Email: MEHendrix@uams.edu

Description:

This project examines how structured, realistic physical activity may support mental health and wellbeing among healthcare employees. The goal is to translate current evidence into a practical educational resource that encourages short, flexible movement options during the workday. The final deliverable is an employee-facing brochure that presents movement as a professional, low-barrier adjunctive wellness strategy for stress, mood, sleep, and resilience.

Movement and Mental Health
Small steps for a better workday

Balance movement with the demands of the day.

Movement • Balance • Mental Health
Small breaks | Steady habits | Repeatable routines

A practical wellness brochure for UAMS employees
Mood • Stress • Sleep • Resilience

Why Move?

Movement is a practical support for busy workdays.

Linked with better mood and less psychological distress.
In healthcare workers, evidence is strongest for lower stress and better sleep.
Small amounts can help, especially when starting from none.

Progress, Not Perfection

The goal is to choose one realistic step you can repeat.

2: Reset
5: Walk
10: Break

Choose one small step and repeat it.

Quick Tips: Keep It Simple

Start with 2 to 5 minutes.
Walk, stretch, or strengthen.
Use natural breaks in the day.
Repeat what works for you.
Some movement is better than none.

Movement can support wellbeing, but it does not replace mental health care or workplace-level solutions to burnout.

1. Two-minute reset

Reset: stand + breathe

Use between tasks or after a hard encounter.

30 sec shoulder rolls
30 sec calf raises
30 sec upper-back stretch
30 sec slow breathing

Best for: a quick mental reset.

2. Five-minute walk

Walk: comfortable pace

Use at lunch, between meetings, or after a shift.

Walk at a comfortable pace.
Notice breathing and posture.
Leave your phone behind if possible.
Start with two minutes if needed.

Best for: stress relief and clarity.

3. Ten-minute break

Build: walk + stretch + strength

Use when you have a little more time.

5 min brisk walking
2 min stretching
3 min simple strength work
Try chair squats, wall push-ups, or calf raises.

Bonus: add strength twice weekly.

The best plan is the one you can repeat.

View the brochure with images.

Literature Review

1. Singh et al. (2023) – Effectiveness of physical activity interventions for improving depression, anxiety, and distress: an overview of systematic reviews

Singh B, Olds T, Curtis R, Dumuid D, Virgara R, Watson A, Szeto K, O’Connor E, Ferguson T, Eglitis E, Miatke A, Simpson CE, Maher C. Effectiveness of physical activity interventions for improving depression, anxiety and distress: an overview of systematic reviews. Br J Sports Med. 2023;57(18):1203-1209.

This overview of systematic reviews provides broad support for including physical activity in a mental health project. Across multiple adult populations and intervention types, physical activity was associated with improvements in depression, anxiety, and psychological distress. The main contribution of this source is that it supports a flexible message that benefit is not limited to one specific exercise type, so a brochure can recommend walking, stretching, or light strengthening without overstating that one exact format is necessary. Because the review includes many different populations and interventions, it is best used as general evidence supporting movement as one helpful mental health strategy.

2. Noetel et al. (2024) – Effect of exercise for depression: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Noetel M, Sanders T, Gallardo-Gómez D, Taylor P, Del Pozo Cruz B, van den Hoek D, Smith JJ, Mahoney J, Spathis J, Moresi M, et al. Effect of exercise for depression: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ. 2024;384:e075847.

Noetel and colleagues strengthen the case for using movement in this project by showing that exercise is relevant to depression treatment itself, not just general wellbeing. Their findings support a range of exercise types, including walking or jogging, yoga, and strength training. This is helpful for a workplace resource because it justifies offering employees multiple movement options rather than a one-size-fits-all prescription. The brochure therefore includes several brief and low-barrier forms of activity. Even so, the source should be interpreted carefully, because exercise should still be framed as an adjunct rather than a replacement for individualized depression care.

3. Pearce et al. (2022) – Association between physical activity and risk of depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies

Pearce M, Garcia L, Abbas A, et al. Association between physical activity and risk of depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. JAMA Psychiatry. 2022;79(6):550-559.

Pearce et al. are especially useful for the brochure’s tone because they support a ‘start small’ message. This dose-response meta-analysis found that even activity levels below standard guideline targets were associated with lower risk of depression compared with doing none at all, and the greatest relative benefit appeared at the lower end of the activity range. That finding supports encouraging employees to begin with short bouts such as a two-minute reset or a five-minute walk. Since the studies were observational, the findings are best described as an association, but they still provide strong support for the idea that small steps can matter.

4. Heissel et al. (2023) – Exercise as medicine for depressive symptoms? A systematic review and meta-analysis with meta-regression

Heissel A, Heinen D, Brokmeier LL, Skarabis N, Kangas M, Vancampfort D, Stubbs B, Firth J, Ward PB, Rosenbaum S, Hallgren M, Schuch FB. Exercise as medicine for depressive symptoms? A systematic review and meta-analysis with meta-regression. Br J Sports Med. 2023;57(16):1049-1057.

Heissel et al. reinforce the broader evidence that exercise can reduce depressive symptoms and that movement recommendations are most useful when they are specific enough to act on. This supports the brochure’s use of a brief ‘movement prescription’ format instead of vague encouragement to be healthier. In practical terms, the review helps justify organizing the brochure around short, repeatable actions that employees can try during a workday. As with other exercise literature, study designs varied, so this source is most helpful for reinforcing the overall concept rather than establishing one exact workplace dose.

5. Martland et al. (2024) – The efficacy of physical activity to improve the mental wellbeing of healthcare workers: a systematic review

Martland RN, Ma R, Paleri V, Valmaggia L, Riches S, Firth J, Stubbs B. The efficacy of physical activity to improve the mental wellbeing of healthcare workers: a systematic review. Health Promot Int. 2024;39(2):daae022.

Martland et al. are among the most directly relevant sources because the review focuses specifically on healthcare workers. The strongest and most consistent findings supported reduced psychological stress and improved sleep quality following physical activity interventions. Evidence for burnout, anxiety, depression severity, fatigue, and overall wellbeing was less conclusive. This source is important because it helps the brochure stay appropriately narrow and credible so it can confidently emphasize stress and sleep support while using more cautious language around burnout and broader mental health outcomes.

6. Mincarone et al. (2024) – Association between physical activity and burnout risk in healthcare workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Mincarone P, Bodini A, Tumolo MR, Sabina S, Colella R, Mannini L, Sabato E, Leo CG. Association between physical activity and burnout risk in healthcare workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2024;10:e49772.

Mincarone and colleagues contribute burnout-specific context, which is especially relevant for an employee audience. Their review found that physical activity was often associated with reduced burnout risk, especially in emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. This allows the brochure to mention a possible link between movement and burnout risk, but the source also supports caution because burnout is multifactorial and many included studies differed substantially in measurement and methodology. The resulting brochure language therefore emphasizes that movement may support resilience and may be associated with lower burnout risk, but it does not suggest that movement alone can solve system-level causes of burnout.

7. CDC Adult Physical Activity Guidance (2023) – Adult Activity: An Overview

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adult Activity: An Overview. Updated December 20, 2023. Accessed June 29, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/guidelines/adults.html

Although the CDC guidance is not a peer-reviewed study, it is valuable for translating evidence into understandable workplace messaging. It recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week, plus strength work on at least two days each week. Just as importantly for this project, the guidance emphasizes that activity can be spread throughout the week, broken into smaller chunks, and started gradually. This supports the brochure’s central practical message that some movement is better than none and that brief activity breaks are a realistic way to begin.

Evidence Synthesis

Taken together, the literature supports a practical and measured employee-facing message. The strongest general evidence indicates that physical activity can function as an adjunctive strategy for depressive symptoms, anxiety, and psychological distress, while the strongest healthcare-worker-specific evidence suggests benefit for stress reduction and sleep improvement. There is also evidence that physical activity may be associated with lower burnout risk, particularly in emotional exhaustion, but burnout remains heavily shaped by workload, staffing, culture, and other system-level factors. Accordingly, the brochure presents movement as one realistic wellness tool rather than a stand-alone solution.

Suggested Evaluation Plan

The brochure could be evaluated with a brief anonymous pre/post survey distributed after brochure review or following a one-week movement challenge. Initial questions could assess whether the brochure improved employee confidence that short movement breaks can support stress, mood, sleep, or general wellbeing and whether the suggested movement options feel realistic for the workday. A short follow-up could ask whether participants tried a movement break and whether they noticed any perceived change in stress, mood, energy, focus, or sleep. Additional open-ended feedback about barriers and helpful workplace supports would provide practical guidance for future wellness programming.

References

Singh B, Olds T, Curtis R, et al. Effectiveness of physical activity interventions for improving depression, anxiety and distress: an overview of systematic reviews. Br J Sports Med. 2023;57(18):1203-1209.

Noetel M, Sanders T, Gallardo-Gómez D, et al. Effect of exercise for depression: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ. 2024;384:e075847.

Heissel A, Heinen D, Brokmeier LL, et al. Exercise as medicine for depressive symptoms? A systematic review and meta-analysis with meta-regression. Br J Sports Med. 2023;57(16):1049-1057.