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Editorial
The ‘Goldilocks Principle’: designing physical activity at work to be ‘just right’ for promoting health
  1. Leon Straker1,
  2. Svend Erik Mathiassen2,
  3. Andreas Holtermann3
  1. 1 School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
  2. 2 Department of Occupational and Public Health Sciences, University of Gavle, Gavle, Sweden
  3. 3 National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark
  1. Correspondence to Professor Leon Straker, School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia; L.Straker{at}curtin.edu.au

https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-097765

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    Physical activity is generally accepted to promote good health. However, it is well documented that the wrong type of physical activity can be bad for health in both occupational and leisure contexts. For example, too much mechanical force can lead to musculoskeletal injury,1 too frequent activity can lead to fatigue2 and too prolonged standing can lead to varicose veins.3 Similarly, too little force can lead to bone and muscle loss, too infrequent moderate/vigorous physical activity can lead to cardiorespiratory deconditioning and too little standing or walking can lead to impaired cardiometabolic health.4

    The ‘just right’ paradigm, the ‘Goldilocks Principle’

    Therefore, we argue that the benefits of physical activity, both at work and leisure, can only be seen when the various aspects of physical activity are ‘just right.’ When being ‘just right,’ activity promotes physical capacity and health, when being ‘not right,’ it impairs health. We coin this ‘just right’ paradigm, the ‘Goldilocks Principle.’ In the Goldilocks fairy tale, a child comes across a house in the woods belonging to a family of bears. She tried the porridge, chairs and beds; some were too hot/large/hard, some too cold/small/soft, but some were ‘just right.’ In exercise and sports, the Goldilocks Principle of …

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