Sports Fun & Fitness!

This might sound elementary but…when you talk about sports fitness, what comes first in your mind? Do you see football players on the field, soccer players scuffling over a ball, a football team, or a tennis match? This is because sports fitness has always been referred to as “Sports” itself.

Sports entail physical activities that are usually carried out for some “recreational” functions such as self-satisfaction, entertainment, competition, etc. It uses physical activity that is why most fitness experts regard sports as one way of staying fit and healthy. It can also be considered as one way of physical fitness; the only difference is that sports fitness is more inclined to the development of skill or ability. However, like physical fitness, sports fitness is also capable of toning down the body fats of a person. Because of its rigid and strict health program, a sports enthusiast is able to maintain a well-balanced lifestyle in order to cope up with the strenuous demands of sports.

In sports, people should learn how to value their health. Otherwise, they can never endure the kind of energy that is required when playing sports activities.One way to get healthy and have fun at the same time is to pursue sports fitness. You can get your workout on the basketball court or baseball field. You can enter swimming competitions or run marathons. These exercise routines involve other people, interaction, and FUN!

So, let’s say you’ve decided to get your exercise through sports fitness.Here are some tips for ensuring a fun and healthy fitness program for you:

1. Consume lots of water/ fluids

Water is, indeed, the most important element needed by the body. Excessive perspiration, without any means of replenishing the lost fluids will result to serious health problems, and even death.Therefore, for people who are into strenuous exercises and trainings, it is best to always drink lots of water.

However, for sports enthusiasts, water may not be enough to replace the kind of fluid lost. Hence, it would be better if they would have sports drinks instead. Aside from the fluid, sports drinks have tow additional important ingredients needed by a person who is into sports fitness: carbohydrates and electrolytes.

Electrolytes are usually lost during strenuous physical activity, and this can only be replaced through sports drinks. Carbohydrates, on the other hand, are also needed by the body during rigid workouts to provide more energy so that the body can cope up to the demands of the activity.

2. The good old theory – Eat your Fruits and Vegetables

People who are into sports fitness require more intakes of vegetables and fruits. This is because the body is craving for more vitamins and mineral supplements. It makes the body stronger and healthier enabling it to cope up with demands of the activity.

3. Calcium intake

People who are into sports fitness should have calcium present on their diet. This is to provide stronger bones to the body.Since the body is more exposed to greater physical activities, it is important to have stronger bones in order to avoid fractures or certain bone diseases like “osteoporosis.” Calcium can be found in different vitamin and mineral supplements. They are also abundant in foods like sardines, tofu, dairy products, etc.

4. Warm Up

This kind of activity is needed in order not to strain the body. Hence, before playing the sports that you have always love, it is best to do some warm-up exercises first.

Indeed, engaging into sports activities is one great way of being physically fit. The best thing about it is that in sports, you get to enjoy the best of both worlds!

Soccer Better than Running for Fitness

Lead researcher and Associate Professor Peter Krustrup from University of Copenhagen said that many women find it difficult to fit in sport and exercise in their busy daily lives, and many give family and especially small children as the main reason for not finding the time.

The study showed that flexibility of running as exercise form actually makes running harder to stick to for most women than soccer, which requires a fixed time and place.

“What is really interesting is that the soccer players differed from the runners in their motivation,” said associate Professor Laila Ottesen.

“The runners were motivated by the idea of getting in shape and improving health. But the soccer players focused on the game itself and were motivated by the social interaction and by having fun with others.

“As it turns out, the soccer players got in better shape than the runners, and that combined with the social benefits makes soccer a great alternative to running”, she added.

The study involving 100 untrained adult premenopausal women, showed that women who played soccer have continued their soccer training as a group whereas few of the women in the running group continued running after the study.

“While playing soccer, the women have high heart rates and perform many sprints, turns, kicks and tackles, making soccer an effective integration of both cardio and strength training”, said Krustrup.

“Our study shows that the 16 weeks of recreational women’s soccer causes marked improvement in maximal oxygen uptake, muscle mass and physical performance, including the endurance, intermittent exercise and sprinting ability,” explains the expert.

“This makes soccer a very favourable choice of exercise training for women,” he added.