This week on the Salesforce blog, we’re focusing on increasing physical activity by incorporating more walking throughout the workday. That’s because our Chairman and CEO, Marc Benioff, and Dell Chairman and CEO, Michael Dell, are going head to head in the Fitbit Celebrity Challenge.
Here’s how it works: from March 16-20, Marc and Michael are competing to see who can log the most steps every day. They’ll be tracking each and every step using Fitbit activity trackers. The best part? Fitbit will donate $10,000 to the American Heart Association in the name of the winning CEO.
Want to see who’s ahead? Check out Fitbit’s Celebrity Challenge page, and join in the fun by trying to keep up with the CEOs.
Beyond this week’s challenge, we’re encouraging every professional to set a goal of taking at least 10,000 steps every day. (Yes, even workdays!) Physical activities like walking can reduce stress, improve overall heart health, and help with weight loss. Exercise also helps boost brain power and makes you more productive at work.
Here are 8 tips to add more steps throughout your workday.
1. Check in on progress early and often. If you wait until 6 p.m. to check your total steps, you may discover that you’ve only taken 2,000 without time to make up the rest. Check in on your number of steps regularly throughout the day to set yourself up for success.
2. Make walking meetings a part of workplace culture. A walking meeting is when you hold a 1:1 meeting on the streets instead of on your seat. The only way to suggest walking meetings without raising eyebrows is to make them an everyday part of company culture, so take the initiative to invite your coworkers to walking meetings and making them the norm.
3. Multitask: combine walking breaks with other healthy breaks. Our eyes need frequent rests from the hypnotic gaze of our computer screens. Similarly, our bodies need hydration for weight loss, kidney function, better digestion, and much more. Strive to take several 5-10-minute breaks throughout the day that combine walking, eye strain relief, and a water-bottle refill.
4. Consider public transportation instead of the closest parking garage. If possible, consider commuting via public transportation with a stop that’s a 10-15-minute walk (or even longer) away from your office. You’ll be meeting 10,000-step goals in no time.
5. Take the stairs. No one’s asking you to go cold-turkey on the elevator and start climbing 20 flights on day one. But consider taking 2-3 flights of stairs every morning, followed by the elevator, and slowly increasing it. You’ll feel the burn and start your day off right.
6. Challenge a coworker or team. Fitbit says that users with at least one friend are 27% more active than those without. Encouragement can be a big help when it comes to fitness, and so can competition. Start an internal challenge at your workplace with one or more coworkers to see who can log the most steps.
7. Walk during low-intensity work. Depending on the subject matter and if you need your computer, you may be able to walk during certain conference calls. You can easily log a few hundred steps when you would otherwise be sitting. Also try using walks to stay updated on industry news. For example, Umano has audio versions of top news stories so you can improve fitness and business knowledge simultaneously.
8. Speed up your walks. Already logging 10,000 steps? Fantastic. Now start upping your speed to log even more steps. The faster you walk, the more steps you’ll take, and you’ll increase calorie burn and cardiovascular benefits even more.
Ready to start walking more frequently and join Marc Benioff in the process? Check the Fitbit Celebrity Challenges page for updates on Benioff and Dell’s number of steps throughout the challenge. You can tweet your support for this cause to @benioff and @michaeldell, or use the hashtags #fitbitforaha and #teambenioff to cheer on Marc.