Six ways to improve your life with an extra hour of sunshine
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1. Get lost in a book
Grab a book, a garden chair and a blanket (it still gets chilly before sunset!) and you have a recipe for a great afternoon.
Just six minutes of reading can reduce stress by up to 68 per cent, according to a study from the University of Sussex. Not bad for an hour relaxing in the garden with your latest favourite book!
2. Catch forty winks
Sounds like a strange way to use extra daylight, I know. But consider this: humans are in the minority among animals for sleeping once per day – known as being a monophasic sleeper. Most mammals are polyphasic sleepers, meaning they snooze for short periods throughout the day.
There is even some debate as to whether it is natural or healthy for humans to sleep the way we do.
Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison are all known to have sneaked a sly snooze in the afternoon, so make like the greats and get some shut-eye after work.
3. Take a walk
With an extra hour of daylight in the evenings, you could enjoy a brisk three-mile walk every day, which adds up to almost 2,000 extra calories burned each week.
With up to 400 acres of woodland to enjoy, why not give it a go during a Center Parcs break this spring?
4. Get cooking
Use your hour of sunshine to plan ahead and you could make the rest of your week much easier. Try out that new recipe you’ve been eyeing up, make tomorrow’s packed lunches or get ahead and make a big batch of the family’s favourite to freeze.
Plus, cooking while it’s still light will feel like less of a chore than when the sun has gone down and you want to be curled up on the sofa. For inspiration, take a look at our mouth-watering recipes.
5. Play outdoors
Spending time outdoors when the nights are long, dark and cold can feel like a drag. But with the sun staying up until after 7.30pm, there is plenty of time to get outside with the children and get to grips with nature.
If you have a Center Parcs break booked this spring, you can enjoy the extra afternoon sunshine with an activity, or why not hire a bicycle to explore our woodland trails?
6. Go alfresco
Nothing spells the beginning of summer like eating outside in the sunshine, so why not soak up some Vitamin D in the garden over a family feast?
If you’re joining us on a Center Parcs break you can eat al fresco at the back of your lodge on your own private patio. It’s a great way to connect as a family and catch up on each other’s busy lives.
