Sports are fun, and they’re often performed as a leisurely activity. But there’s a lot of benefits to sports, significantly more than one would initially assume. There are the obvious health benefits that come from being physically active, but there are also other aspects that it hones and develops. This is particularly useful for children, as they’re the ones that need life experiences and lessons.
These lessons can be learned through sports, safely in a ladderized manner, making them perfect for younger children, teenagers, or even adults. Let’s take a look at the multifaceted benefits of sports, and why we should all be trying them at some point.
Physical Advantages
The obvious health benefits are there, but it still merits mentioning. Let’s take a look at a few.
It’s Good Exercise. The most straightforward benefit to playing sports is that they’re exercises. By their very nature, it helps keep the body strong and promotes a lot of health benefits. There are even exercises for back pain caused by scoliosis, asthma, and other illnesses that require physical activity to heal from. Humans have a natural need to move, and that’s what sports and exercising answer. Sports add a layer of fun and social aspect to it, making the activity all the more enticing.
Boosts their Stamina and Strength. Sports and other physical games make extensive use of the lungs and the heart, training them to perform even better under pressure. The energy that they have to exert during play, like lifting a ball, jumping as high as they can, or running as fast as they can help hone their strength and boost their stamina. All of these will result in increased strength and stronger stamina.
Develops Agility and Coordination. As we grow older, we tend to lose the natural spring in our step, and we also lose flexibility and agility. Playing sports help maintain agility and athletic capability throughout the years. Kids who played sports in their childhood are reported to be more athletic and mobile adults, so that’s always a welcome fact.
Promotes Healthy Emotions
Sports don’t just make your body healthier, it can even promote healthy thinking and positive mental health. Below are some mental health benefits that come with doing sports.
Bolsters Good Body Image. Because sports and physical activity will significantly affect their development, those who play sports early in their life are more likely to develop an athletic physique. And athletic physiques are traditionally seen as appealing, and even then, children will learn to value their physical appearance in relation to their athletic ability, resulting in better body image.
Improves their Self-Esteem. Sports are involving and time-consuming, and the time and effort your child pours into their sport will reflect on their self-esteem. They will feel a lot more confident when their team wins, as it carries a sense of accomplishment not easily felt anywhere else.
Teaches to Accept Losses. Just as sports teach your child a sense of success, it teaches a sense of loss- something that everyone needs to learn and adjust to. We won’t always win in life, and learning how to respond to losses is critical to develop and improve. Knowing how to take losses and find the lesson from them is a valuable life lesson we all need to learn.
Teaches Social Skills
Needless to say, sports is a highly social activity, and as such, socializing skills are also among the ones that will be developed significantly. Here are a few examples.
Follow Routines. Forcing yourself to follow a routine or a schedule can be difficult if you’re not used to such stringent rules. And that’s what sports can impart to children: the discipline to follow routines. They’ll grow up respecting and understanding schedules and will be self-disciplined especially during times when they need to follow a strict schedule. For teenagers and adults, sports can be utilized to motivate someone to adhere to a schedule, for example, being able to play this weekend’s game means a week of good sleep for preparation.
Communication Skills. Team sports require you to talk to different people. Not only that, but it teaches you to communicate with people with respect. You pay respect to your coaches, team leaders, and fellow members- while communicating your ideas, expressing them respectfully but concisely.
Teamwork and Collaboration. You will also learn how to say no to others, agree with them, admit your mistakes and generally work with other people. Collaboration and teamwork are among the most important lessons sports can teach, and something that we will carry in our life.
Sports isn’t just about physical health, but it can also teach a lot of useful things in life. It’s important to not close your doors and understand that many things can be learned from anywhere, even sports.
