I'm writing this post from Miami — came here to do some work with my good friend who has a start-up digital and innovation agency. We've been prepping for a couple of pitches with clients and I've been collaborating with him on some of his existing clients.
Instead of looking for traditional office space — which makes no sense if you're in start-up mode, he is part of a collaborative start-up and highly entrepreneurial environment called CIC MIAMI. The space is beautiful and spacious, and you get all the amenities of a traditional office space plus the benefits of being part of a highly creative and driven group of people. They have awesome coffee, healthy snacks, fruit, breakfast — you name it they have it!
Aside from offering the FREE healthy snacks and fruit, Wednesdays are Health and Wellness days. And, as I came into the office yesterday morning, I saw a woman carefully separating cilantro leaves from their stem, sorting through arugula and spinach and discarding the wilted leaves ... and then triple washing the veggies. I asked her what she was doing and she replied she was getting ready to do some green smoothies for the office. I told her I was impressed with her level of attention to detail, carefully evaluating each leaf and ensuring only the best leaves made her "preferred batch". She replied saying that it is meditative for her and that she believes people can taste her effort. Food is love — and if you put your intentions and focus on it, people will notice. I believe that. Truly. Amen!
I asked her what her role was, and she proceeded to tell me that CIC hires her to come in every Wednesday to promote health and wellness. She has a stretching session at 2pm and a guided meditation session at 4pm. She asked me if I was joining, but unfortunately, I was going to be at the Client's office by that time. I did ask her what time her green smoothies were going to be ready — as I wanted to taste the love and care that went into separating the beautiful green leaves. She told me 1pm. So, I showed up promptly and had a wonderful green smoothie with spinach, arugula, cilantro, flaxseed, oats, and dates. It was delicious. She also made a "dessert" smoothie made with bananas, apples, oats and cinnamon. I had that one after my lunch — which by the way, consisted of a nice Quinoa + Veggie bowl made with locally sourced veggies and tofu. My friend took me to Smart Bites (literally 2-blocks away from CIC) — a local eaterythat grows their own vegetables and (for the most part) uses their own ingredients to serve you fresh food. This is in the heart of Allapattah — a neighborhood that is undergoing tremendous change. Wow! You would have never expected to find that type of eating here.
The reason I'm writing this post today is simply to showcase how this wellness and health movement is now part of our work life and environment. Clearly, CIC Miami is an innovative and creative space — perhaps a bit ahead of the national curve. But my belief is that all corporate environments, not just creative environments, will one day operate this way. People are yearning to take better care of themselves. We can't assume that health and wellness only takes place outside of work life. People spend more time at work than at home during the normal work week. So why not incorporate lifestyle needs at work? Think about it for a bit... if all of America instituted Health and Wellness Wednesdays and offered employees green smoothies, yoga and stretching, we'd be healthier overall as a nation. 1-day a week would make us healthier. No doubt. The cost is minimal compared to the outcomes. Employers would save on healthcare costs as employees would be more engaged, healthier and happier.
All it takes is a Health and Wellness Champion. If you happen to be in a leadership position, consider implementing this ASAP. If you're not, will you be the person today that takes this idea to your leadership team and sells them on it? #healthywednesdays
Commit to thrive in the workplace and life ... #payyourhealthfirst.
-- Chris
