by Sibylle Dorndorf

People had a greater sense of adventure in the past. Or did they? If we think about it, it’s now much easier for us to escape our routine these days. Cyrill Grad, Sales Director at sunflex sport GmbH + Co. KG., fully agrees with this. He stepped outside his comfort zone, namely his personal and professional environment, for over a year to discover the world – and himself. This was not a problem for his employer, which is very supportive of employees staying motivated and flexible, in every respect. Cyrill Grad is now back again at sunflex and has all the more experience and self-awareness to show for it. “It would have been a shame if the trip had failed to leave a lasting impact on me”, he confirms. “I’ve always been really active and I come into my own when I can challenge and push myself. That’s why sunflex is perfect for me.”

The new exit strategy

More and more of us are opting for sabbaticals, and greater numbers of companies now see the benefits of employees taking some time out and broadening their horizons – in the form of less absence due to illness and burnout on the one hand and greater commitment, satisfaction, motivation and creativity on the other. Cyrill Grad also recognises this from his time spent travelling, when he was certainly not idle. He worked on a banana plantation and joined a travelling theatre group to assist with the assembly and dismantling work. He took the plunge – quite literally, with a skydive: “You have to take yourself out of your comfort zone or you’ll get stuck in a rut. Our muscles also need to be challenged in new ways to grow”, he says. “While on my travels, I learned to push myself to the limit and try out new things without fearing anything, even failure.” 

Sport makes us happy

When we test our limits, for example through sports, we benefit from a special cocktail of hormones produced by our bodies. Adrenaline helps us to become attuned to the physical strain. Dopamine sharpens our mental focus and pushes us on to peak performance. After exercising, our serotonin levels increase. This feel-good hormone gives us a sense of inner contentment. When we exercise regularly, our dopamine and serotonin levels stay high, while our concentration increases along with our sense of happiness and satisfaction. 

Dr Renate Zimmer confirms that the earlier we integrate sport into our daily routines, the longer-lasting the effects on our feeling of self-worth and attitude towards life. The educationalist and Professor of Sports and Exercise Sciences at Osnabrück University is the author of more than 60 internationally published books on the topics of exercise, language training, development support and psychomotor activity. 

In her book “Schafft die Stühle ab!” (English: Get Rid of the Chairs!) and elsewhere, Professor Dr Renate Zimmer encourages regular activity in everyday life:

Professor Dr Zimmer, exercise makes children smarter and more confident, as you confirm in your book “Toben macht schlau!” (English: Rough-and-Tumble Play Boosts Brain Power). That might be considered a provocative idea... 

Many people may think I’m overstating the case when I say that active play makes us smarter. But studies have shown that children need movement to strengthen and develop their potential in every direction, including cognitively. Rough-and-tumble play isn’t intended to mean leaping over tables and benches, but rather the pleasure children naturally derive from being on the move. Active kids develop problem-solving strategies and practice showing the stamina we need if we want to be successful.

Do active kids also find it easier to learn? 

It’s very clear that exercise supports learning – it promotes alertness and attention, and that has an impact on our sense of well-being and ability to perform at our best. Exercise also boosts our confidence. Through physical activity, children learn that they are able to achieve something and can cause certain things to happen. These experiences of self-efficacy are the basis for the development of their self-confidence and self-esteem.

People had a greater sense of adventure in the past. How can we help children to have adventures today? 

Children can still have real adventures today when they balance on walls, climb trees and try out new things. Forests, for example, are wonderful places for them to experience all this, as there is lots for them to discover and they can have true adventures, like building a den, balancing on shaky branches and so on. Being out in nature at all times of the year and not just when the weather is good is all part of this. Children still want to experience their environment when it’s damp and in the rain and snow. They love mud and puddles. 

Sport makes us happy, that’s been scientifically proven. Can you share an expert tip on how we might incorporate little moments of happiness into daily life? 

Any form of activity helps to increase our sense of well-being and create happy moments. Try to incorporate 30 minutes of movement into your daily life, outdoors if possible so that you also get the effects of sunlight. This might mean a walk, a cycle, a swim or some light jogging. Even if it takes a bit of effort initially, get in a little movement every day. Go outside and reap the benefits of light and sun, a brisk walk, a stroll or a cycle. Gardening is also a physical activity that can create moments of happiness. 

Get out and get moving!

Cyrill Grad came across many different kinds of sports while on his trip around the world. In the countries he travelled through, much of life is spent outdoors. “The everyday reality for children in poor countries like Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam in particular is completely different to life as we know it. These kids conjure up the equipment they need out of nothing: instead of a racquet, they use their hand, instead of a playing field, a backyard will do. A stick works as a sword, a brick as a mobile phone. If you look at the sunflex range, you can see that a brilliant simplicity prevails there too. Many of the products are created from our own internal brainstorming. After all, almost everyone at sunflex is enthusiastic about recreational sports.” 

An early start pays off...

When given access to sport at an early age, children remain active all their lives – and both mentally and physically fit. Cyrill Grad is proof of this: “I played football as a kid and just spent a lot of time outdoors. I really enjoyed camping in the summer with the scouts, for example. Later I did karate up to black belt level. Nowadays, partly because I have less free time, I power myself up with CrossFit workouts. And I look to see what people are getting up to outdoors – in the park, the school yard, the swimming pool and with family. Often these observations get incorporated into our product range. More and more people are now taking up archery and golf, for example. We’ve added related products to support this. The element of water really inspires us and our range now includes a cool diving archway. On land, X Ball or X Games are still fun. Trampoline for two is something very new, our product manager came up with that one. He does athletics with his kids and has just helped complete the test phase.”

All that’s left to discover is what Peer Zimmermann, sunflex Managing Director, thinks about trending and recreational sports...

Mr Zimmermann, you’re the third generation at the helm of sunflex. What recreational sports trends do you recall? 

If you’re hoping I might have a specific product in mind, I’m afraid that’s not the case. For me, the start of the neoprene age, as I refer to it, around 18 years ago was an important step that opened up entirely new possibilities for making recreational sports even cooler. This textile material can be printed on really well and doesn’t age even when used for a long time. A neoprene ball could lie around in the sun for years and then look as good as new again once it’s been cleaned up. Neoprene is lightweight, waterproof, robust and UV-resistant, and therefore ideal for the beach and in water. It has truly been revolutionary and given us numerous possibilities for creatively expanding our product range – for every age group. Just think of the diving archway already mentioned – a rubber cord with a little sack made of neoprene at each side that is filled with sand, and that’s it. It’s a great example of a beautiful water toy with a simple design.

When you look into your crystal ball, what future trends do you see?

I’m not a big fan of the word “trend”, passing fads don’t appeal to me. But if I was to pick a product that is so versatile it can get people of almost all ages playing together, then I’d say pickleball. Essentially, it’s a blend of tennis, table tennis and badminton. No matter if you’re super fit or haven’t exercised in ages, you can still enjoy it. It can be played anywhere, fast or slow, with or without rules, on soft and hard surfaces. This versatility also means it never gets deadly serious – it's just a really fun way to spend time outdoors. And you get really fit doing it, at little expense. You don’t have to join a sports club or gym. You can just go out, meet friends or family and get playing. Pickleball has great potential in my eyes.

People have a completely different attitude towards life these days. They still feel young and fit at 60, while children are growing up far too quickly. To what extent do you plan your product range with these things in mind? 

Honestly, we’ve never really given that much thought. Although we’ve always seen ourselves as a sports company, we’ve never boxed ourselves in so tightly that we couldn't look at other possibilities. I have four children myself and we live in the countryside – we go out and play and then sometimes an idea will come to you. That’s why, for instance, we now have recreational sports items for all age groups in addition to our sports section: for the very young aged one and over, the threes and up, who can already walk and run, the kids of primary school age who want lots of rough and tumble, the cool teens and, of course, kidults of all ages, although we’ve always had those as a target market. The pandemic brought people into parks and many of us remembered the games we loved as children, such as badminton and hula hoop – I’m really enjoying seeing young people playing elastics again in Nuremberg city park. And since you asked me about trends, I’ll say I feel retro is a real trend when it comes to recreational sports.

About the author

Sibylle Dorndorf has been covering the toy industry for almost 30 years. Most recently, the trade journalist was editor-in-chief of the TOYS magazine family at the Göller Verlag publishing house, Baden-Baden, Germany. Her passion: companies that reinvent themselves, brands that position themselves credibly, people who have something to say and products with a future.