EDITION 973
12 JUNE 2023

There is no escaping it: too much news is bad for you. It should come with a government health warning: “This intellectual diet is fine taken in small doses, and preferably in weekly instalments, via a well-balanced newsletter, such as 10 things from William Montgomery."

So, as another week slips by, here are 10 things which caught my attention and may have escaped yours. Please feel free to share on social media and forward to your colleagues and friends so they can also subscribe, learn and engage. I would be very grateful if you did.

William Montgomery
Editor and CEO of TEN

1. How to make exercise part of your exercise routine. Regular exercise can produce countless benefits - from improved concentration and sharper memory to enhanced creativity and lower stress - all of which boost workplace performance. Yet many of us believe we don’t have the time. So instead of viewing exercise as something you do for yourself, consider physical activity as part of the work itself. READ MORE

2. Inquiry wants your Covid story. The Covid Inquiry is asking members of the public to share their experiences of how the coronavirus pandemic affected them to help form its recommendations. Every Story Matters “aims to aid understanding of the full picture of what happened and what more needs to be done to ensure the UK is better prepared in the future”. “The scale of the pandemic was unprecedented”, said Inquiry chair Baroness Hallett, “but no-one's story is the same as yours, so please help me understand the full picture by sharing your story”. Sky News

3. The foods that boost memory. Age-related memory loss can be reversed by eating foods that are rich in flavanols, a study has suggested. These nutrients are found in tea and dark chocolate as well as in certain fruit and vegetables, including onions, broccoli, kale, tomatoes, apples and berries. Researchers in the US recruited 3,500 healthy older adults, and randomly assigned them either a 500mg flavanol supplement or a placebo. After a year on the supplements, the participants who’d been deemed flavanol-deficient showed a 16% improvement in their short-term memory, which was still evident two years later. The Guardian

4. Arctic climate milestone brought forward. The Arctic could suffer its first ice-free summer as soon as the 2030s, said a team of scientists from Canada, Germany and South Korea. Previously, the region was not expected to be entirely ice-free in summer until about 2050, but that milestone has now been brought forward. It would have “serious ramifications for people and wildlife”, including “speeding up climate change, harming polar bears and opening up a faster shipping route over the North Pole”. It would also bring “more extreme weather” to the UK and the rest of northern Europe. The Times

5. Exercise boosts work performance. One in three women and one in four men aren’t as physically active as they should be, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Research found that regular exercise helps prevent and manage cardiovascular diseases, improves physical and mental well-being - and makes you better at your job. According to a recent study, daily physical activity directly impacts your next day at work as it contributes to higher quality sleep, higher energy levels and focus capabilities. WHO recommends 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity or 1.25 hours of high-intensity physical activity each week to achieve those positive outcomes. WHO

6. Britain’s cheapest supermarket named. Aldi has been named Britain’s cheapest supermarket. Aldi was found to be the cheapest, with a key basket of goods costing £68.60 on average across last month. Fellow discounter Lidl was just behind at £70.51 – a difference of £1.91. Waitrose was the most expensive - with a basket at £86.91, or 23.5% more than Aldi. “It’s no surprise to see many shoppers turning to discounters like Aldi and Lidl when our research shows they could make savings of more than £18 on a basket of everyday groceries.” Which?

7. Combat busyness like the dutch. Niksen, roughly meaning "doing nothing" in Dutch, helps to manage stress or recover from burnout by allowing yourself episodes of minimal activity with no purpose. Niksen doesn't only imply avoiding endless scrolling on social media. It's also about letting go of mindfulness practices such as meditation or sports so a person can "just be." Niksen might be easier to adopt for retirees with time on their hands than busy employees or entrepreneurs. Yet it can also be valuable for those looking to boost their productivity. While some pressure can serve as a motivator, breaks allow our brains to rest and find new focus and clearer ideas, researchers have found. BBC

8. Make wellness part of your workday. Embracing wellbeing as part of our daily routine has a big impact on our mental health. These can boost your mental health during your workday. [1] Before work: Go for a morning walk to jumpstart your body clock. Brave a cold shower as scientists believe that cold water exposure boosts immunity. [2] At work: Break for a brew. Coffee is a source of "polyphenols, an antioxidant that has anti-inflammatory effects". Stay hydrated and eat a snack of nuts and dark chocolate. Make room for a 10-minute meditation session to improve your sleep and mood. [3] After work: Relax with a hot bath and read a book. BBC

9. Near doubling of young people not working due to ill health. The number of young people not working because of ill health almost doubled from 94,000 in 2012 to 185,000 in 2022, according to the thinktank Resolution Foundation’s research. The NHS backlog and long Covid has been said to have contributed to the overall economic inactivity due to long-term sickness. The Times

10. The bottom line. At the end of 2021, there were 31 electric cars in the UK for every public charger; by the end of last year, there were 36 to one. In the northwest of England, there are 85 cars per charger, up from 49. The Times