Everyone has heard of interval training, but what are micro-exercises? The idea is the same as in break exercise, where the aim is to break up the sedentary part of the day. Whereas a break is seen as a 10-15 minute exercise session, a micro-training session can be anything from half a minute to five minutes, for example, just a series of one movement (10-20 repetitions).

Recreational exercise brings a boost to the day and has been shown to have significant effects on both physical and mental well-being. Pekka Matomäki, a researcher who has studied rest periods, says that even small actions can improve the fitness of a sedentary worker. Studies have shown that short, short-term exercises of a few minutes, squeezed into everyday life, can give the body a momentary boost. Small micro-exercises do not require any special preparation, changing clothes or washing up, and are therefore easy to do at work or at home in a teleworker's everyday life. Micro-exercises can be done with your own body weight or with small equipment. You can adjust the length and duration according to your own schedule.

Click here for coach Marika Haag's tips on micro-training:

• Take a break from work, preferably once an hour. Add microtraining to the time you go to the toilet, fetch water or coffee. Take at least two breaks in the morning and about three in the afternoon.
• Morning wake-up call: first stretch your ribs on the bed, then do forward and backward bends, side bends and spinal twists while standing. Do one set of push-ups (10-20 reps) either on the floor or diagonally against a wall or the back of a chair.
• After breakfast, pick up your supplies and stand for a while. Stretch your forelimbs, hamstrings and hip flexors. Do 1-2 sets of basic squats and one set of step squats for both legs.
• Break workout: using a kettlebell, dumbbells or a large water bottle, do one set of biceps curls, standing push-ups and a back-of-the-head extension.
• Rest training: do a deep squat a few times. Plank for 30 seconds. While standing, take support from the door handle and swing and rotate the legs from the hip joint and lift with the front leg up, flexing and activating the buttocks behind.
• After lunch, 10-15 min of outdoor jogging or gymnastics from the Online Library.
• Break exercise: stretch your ribs, rotate your shoulders. Get into a contortionist position and roll your back into a rounded, flexed position. In the contention position, keep a strong abdominal support, lift the opposite arm and leg in the air, hold for a few seconds, do the other side, repeat a few times.
• Break exercise: do 1-2 sets of supine pelvic raises, 1-3 sets of abdominal crunches and a back tuck with a twisting movement to each side.

The impact of small micro-training sessions should not be underestimated. Your body will thank you when you move it and it will stay more active. Add micro-exercises to your daily routine and you'll be moving more without even noticing. You'll also recover better from longer jogs, jumps and gym workouts when you microtrain on the days in between. They also work when you're recovering from an illness or rehabilitating, for example, musculoskeletal problems. You can then do the right amount of micro-training every day, depending on your fitness level.

Have a good (remote) working day!