Sport and health go hand-in-hand. Playing sports increases your natural agility, and your physical and mental health. There are so many benefits for introducing and adopting the sporting lifestyle to your day. The best part, is that there is a sport for everyone! You can join a team, or you can embark on any of the solo sports. There are friends to be made in both avenues, and a multitude of benefits awaiting you.
The Benefits
To start, you should know about the benefits that adding a sport (of any kind) will do to your health. This is especially important if you need an extra boost of motivation to start being active again after a long period of being sedentary (say, if you work in an office).
Your Short-Term Health
The benefits for playing sport can’t just be seen in the long term. In fact, there are immediate benefits that you will experience straight after your first workout. Immediately after pushing our bodies, they release chemicals called “endorphins”. These endorphins are commonly known as the happy hormone, because they trigger portions of your brain that reduce pain. This is perfect for those who struggle with low-self-esteem or even depression.
After a few weeks, your will see even more health benefits in the form of a stronger immune system, more natural energy, better mobility, and lower cholesterol levels. Your strength, balance, and coordination will also naturally improve even if you exercise (in any way) for 30 minutes, three days a week.
Your Long-Term Health
Over time, the health benefits of having a sporty, active lifestyle compound. You can now benefit from a healthier heart, you can manage your weight better, lower hypertension or high blood pressure, control the risk of diabetes, improve your circulation, further improve your system’s immunity, and even add strength to your muscles and bones. This means that not only will you live longer, you’ll live better for years and years to come.
Your Mental Health
The health benefits of living a sporty lifestyle don’t end there, either. Your mental health is just as important as your physical health, and living an active life can help you keep your mood levels high and to keep serious mental illnesses like depression at bay. This is due to the endorphins that are released from physical activity, combined with the benefits of a boosted self-esteem. The discipline needed to commit to a healthy lifestyle also gives you better control over your own life, and being active in a community can lead to long-lasting friendships.
Sporty Life Tips
Now that you know the benefits of living a sporty life, you need to now follow these tips to ensure that you don’t strain or hurt yourself.
Get Proper Support
Proper support comes in many forms. It comes in having a spotter if you are working out in a gym, or following an instructor if you are doing an extreme sport. Most sports, however, need you to have the proper equipment. This means having the correct footwear support to keep you going and give you the balance that you need. As a bonus, many top brands make shoes that look great both when you are doing your sport and when you are walking down the street.
Be Consistent
The benefits of living a sporting lifestyle only come into play when you commit to it. Doing one day of running won’t give you the long-term benefits that make exercise so important. You need to go out and be active at least three times a week. If you can’t make the time to do your sport that often a week, find other ways to be active. Walk to work, take the stairs, and more. You don’t have to only play the sport or sports of your choosing, but you should aim to be more active.
Don’t Plateau
Another challenge faced by athletes around the world is the issue of plateauing. This means that the workouts or sport that you do has reached a point where your body no longer gains benefits from it. Instead of reaching this point, try to push yourself every so often, and mix up your workout regimen. You need to do this both for the physical and the mental challenge it provides.
The sporty lifestyle is one that we should all adopt. There are so many sports and ways to exercise out there that everyone is bound to find one that they love doing. Get out there, do something fun, and reap the benefits that come with it.