Make Your Meetings More Active

  • Include items on your meeting agenda that require participants to get out of their seats (breakout groups, stand and write ideas on an easel).
  • Choose movement friendly meeting locations (walkable neighborhoods, on-site gym, nearby park).
  • Hire a professional instructor (pilates, yoga, tai chi, stretching, Zumba) to lead a class before or during the meeting.
  • Point out the stairs and encourage attendees to use them. Consider including the location of stairs in meeting directions or putting arrows to the stairs in front of elevators.
  • Organize a group walk early in the morning, during a break or before/after dinner.
  • Consider incorporating standing ovations after each speaker to encourage participants to stand and stretch.

Standing Breaks

  • At least once an hour, participants should be encouraged to stand up to improve blood circulation, boost metabolism, and relieve physical discomfort from sitting for prolonged periods of time.
  • Announce that it is fine to stand up and move around, as needed. If possible, provide raised tables for those electing to stand during the meeting.

Stretch Breaks

  • Stretch breaks help participants wake up their bodies and minds.
  • Encourage people to stand up and stretch in place.
  • Try playing a Healthy UC Davis WakeBreak video! These instructor-led stretch videos range from 4 to 15 minutes. 

Breathing Exercise

  • Focused breathing is an energizing activity that can help relax and clear your mind. Simply inhale for four seconds, hold it for seven seconds, and exhale for eight seconds.

Suggested Activity Agendas

LENGTH OF MEETINGSTANDING BREAKSTRETCH BREAKSBREATHING BREAKSMOVEMENT BREAKSWALKING BREAKS
50 - 60 minx x  
2 - 4 hoursxxxx 
All Dayxxxxx
two young boys playing together at the uc davis hutchison child development center 10th anniversary celebrations

Hutchison Child Development Center celebrates 10 year Anniversary

Hutchison Child Development Center recently celebrated it’s 10 year Anniversary here at UC Davis. The Center, owned by the University and operated by Bright Horizons Family Solutions serves UC Davis families with a child capacity of 105 FTE.

Currently there are 117 children attending, 100 of which are University Affiliates. Affiliates receive a reduced rate and are offered preferred enrollment over community members.

A small celebration with cake and juice brought families, “alumni” and University officials to the piazza of the center. The on-site Child Development Center brings peace of mind to working parents with the close proximity to work and gold standard of care at the NAEYC accredited center. UC Davis Mind Institute Assistant Project Scientist Marie Krug, Ph.D., shared, “When you drop your children off here you know they are safe and I trust the teachers here would make the same decisions I would. I don’t know how we could make our life and career work without it.”
 
UC Davis and Bright Horizons recently completed a new contract securing the partnership for another ten years.  Perhaps by then some of the first “graduates” will be UC Davis students.

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