Uni Bonn: Healthy & Physically Active
Although it is now common knowledge that prolonged sitting can cause health problems, being sedentary is very much standard practice in our everyday lives at work and university. The idea behind “Uni Bonn: Healthy & Physically Active” is to create more opportunities for making exercise an integral part of our daily routine, be this in lectures, in meetings, while studying or while working at our desk.
This page tells you all about the risks associated with prolonged sitting and how you yourself and the University as an organization can help you minimize them. Your body and mind will thank you!
The main elements of the “Uni Bonn: Healthy & Physically Active” concept
Objectives
The main aim of “Uni Bonn: Healthy & Physically Active” is to reduce the long periods spent sitting down at the University. The fact that sitting has long become the norm has wide-ranging negative consequences for student and staff health. Rather than scrapping the sedentary position entirely, the program is essentially about providing alternative ways to vary your posture as required. To this end, it also aims to bring about a cultural change across the University away from prolonged sitting and toward an approach to teaching, studying and working that embraces physical activity.
The approach
The objective of injecting more physical activity into our daily lives at work and university can only be achieved if the structural environment is adapted too, e.g. by furnishing rooms appropriately. Merely encouraging individuals to reflect on and change their behavior will not be enough. We in the University health management team are therefore pursuing a holistic approach that gives both students and staff scope to spend less time sitting down and thus do something good not only for their bodies but for their minds as well.
The vision
Rather than being restricted to the University itself, the concept behind “Uni Bonn: Healthy & Physically Active” is also intended to have an impact on society as a whole. Thus students will bring the relevant knowledge into the world of work; trainee teachers will spread the word about putting an end to “sitting as standard” in schools so that the practice never becomes established in the first place; and staff will share what they know with their partners and colleagues. We all influence the people around us through our behavior and our ideas.
The following sections of this web page tell you how exercise can influence our daily lives and what modules we are currently developing further for this with the support of many key figures at the University.
Too much sitting is bad for our health!
The scientific background
“Sitting is the new smoking.” (James Levine)
In pithy fashion, this statement expresses the idea that long periods spent sitting down can have wide-ranging negative consequences for our health. A number of meta-analyses and systematic reviews have identified that sitting can lead to an increased risk of the following diseases, among other things:
- Type 2 diabetes (Bucksch & Schlicht, 2014; Rupp et al., 2020)
- Cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure (Bucksch & Schlicht, 2014; Rupp et al., 2020)
- Depression and anxiety disorders (Teychenne et al., 2010; Teychenne et al., 2015)
Indeed, it would appear that the time they spend sitting down poses just as much risk to a person’s health regardless of what other physical activity they do (Bucksch & Schlicht, 2014). The aim is therefore to not let the number of sedentary hours and minutes get so high in the first place.
Time for a quick fact check: how long do staff and students spend sitting down?
- The staff survey run across the University of Bonn revealed that respondents spend an average of eight to nine hours a day sitting down during the working week.
- This is in line with the equivalent figure for the population as a whole of nine hours on work days. Although all age groups spend prolonged periods sitting down, it is particularly prevalent among 18- to 29-year-olds (10 hours on work days). There is also a positive correlation between time spent sitting and higher-level educational qualifications. In addition, the past seven years have seen a steady rise in the length of time people spend in a seated position (Froböse & Wallmann-Sperlich, 2023).
The threshold for some health risks lies at between six to eight hours a day in total (Patterson et al., 2018).
Why should physical activity have a place in teaching?
Embracing exercise in University teaching means actually integrating elements of it into what is being taught rather than interrupting proceedings in order to do some exercise, which is the case with the lunch break express, for instance. The aim is to put an end to the tradition of “sitting as standard” in teaching as well as in our daily lives at work and university. The approach is based on the Heidelberg model of physically active teaching according to Rupp et al. (2020). Further information about the model.
As well as delivering health benefits, integrating sitting/standing exercises into teaching also helps improve its quality. The methods can be applied in schools as well as universities.
Reducing and breaking up long periods of sitting that are detrimental to our health in order to prevent “sedentary diseases”:
- Burning more calories helps prevent us from becoming overweight (Cantardo Ayala et al., 2018)
- Relief/relaxation of back, neck and shoulder muscles and intervertebral disks (Paulus et al., 2021; Ma et al., 2021)
- Physical activity has no negative impact on our cognitive functions, learning or performance at work (Finch et al., 2017)
- Increasing attention span, focus and engagement (Paulus et al., 2021; Peiris et al., 2021; Niedermeier et al., 2020)
- Reducing restlessness, tiredness, boredom and distractibility (Grosprêtre et al., 2021)
Services for physically active teaching offered at the University of Bonn
Teachers are key instigators of physical activity at universities, as they have a significant influence on their students’ health through how they structure their lessons and act as drivers of innovations in physically active teaching. In partnership with various key figures at the University, therefore, we run seminars for teachers, tutors and trainee teachers in order to share ways of encouraging physical activity.
The next section also contains information on rooms at the University that are conducive to exercise and moving around and that are ideal for putting physically active teaching methods into practice.
"Active From Head to Toe: Making University Teaching Physically Active and Energizing”—workshop run by the Bonn Center for Higher Education
For teachers and tutors
At first, some teachers may find the idea that exercise can improve the quality of teaching a little odd. But this is exactly where the workshop comes in. It helps teachers harness the potential of physically active approaches to get students moving and their brains whirring.
Would you like to be teaching ultra-productive students who cannot wait to take part in your seminar? Then this workshop will be right up your street!
“Making School and University Teaching Physically Active”—workshop at the Bonn Center for Teacher Education (BZL)
For trainee teachers
Although it is now common knowledge that excessive sitting can lead to health problems, being sedentary for a long time is seen as perfectly normal, right from our school days. This means that we all spend more time sitting down than is healthy for us from our childhood onward. Thus it is important to bring about a change in mindset even among schoolchildren in order to boost their health from an early age. Yet it also improves their concentration and reduces restlessness.
The workshop forms part of the “BZL extraC” (german website) extracurricular program.
Take an active break with the break time express.
The break time express is a five- to fifteen-minute exercise and relaxation activity for University staff and students led by qualified trainers. Anyone interested can book a session quickly and easily for their own lecture or workplace to be delivered online or in person.
The “BZL extraC” program also includes training to qualify as a leader for the exercises covered in the break time express.
Trainee teachers who complete the course successfully will receive a certificate from University Sports and Healthy Campus Bonn attesting to their additional qualifications for school lessons. It also provides an opportunity to help other students take an active break during their studies while earning some money at the same time.
Creating more suitable general conditions
“Uni Bonn: Healthy & Physically Active” is all about establishing alternatives to long periods of sitting. This includes changing behavior, which can be supported by spaces that encourage movement. The vision is to design the rooms in the long term in such a way that they can be easily adapted according to use and need. This would open up opportunities to take individual needs into account and, for example, to consider the issue of inclusion from the outset.
Example of a room that encourages exercise: University Sports’ “active seminar room”
Setting up “active” rooms does not necessarily mean having to buy all new furniture—you could equally combine old and new.
- Contact University Sports to book the seminar room.
- The room is suitable for seminars with up to 15 participants.
- AVZ III, Römerstr. 164
53117 Bonn-Castell
Room 1.034
The STANDY: a standing unit for greater variety in your posture
A STANDY is a cardboard unit that can be placed on top of any kind of table or desk. It is designed to provide an easy way of integrating periods of standing into your daily routine where height-adjustable tables or desks are not an option. We have launched a pilot project, including in several libraries, to trial their use at the University of Bonn.
A number of libraries currently offer STANDYs:
- Philology Library, Rabinstr. 8, 5th floor
- Law Library, Adenauerallee 24–42, Department of Law
- Economics Library, Adenauerallee 24–42, Department of Law, 1st floor
- Classical Archaeology Library, Römerstr. 164, 5th floor
- Philosophy Library, Am Hof 1 (University Main Building), 2nd floor
- Media Studies and Musicology Library, Lennéstr. 1, 1st floor
- Arithmeum, Lennéstr. 2
STANDYs can be incorporated into both work and study. We are currently in the trial phase and are testing out STANDYs in various settings. If you are also interested in trying out a STANDY, do not hesitate to let us know.
You can find more information on the STANDY here. (german website)
More topics to explore
Besides the abovementioned approaches in teaching and room layout, a healthy and physically active University of Bonn also relies on a number of other things:
Ergonomics: a question of adjustment
Ergonomics in the place where you work and study is about maintaining and improving your physical, mental and visual health through ergonomic workplace design (modifying the work environment) and proper behavior.
Bewegt H²: exercising to boost your health
Bewegt H² (“Active H2”) is a partnership between University Sports and Healthy Campus Bonn that offers healthy exercise activities. You can find more information on the lunch break express, STANDYs and other topics here.
Sources
- Bucksch, J. & Schlicht, W. (2014). Sitzende Lebensweise als ein gesundheitlich riskantes Verhalten. Dtsch Z Sportmed, 65, 15-21. https://doi:10.5960/dzsm.2012.077
- de Redenze, L. F. M., Rodrigues Lopes, M., Rey-López, J. P., Matsudo & V. K. R., Luiz, O. d. C. (2014). Sedentary Behavior and Health Outcomes: An Overview of Systematic Reviews. PLOS ONE, 9(8): e105620. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0105620
- Froböse, I. & Wallmann-Sperlich, B. (2023). Der DKV-Report 2023: Wie gesund lebt Deutschland?.
- Patterson, R., McNamara, E., Tainio, M., de Sá, T. H., Smith, A. D., Sharp, S. J., Edwards, P., Barge, S. & Wijndaele, K. (2018). Sedentary behaviour and risk of all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality, and incident type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and dose response meta-analysis. European journal of epidemiology, 33, 811-829.
- Rupp, R., Dolf, C. & Bucksch, J. (2020). Bewegte Hochschullehre (2020). Bewegte Hochschullehre. Einführung in das Heidelberger Modell der bewegten Lehre. Wiesbaden: Springer.
- Teychenne, M., Ball, K. &Salmon, J. (2010). Sedentary Behavior and Depression Among Adults: A Review. International Society of Behavioral Medicine 17(4), 246-254. https://doi: 10.1007/s12529-010-9075-z
- Teychenne, M., Costaingan, S. A. & Perker, K. (2015). The association between sedxentary behaviour and risk of anxiety: a systematic review. BMC Public Health, 15(513). https://doi:10.1186/s12889-015-1843-x
- Contardo Ayala, A. M., Sudholz, B., Salmon, J., Dunstan, D. W., Ridgers, N. D., Arundell, L., & Timperio, A. (2018). The impact of height-adjustable desks and prompts to break-up classroom sitting on adolescents' energy expenditure, adiposity markers and perceived musculoskeletal discomfort. PLoS One, 13(9).
- Finch, L. E., Tomiyana, A. J. & Ward, A. (2017). Taking a Stand: The Effects of Standings Desks on Task Perfromance and Engagement. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(939). https://doi:10.3390/ijerph14080939
- Grosprêtre, S., Ennequin, G., Peseux, S. & Isacco, L. (2021). Feasibility and acceptability of “active” classroom workstations among French university students and lecturers: a pilot study. BMC Public Health, 21(1001). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-11074-3
- Ma, J., Ma, D. & Kim, H. (2021). Effects of a Workplace Sit–Stand Desk Intervention on Health and Productivity. International Jorunal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(11604). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111604
- Niedermeier, M., Weiss, E. M., Steifl-Müller, L., Burtscher, M. & Kopp, M. (2020). Acute Eects of a Short Bout of Physical Activity on Cognitive Function in Sport Students. International Journal of Environmental Research in Public Health, 17(3678). https://doi:10.3390/ijerph17103678
- Paulus, M., Kunkel, J., Schmidt, S. C. E., Bachert, P., Wäsche, H., Neumann, R. & Woll, A. (2021). Standing Breaks in Lectures Improve University Students’ Self-Perceived Physical, Mental and Cognitive Condition. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(4204). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18084204
- Peiris, C. L., O´Donoghue, G., Rippon, L., Meyers, D., Hahne, A., De Noronha, M., Lynch, J. & Hanson, L. C. (2021). Classroom Movement Breaks Reduce Sedentary Behavior and Increase Concentration, Alertness and Enjoyment during University Classes: A Mixed-Methods Feasibility Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(5589). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18115589
