If you want to get paid to go on walks, you’re in luck: introducing the chief step officer.
Since the pandemic, a slew of new “chief” titles have entered the scene like chief wellness officer and chief remote work officer. Now, GymBird is joining the club by introducing a new temporary role called the chief step officer.
The CSO will make $10,000 to walk each day for a month, logging their progress, and ultimately working their way up to completing 10,000 steps in one day by the end of the month. The CSO will get a smartwatch to track their progress, by walking, climbing, biking, or jogging as practice.
“Our ideal candidate is excited to take the next ‘step’ in their exercise routine and is willing to commit to walking every day for a month! You need to be prepared to walk, record your progress, and note your thoughts and feelings about the experience along the way,” GymBird’s application reads. “No prior fitness knowledge or experience is necessary!”
The requirements are fairly minimal: at least 18-years-old, a weekly social media post, and a weekly paragraph and 2-minute video about the experience. After their walking month, the officer will have a 20-minute conversation with GymBird’s co-founder and chief content officer and a report will be released thereafter.
This inaugural title comes as companies are finding ways to incorporate more health and wellness benefits and roles into their ranks. The research speaks for itself, and this lucky CSO will benefit from more than the extra paycheck.
Walking is having its moment as it's been hailed as key to aging well and maintaining optimal health.
Walking reduces joint pain, improves immune health, and can help you live longer. It helps that the action doesn’t require any equipment or strenuous exercise. Making walking part of your daily ritual is important, but like GymBird’s progressive role, it’s okay to start slow.
“Ten thousand steps is a lot of steps,” NiCole Keith, professor of kinesiology at Indiana University–Purdue University and immediate past president of the American College of Sports Medicine, previously told Fortune. “If you’re an active person and you’re out walking all the time, or you work in a manual labor job and you’re on your feet and you’re carrying things and walking around…that’s great. But if you’re a receptionist and only getting 3,000, then make a goal to make it 3,500. Then see if you can push it up to 4,000.”
If you’re looking for a way to boost your health—and get some cash to do it—the Chief Step Officer may be your new gig.
