A recent study suggests that remote workers who take more steps during the day report lower stress levels and better work performance.
The research, published in the American Journal of Health Promotion, tracked 100 adults who worked from home at least one day per week. Participants wore accelerometers to measure their movement, including daily steps, light activity, moderate-to-vigorous exercise, and time spent sitting. The study then compared these patterns with self-reported stress and work performance.
Researchers found that people who accumulated more steps each day also reported lower stress. Those lower stress levels were then linked to better performance at work. The study did not find the same connection for higher-intensity exercise or for simply spending less time sitting.
The findings do not suggest that workouts are not valuable. Regular exercise remains important for heart health, muscle strength, brain function, and long-term health. Instead, the study points to a unique benefit from moving consistently throughout the day, rather than concentrating all activity into a single workout session.
For remote workers, this means small movements can add up. Activities such as walking during phone calls, taking a short walk between meetings, or stepping away from the desk to eat lunch may help reduce stress and improve focus. Setting a reminder to stand up and move every hour, even for a short walk to refill a water bottle, can also help rebuild the small movements lost when working from home.
The study’s authors note that the body does not divide movement into separate categories of exercise and non-exercise. Every step, whether taken during a trip to the kitchen or a walk around the block, contributes to the total amount of movement in a day. For remote workers, these seemingly small moments may offer a simple way to feel better during the workday and perform better at their jobs.
