The average American sits 9.3 hours a day. And sitting has been deemed the new smoking.

We all know that exercise is fantastic for brain function and managing stress. What you may not have known is that when your body is physically active it begins to produce more brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF), which acts like a fertilizer for brain cell development.

Walking for just 30 minutes can dramatically improve health and is a simple preventative measure for dementia, breast cancer, colon cancer, and heart disease. Along with health benefits, “walking meetings” have been shown to increase creativity and productivity.

Walking meetings are a great step toward a better workday. A study at Stanford discovered the positive effect walking has on creativity, finding that 81 percent of participants can come up with more ideas after they walk. Additionally, the ideas people come up with are more novel and appropriate to the situation.

Walking one-on-one meetings allow you to combine physical activity and social connection during a meeting, leading to increased happiness, creativity, and camaraderie. Social connections are a huge factor in happiness, which leads to better brain function.

Do you already incorporate walking meetings into your culture? Please share how they have impacted your team.