If your day is full of calls, they’re one of the easiest places to add movement. Plenty of calls don’t need you at a screen, and standing up or walking while you talk can turn a sitting hour into a moving one.

Walking may help you think

In a series of studies at Stanford, people came up with more creative ideas while walking than while sitting. In one experiment, walkers came up with around twice as many new ideas. The boost even carried over for a while after they sat back down. So walking during a call, or just before an important one, may help you think as well as move.

Which calls work best

Calls that don’t need your screen tend to work best on your feet, such as:

• One-to-one catch-ups.
• Calls where you’re mostly listening.
• Brainstorms or calls about ideas.
• Phone calls rather than video calls.

Ways to do it

You could try:

• Standing up and walking around the room while you talk.
• Taking a walking call outside, with headphones.
• Suggesting a walking meeting with a colleague instead of meeting in a room.

At the office, a quiet corridor or meeting room can work well for standing calls. At home, a different room or the garden gives you a change of scene too.

Small changes add up

Turning even one call a day into a moving one adds several minutes of movement, and breaks up a long stretch of sitting. Regular changes like this help ease stiffness and keep energy up through the day.

Something to try this week

Pick one call each day that you’re mostly listening on, and take it standing or walking.

What to take away

• Calls are an easy place to add movement.
• Walking is linked with more creative thinking, even after you sit back down.
• Listening, one-to-one and ideas calls work best on your feet.
• One moving call a day adds up over the week.

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