With a three-day weekend being trialled in countries across the globe, new empirical research by Australian researchers shows that the extra time off increases active healthy behaviours, lending extra support to a shorter but still productive work week.
The researchers assessed study participants’ changes in daily movements before, during and after holidays, finding that physical activity increased when they were on holiday, even with just a three-day break. Their findings were published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.
Across the 13-month study period, participants generally took two to three holidays on average, each being around 12 days. The most common holiday type was ‘outdoor recreation’ (35%), followed by ‘family/social events’ (31%), ‘rest and relaxation’ (17%) and ‘non-leisure pursuits’ such as caring for others or home renovations (17%).
Specifically, it showed that on holiday, participants:
- engaged in 13% more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) each day (or five min/day more)
- were 5% less sedentary each day (or 29 min/day less)
- slept 4% more each day (or 21 min/day more).
University of South Australia researcher Dr Ty Ferguson says that the research indicates that people display healthier behaviours when they are on holiday.
“When people go on holiday, they’re changing their everyday responsibilities because they’re not locked down to their normal schedule,” Dr Ferguson says.
“In this study, we found that movement patterns changed for the better when on holiday, with increased physical activity and decreased sedentary behaviour observed across the board.
“We also found that people gained an extra 21 minutes of sleep each day they were on holiday, which can have a range of positive effects on our physical and mental health. For example, getting enough sleep can help improve our mood, cognitive function, and productivity. It can also help lower our risk of developing a range of health conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and depression.
“Interestingly, the size of these changes increased in line with the length of the holiday – so the longer the holiday, the better the health benefits.”
The study used data from the Annual rhythms in adults’ lifestyle and health (ARIA) study where 308 adults (mean age 40.4 years) wore fitness trackers 24 hours a day for 13 months. Minute-by-minute
movement behaviour data were aggregated into daily totals to compare movement behaviours pre-holiday, during holiday and post-holiday.
Senior researcher UniSA’s Prof Carol Maher says that the study offers support for the growing movement for a four-day week.
“A shorter working week is being trialled by companies all over the world. Not surprisingly, employees reported less stress, burnout, fatigue, as well as better mental health and improved work-life balance,” Prof Maher says.
“This study provides empirical evidence that people have healthier lifestyle patterns when they have a short break, such as a three-day weekend. This increase in physical activity and sleep is expected to have positive effects on both mental and physical health, contributing to the benefits observed with a four-day work week.
“Importantly, our study also showed that even after a short holiday, people’s increased sleep remained elevated for two weeks, showing that the health benefits of a three-day break can have lasting effects beyond the holiday itself.
“As the world adapts to a new normal, perhaps it’s time to embrace the long weekend as a way to boost our physical and mental health.”
Source: University of South Australia
