The Multifaceted Benefits of Sports and Learning: A Synergistic Approach to Holistic Well-being

Regular physical activity confers a multitude of health benefits, including the development and maintenance of healthy bones, muscles, and joints, weight management, fat reduction, and the prevention or delay of high blood pressure. Exercise stands out as a cost-effective health strategy, with some studies suggesting its effectiveness in preventing chronic diseases is comparable to medication.

Physical Health Benefits

Reduced Risk of Chronic Diseases

A comprehensive analysis of existing research has found a strong association between leisure-time physical activity and a reduced risk of 13 different types of cancer, including breast, colon, liver, and myeloid leukemia. Getting at least 150 minutes a week of moderate physical activity can put you at a lower risk for heart disease and stroke, two leading causes of death in the United States. You can reduce your risk even further with more physical activity. Regular physical activity can also reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Physical activity may help reduce the risk of serious outcomes from infectious diseases, including COVID-19, the flu, and pneumonia. People who do little or no physical activity are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19 than those who are physically active. More active people may be less likely to die from flu or pneumonia.

Weight Management and Obesity Prevention

Both eating patterns and physical activity routines play critical roles in weight management. If you are not physically active, work your way up to 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity physical activity. This could be dancing or doing yard work. Healthy eating combined with regular physical activity help you get to-and stay at-a healthy weight.

Active children are less likely to be obese. A 2014 study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that afterschool physical activity programs would reduce obesity the most, 1.8% among children ages 6 to 12.

Bone, Joint, and Muscle Health

As you age, it's important to protect your bones, joints, and muscles. Lifting weights is an example of a muscle-strengthening activity. Muscle strengthening is important for older adults who experience reduced muscle mass and muscle strength with aging. For older adults, doing a variety of physical activities improves physical function and decreases the risk of falls or injury from a fall. Older adults need to include aerobic, muscle strengthening, and balance activities in their physical activity routines.

Read also: A Center for Growth

Increased Longevity

Taking more steps a day also helps lower the risk of premature death from all causes. In one study, for adults younger than 60, the risk of premature death leveled off at about 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day.

Cognitive and Academic Benefits

Enhanced Cognitive Skills

Sports activity helps children develop and improve cognitive skills, according to a study that tracked kids from kindergarten through fourth grade. Some benefits of physical activity for brain health happen right after a session of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Benefits include improved thinking or cognition for children 6 to 13 and reduced short-term feelings of anxiety for adults. Regular physical activity can help keep your thinking, learning, and judgment skills sharp as you age.

Improved Academic Achievement

Physical activity in general is associated with improved academic achievement, including grades and standardized test scores. High school athletes are more likely to expect to graduate from a four-year college (73% girls, 59% boys) compared to non-athletes (67% girls, 53% boys), according to data collected for the Healthy Sport Index. A higher percentage of high school athletes also receive A/A- grades than non-athletes.

Skillsets Relevant to Classwork

Playing a sport requires a lot of time and energy. Sports require memorization, repetition and learning - skillsets that are directly relevant to class work.

Mental and Emotional Well-being

Improved Mental Health

Youth connect increased physical activity to better mental health. Children in the Tacoma, Washington area who are physically active reported more excitement, happiness and motivation, and those who are inactive reported greater nervousness, anxiety, worry and depression. A correlation has been found between regular exercise and mental health among students in general as they move into the teenage years.

Reduced Risk of Mental Health Problems

A 2019 study found that children who reported no exercise were twice as likely to have mental health problems, particularly related to anxiety and depression, compared with those who met the recommendation of an hour a day, and a 2020 study suggested that the more physical activity teenagers participated in, the less likely they were to report depression as 18-year-olds. New research from Old Dominion University found that children who are physically inactive are twice as likely to experience mental health problems as those who meet weekly recommendations. And follow-up research from University College London suggests that these effects carry into adulthood.

Stress Relief

Exercising is a natural way to loosen up and let go of stress.

Social Benefits

Development of Soft Skills

Team sports are an excellent source of soft skills development, as they allow athletes to grow within a supportive environment. Team sports are said to bolster the five C’s: competence, confidence, connections, character, and caring.

Communication Skills

Team sports take a lot of communication - both spoken and unspoken. Communication skills are key in maintaining a functioning sports team, whether it’s listening to locker room pep talk, picking up on nonverbal cues given by other players, or expressing a thought during a post-game debrief.

Decisive Action

Sports plays happen fast, and athletes develop the skills needed to make effective snap decisions. Athletes learn critical decision-making skills that will benefit them both during and after game time. Sports create an environment where athletes learn to conquer their natural “fight or flight” instinct to make consistent and difficult decisions under high pressure situations. This ability to function under pressure translates to person who is better at making deadlines and working in stressful situations in the future.

Teamwork

Teamwork is all about collaborating with others to reach a common goal. Team sports also teach a sense of group and individual responsibility. Working with teammates teaches athletes important life skills such as to respect one another, act in unselfish ways, make good decisions on behalf of the team, and not cut corners.

Time Management

The time commitment required by athletes can be comparable to that of a full-time job. Team athletes know that every second counts, and this value of time will translate to their everyday life.

Build Self-Esteem and a Sense of Community

Team sports provide athletes with a natural community. Youth who play sports have higher levels of social support, and that the sense of community created with teammates, coaches, and family members incubates the perfect setting for critical self-esteem development.

Social Connectedness

According to the United Nations, in its contribution towards peace, sport often provides safe environments at the grassroots and community levels, at which participants are brought together in the pursuit of common goals and interests; learn values of respect, tolerance and fair play; and develop social competencies. As a common denominator and shared passion, sport can build bridges between communities regardless of their cultural differences or political divisions.

Benefits Extend to the Workplace

Career Success

A survey of 400 female corporate executives found 94% played a sport and that 61% say sports contributed to their career success.

Desirable Employees

Effective time management planning is part of why a recent article published by Fast Company argues employers should consider hiring a former student athlete.

Parental Perspectives

Top Benefits for Children

Improving physical health was the No. 1 benefit parents gave for engaging their children in organized sports. Improved mental health, fun and enjoyment, promote teamwork and improved self-confidence were the next highest benefits identified by parents.

The Obesity Epidemic: A Continuing Concern

Alarming Increase During Pandemic

Twenty-two percent of children and teens have been classified as obese during the coronavirus pandemic, an “alarming” increase from 19% before COVID-19, according to a 2021 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities

White and Asian children showed significantly lower rates of obesity than Hispanic and Black children.

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