Theoretically, sport is a physical activity that is based on regular training, organized and orderly, which is carried out based on pre-established rules and whose main purpose is competition and performance. The sports with the highest affinity for the public are football, also known as the king of sports, tennis, handball, basketball, swimming, gymnastics, American football, hockey and athletics.
Often, the records broken by famous athletes, favorite footballers or tennis players, the high marks obtained by gymnasts or swimmers, subconsciously motivate us to practice sports even more intensely, regardless of the nature of the discipline we are inclined to and why not, to do great step towards performance.
Basically, sport means more than physical education. Sport is an art, sport is psychology, it is philosophy, it is life. Each sport is so elaborate in training that, in order to obtain the title of teacher or coach of caliber, it may take a lifetime of work. Such a sports encyclopedia once began as a disciplined and ambitious student, performing as an athlete at the highest level, finally gaining the experience and balance necessary for the training and effective growth of new generations of athletes.
In life, sports and health go hand in hand, that’s why, since we were little, we were cultivated with the idea of exercising.
Most of us are familiar with those warm-up exercises from high school sports, but also with the leadership lessons in which we were exposed and taught information about sports and health.
We will elaborate on the benefits of sports among children, adults, the importance of performing certain sports exercises at home, but also the usefulness of practicing movement by overweight people.
Also, in the following, we find 10 benefits of sport in our lives, important for the harmonious and healthy development of each of us.
THE BENEFITS OF SPORT FOR CHILDREN
Children have an overflowing energy, an extraordinary passion to play, run and meet new challenges. It often takes two adults to physically cope with one child.
The importance of sport in the lives of children is immeasurable. Exercises of motor skills, dexterity, endurance and anticipation can be practiced by children from the ages of 4 and 5 years, respectively, developing both muscles and physical skills.
On the other hand, practicing a performance sport helps the little ones to form their personality and self-esteem, to socialize and to perceive the collective game in a beneficial way, helping them at the same time to overcome their fear of failures. and emotions during competitions.
The various sports exercises for children, organized in the community and taught by an experienced coach, are meant to work constructively to form a basic quality in sports, namely, teamwork.
Only through mutual support can the group goals and, of course, the great sports performances be achieved.
Other basic qualities that sport develops in the name of each child are discipline and sports education. Only through sport can the child understand that a defeat is only a life lesson, an experience from which he finds out where and how he went wrong, the subsequent goal being to improve performance through work and perseverance.
As they get older, they become more aware of the importance of physical activity and its role in their training as adults.
THE BENEFITS OF SPORT FOR TEENAGERS
The health benefits of adolescent sports are as numerous as they are for young children. Especially since adolescence is the period when skidding can occur among those who do not have an occupation, a hobby or a purpose in life.
In general, well-organized, well-structured sports and daily physical activities offer enough benefits to teenagers.
Team sports help teens learn what responsibility, devotion, and respect for other participants in the game are.
Many would think that playing a sport can involve distracting from school activities and neglecting other subjects. There is, in fact, nothing more false. On the contrary, sport requires memorization, learning and repetition, including sets of skills directly relevant in other areas as well.
Not a few adults have developed tendencies to gain weight since adolescence, due to excessive sedentary lifestyle, poor diet and of course, due to acute lack of sports, exercise. Thus, young people who are ready to start their own life are advised to follow the sports path, to read a lot about nutrition and to make healthy decisions regarding them.
Cycling, swimming, running in nature, football, even going to the gym, regularly practiced, are activities that greatly reduce the possibility of contracting diseases such as osteoporosis or cancer.
As soon as teenagers reach their first goals in sports, self-confidence increases. They will thus be encouraged to aim for other, ever-increasing goals.
A healthy life through food and sports fights stress, banishes fatigue and increases relaxation. Those who do not have enough time to do outdoor physical education are instructed to find a way to devote at least 30 minutes a day to exercise, even if it means doing sports at home.
The options are many and we can focus on a fitness bike, a stepper with handles or a treadmill. Also, there is the option to alternate the exercises with the already well-known ones: series of push-ups, knee bends, stretching, abs, accompanied, of course, by your favorite music.
SPORTS FOR BEGINNERS
Regardless of the age at which we start doing sports, we need to consider a few things that we need to keep in mind in order to train effectively and achieve fast health results. The shortest way is to train under the guidance of a teacher in the field, following his advice, but not everyone can afford a personal trainer, so our specialists review some of the most common and beneficial training programs. for beginners.
These should be practiced gradually, to avoid possible injuries or to avoid overtraining. For example, we start doing 10 push-ups a day, for a month, after which we raise the bar to 15 push-ups, and from month to month we add another 5 push-ups, until we reach 50 repetitions.
Once we reach 50 floats, it is recommended that we maintain this level for at least half a year and only after that, depending on each person’s ability to progress, can additional repetitions be added to the daily plan.
We can follow this program of floats at home, on vacation, on business trips, preferably in the morning, when the body is full of vitality. It can be combined with a series of abdominals without overloading the same muscle groups. While floating stimulates the pectoral, biceps and triceps muscles, the abdomen helps tone and define the abdominal and intercostal muscles.
As in the case of floats, the number of abs can be the same for a start, and from month to month we will add another 5 abs to the daily training.
We can perform this program of abs and push-ups at home, on the mattress, listening to our favorite music.
Sports classes at home are just as important as those at the gym. Let’s not think that if we go to the gym and don’t do the right thing, we wake up overnight with a sculpted body and an iron health, just as we shouldn’t believe that if we follow a sports program for home, we can’t get results. enviable.
Any kind of intense sports exercises, such as running in nature or swimming in the pool, practiced after a period of initiation, can turn any beginner into a professional. It is up to each of you to set your own limits.
WHAT IS SPORT AND WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF SPORT ON THE BRAIN?
We often feel, on our own skin, that after an effective workout we have a state of well-being and complete mental relaxation. To whom is this euphoria due? The fact that after any physical effort, our brain is stimulated and produces the hormone of happiness.
Dopamine is released in a higher concentration during the practice of sport, this stimulating us to reach the maximum potential, offering us an extra darkening and dynamism in any conjuncture.
Another substance secreted by the brain when we work hard is serotonin. It deprives us of depressive states and sustains emotional balance, regardless of the load of the moment.
If we did not know until now what the expression “butterflies in the stomach” means, we would find that this is the result of the production of serotonin, secreted by the cells of the gastrointestinal tract.
It often happened to us before exams, before a meeting with our partner, before a sports competition or, as children, before class.
On the other hand, after regular and well-planned workouts, the body’s cortisol level is maintained at normal parameters. It is also scientifically called the “stress hormone”, which, once it reaches a level above the normal limits, causes side effects for the body.
Athletes are always relaxed and tolerant. They think positively in any circumstance and have a deep sleep during the night, the problems of insomnia being practically non-existent.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF SPORTS PRACTICE IN THE FIRST HOURS OF THE MORNING?
Specialists recommend playing sports in the early hours of the morning for several reasons. The body is rested, the mind is much sharper, the tone much higher and the predisposition much greater to effort.
Most people choose to run or go swimming in the morning, do stretching or various exercises at home, feeling much stronger in the morning.
The fairer s*x is advised to do sports during pregnancy, especially in the morning, but only under the guidance of a specialist, focusing on moderate aerobic exercise.
Practicing this activity in the prenatal period stimulates the optimal blood circulation to all internal organs.
Practicing morning sports regulates the body’s biological clock, adapting to the planning of the next days, without it being difficult to wake up at the scheduled time and stimulates the secretion of brain hormone (endorphins) and brain activity throughout the day.
WHAT ARE THE LINKS BETWEEN A HEALTHY NUTRITION AND SPORT?
The most important thing to remember is that playing sports, based on poor nutrition and fatigue, when we are deprived of sleep, in addition to not benefiting us, can seriously damage our liver, heart and, of course, muscles and brain.
Thus, it is necessary not only exercise, running, sustained effort and hours spent at the gym, but also a healthy diet. It is necessary to consume at least 2–3 liters of water per day. It is equally important to eat live food, avoiding fried foods, processed and pasteurized foods as much as possible.
Sleep should not be neglected in any way. People who get used to falling asleep late at night or working night shifts should keep the following in mind.
Melatonin is the hormone secreted by the pineal gland in the mass of the brain, at night, being the one that induces drowsiness in the body. During the day, melatonin is inhibited by sunlight, so our brains can concentrate on daily activities.
Therefore, it is recommended that those who choose to do sports, not to go to bed later than 22:30–23:00. Otherwise, the biorhythm of the athlete’s body is affected and good results will be delayed.
Specifically, following a healthy diet without practicing sports or practicing sports without following a healthy diet can not progress. There are very strong connections between the two daily activities, which, when revised and improved, can bring us the greatest satisfaction.