Girls benefit from encouragement from parents and other adults to get involved in some sort of physical activity, according to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Girls who are interested in participating in sports can turn to their school or community recreation departments for team sports, individual sports and sports lessons. Summer camps, health clubs and organizations such as Girl Scouts also offer opportunities.
History of Females in Sports
Women were excluded from the first Olympics, so they held their own competition called Games of Hera in 776 B.C. Since then, women have participated in horse racing, boxing, tennis, ice-skating, lacrosse, golf, bicycling, track, gymnastics, swimming and many other sports. Women hold a prominent place in Olympic games because of the determination and hard work by female athletes. Tennis great Billie Jean King established the Women’s Sports Foundation in 1974.
Benefits of Sports for Girls
According to TeensHealth, girls can experience several benefits by getting involved in sports. Regular exercise helps concentration, memory and learning, so girls do better in their studies if they are active in sporting activities. Physical exercise can help decrease the pain of menstrual cramps for teen girls, according to MayoClinic.com. Girls also learn how to work as a team, and they’re more likely to have a healthier lifestyle. Active involvement in sports provides opportunities to make new friends with common interests.
Eat More Without Gaining Weight
When girls participate in sports, they burn extra calories so they can eat more without gaining weight. Athletic girls can consume 2,000 to 5,000 calories per day based on their activity level in sports, according to GirlsHealth.gov. This eliminates the need to go on grueling and frustrating diets to get into shape, and it’s essential to consume the additional calories in order to reach peak performance in most sports. Rather than eating unhealthful sugars and fats, make the extra calories count by eating a balanced diet based on age, sex and activity level, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Risks
Before participating in sports, girls need to be aware of the risks and prevention of injury. All sports, including cheerleading, carry some physical risks. Girls need extra calcium to support their bones when participating in high-impact sports. Some of the ways to prevent injury include getting a sports physical before participating, learning and adhering to safety rules, teaming up based on size and ability rather than age, warming up, cooling down and stretching, according to the University of Michigan Health System.
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