A new report by Relate suggests the midlife crisis is hitting earlier and harder. Ouch! The survey of over 2,000 adults reveals one in five 35 to 44 year-olds feel lonely or has suffered depression. This follows on the back of a report in 2008 by the European Centre that indicated happiness dips between the ages of 40 and 49. So is midlife in crisis and how can this age group bounce back? Adrenamag got the views of professionals as well as extreme sports enthusiasts who believe they have the recipe for a midlife adrenalin boost.
Claire Tyler, CEO of Relate, commented on the report’s findings: ‘It’s when life gets really hard – you’re starting a family, pressure at work can be immense and increasingly money worries can be crippling. We cannot afford to sit back and watch this happen.’
Lisa is a professional woman in her early 40s with two children, is she happy? ‘Yes. I believe it is important to have time for yourself. Of course my priority is the family, but I make time for exercise because it makes me feel good, and renews my energy.’
Tristia Clarke of TalkTalk, who were partners in the survey, said: ‘People in their late 30s and early 40s are a time-poor generation. Long hours at work means they have less time to spend face-to-face with friends and family.’
Robert, a 49-year-old engineer, agrees: ‘I think you need to retain a balance, after a bad day at work I like to do something different. Then I can come back refreshed.’ Robert’s colleague Peter, 48, who works in IT, thinks friends are an important part of happiness. ‘I enjoy active sports with friends, the banter, the competition, are all part of the fun.’
Relate’sreport says that 27 per cent of people feel lonely a lot of the time. Robert believes this is an easy trap to fall into. ‘I know for me it is an effort sometimes to join friends but I think it’s worth it.’ Ben, who together with a group of friends, has recently cycled the length of the country to raise money for charity, said: ‘I feel a bit of a fraud because although we have raised a good sum for charity, I have personally got a lot out of it. It was great fun and really boosted my self esteem.’
So what’s the secret of midlife happiness? ‘Balance,’ says Lisa. ‘Health, fun and challenge,’ believes Robert. ‘For me it’s having something that recharges my batteries. That can be friends or exercise. Whatever turns you on, really,’ says Ben.
If you want to try a range of adrenalin activities with friends, which may or may not tackle a pending midlife crisis click here.
Paratrooper Ben Parkinson is the most seriously injured British soldier to survive his wounds in Afghanistan. Yet on the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks the lance bombardier, who lost both legs and suffered brain injures during active service, jumped 15,000ft in a charity parachute jump.
Inspired by the paratrooper’s bravery, in the run-up to Remembrance Sunday on November 14, Activity People will be making a £1 donation to Help For Heroes for every group booking activity.
Rebecca Rudkin, business development manager at Activity People, said: ‘The real-life heroism of our troops in Afghanistan is inspiring to many of us. Parachute jumps, bungee jumps and the other extreme activities we offer are nothing compared to the day-to-day heroism of our troops on the frontline.
‘We hope to do our bit by raising some money for our brave troops,’ added Rebecca. ‘We will make a donation of £1 on every group booking an activity before Remembrance Sunday; they don’t necessarily have to do the activity before that date, just book it before then.
‘We are also hoping that many of the groups will take the opportunity to raise money for Help For Heroes by getting their activity sponsored activity or collecting money on the day. We have every possible activity for them to choose from, and each member of the group can book onto the charity event as individuals making organisation less of a headache. So, how about a parachute jump, paintballing, karting, rally or off-road driving, quad biking, dirt buggy racing – you name it we have the activity,’ said Rebecca.
When the Oxford University Dangerous Sports Club pioneered the bungee jump off Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol in the 1970s, they could not have known what they had started. The growth of the extreme sports industry has been estimated at 20 per cent a year since 2000.
‘5.8 million people in the UK have expressed an interest in trying out an extreme sport. 50% of the population are currently active participants in outdoor activities,’ reported a research team from Brighton University.
Now it seems companies are using the lure of adrenalin to pump up their sales people. How does it work? Andy Leech at The Activity People – the UK’s largest activity network – explained:
‘We work with a number of companies to offer activity vouchers as an incentive for reaching sales or other targets. We even set up a branded site on a company intranet if requested for the employees to redeem their vouchers.’
What is the feedback from sales people? Paul, who runs a nationwide sales force for an electrical business, says: ‘We are always looking at different ways to motivate our sales team in addition to money. The team is fairly young and sporty and activity vouchers are the kind of thing that appeals.’
Graham, who works in IT sales, said:
‘You hear too much about health and safety these days. You have got to live – get out there and do something different. It’s very motivational – and great fun to boot.’
If your business is interested in an activity voucher incentive scheme, email Rebecca Rudkin at The Activity People on rebecca@activityhq.com“. In the meantime, check out the options on: click here.
What’s moving and shaking extreme sports enthusiasts? We take a look at some activities that are raising pulses on the sporting limits…and beyond.
Wave ski. Ron Urgandy, a recent contributor to Adrenamag wrotetoremind us of the attractions of waveski. He said: ‘If you don’t know about waveskiing it’s like a kayak and surfboard crossed.’ The basic concept is to marry paddle power with surfing thrust. As Big Ron says: ‘You are strapped in at the feet and the waist.’ This allows the waveskier to eskimo-role in the waves. The board is a touch wider than a surf board but shorter than a surf ski, which is often used to rescue stranded surfers.
Over recent years, there’s been an increasing number of waveski competitions. There are places you can give it a go. And, if you’re interested in trying water sports in general, here’s another link.
Volcano boarding
Ash boarding or volcano boarding is a relatively new extreme sport. Estimates are that 10,000 fully insulated sports enthusiasts have tried it – mainly back-packers in South America. It’s the flip side to snow boarding, with the added threat of falls on rock – and the odd exploding volcano. Although Edinburgh Castle is, apparently, built on an extinct volcano, if you’re looking to volcano board in the UK you may struggle. But check out a range of other extreme sports by clicking here.
Train surfing
Train surfing is a headache for train operators in India and South Africa. The above film shows an infamous German protagonist who called himself ‘the trainrider’. The film claims he died of leukaemia. However, it’s thought more likely that the video was posted by fellow ‘S-Bahn’ surfers in an effort to avoid the authorities.
For extreme sport enthusiasts who wish to remain alive and out of jail, there’s a range of activities available here.
The UK zorbing season will roll to a stop at the end of October and the ball won’t start rolling again until April. Therefore, there’s just a few weeks left to catch a ride in either a hydro zorb or a dry zorb.
After that date, UK zorbers will have to head to somewhere like New Zealand – the home of zorbing – to get their zorbing fix. Paula, a 30-year-old designer, who tried dry zorbing for the first time over the summer, said: ‘It is a really good laugh and you don’t need any equipment or training. And it’s pretty good value.’
To book before the last few weeks are sold out, click here.
