Most people agree that working out and staying in good physical shape is obligatory for living a long and productive life. However, some experts suggest that playing sports may have multiple advantages in comparison with visits to your gym or joining a yoga class. Soccer, tennis, and basketball allow you to burn more calories while also providing a stimulating social environment. Interaction with other people in competitive sports or martial arts may also improve your self-confidence and teach you how to succeed in anything that you do. This article explores the four ways of how these activities can motivate you in multiple areas of your life.
1. Quality of Life and Productivity
While the positive impact of physical activities on the overall well-being and longevity has been widely discussed in the past, recent studies have established a positive link between playing sports and maintaining a positive outlook on life. The sense of achievement and improved appearance are a powerful factor affecting the sense of self-worth, self-confidence and anxiety. People actively engaged in sports are more productive in their studies and work life, which creates a self-sustaining cycle of perpetual overachievement. This also leaves more time for other activities such as spending time with your family or going out with your friends. Muscle toning also influences your appearance, which can help you feel great in your skin. Combined with the social benefits of sports, you feel better and avoid the feeling of loneliness as you are part of a team with common interests. If the frontman of Iron Maiden had the time between the world tours to win silver at the Summer Olympics of 2012 as a fencer, chances are that most of us can find the motivation to invest several hours a week in our future longevity!
2. Strategic Thinking and Losing to Win
As opposed to something like arm-wrestling, in sports your victory does not entirely depend on your strength or agility. In many cases, you can win by thinking strategically, using your team members to assist you, and feeling the ‘rhythm’ of a game. This is highly similar to real-life situations where you cannot always predict future challenges and thoroughly prepare for them in advance, which is different from doing weights at a gym in accordance with a predefined plan. Playing sports can teach you these skills while also helping to decrease how long it takes you to respond to challenges off the field. This ‘rapid-fire’ approach may be an interesting change for students relying on thorough thinking to balance their thinking patterns and studies. Another valuable advantage is the capability to actually lose a game and learn from this experience. In real life, you cannot win every time and may face situations where even your best efforts do not produce the desired outcomes. Playing sports prepare you for these challenges while also showing how individual failures can be the foundation for ‘winning a war’ in the long-term perspective. Learn from your past mistakes, and do not give up too early.
3. Teamwork
The previous element is closely connected with the concept of teamwork. Quality leaders know that effective cooperation with others can make your team more productive than the sum of its individual members. Sometimes, this requires being able to cut your ego down in size, respect the authority of more competent peers, and accept supporting roles wherever this is necessary to win the game. Collective mentality may not be suitable for all people and all areas in life but exploring its benefits and disadvantages in a relatively safe setting may be highly beneficial for understanding the way people cooperate. As a leader, you can also learn how to manage your team members productively and mitigate resistance to your suggestions. These experiences, as well as the aforementioned sense of ‘losing in a game,’ are not available in individual training, which makes playing sports more beneficial for your development as a person. Teamwork is also a wonderful experience for children who can socialize more effectively and learn more about personal responsibilities and mutual support.
4. Socialization and Networking
Team-based activities facilitate socialization because you have to communicate with your team members and engage in collective practices. If you want to become both physically fit and socially active, you should choose to play sports. Stress relief from physical activities and integrated social interactions allow people to ‘break the ice’ easily, which is why many team members become friends and enjoy spending time together. Joining a certain club or society at college may have an element of networking, which could prove useful to your studies if your team members are specialists from your course. It is not a coincidence that many elite colleges include collective sports into the curriculum. This way, they build student memberships where future alumni support each other and maintain the earlier developed sense of a single team. However, this works both ways. If possible, try to not purchase annual memberships to sports clubs before learning more about the people visiting them and making sure that you enjoy the atmosphere of the club.
If the benefits listed above have convinced you to play sports and join a team, we would suggest several extra recommendations to help you get the most from your time. Try out a few different teams before you find one you love. Talk about your current physical condition with the team coach and get some friendly pointers. In many clubs, these consultations are provided free of charge, and you will learn more about how you need to work out to become the best at your chosen sport.You might require some strength and agility training before engaging in group activities to prevent injuries, but you will improve quickly if you stick at it. You need to always be intuitive and monitor your health. Remember to stretch properly, or you may feel a little sore for a few days! Competitive sports may have a toll on your body while you adapt to a new cardiovascular and strength routine. Try to befriend the experienced members which can provide friendly guidance. But lastly, remember to have fun!
Ellie Richards is an online marketing manager for Original PhD, specializing in Ph.D. research paper help. Her focus is research, content and article writing on various topics, including education, marketing, and technology.
1. Quality of Life and Productivity
While the positive impact of physical activities on the overall well-being and longevity has been widely discussed in the past, recent studies have established a positive link between playing sports and maintaining a positive outlook on life. The sense of achievement and improved appearance are a powerful factor affecting the sense of self-worth, self-confidence and anxiety. People actively engaged in sports are more productive in their studies and work life, which creates a self-sustaining cycle of perpetual overachievement. This also leaves more time for other activities such as spending time with your family or going out with your friends. Muscle toning also influences your appearance, which can help you feel great in your skin. Combined with the social benefits of sports, you feel better and avoid the feeling of loneliness as you are part of a team with common interests. If the frontman of Iron Maiden had the time between the world tours to win silver at the Summer Olympics of 2012 as a fencer, chances are that most of us can find the motivation to invest several hours a week in our future longevity!
2. Strategic Thinking and Losing to Win
As opposed to something like arm-wrestling, in sports your victory does not entirely depend on your strength or agility. In many cases, you can win by thinking strategically, using your team members to assist you, and feeling the ‘rhythm’ of a game. This is highly similar to real-life situations where you cannot always predict future challenges and thoroughly prepare for them in advance, which is different from doing weights at a gym in accordance with a predefined plan. Playing sports can teach you these skills while also helping to decrease how long it takes you to respond to challenges off the field. This ‘rapid-fire’ approach may be an interesting change for students relying on thorough thinking to balance their thinking patterns and studies. Another valuable advantage is the capability to actually lose a game and learn from this experience. In real life, you cannot win every time and may face situations where even your best efforts do not produce the desired outcomes. Playing sports prepare you for these challenges while also showing how individual failures can be the foundation for ‘winning a war’ in the long-term perspective. Learn from your past mistakes, and do not give up too early.
3. Teamwork
The previous element is closely connected with the concept of teamwork. Quality leaders know that effective cooperation with others can make your team more productive than the sum of its individual members. Sometimes, this requires being able to cut your ego down in size, respect the authority of more competent peers, and accept supporting roles wherever this is necessary to win the game. Collective mentality may not be suitable for all people and all areas in life but exploring its benefits and disadvantages in a relatively safe setting may be highly beneficial for understanding the way people cooperate. As a leader, you can also learn how to manage your team members productively and mitigate resistance to your suggestions. These experiences, as well as the aforementioned sense of ‘losing in a game,’ are not available in individual training, which makes playing sports more beneficial for your development as a person. Teamwork is also a wonderful experience for children who can socialize more effectively and learn more about personal responsibilities and mutual support.
4. Socialization and Networking
Team-based activities facilitate socialization because you have to communicate with your team members and engage in collective practices. If you want to become both physically fit and socially active, you should choose to play sports. Stress relief from physical activities and integrated social interactions allow people to ‘break the ice’ easily, which is why many team members become friends and enjoy spending time together. Joining a certain club or society at college may have an element of networking, which could prove useful to your studies if your team members are specialists from your course. It is not a coincidence that many elite colleges include collective sports into the curriculum. This way, they build student memberships where future alumni support each other and maintain the earlier developed sense of a single team. However, this works both ways. If possible, try to not purchase annual memberships to sports clubs before learning more about the people visiting them and making sure that you enjoy the atmosphere of the club.
If the benefits listed above have convinced you to play sports and join a team, we would suggest several extra recommendations to help you get the most from your time. Try out a few different teams before you find one you love. Talk about your current physical condition with the team coach and get some friendly pointers. In many clubs, these consultations are provided free of charge, and you will learn more about how you need to work out to become the best at your chosen sport.You might require some strength and agility training before engaging in group activities to prevent injuries, but you will improve quickly if you stick at it. You need to always be intuitive and monitor your health. Remember to stretch properly, or you may feel a little sore for a few days! Competitive sports may have a toll on your body while you adapt to a new cardiovascular and strength routine. Try to befriend the experienced members which can provide friendly guidance. But lastly, remember to have fun!
Ellie Richards is an online marketing manager for Original PhD, specializing in Ph.D. research paper help. Her focus is research, content and article writing on various topics, including education, marketing, and technology.
RSS Feed
