"Sitting has become the smoking of our generation"– with this statement Nilofer Merchant advertises the new trend of "Walk and Talk" meetings, holding the view that people don't have to sit each meeting out.
According to a topical study people spend sitting 9.3 hours a day on average - these are more hours than we spend sleeping (7.7 hours a day). Unfortunately, the human body is not made for prolonged sitting, which causes numerous health problems in everyday life. Ten percent of all cases of breast or bowel cancer, for example, are directly associated with a lack of exercise. Things are similar when it comes to heart attacks or late-onset diabetes.
Merchant recommends holding meetings and discussions in the open air now and then while taking a walk. This keeps people in shape, puts the brain in the right way, and lends wings to new ideas. Justified question: in how many meetings is it really necessary to take notes in writing? Merchant, too, has rearranged her day-to-day work life. She says she covers 30 to 50 kilometres per week in these "Walk and Talk" meetings.
In the enterprises Facebook, Apple and Twitter the "Walk and Talk"meetings have become a daily routine. In fact, a particular on-line campaign called everybodywalk.org (@everybodywalk) has emerged in the USA. Of course, it's got its own app inviting Americans to take some more exercise (available for iOS and Android); a more humane approach, to be honest, than the "fat tax" scheme in Japan, where extra taxes are imposed on overweight employees.
TED talk by Nilofer Merchant in which she challenges people: "Have a meeting? Take a walk!"
(c) Walk & Talk Meeting: GettyImage/Liam Norris