With the invasion of technology in our day to day lives, where all what we need is apparently just a click away and the scope of physical effort and activity is minimal; we are all being engulfed in a very sedentary lifestyle, which is, needless to say, very unhealthy. To top it all, in this era of competition where degrees, marks, cut-offs, qualifications have become sacrosanct, very little heed is paid to physical fitness and sports. Well, ignoring one’s health and prioritizing work or studies over it may surely give you a short term satisfaction, but will definitely cause woe to you in the long run. A way to escape this sad fate is making sports integral part of your life. Around the world, sport has been the most accepted way to keep you healthy. As the phrases “ All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy” and “healthy mind in a healthy body” still hold true, following are the top ten reasons why you should grab a racquet, go out and play or set the ball rolling (literally) and keep yourself healthy by being involved in sports :
10) Recreation for both participants and non- participants
Recreation is a very important, yet mostly ignored part of our routine as people seldom find time for themselves out of their long working hours and busy schedules. The best thing about sports is that even when you are not a participant, being a spectator is also fun! Hence, not only playing a sport provides you leisure, viewing it also does!
9) Maintaining lower body weight
To all the victims of the fast paced life, where you don’t even find time to have proper , balanced diet and you usually find stuffing yourself with junk and fast food to calm down the pangs of hunger and then grieve about your increasing weight and obesity… Sports can be your savior! Devoting even a little time can help you combat your weight problems! Playing increases your metabolic rate. Being involved in rigorous activity even for 60 to 90 minutes initiates chemical reactions in your body, which in turn produce a chemical which is known to suppress appetite. Increased metabolic rate accompanied with higher body temperature and decrease in calorie intake requirement can very effectively help you reduce weight.
8) Keeping heart diseases at bay
Playing sports increases activities the body has to perform. This implies greater need of energy, hence greater need for oxygen and ultimately more pumping work for the heart. Also, as playing involves burning down of calories, it will prevent fat globules from blocking the arteries. Thus, sports help maintain a healthy heart and keep the risks of cardio-diseases away… so that you can actually live out your life, whole heartedly.
7) Provides suppleness to the body
Suppleness or the possibility of movement of joints and the working of limbs is very essential for a healthy body. Even though you have strength and stamina but your body is stiff and inflexible, that will be certainly a drawback for you. Those who travel daily in public transports will surely know how much flexibility means in day to day life! Sports, and basically warm ups provide suppleness to your body and make you feel more agile and active. So all you city dwellers, its time you made a move on!
6) Stamina
Stamina or the ability and capacity to continue activity over some period of time or to repeat the same activity over and over again is the need for this age. With long working hours and shorter breaks, only a person with stamina can survive the whip of the work. Stamina depends on the efficiency of the lungs, heart, blood vessels and working muscles. When we play, our breathing rate increases. That means, our lungs are put to work, harder and our heart pumps faster. Playing increases the efficiency of both the lungs and the heart, and, in fact, the whole circulatory system. In this way, through sports we gain a healthier circulatory system as well as greater stamina.
5) Strength
Strength, both physical and mental is vital for the survival and not so surprisingly, playing sports increases both! Every time we flex our muscles to hit the tennis ball, to kick a football and make it reach the goal, score a basket, we exercise our muscles, make them work and hence use our muscular force or strength. On the other hand, when we plan out a strategy to win, work according to it, we are using our muscular strength. Playing sport makes us use our mental and physical strength again and again. As it is said, “practice makes a man perfect”, practicing our physical and mental abilities through sports makes us more equipped to use them in our life more wisely.
4) Need for speed
To match up with the fast pace at which the world is moving, you need to have the weapon of speed in the armour of your personality. Being able to move around quickly, think quickly and make decisions quickly – all these are necessary skills for the modern day warfare. Sports enable you to practice all these skills on the playground and give a chance to go on with your improved skills in the battleground of the world and perform better.
3) Converts Adrenaline into energy
Along with technology, stress has also become an integrated part of our life. Stress associated with ambitions, career, education, health, relationships and what not! We are more conscious, more competitive than we were ever, before. In the kind of lifestyle we have or we are gradually adhering to, we find ourselves in the vicious spiral of stress. Playing sports provides a really good gateway to get rid of stress and the consequent problems it can pose to your health. The stress hormone – Adrenaline is secreted to tackle the stressful situations by the brain. When we are playing competitive sports, we allow releasing the stress and pressure valve, and doing away with the negativities of life in a very positive manner. Thus, the adrenaline is converted into energy, and is used up in the activities of sports. Apart from this, when we are involved in sport activities, our brain also secretes endorphins- which help our body combat stress and pain, and give us a healthy sense of well being. So, go get some happiness out of your adrenaline rush!
2) Promotes self confidence
The ability of being doing something, learning something, achieving something that we get by playing sports promotes our self confidence. The feeling of doing something worthwhile and making the best use of the available opportunities really makes the living experience enjoyable. Self confidence adds a particular charm to the personality of a person. Whatever your aim may be, whatever you want to do with your life, unless you are confident about yourself and your abilities, every other aspect of your personality will lose its sheen. So, it is very important to acquire self confidence, which is also an indication of robust mental strength. By playing sports, you gain self confidence, the healthy way. When you see yourself doing things, moving with speed and practicing other skills, you feel a sense of well being, a sense of confidence about yourself. This self confidence can help you achieve all your goals and ambitions.
1) The feeling of being alive!
The part of the brain which controls the muscular activity and co-ordination is in the close vicinity of the part which deals with feeling and thinking. Undoubtedly, these parts have the power to influence each other through neuro-transmissions. The more we are active and involved in playing sports, the more alive we feel. The feeling of scoring that important goal, hitting that match winning boundary or making that crucial basket or even experiencing defeat gives us a sense of being alive. Sports can also act as an allegory to life itself. We have a goal, plan to win, use our skills in the best possible manner we can, learn from our defeats and mistakes, make amendments in our strategies and achieve our goal. Sports provide almost the same learning experience as life does. No wonder, those equipped with the spirit of sportsmanship and skills of sports are able to live a full life. Thus, sports can be really beneficial for our overall health and development.
So, what is stopping you now from going out and playing? Get going!