5 Easy Ways to Create “Active Meetings”

Activity at work is a great way to boost employee energy, morale, and team work. Incorporating active minutes at work is especially important for professionals that spend most of their days sitting. Prolonged sedentary time increases the chance of developing heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Daily bouts of movement can reduce disease risk.¹

Active meetings increase focus and cognitive performance. Below are a few creative ways to hold active meetings:

1. If the weather is nice, ditch the conference room and take a stroll around outside or around the parking lot for an outdoor walking meeting.
2. Using a projector or large computer screen, play a 3-5 minute stretching, yoga, or chair zumba video via YouTube for a meeting break.
3. Encourage meeting attendees to stand up for the second half of a meeting or when they wish to speak.
4. During a break, play a popular song with simple group dance steps like The Electric Slide, Cupid Shuffle, or Cha Cha Slide.
5. Or think a little further outside the box, such as… Office Volleyball (pictured below)!

Here at Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less and The NC Division of Public Health, we find creative ways to move. Yes, we are playing volleyball indoors, and yes, the line of chairs functions as a net. This goes to show that even with limited equipment, you can still be active in the office and have fun while doing it.

References:

1. Biswas A, Oh PI, Faulkner GE, Bajaj RR, Silver MA, Mitchell MS, et al. Sedentary Time and Its Association With Risk for Disease Incidence, Mortality, and Hospitalization in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Ann Intern Med. 2015;162:123-132. doi:10.7326/M14-1651