Walk n' Talk

img via bebetterhealth

With an estimated 11 million formal meetings a day in the US alone, it’s no wonder employees find it hard to keep up with their daily tasks while still living a healthy lifestyle. We’ve heard it all before: 30 minutes of activity a day equates to longer and happier lives.

The question is, why aren’t we doing more to implement healthier practices into our workplace? Don’t let those traditional fluorescent-lit conference rooms with hotel style furniture stop you from running better meetings.

Greek philosophers from Socrates to Aristotle consistently used walking as a way to breed new ideas, improve mental health and increase energy levels. After all, it’s science. Walking raises oxygen flow in the body, which increases brain functions for faster problem solving and sharper thinking. More recently, Steve Jobs (Apple, Pixar), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) and Jack Dorsey (Twitter, Square) have all been big proponents of the walking meeting as well.

Jack told Forbes magazine last year, “we encourage people to stay out in the open because we believe in serendipity– and people walking by each other teaching new things.”

Just being outside gives employees the opportunity to catch some vitamin D, take in some fresh air and stimulate their sensory system in a completely different way. This simple change of environment can increase a team’s creativity, decrease stress and eliminate the traditional meeting hierarchy. Everyone on the team can be engaged in an activity together, willing to share new ideas in a less intimidating atmosphere.

In the words of the late, great, Dr. Leo Marvin (‘What About Bob?’)- start things off slow, take “baby steps.” If you implement 30 minute walking meetings into your schedule just twice a week, you’d average an extra 4 miles of walking a week, 16 miles a month and 192 miles a year. How’s that for staying active?

**Start implementing walking meetings today:**

• Suggest going for a stroll around the building with a coworker while casually discussing the objective at hand.
• Have a comfortable pair of shoes ready for a more enjoyable experience.
• Use our mobile app to record newfound ideas and assign tasks on the go.

Have you tried walking meetings at your company?