The Andarta Way

Stop – and Go: The Five-Minute Walk-Away

• What to do: Step away from your desk and walk for five minutes. No phone, no multitasking. Just walk.

• Why it works: Even very short walking breaks change physiology. In one trial, light walking every half hour reduced blood sugar after meals by nearly 60% and lowered blood pressure by 4–5 mmHg (Diaz et al., 2023). That’s a measurable effect from minimal effort, and similar in scale to taking certain first-line blood-pressure lowering medications. Reviews of similar studies show further benefits: lower fatigue, better mood, and reduced discomfort from sitting (Radwan et al., 2022).

• How to do it: Put your phone on “Do Not Disturb.” Most things, outside of crisis, can wait five minutes. Walk alone if you can, ideally outside, and pay attention to the act of walking rather than replaying work problems. If someone joins you, agree on no work chat. This is a pause, not a new task.

Two to Five Minutes of Breathwork

• What to do: Take a short, deliberate breathing reset before or after a demanding task.

• Why it works: Breathing is one of the fastest ways to shift the body out of stress and back into recovery mode. Just five minutes of structured breathing has been shown to improve mood and reduce anxiety more effectively than mindfulness meditation (Balban et al., 2023).

  Slow, deliberate breathing lowers heart rate, reduces stress hormones such as cortisol, and helps the body switch on its “rest and repair” mode (Zaccaro et al., 2018). There’s also an emerging link between breathing rhythm and cognitive performance: the timing of inhalation and exhalation interacts with brain activity, influencing how effectively we pay attention, process information, and learn (Perl et al., 2019).

• How to do it: Sit comfortably, drop your shoulders, and slow your breathing. A simple rhythm works well: inhale for four seconds, exhale for six to eight. Or try “cyclic sighing” — two short inhales through the nose followed by one long exhale through the mouth.

Brief Mobility and Strength Practice

• What to do: Break up long periods of sitting or focused work with short bouts of movement — two to five minutes is enough. This might be light mobility drills, stretching through your spine and hips, or very brief strength sets.

  Many of our clients keep a heavy kettlebell at work for these “mini-sessions”: two reps, ten seconds’ rest, repeated for five minutes — alternating between movements such as swings and goblet squats.

• Why it works: Movement reactivates muscles, circulation, and concentration. Studies show that even ten minutes of light physical activity can improve attention and decision-making (Rodríguez et al., 2024). Short bouts of resistance exercise also reduce perceived fatigue and lift mood (Maruyama et al., 2021).

  Higher-effort movements using weights may add another benefit: they temporarily increase levels of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which supports learning, mood, and long-term brain health (Yarrow et al., 2010; Marston et al., 2017).

• How to do it: Every hour or two, stand and move through a short sequence. Combine light mobility work with a few strong, controlled lifts. Use a load that feels challenging but allows clean form. Two kettlebell swings, ten seconds’ rest, repeated for five minutes, is enough. The goal isn’t training, but a deliberate reset for both body and mind.

Final Thought

Pausing, briefly but deliberately, has measurable effects on health, focus, and energy. More than recovery, it’s a practice in control. A brief reminder that we can slow down without losing momentum, and that lasting performance depends on knowing when to stop as much as when to push.

Further Reading

• Albulescu et al. (2022) – Meta-analysis showing that short micro-breaks of under ten minutes improve wellbeing, energy, and fatigue, with no drop in productivity. PLOS ONE

• Diaz et al. (2023) – Found that light walking every half hour reduced post-meal blood sugar spikes and lowered blood pressure by 4–5 mmHg. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise

• Radwan et al. (2022) – Review of studies on active micro-breaks, showing consistent improvements in fatigue, mood, and comfort without loss of output. Cogent Psychology

• Balban et al. (2023) – Trial showing that five minutes of structured breathing improved mood and reduced anxiety more than mindfulness meditation. Cell Reports Medicine

• Zaccaro et al. (2018) – Review of slow breathing techniques, showing reductions in heart rate and cortisol and improved sleep through activation of the body’s rest-and-repair system. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience

• Perl et al. (2019) – Demonstrated that the rhythm of breathing interacts with brain activity, influencing attention, learning, and cognitive performance. Nature Human Behaviour

• Rodríguez et al. (2024) – Found that ten-minute physical activity breaks during work improved attention and executive function. Sports

• Maruyama et al. (2021) – Showed that short bouts of resistance exercise during office work reduced perceived fatigue and improved mood. Workplace Health & Safety

• Yarrow et al. (2010) – Reported that brief, high-effort resistance exercise increases BDNF, a molecule that supports learning and mood regulation. Sports Medicine

• Marston et al. (2017) – Confirmed that even a single session of resistance exercise can boost BDNF, supporting neuroplasticity and cognitive health. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport

Read Time: 5 mins

Author:
Dr Jonathan Clark-McKellar