72-hour weeks, even though Chinese law stipulates that the working week must not exceed 40 hours.

This unbearable pace encourages a lack of physical activity and a sedentary lifestyle.

Short workout sessions in the workplace are a good way to reverse this trend.

After all, it’s a proven fact that all physical activity contributes to staying in better shape for longer, even if a certain amount of more vigorous exercise – in terms of duration and intensity – is needed to compensate for the harmful effects of a sedentary lifestyle.

But that’s not the only advantage of exercise: it also helps reduce stress and increase productivity.

Research from 2015, carried out by the Paris-based Goodwill management consultancy at the request of the Movement of the Enterprises of France (Medef, the largest employer federation in France) and the National Olympic Committee of France, maintains that a sedentary employee who takes up a physical and sporting activity improves their productivity by 6% to 9%.

In this context, companies would do well to allow their employees to get some exercise in the workplace.

But only a handful of companies have actually implemented such measures.

In the meantime, health-conscious employees can make small changes to adopt a more active lifestyle without too much effort, exercising whenever they have five minutes to spare at the coffee machine or elsewhere. – AFP Relaxnews