Fresh air drives fresh thinking

Here are some national health statistics that should frighten you out of your chair:

• Our western sedentary lifestyle is responsible for an estimated $24 billion in direct medical spending.
• Physical inactivity is responsible for almost 200,000 or 1 in 10 deaths each year.
• Diabetes accounts for more than $98 billion in direct and indirect medical costs and lost productivity each year.   (source)

Now for the good news:  Walking 10,000 steps a day causes a 90% reduction in heart attacks (American Heart Association), a 30-70% reduction in cancer rates (American Cancer Association), a 50% reduction in type 2 diabetes (American Diabetes Association), and a 70% rate of stroke reduction (American Heart Association). But does exercise have to come at the expense of a productive work day at the office?  Nilofer Merchant doesn’t think so. Her recent TED Talk speech gave the audience something to think about: Taking our meetings outside the board room and hitting the streets — literally.

“Sitting has become the smoking of our generation,” she said, telling her listeners, that instead of having the typical work meeting, we could take our meetings outside — and we might just be surprised by how easily fresh air can drive innovative, out-of-the-box ideas.