5 Benefits of Exercising with Your Remote Team

Teams who exercise together stay together. Well, at least they stay healthy and reduce their stress levels. Exercise and movements are important for our well-being and so is feeling connected to others. Creating a way to exercise together even though you are physically separated has multiple benefits.

Below are 5 Benefits of Exercising with Your Remote Team:

• Exercising releases endorphins which makes us feel good.
• Exercising releases cortisol (the stress hormone).
• When we exercise with others, we are often more motivated.
• Teams can hold each other accountable.
• Exercising at the same time is a fun bonding activity that can have social components too.

Here are a few ways you can exercise together while apart:

1. Sign up for a Virtual 5K.

Google search to find one. Everyone signs up and runs on their own. Your team could all choose the same day and time to do this or you can all run independently. Either way, you can celebrate and encourage each other throughout the process. Be sure to get on Zoom together and take a picture with your race shirts on.

2. Play a Yoga or Zumba video over Zoom.

In a recent virtual class I taught, some of the participants joined me for a 10 minute yoga session over lunch. I played a yoga video through my shared screen on Zoom and several people watched and participated (with our cameras off). It was fun to know there were others in “class” with you even though we couldn’t see each other.

3. Schedule a Walking Meeting.

If you don’t need to be in front of a screen or writing down notes, go for a walking meeting. There are some rules of etiquette for this, so check out this blog on Walking Meetings to learn more.

4. Connect with your Remote Team through Exercise Apps.

Some workout apps allow you to connect and see each other’s progress. My Fitness Pal, for example, allows you to invite friends. These connections can be motivating and also a great way to connect with team members around a common desire to be healthy.

Summary

Exercise is important for our health. Finding interesting ways to connect with our teams via a shared interest in a sport or exercise program is good for our bodies and our minds.

About the Author: Leigh Ann Rodgers, Founder of Better Teams and Forward, is an IAF Certified Professional Facilitator with 20 years of experience in the human development field. Leigh Ann is a skilled meeting facilitator, trainer, and coach working across the globe to help leaders cultivate teams that are happy and high-performing.

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