During 2016, Smart Meetings shared lots of tips for healthy meetings and personal self-growth. Our motto here is healthy meetings equal healthy ROI.
Here are 8 strategies for healthy meetings and a healthier you in 2017.
Make Self-Help a Priority
We start by asking: How often do you put your needs first? No matter how many times people are encouraged to put their own needs first, it’s often a struggle. Not only do planners, doctors, surgeons, parents and spouses rarely put themselves first, they usually push themselves to the brink of burnout. Self-care falls to the bottom of their lists…More
Strive for Work-Life Balance
Many New Years’ resolutions revolve around achieving a better work-life balance. This is especially true for meeting planners, who often work long hours, travel frequently and are separated from their loved ones. Creating work-life balance can be challenging, but experts agree that it is essential for health, happiness and success. If changes are in order, they may be physical in nature (such as getting more exercise or cutting down on caffeine) or behavioral (such as learning to disconnect from technology or changing one’s working habits)…More
Flex Your Mindfulness Muscles
In the whirlwind of modern life, it’s not unusual to feel like you’re operating in an anxiety-ridden fog: multitasking, haphazardly knocking items off your to-do list and fretting about the past and what’s to come. That’s why we can all use a little mindfulness in our lives. It’s been touted as meditation, the new caffeine, a new religion and a new spirituality. There is nothing inherently new about the practice, but it is often misunderstood…More
Sleep is Crucial
In order to perform at their peak, meeting planners must be sharp and well-rested. A good night’s sleep is crucial to feeling refreshed and restored. Westin Hotels & Resorts has long been an innovator in wellbeing programs, including sleep initiatives. Westin has 12 tips for a better night’s sleep…More
Minimize Jet Lag
Have you ever traveled to a different time zone and found yourself wide awake at 2 a.m. or hungry for breakfast in the middle of the night? If so, you’re one of the 93 percent of travelers who experience jet lag, according to statistics from the American Sleep Association. One of the most common sleep disorders, jet lag affects the body’s circadian rhythm, or biological clock. Symptoms can include fatigue, headaches and insomnia. But jet lag doesn’t have to ruin your business or vacation plans. These easy tips will show you how to avoid jet lag—or at least minimize it…More
Meet Somewhere Healthy
Meeting planners travel to many American cities; some of which are healthier than others. 24/7 Wall St. crunched health data from the County Health Rankings and Roadmaps program, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, in order to determine which American cities are the healthiest.
Their conclusion? Rochester, Minnesota, home of the renowned Mayo Clinic, is the healthiest city in America. Rochester adults report an average of just 2.4 physically unhealthy days per month, the lowest in the country. When they require medical attention, the ratio is 180 primary care physicians for every 100,000 residents—more per capita than in any other city in America. Find out the top 25 cities for healthy meetings..More
Seek Out Options for Healthy Meetings
Health and wellness used to be an afterthought in the meetings industry. How times have changed! Today, airports sell kale salad, meetings occur in light-filled spaces and hotel gyms are bona fide fitness centers with impressive spas. Are you gluten-free? No problem. The hotel kitchen staff will happily prepare tasty dishes to meet your dietary requirements. The radical transformation is bringing joy to planners and attendees.
“A happy guest is a healthy guest,” says Dr. Ernest Brown, a Washington, DC-based physician who serves as medical advisor to several hotels in the nation’s capital. He cites Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square as an example of a property concerned about health. The hotel regularly hosts events where community partners provide information and free consultations. “And with the assistance of a dietician, their executive chef developed a fantastic menu that provides calorie counts,” Brown says…More
Stand Up to Sitting
While all meetings are different, one trait they share in common is that attendees often spend a lot of time seated. Dr. James Levine, a Mayo Clinic endocrinologist who has done extensive research on the dangers of inactivity, believes sitting is the new smoking. After three decades of work funded by the National Institutes of Health, Levine has concluded that excessive sitting is responsible for many chronic health conditions, including obesity, diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease, as well as premature death…More
