According to CDC data released in 2022, more than 75% of American adults aren’t getting enough exercise. The number is based on guidelines that say adults should engage in 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity weekly.
Only 23% of adults meet the aerobic guidelines, while a meager 7% meet the muscle-strengthening guidelines. Nearly 50% don’t meet any of the stipulations in the guidelines.
While the numbers are baffling because we know all the health benefits of sports and exercise, it’s not entirely surprising. The work culture in the U.S. can make working out an impossible task, especially if you have additional familial responsibilities or an income of less than 200% of the federal poverty level.
Yet, you don’t need to hit the gym to get your exercise. Instead, you could play sports by joining a community league. Then, you’ll feel the same health benefits when playing sports as you would by going to the rec center.
Let’s explore the various benefits of playing sports you can experience!
Get Better Sleep
Playing sports signals your brain to release chemicals that make you feel happier and relaxed, helping you sleep better. Plus, when you exert yourself with physical activity, you will feel more tired when you lay down to sleep, making it less likely you’ll toss and turn.
Further, if you play sports outside, the fresh air will promote a good night’s sleep. Great sports to play outdoors include basketball and soccer. Hiking, running, and swimming are also excellent outdoor activities to help you sleep better.
Improve Your Mood
While the chemicals your brain releases will help you sleep better, those same chemicals will also help improve your mood.
Hello, endorphins! Endorphins trigger a positive feeling. They also help relieve pain, reduce stress, and improve well-being. After a challenging workout, endorphins leave you feeling optimistic.
Further, your mind becomes distracted from negative thoughts when working hard in a sport, lowering stress levels.
Team sports particularly improve your mood. This is because they allow you to unwind with friends and engage in a challenge. Team sports’ mental and social benefits are crucial to your overall health.
Boost Self-Confidence
The sports industry is full of famous athletes who exude a high level of self-esteem. That’s because playing sports improves your self-image and makes you feel confident.
As you grow your strength, skill, and stamina, you’ll feel more in control and like you’re mastering something. This gives you a feeling of pride, boosting your confidence.
Not to mention, confidence gives you energy. With this new sense of self-worth, you’ll be able to succeed in your personal and professional lives, too.
Just read about some famous soccer players at The Essay World to see all they’ve been able to accomplish (looking to you, Cristiano Ronaldo).
Improve Heart and Lung Function
Participating in sports regularly will improve your lung capacity and efficiency. Better lung function helps your body take in more oxygen, thus expelling more carbon monoxide and other waste.
Additionally, your heart will grow stronger the more you play sports and exercise. Your heart is a muscle that needs frequent exercise to remain healthy. A strong heart can pump the same blood level around the body while working less. When your heart pumps blood efficiently, your overall health improves, and you feel better.
Why should your heart work harder to perform the same function? It shouldn’t!
Not to mention, regular participation in sports, especially individual sports, helps you maintain a healthy weight. This can include running, cycling, and weightlifting.
Staying within the recommended weight range reduces the likelihood of developing a severe disease like hypertension or diabetes. Many illnesses resulting from a lack of exercise drastically affect the heart and lungs.
Form New Connections
Joining a team sport will help you meet new people in your community. And those people will likely come from a mix of unique backgrounds different from yours.
Thus, team sports allow you to forge new friendships with people you may never meet from other walks of life. These people may even open career or business opportunities to you down the line.
Build Leadership Skills
Team sports are amazing at building leadership skills. When you go through all the highs and lows of a season together, you naturally adopt a “team mindset.” This mindset will transcend sports and enter the workplace or other social settings.
Over time, those who consistently play team sports will have strong leadership qualities that benefit all aspects of life.
Improve Concentration and Mental Cognition
With so many distractions in our lives, it’s already hard to focus. But playing sports can help you stay sharp and improve your ability to do the following:
- Concentrate
- Learn
- Make good judgments
- Think
To see the best results, you should partake in aerobic and muscle strengthening three to fives a week for at least 30 minutes per session.
The mental benefits drastically increase as you age. So even though you get busier as you age, it’s essential to make time for sports to stay mentally agile.
However, this doesn’t discount the mental benefits for children. Studies show that when one plays sports as a child, they are likely to remain active as they age. Instilling this healthy habit in children is an easy way to help them as they grow up.
Plus, team sports help improve academic performance for children, leading to better educational outcomes and more participation in after-school activities.
Go Out and Experience the Benefits of Sports
There are really so many benefits of sports, and while we covered many of them here, there are plenty more to explore. Besides, there are various types of sports that all have their unique health benefits too.