The true benefits of sport

 Health and wellbeing

Everyone knows that doing sport and being active is critical to keep you healthy but lets dive deeper into why.



Mental wellbeing-

Mental health has been boosted centre stage the last couple of years. With progress of the stigma around it shrinking and people being more open with their own experiences. 
- Exercise going from walking to going to the gym boosts serotonin. Serotonin is what's known as the happy chemical. It's important within the brain to improve mood and all round mental health. "Exercise also increases tryptophan, an amino acid used to make serotonin in the brain." (Higgins & M.d., 2019) Without these amino acid the production the happy chemical wouldn't happen.
- It can improve sleep and rest by using up energy.
-It can improve parts of the brain like the hippocampus which can help to improve memory. This also helps to reduce inflammation which can reduces the likelihood of getting Alzheimer's later on in life.
- Helps to reduce stress and anxiety by increasing the release of chemicals like dopamine and norepinephrine.

Physical benefits-

- Reduces risk of type 2 diabetes by helping to improve regulation of glucose levels.
- Can help to improve cardiovascular fitness, reducing likelihood of heart issues.
-Also helps respiratory fitness reducing likelihood of breathing and other respiratory issues.
- It increases strength of both bones and muscles. Which later on in life can reduce the risk of falls and injuries. 
- Lower risk of having a stroke, due to the control of blood pressure.
- Can increase energy levels . Due to the mitochondria in the cells respiring more efficiently in turn creating energy.
- Longevity of life, "A review of 13 different scientific studies found that regular physical activity could increase your life by as much as 7 years." (Vetter, 2022). 

With the improvement of mental health can lead to the improvement of physical health and vice versa. It is often recommended to those struggling with depression and anxiety but also those struggling with physical injuries like recovery after a stroke or a head injury.


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