Walking Meetings

Steps by George Hoden

Steps by George Hodan

Most of the folks I know are like me, they work online. Which means many, many, many hours sitting down with a laptop and/or iPad. Being able to work for myself anywhere and anytime is a wonderful gift. However, spending any length of time sitting without moving is not a good thing. Studies from the Mayo Clinic, University of South Carolina along with articles from The Guardian and WebMD all point to excessive sitting as a serious health concern.

A couple of years ago I consulted with a local PR professional about one of their outdoor destination clients. During our brainstorming session, I proposed the “Have a walking meeting” campaign to encourage people to enjoy the outdoor space during the work week. This idea has stuck with me ever since. I just liked the idea of having meetings while walking outdoors. We all have mobile devices so taking meeting notes or even audio recording the meeting while walking would be easy enough.

It wasn’t until about 6 weeks ago that I personally implemented the Walking Meeting. I have a weekly call with my mentor and friend, Rhea Perry. I was sharing my fondness for the FitBit and my concept of the walking meeting. She liked the idea so much she went out and bought a FitBit and said she would join me. And just like that our weekly calls became Walking Meeting calls.

It’s been great. Our calls are late morning so it breaks up a day of meetings and calls. While our calls usually last 1-2 hours. The walking part of our calls last about 20-30 minutes. While 20-30 minutes may not seem like much of a workout, according to my FitBit I am burning between 120-230 calories per session. Which compared to what was 0 calories burned, is a very good thing.

In the past, many of my meetings were in coffee shops. Now, I have more and more of my meetings on the hike and bike trails. Let me encourage you to consider adding a walking meeting or two to your work week. Your waistline and your pocketbook will thank you.

Remember, you are worth the extra effort it takes to start the journey towards a healthier, fitter and more beautiful version of you.

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