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With work increasingly keeping us seated, it can be hard to meet fitness goals. A new study from the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami in Florida, published in Preventing Chronic Disease, a journal of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suggests that by moving one meeting a week to a Walking Meeting, physical activity for office workers can increase by 10 minutes.
As we’ve all observed, those minutes can add up quickly throughout the day to meet your fitness goal. Want to plan a Walking Meeting? Follow these steps:
In the new study, researchers explored the effectiveness of a simple, seven-point Walking Meeting (WaM) protocol, summarized as follows:
Set a time and place to meet before the WaM
- Prepare an agenda and bring it with you
- To make the walk more comfortable, bring items such as water, sunscreen, sunglasses, and wear comfortable shoes
- Assign roles: for example, one person keeps an eye on time, another takes notes, another leads walk route
- Follow the prescribed walk route
- Walk for a minimum of 30 minutes
- After the WaM, sit to wrap up meeting and do any final tasks such as paperwork that cannot be done while walking.
New environments, new ways of communication, fresh air and sunshine can invigorate and lead creativity to work.
Source: Medical News Today