Today we had a dance party. That’s right – a dance party. Arms were flying, legs were kicking and booties were swaying. Right there in the middle of the office, we danced around for five minutes to a peppy song without judgment or chatter about work. And no, we haven’t lost our minds.

As our fearless leader Liz Kelly mentioned in her blog about finding wisdom at work, movement throughout the day is essential for clear minds and efficient work. At Brilliant Ink, we’re making the conscious effort to get up and get moving. Here are a few things we’re trying:

Walk & Talk

One-on-one meetings, updates or strategy discussions are all great times to hold walking meetings. As the weather improves and temperatures rise, it’s an excellent way to soak up some vitamin D, tour our neighborhood and get the blood pumping.

Move & Groove

Recently, we started taking movement breaks and our first challenge is the dreaded plank. At 11 a.m. each day, all of our BI teammates hit the floor and hold a plank for 15 seconds longer than we held it yesterday. Realizing that the plank alone wasn’t enough, we added on a five-minute dance party. All moves are welcome, especially those from the late 80s.

Stand & Sit

Standing, bike and treadmill desks are becoming ever more popular. And while many find these tools helpful, there is nothing truly keeping you in your seat all day. We encourage standing up, stretching and walking up and down the stairs to release stress and charge our brains with oxygen. You might not think you have a spare three minutes to move, but staring at a screen willing your brain to form an idea isn’t all that productive either.

Learn & Grow

My friends and family can tell you I like to brag about this one. BI sponsors an in-office yoga class every Thursday, plus 25-minute massages once per month. Yet, our active team doesn’t limit our pro-led workouts to just what’s provided. We all talk about classes we take on our own time, activities we do on the weekend and even support a flexible schedule, helping to ensure we have the time and space be active. 

With a team committed to working out our bodies as much as our minds, we’ll continue to test and invent new ways to move and be healthy. So if you walk past our offices and see arms waving around like we just don’t care – just keep moving – because we are.