Health Is Wealth
Connor McDiffett
Did you know sports can be very beneficial for you? Many people start working out and doing sports to be part of the community, but beyond that, recent studies have found that “physical activity and exercise used as a primary, or secondary, processing method have significant positive effects in preventing or alleviating depressive symptoms and have an antidepressant effect in people with neurological diseases. Training and exercise improve the quality of life and coping with stress and strengthen self-esteem and social skills. Training and exercise also lessen anxiety in people who are diagnosed with an anxiety- or stress-related disease, improve vocabulary learning, memory, and creative thinking” (Malm et al). By doing sports you are helping yourself lead a long and healthy life. Physical activity is something that everyone should try to be a part of not only for its health benefits but also because it helps you lead an active social life. For myself sports has helped me become who I am today. The people that I have met, while doing sports are unforgettable, as teammates you bleed together, win together, and lose together sharing moments that you will never forget. For a while I was a very unathletic person who constantly fell behind my peers, but sports helped me find my own prowess, community, and confidence. Doing sports has provided me with so many opportunities and valuable experiences. It’s never too late to start, there's always a way to be active in life, whether it be doing yoga, boxing, swimming, cross fit, or mountain climbing. I will also acknowledge, though, that while sports have many benefits it also has its downsides. Sports often have negative effects such as risk of failure, injury, eating disorder, and burnouts. Injury is one of the leading risks in all sports, having injuries affecting your LCL, MCL, and ACL, are especially dangerous as they often cause a great amount of pain and could possibly end sports careers. More common injuries include concussions, sprains, fractures, and broken bones. I myself have been affected by sports injuries and it left me out of playing soccer for a few weeks before I was able to practice again. It wasn’t anything too serious but it was an unfortunate time for me. However the benefits often outweigh the negatives, and most people are able to recover from their injuries and even perform better than they did before, for example, it has been found that “Regular physical activity helps prevent and treat noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and breast and colon cancer. It also helps prevent hypertension, overweight and obesity and can improve mental health, quality of life and well-being” (“Sport for Health Programme”). Sports may affect you on the outside but on the inside, it will keep your organs healthy, leading to a longer and more mentally stable life. So instead of watching TV or doing homework, try to take some time out of your day to dedicate yourself to being active, whether it's for two hours, or even thirty minutes, commit yourself to a physical activity that you are passionate about, for it will surely benefit you right now, and when you are old and wrinkly.