Why adults should play sports

1. People who enjoy exercise do it more.

Studies consistently show that people who dislike their workouts — a surprisingly large number — or feel clumsy and inept at them will not continue, he said, no matter how sincere their intentions. So if the treadmill bores you and CrossFit intimidates, try a spin class or water aerobics.

Making Exercise a Habit

2. Sports are a great way to exercise more.

This all applies to adults too:

When parents were asked about the benefits that their middle school or high school aged child gets from playing sports, more than eight in ten parents whose child plays sports say their child benefits a great deal or quite a bit in his/her physical health (88%) and helping him/her learn about discipline or dedication (81%). More than seven in ten parents say that playing sports benefits their child a great deal or quite a bit in learning how to get along with other people (78%) and his/her mental health (73%). More than half of parents report playing sports benefits their child a great deal or quite a bit in giving him/her skills to help in future schooling (56%), and giving him/her skills to help in a future career (55%).

Three in four adults played sports when they were younger, but only one in four still play

3. Learning new sports as an adult is really good for your brain.

...the impacts of learning on one of the most primal portions of the brain have been surprisingly underappreciated, both scientifically and outside the lab. Most of us pay little attention to our motor cortex, which controls how well we can move.

“We have a tendency to admire motor skills,” said Dr. John Krakauer, a professor of neurology and director of the Center for the Study of Motor Learning and Brain Repair at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. We like watching athletes in action, he said. But most of us make little effort to hone our motor skills in adulthood, and very few of us try to expand them by, for instance, learning a new sport.

Learning a New Sport May Be Good for the Brain


Have a great day!

Jimmy


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