BLOG POST #3 – Winter survival guide

Dear reader,

We’re so happy to celebrate our third post on this SBR Blog! From getting back from holidays on September to discovering London in October, we hope you have enjoyed our few lines. Now it’s time to face that reality that we were sketching on our previous post: November and those mid-autumn-almost-winter doldrums are coming. 

Not only did we go through the shock of daylight savings (bring the sun back, please!) but it now seems that temperatures have decided to get lower and lower. Winter is back, colder than ever. At SBR, we don’t hole ourselves up, we find solutions to make it through those bleak months. And we’re sharing them just with you.

Become aware of your energy levels

It’s time to think about how you can fuel yourself. Physical well-being is paramount, and we all know the season of colds and other parents happiness’ is about to start. So here are our key points to stay at your best.

Obviously, exercise.

We know, it’s cold and rainy and grey and you just want to come back home with a good cup of tea. But studies suggest that light to moderate exercise on a daily basis improve symptoms of mild to moderate depression. So take a walk to work, go jog on the weekend! The keyword here is light: bright light is improving your general mental health by boosting your social functioning and vitality.

Get a 360° lifestyle. 

Accompany all your efforts to exercise with a healthy and smart diet. Select appropriate foods, like chocolate (!) to help you enhance your mood and relieve anxiety. Don’t fall into the traps of all those candy and carbohydrates, that are just providing a temporary feeling of euphoria. Aim for that long-term balance!

Get out of your routine

Physical well-being has to be linked to mental and social behaviour. And the good news here, is that sports can bring you all of these at the same time. Any sports activity offers you some individual and collective work. The collective part here is important, it’s together, as a team that we can work collectively through the winter. Not feeling in the mood for a rugby game this afternoon? All your teammates will be there to make sure you’re coming down. And we know you’ll feel better in the end!

When it comes to routine, breaking your habits will help you keep your interest up. So add variety to what you do! New activities, new locations, new people..? So many options. ]

Bonus? The November Tour for Southern Hemisphere rugby union is about to start. More than 20 games of the highest level of rugby you could dream of on your TV starting next week. Check all the fixtures, and spend some family or friend time supporting your favourite team. Guess who we’ll be cheering for…

Build on positive vibes

Last piece of advice, but not the least. Focus on all the positive things about winter (Christmas?!). Soak up as much positive energy as you can and get involved in something different to increase your life satisfaction.

Movember UK is all over our screens at the beginning of this month. This amazing charity is committed to changing the face of men’s health. If you want to get involved, they offer you to either grow a moustache or move for them by setting up a distance goal and share it with your friends. Needless to say that it’s this type of everyday and small effort that makes all the sense in the end. Quite a meaningful and fun way to make a difference, isn’t it?

 

– November 2017

The SBR Team

 

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