5 minute walk & talk: Why this listener failed at taking breaks—and her new approach
MANOUSH ZOMORODI, HOST:
Hey, BODY ELECTRIC listener, it's Manoush. OK. Are you ready to get up and move with us for another five-minute break? Because today, I am walking and talking to Margot Cox. She is a 72-year-old listener in Greenville County, S.C. Margot works at home as a freelance proofreader of legal documents. She gets really into her work. And last fall, she signed up for our study with Columbia University to try and get movement breaks into our daily lives. But as she put it, she failed miserably. So for this episode, I called Margot up to figure out how she's going to get going again. Enjoy.
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ZOMORODI: Hello, hello.
MARGOT COX: Hello.
ZOMORODI: Hi. Is that Margot Cox?
COX: It is.
ZOMORODI: So nice to hear your voice. Are you moving?
COX: My arm was moving on my computer keyboard. And I was sitting down, but now I'm standing up.
ZOMORODI: (Laughter) Let's walk and talk, Margot, or actually, I'm going to sort of pace 'cause I'm near my laptop, as well.
COX: All right.
ZOMORODI: So Margot, I want you to take me through your day. From what I understand, you retired a few years ago, but you've taken on a lot of freelance work. And so you're actually spending a lot of time at your computer. And you heard BODY ELECTRIC, and you were like, I need to do this. Tell me what's been going on with you since.
COX: OK. So I heard that, and I thought, oh, this should be really good. But I didn't really follow through in terms of saying, OK, how am I going to make sure I'm reminded to get up? And the freelance work that I do - I tend to really get in the zone. And I will look up and go, oh, it was an hour and a half since I last hardly even moved other than my hands on the keyboard.
ZOMORODI: Sounds like you like your work.
COX: I really - I love my work.
ZOMORODI: And how do you feel at the end of the day after sitting and doing all that work in those big blocks of time?
COX: I would say stiff and just - to be absolutely truthful - sort of annoyed with myself...
ZOMORODI: (Laughter).
COX: ...That I have just been a slug.
(LAUGHTER)
ZOMORODI: Now, do you feel like this is something it would be nice to you to do because you've been feeling, like, shluggy (ph) at the end of the day, or is this a health concern for you?
COX: I think both. I have read a lot where the headline typically is something like, the sedentary lifestyle is almost as dangerous for you as smoking. And so at my age, I want to maximize my health. It's got to be better for your brain as well to kind of have that break and get up.
ZOMORODI: Well, that's what we found is that people felt that they were able to maintain their concentration and focus by taking breaks, oddly. But it sounds like that's not an issue for you because you are into it. Your brain is so engaged that you're feeling disembodied it sounds like.
COX: Well, I never thought about it that way, but I suppose it's possible (laughter).
ZOMORODI: Well, so here's the good news. Guess what? We're coming up on five minutes right now. You've been moving and talking. How do you feel?
COX: Pretty good. I mean, it's...
ZOMORODI: Yeah.
COX: I realize that I have work waiting for me, but five minutes is not going to make or break my day.
ZOMORODI: No.
COX: And my daughter has said to me many times, you are never going to regret getting in some exercise.
ZOMORODI: (Laughter).
COX: You may regret not getting in some, but you're never going to regret doing it.
ZOMORODI: And then you get to the point where it feels weird if you don't.
COX: Yes.
ZOMORODI: One other thought for you - since you like to work, have you thought about getting, like, one of those walking pads so you could work and walk?
COX: I have. And the work that I do is marking up the iPad with an Apple Pencil. And so it's not like being down where you're almost, like, anchored on a keyboard while you're walking. You're more - your arm is more floating.
ZOMORODI: It sounds like a lot of coordination for you.
COX: Right.
ZOMORODI: That's not going to work. I respect you for, like, being like, no. Not for me.
COX: (Laughter).
ZOMORODI: Should I just call you every half hour? Would that be the answer for this? And be like, OK...
COX: If it works...
ZOMORODI: ...Come on.
COX: ...For you (laughter).
ZOMORODI: Come on, lady. Get up. We're walking.
COX: (Laughter).
ZOMORODI: OK. But when I can't call you, maybe try, like - what do you think - every two hours?
COX: I think two is too long. I'm thinking more like 45 minutes to an hour feels right. Forty-five minutes actually feels OK, but I could definitely try the shorter period.
ZOMORODI: That - I think you have summed up the message here - do what works for you. There is guidance. There are guidelines. But if you don't end up doing what works for you, there is no point in even talking about them.
COX: Right.
ZOMORODI: All right. Margot, this was a pleasure.
COX: Well, I appreciate it.
ZOMORODI: I'm going to check in on you.
(LAUGHTER)
ZOMORODI: We've got this, Margot. We've got this.
COX: All right. Sounds great. Take care.
ZOMORODI: Bye.
COX: Bye.
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ZOMORODI: Ah, I love you, Margot. OK. If you are interested in walking with me, send us an email. Tell us about your situation. We are at bodyelectric@npr.org. And next week, a new episode - what is happening to our hearing with all the listening that we do on our devices, like you're probably doing right now? Does it matter if we listen on earbuds or headphones? All the details. Be sure to join us.
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