Imagine a friendly community where you can exercise, meet new people and make new friends, and improve your mental and physical health. You’re able to work on staying in shape, you get to have fun with friends and new people, and relieve some stress.
It’s sports! Sports have so many things to offer that you would gain if you joined. You should join a sport because it is very beneficial in many ways.
Sports are very valuable because they can improve your mental and physical health by exercising or just by being a part of a team.
Sports can help your mental health because they are one of the best ways to relieve stress. When you go to practice, exercise with your teammates, or are in a game, you leave all that stress behind and you get a break from it. The sport and exercise help you get away from your stressful environment and helps you forget about it for a bit. Exercise produces feel good hormones and lowers the levels of stress related hormones in your body, so you really are relieving your stress. Additionally, when you exercise and relieve some of your stress, this also makes for better sleep quality!
Sports are also helpful to your physical health because they can help you stay healthy and in shape. Exercise is needed for your health, so sports is a fun way to get your exercise in with your friends or new people that you meet. Sports will help you stay healthy because you are exercising and you will be able to be more in shape by doing this. Exercising and staying in shape in sports is very beneficial and will help keep you and your body healthy and can help you live a longer life.
Another thing that sports can do for your mental health is that they just help you feel better about yourself. The sport and team atmosphere can build you up and put you in a better mood when you’re doing something you like with people that are friendly and share the same interest as you. It can also improve your self-esteem and confidence. Experts from the Medical University of Vienna say that, “Active membership in a sports club increases a young person’s self-confidence - especially in the case of girls.” When you’re around your friends and are having a good time doing something you like, while also being active, it just puts you in a happy mood and you feel good about yourself.
To add on, sports make it so you’re able to meet new people and the sport itself creates a sense of community for you and your teammates.
Through sports you can gain friendships from the new people you meet. When you join a team, you will be able to bond with your new teammates that have the same interest as you and you can make lifelong friends. I've been a part of AAU basketball in the summer since 5th grade and every year we get a new team with different girls so you get a chance to play with different people other than just those at your school. Every year I’ve got along with all of them and they’re some of my really good friends that I still talk to today.
Sports create a sense of community and it’s like another family you can be a part of with people that all have the same interest as you. It’s overall a friendly atmosphere. When you’re with your teammates it’s like another family that you’re a part of with people that are all working together for the same goal. This type of community atmosphere gives people positive social interactions and gives off a sense of belonging. It has been reported that athletes apart of a team report fewer depressive symptoms because of the positive interactions from their “sport family”.
Sports also help you get better at your communication and social skills when you meet and get to know all of your new teammates. It’s a way for you to talk to new people, socialize with others, and to get out of your bubble a little bit. You’re able to connect with people and you also learn and use important communication skills in the sport to be successful with your team. Information from experts at Health Direct say that playing in a team helps people to develop social skills they need for life, it teaches them to listen to others, and it helps them make new friends and builds their social circle outside of school.
Furthermore, sports are very advantageous because they teach and leave you with lessons that you will need and will use for the rest of your life.
In sports you learn teamwork and how to be a team player. Your team won’t be successful unless you work together and all benefit from each other. You learn to do this during sports and it is something you will use all of your life. The University of Missouri Health Care says that, “fighting for a common goal with a group of players and coaches teaches you how to build teamwork and effectively communicate to solve problems. This experience is important to have for when you encounter problems at work or at home.”
While being in sports you also learn and gain healthy habits. When you’re exercising in your sport you are becoming healthier and it’s good to have that with you and do for the rest of your life to continue to stay healthy. Sports also provide a break from your life sometimes to be able to relax and that is something important that you need to take time to do. You’re around people that are responsible and that are mostly good influences that will impact your life. It is said that 92% of sportsmen never get involved with drugs.
When you’re involved in a sport you also gain a work ethic and learn to work hard. When you’re in a sport you learn that you need to work hard and be dedicated to be successful. This is important to know how to do the rest of your life so you know that you need to work hard for what you get and need to commit to things you want to make happen.
With all of this in mind, being a part of a sport is so important for yourself.
Participating in a sport can help you improve yourself mentally and physically, you interact with new people and are able to be a part of another “family”, and you learn so many things that you will use for the rest of your life.
After taking all this in, what sport or sports are you going to join or participate in this year?