Sport, according to United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, "is a universal language that can bring people together no matter what their origin, background and religious beliefs or economic status." Participation in sports can also build social skills, enhance teamwork and improve performance on and off the playing field. If you engage regularly in sports, you can also enjoy health benefits.
Formal Recognition
In the United States, the belief that participation in sports improves health lead to the creation of a government-sponsored award. The Presidential Active Lifestyle Award provides recognition for people who engage regularly in any of about 100 activities. Activities include aerobics, sailing, hunting, water polo, yoga, skydiving, fishing, gardening and martial arts. The award was created to motivate all Americans, irrespective or age, gender or ability, to lead active lifestyles that include participation in sports and other activities. the purpose of the program and the award a list of about 100 activities has been detailed. You need not possess great athletic skills to earn the award, but must certify your participation in activities believed to improve health.
Cycling
You can ride a bicycle for transportation, recreation or health reasons. Cycling, an aerobic activity, exercises your lungs and heart. Cycling increases your body temperature and forces you to take deeper, stronger intakes of oxygen. Cycling tones your muscles and helps you reach or maintain a healthy weight. Compared to other aerobic activities, such as running or working out with a stair-stepper, cycling provides similar heart health benefits with less stress on your joints.
Leisurely Sports
Any sporting activity that gets you off the couch, office chair or car seat provides health benefits. Golf, certainly not a vigorous sport, can help you stay fit. If you say no to a golf cart and walk an 18-hole course, you will log about 4 km -- 2.4 miles -- during a round of golf. If you golf three to five teams a week, you will get a healthy amount of exercise. Golf alone may not give you six-pack abs, but it can tone your muscles and help you maintain your weight.
Considerations
Any form of exercise can improve fitness and health, but organized sports helps increase camaraderie among peers. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that "organized sports for children and preadolescents provide an opportunity for increased physical activity and an opportunity to learn sports and team skills in an environment where risks of participation can potentially be controlled." Sports also help provide opportunities for leadership and socialization, making people better at handling success and failure, according to Jordan D. Metzl, M.D., the medical director of the Sports Medicine Institute for Young Athletes at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. The all-around development and the emotional rewards that one gains from organized team sports also leaves you with better self esteem and social skills.
References
- Australian Government: Publications and Reports: Australian Sport: Emerging challenges, new directions
- VicHealth: Building Health through Sport
- Presidents challenge: Presidential Active Lifestyle Award
- Presidents challenge: Choose a Challenge
- Health In Site: Exercise, Fitness and Sport
- Better Health: Cycling Benefits
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