Playing sports can keep you healthier, both physically and mentally. Health experts note that if you choose a sport or activity you enjoy, you're more likely to stick with it and participate consistently, as opposed to doing exercises you dislike or have lost interest in. One of the keys to making sure sports keeps you healthier is to avoid injuries if at all possible. That means warming up and stretching before your game, and taking care to not overdo it when you do participate.
Physical Health Benefits
Playing sports such as basketball, swimming, skiing, tennis, running or other activities, can help reduce your risk of developing a range of conditions, including high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and some forms of cancer, and it lowers the risk of dying prematurely. Getting up and participating in a sport gets your hearts and lungs pumping, and gets your muscles working. And playing a sport with others is likely to be more fun and a greater source of inspiration than hopping on the treadmill or hitting the weights by yourself.
Healthier Habits
If you play sports regularly, you're less likely to smoke and engage in other unhealthy behaviors. To maintain your skill level and performance in a particular sport, you may also participate in conditioning for that sport. And that means spending time running, lifting weights, stretching and doing flexibility exercises, which have health benefits beyond what they provide for a particular sport. Even a sport such as golf demands flexibility and core muscle strength, so serious golfers are more likely to work on those areas than people who don't play golf or other sports.
Mental Health Benefits
Playing sports can not only boost your physical health, it can improve your mental outlook as well. This is particularly true for club or team sports, which offer greater mental rewards than solo exercises at a gym, according to an Australian study published in the May 2010 issue of "Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise." Researchers determined that women derived greater life satisfaction from playing in team sports than working out at a gym or walking alone. The camaraderie of playing sports with others can provide a social outlet that a sedentary lifestyle or even exercising on your own may not provide.
Considerations
Playing sports, while generally a positive activity, comes with potentially negative consequences, too. Overly competitive athletes who take these contests too seriously can become stressed by competition, especially if they lose. Playing sports also raises your risk of physical injury, so tearing a knee ligament or dislocating a shoulder can set back your fitness training while you recover from your injury.
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