Weekend Wellness News, Views & Fun for From This Week
A Ton of Bricks or a Ton of Feathers – Which Is Heavier??
Why the obvious answer isn’t always the right one – and what this simple childhood puzzle can teach us about our health, happiness and wellbeing.
Three interesting questions to explore this weekend:
> Could your breakfast habits influence how you handle stress?
> Is there a sweet spot for building strength and improving health?
> Your volunteers turn up every week – but do they feel they belong?
Plus, a childhood puzzle, a little weekend challenge and an extraordinary cloud on Mars!
Look out for my challenge below – Nigel
Thought from Nigel
“Wellness – an incomplete understanding”
I remember as a child being asked one of those questions designed to catch you out:
“What’s heavier, a ton of bricks or a ton of feathers?”
We used to love trying to catch someone out with questions like that!
Of course, looking at it now, we know they weigh exactly the same. But our minds can play tricks on us. We associate feathers with being light and bricks with being heavy, and that familiar knowledge can influence our answer before we’ve really thought about the question.
I think something similar happens when people hear the word wellness.
We immediately form a picture of what it means, often based on the things we commonly associate with it.
But wellness is much broader than that.
Our mindset, healthy relationships, enjoying our careers, developing confidence or exploring new hobbies can all contribute to our wellbeing. These are areas we explore and support through Wellness Within Club.
And that brings me back to the bricks and feathers.
Next time you’re presented with a question, an opinion or a particular way of doing things, stop for a moment. Step back and consider it for yourself.
Don’t automatically follow convention, the crowd or a familiar assumption.
You might discover a different perspective – and perhaps something that better supports you.
Could the Secret to Handling Stress Start at Breakfast?
Everyday habits may influence how well we adapt when life becomes difficult.
When life gets stressful, we usually concentrate on the problems themselves. But what about the everyday habits that help us cope?
Research from Binghamton University explored how diet, sleep and physical activity relate to resilience and psychological flexibility – our ability to adapt our thinking and responses when circumstances change.
Researchers found that students reporting regular breakfasts, sufficient sleep and physical activity generally demonstrated greater resilience and psychological flexibility.
Those sleeping fewer than six hours tended to report lower flexibility, while regular exercise was associated with better coping.
Why does this matter?
Managing stress isn’t always about changing the situation. Sometimes it’s about supporting ourselves so we’re better prepared to respond.
The research was based on self-reported information from university students, so it doesn’t prove that changing these habits directly improves resilience.
The takeaway:
Our everyday routines may deserve more attention when we’re looking for ways to manage stress.
“Could the way we prepare for an ordinary day influence how we respond when it becomes extraordinary?”
Try this weekend:
Choose one routine – perhaps a regular breakfast, a gentle walk or an earlier bedtime. Give it some attention and notice whether you feel better prepared for the day.
Is There a Sweet Spot for Building Strength?
Research suggests that consistency may matter more than continually doing more.
We’re often encouraged to exercise more, but does increasing the time we spend exercising always bring greater benefits?
A large long-term study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine examined the relationship betweenResearch suggests that consistency may matter more than continually doing more.
strength training and health.
Researchers found that people reporting approximately 90–119 minutes of strength training weekly had a 13% lower risk of death from any cause compared with those reporting none.
Combining strength training with aerobic exercise was associated with particularly favourable outcomes. Interestingly, the researchers did not observe further reductions in overall mortality risk above approximately two hours of strength training weekly.
Why does this matter?
Strength training doesn’t necessarily require a gym. Suitable resistance exercises can include body-weight movements, resistance bands or light weights.
The study was observational and relied on self-reported exercise habits, so it cannot prove cause and effect or establish the ideal amount for everyone.
The takeaway:
Finding an achievable routine and maintaining it may be more useful than continually trying to do more.
“What if building a healthier future depends less on doing everything and more on finding something we can keep doing?”
Try this:
If appropriate for your health and mobility, try five minutes of gentle resistance activity. Notice which movements feel comfortable and achievable.
Your Volunteers Turn Up Every Week – But Do They Feel They Belong?
New research into loneliness raises an important question for charities: are we creating genuine connections or simply providing opportunities to participate?
Loneliness isn’t necessarily about being alone. Someone can spend time surrounded by other people and still feel disconnected.
Research published in Nature Communications examined the long-term effects of loneliness and social isolation among older adults in England.
Researchers found that persistent loneliness was associated with poorer general health, mental wellbeing and physical functioning.
Importantly, the study distinguished between social isolation – having limited social contact — and loneliness, which concerns how people feel about their relationships.
Why does this matter for charities and volunteer managers?
Volunteering can bring people together, but regular participation doesn’t automatically mean someone feels welcomed, valued or connected.
For charity leaders, this raises a useful question about how volunteers are supported beyond the tasks they undertake.
The study involved older adults rather than volunteers specifically, and it cannot prove that particular organisational activities will prevent loneliness.
The takeaway:
Creating opportunities for genuine connection may be just as important as bringing people together.
“How many people do we see regularly without ever discovering whether they feel they belong?”
Try this:
Contact someone you haven’t spoken with recently. Ask how they’re getting on and give the conversation your full attention.
Weekend Fun
A few feel-good extras to round off your read
Challenge Yourself This Weekend
The Five-Minute Change
Choose one small activity you’ve been putting off — perhaps a short walk, contacting a friend or tidying a space you regularly use.
Give it just five minutes, without expecting to complete everything.
Sometimes starting is the hardest part. Afterwards, notice whether the task felt easier once you began.
Something to Make You Smile — An Extraordinary Cloud on Mars!
Something to Make You Smile
An Extraordinary Cloud on Mars!
Imagine looking up and seeing a cloud stretching more than 1,500 kilometres across the sky!
NASA recently featured an extraordinary water-ice cloud that forms near the Martian volcano Arsia Mons.
Its enormous tail is carried by winds across the Martian atmosphere.
It’s a wonderful reminder that even beyond Earth, nature still has plenty of surprises waiting to be discovered.
Need Help Putting Plans Into Action?
Knowing what to do is often the easy part.
Actually doing it – and keeping going – is where most plans fall apart.
Inside Wellness Within Club you’ll find practical exercises, templates, guided challenges and training to help turn good intentions into action.
Try the Club free and explore what works for you.
