Sport is SO Much More
Physicians will tell you, and many studies have been done to show the benefits of exercise to our bodies. Exercise increases your health strength, muscle strength and burns calories consumed throughout the day.
If you are like me, chasing a ball is not only more rewarding, but helps me not to think about how much energy I'm exhorting during my time of exercising. I will often run faster and push harder to catch a ball or shoot a hoop than I would running on a treadmill or elliptical machine. For this reason I would rather put an hour on the sport court or field than 10 minutes in the gym!
As much as we benefit physically from sport, there are many more benefits, here are 5 benefits to sport that you might not have considered yet;
1.Mental Health – Sport forces us to face various challenges and overcome these challenges. With out overcoming the challenges only proves to a very short period participating in a particular sport without any rewards at the end of it.
2. Pressure – Sport lays it on the line and in a competitive situation you will constantly have to deliver when required or when it is all against you. Developing the ability to focus on the task at hand no matter the fears or excitement is a paramount skill needed in sport and a professional career.
3. Social development – Sport requires more than one participant at any given time. Unless you are a shy golfer, you will need at least one other person to compete against. This forces the social side and helps in building friendships. We all like to say, “Remember when ..” and having an opportunity to see a person at their best and worst through sport, will give you many more opportunities to remember when you did that crazy thing!
4. Creates social circles – What is the most important attribute to building a friendship with others, having something in common. Having a commonality of a sport with those around you, helps us build relationships and ultimately a community.
5.Maturity and perseverance – I have worked with many athletes over the years, some professional and others toddlers learning the basic hand eye co-ordination. The one common trait I have found in all the proficient athletes is their levels of maturity and commitment. Maturity gives you the ability to look at an issue more objectively and push on through the challenging times, and as we all know, life surely comes with its own set of very real challenges.
Over and above these benefits, there is nothing better than getting to spend time with those special people in our lives. Get active, create a healthy lifestyle for your bodies, your minds and relationships for the rest of your life.
