This didn’t come as much of a shock to us, but it turns out that women are better leaders during a crisis. According to research conducted last year and repeated this year during the pandemic between March and June, people working with women rated them as better leaders than men. Not only that, but “the gap between men and women in the pandemic is even larger than previously measured, possibly indicating that women tend to perform better in a crisis.” The data revealed that workers are keen to have leaders who can learn new skills, focus on developing their employees even under difficult circumstances, who are honest and have integrity and who can empathize with their employees when they experience stress, anxiety and frustration – all traits women show more often. Some important characteristics to think about as we struggle on during the Covid-19 pandemic.

On a totally different front, here’s a story about the benefits of exercise “snacking.” Yeah, we didn’t know what that was before either, but it’s 2021 and we’re all excited for something new! Basically, it’s short (sometimes very short, as in a mere few seconds short) bursts of exercise during the day. Think running the stairs, a wall squat, a few lunges. For those who take several of these “snacks” every day, research has shown real gains in fitness and overall health. While not meant to completely replace longer, regular, workouts, these short bursts can be a helpful addition, particularly for people who spend many hours sitting at a computer. Key to reaping the benefits, however, is to make sure you’re working hard for the full 5 seconds or 2 minutes or however long you are “snacking.” As one expert put it in the article, “you need to push it a little bit.”