Lululemon’s Global Well-Being Report yields troubling results
According to the report, our global well-being is pretty low, but running can help change that
On Feb. 1, Lululemon Athletica Inc. released its first-ever Global Well-being Report, which explores the factors that contribute to or detract from wellness. Unfortunately, only 29 per cent of respondents across the globe reported they have a strong physical, mental and social well-being. The good news is, the report also highlighted that being physically active is a strong driver of well-being, so runners are already doing at least one thing right.
RELATED: Improving your mental health through running part 1
The researchers used data from across 10 countries to create a Global Well-being Index that ranges from zero (extremely poor well-being) to 100 (very high well-being). Currently, the Index is sitting at 65, which could be interpreted as everyone being fine (i.e., not terrible, but not great). But when you look at the individual pillars of well-being, less than 29 per cent of global respondents said they have a strong well-being in all three areas. In fact, only 15 per cent said they consider themselves in good physical health, only 17 per cent feel they are able to manage stress effectively and only 18 per cent have a good work/life balance.
The report also found that far fewer people are feeling optimistic about the future, no doubt something that has been made worse by COVID-19. Only 40 per cent of people indicated they felt optimistic about the future, and Gen Z appears to be the most affected by this. In fact, the younger generation scored the lowest overall.
On the brighter side, the researchers found that while optimism is declining, the importance of well-being is on the rise, and half of all respondents indicated that they were going to focus more on physical and mental well-being this year. So what can you do to improve your score? The report has answers for that, too:
- get enough sleep
- eat a healthy diet
- connect with people you care about
- be physically active
- spend time outdoors
Lucky for us, running takes care of the last two items on the list. Inviting a friend along for a socially-distanced run will knock off the third, and following up your run with a healthy meal and a good sleep will send you on your way to improving your well-being.
RELATED: Improving your mental health through running: part 2
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