CLUBBER’S HIGHS
A CLUBBER’S HIGH
Team up on low moods with your Sunday League and show stress the red card
T T raining hard on your own has long provided an excellent excuse to escape talking to other people. After all, plugging into your Sennheisers for a few laps of the local park acts as a pretty e ective barrier to social interaction. Even so, it might be time to reconsider your solitary stance, as it seems that going to the right sort of club of a weekend o ers a healthy dose of ecstasy.
A study carried out by the British Psychological Society showed that athletes who work as part of a team have a significantly lower risk of depression than those who train alone, as well as being less prone to stress and burnout.
What’s more, new research from the London School of Economics found that those who regularly participate in team sports report higher levels of happiness and satisfaction. Researchers have attributed this to the feelings of identity, purpose and belonging that come from being part of a #squad with shared #goals.
Which turns your local Sunday league into a 90-minute therapy session that won’t trouble your wallet. Or, if competitive sports impel you to make a solo dash for the hills, grab a few mates and head to one of MH’S Master Class sessions instead*. Getting high is always better with friends.
As the evenings grow lighter and sun-dappled beer gardens more enticing, remaining chained to your desk past 5pm is an increasingly unappealing prospect. Which is why it’s worth knowing that your efforts to impress the boss with presenteeism could well be too much too late.
Research from Washington University found that the majority of managers have an ingrained ‘morning bias’ – they rate early starters as more conscientious than those who pay penance after hours, regardless of total time spent at work. And it’s not just the senior staffers, either. Further research shows that emails sent between 6-7am are approximately 20% more likely to get a response than those sent at or after 10am.
Now, clearly not all of us are born with early-bird inclinations. If you struggle to keep your finger off the snooze button, make your last task of the evening to schedule emails for the following morning (cc'ing the boss where appropriate, naturally). That way you can get ahead before even getting out of bed and have time for that swift half after work. Your round.