History
In the cradle of our culture, ancient Greece, philosophers such as Socrates and Aristoteles already recognised the great importance of sport in education by implementing it into their curricula and acknowledging that sport does not only contribute to the physical, but also to the mental balance of each one of us.
Importance
In a world dominated by a sedentary lifestyle due to increasing technology use, the body needs to work less and less. It is not surprising that the average performance in school is deteriorating and the percentage of children suffering of obesity is increasing: for example, in 1975 four percent of children in Germany were overweight – today every fourth child is affected. Three every ten Europeans regularly practices a sport or takes some form of physical exercise. Only 37% of men and 25% of women are actually physically active enough to benefit their health, but 80% think they are.
Different types of physical activity and their benefits
Different types of physical activity contribute differently to health. Generally, body workout can take place in two ways: isometric and isotonic exercise.
Isometric exercises are those in which muscle tension is produced without moving a joint – for example, when pushing against a wall. These exercises produce good, local strength gain. However, they do little for your heart and circulation. In fact, people with heart disease or high blood pressure should avoid doing isometric exercises because they increase your blood pressure, and put your heart under stress.
Aerobic (or isotonic) activity is any repetitive, rhythmic exercise involving large muscle groups. The more muscles have to work during an aerobic exercise, the more effective it is. Therefore running, swimming, bicycling, dancing, or cross-country skiing are considered among the most healthy sport activities. A regular aerobic activity, together with other lifestyle factors, such as keeping free from cigarette smoking, decreases the risk of heart disease mortality (37% of heart disease deaths are related to inactivity, compared to 19% related to smoking; cardiovascular disease mortality in general and of coronary heart disease mortality in particular). Among people who have heart attacks, those who have been physically active are twice as likely to survive the heart attack compared to people who have not been active.
It also prevents or delays the development of high blood pressure, and reduces blood pressure in people with hypertension. Aerobic activity increases the body’s demand for oxygen and adds to the workload of the heart and lungs, making the heart and circulation more efficient and helping to develop endurance. Aerobic activity in which the body also bears its own weight – as for example in walking but not swimming – can help to prevent osteoporosis (thinning of the bones).
Benefits for the spinal column and bones
Moderate aerobic training (long and slow) strengthens the immune system. Regular muscle workout stabilises the spinal column and counteracts postural deformities. Reason being is that well trained muscles constitute an extraordinary and effective protection for the joints, as they considerably reduce the risk of injuries and arthrosis.
Physical activity in games form has a very positive influence on the strength of the bone structure, as the multifaceted spurt-, jump- and throw actions intensively stimulate the development of bones and joints. Thus physical activity in form of games to build up muscles is important in particular for children and young adults, as during this period of life 98% of the bone structure is built up.
Other physical benefits
It reduces the risk of diabetes.
It helps improve your blood cholesterol levels.
It helps you to lose weight if you are overweight or obese.
Sport in general is especially important for young adults to secure a good start for a long and healthy life.
Mental benefits
“Mens sana in corpore sano” A healthy mind in a healthy body – we all have heard this old Latin tag before. But did you know HOW true this is? Regular physical exercise not only promotes physical health, but has immense importance for your mental health as well. Sport is a proven means of stress regulation. Devoting time to a healthy physical activity means enjoyable distraction and thus tension release.
Physical activities counteract against negative moods and even depression, reduce the body’s stress hormones, and calm the central nervous system, which leads to an improved mental balance. The body produces more morphine derivates, such as endorphins, which have an immediate and long-term anti-depressant effect. This does not only lead to a better state of mind but also reduces anxiety.
Especially children and young adults can learn to release negative feelings and tensions in a constructive way and profit from the positive side effects of sports. They can dispose of insecurities and develop more courage to face life in every day situations due to a sense of achievement gained through little successes during sport activities.
But not enough: With increasing intensiveness of cardio respiratory workout the blood circulation of the brain improves up to 25%, which leads to better concentration and short-term memory. Therefore sporty students tend learn faster.
Many people who do regular activity say that it makes them feel better, and that they notice an improvement in their mood and self-confidence. It can also be a lot of fun!
Social benefits
The overall positive effect of sports for the well-being is still underestimated: alongside the increase in strength and fitness as well as the cognitive abilities, it directly improves the psychosocial life. It promotes positive social behaviour such as teamwork, respect, responsibility, solidarity, tolerance and fair play in a multicultural context, as well as self-awareness and a sense of competitiveness.
The millions of citizens of the European Union work out, not only to keep fit and healthy, but also to enjoy the company and competition with others. Values such as tolerance, team spirit or strength of character are exemplified almost subconsciously and effortlessly – and for that reason probably most effectively.
The world today is multi-coloured and multi-faceted, with nations of every colour and origin. This requires an international mindset, and the ability to naturally deal with other cultures. Sport brings people together, and especially gives children and young adults the opportunity to meet people from other countries through exchange programs.
Sport is also a means of social integration, as it can bring together people of different age, gender, social standing and disadvantaged groups (e.g. handicapped, immigrants, delinquents aso.) and allow them to enjoy a joint experience. Sport can educate to responsible, peaceful and democratic behaviour and therefore contribute to a positive development of their personality. The improved performance resulting from own efforts leads to a feeling of competence, which in turn has a highly positive effect on children’s self-image, self-realisation and acceptance.
Time
It isn’t easy to find the time and effort needed to fit activity into our busy lives. Any activity during leisure, working or travel counts. Just 30 minutes of regular, moderate intensity activity accumulated over a day is enough to help to prevent serious illness. Reducing the time spent sitting can be the first important step in achieving the recommended healthy goal of 30 minutes a day. Also, there is no threshold of activity that you have to reach before you can benefit – a little activity is better than none!
