The days are getting shorter and temperatures are cooling off rapidly, which can only mean one thing – winter is on our doorstep.
As we all know, winter does not only come with shorter days and cold temperatures, it also turns most humans into grumpy people with a touch of the winter blues.
This has also been the case in our newsroom, and, in an attempt to beat these blues and up the morale, one of the journalists suggested a sure-fire way to get us all going; a spot of friendly competition!
Most of us have a Samsung smartphone that comes with a pre-installed app called Samsung Health. This app tracks your steps, training, sleep, and much more. It also gives you the function to connect with your friends, and invite them to a myriad of challenges, such as who can record the most steps in a day, week and more.
So, needless to say, when the suggestion was made that we all participate in this week-long challenge, no questions were asked and we immediately joined, resulting in some of the most placid journalists turning into fierce competitors, as no one wants to be left behind and end up in the last place (even though there are no prizes for the winner, except maybe some bragging rights).
As this challenge progressed, it was good to see the effect on everyone involved. The atmosphere in the office also changed quite a bit, with lively conversations and discussions surrounding the challenge and every competitor’s progress in the order of the day. I also noticed that we are quite a creative bunch, as we quickly thought up ways to ensure all of our steps were recorded on our phones, with some hilarious outcomes! I would also like to believe that the challenge has motivated us to move more, releasing more endorphins, making us less grumpy and a little more accepting of the change of the season.
Let me know what you do to keep the winter blues at bay by sending an email to roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za.
Until next week, stay safe and look out for each other …
