Role of Sports and Games on Human Health and Fitness

Health

Athletes have been defined as people who engage in physical activity for enjoyment or competition. In addition to maintaining good cardiovascular fitness and muscle tone, athletes often develop superior sports-specific skills that can translate to other aspects of their lives. Because they put forth a lot of effort toward training, nutrition is equally as important to them, especially if they plan to compete at an elite level.

Nutrition

Sports nutritionists recommend eating a diet rich in complex carbohydrate, protein, and fat to fuel performance. Protein helps build and repair muscles, while carbs provide quick energy, and fats help maintain body temperature and keep muscles lubricated. If you follow these simple guidelines, you should get enough nourishment without having to rely on supplements.

Training

Training involves building muscle mass and endurance to prepare yourself physically for your sport. Endurance refers to how long you can perform certain tasks before getting tired; it's affected by many factors, including genetics and your current lifestyle habits. Building lean muscle mass is critical for maximizing your potential for endurance. Muscle mass burns calories even when you're sleeping, so it may be easier to lose weight than you think! Also consider increasing the intensity of your workouts—that means doing more reps, sets, or time under tension (such as lifting heavier weights). Make sure you drink plenty of water throughout the day to stay properly hydrated, and don't skip meals when you train.

Recovery

Recovery is any activity that takes place after exercise to restore muscular function. These activities allow your body to heal and rebuild damaged tissues. Ice baths, compression garments, massage therapy, and stretching all fall into the category of recovery. After prolonged exercise, a period of rest is necessary to give your body the chance to recover. The best way to prevent soreness is to avoid over training; however, if you need to take several days off from exercise, do so safely.

Injury Prevention

The best injury prevention strategy includes the following: warm up before exercising, stretch before and after exercising, apply ice immediately after exercise, wear proper footwear, use a foam roller or tennis ball for joint mobilization, and protect injured joints with appropriate protective equipment. While icing a bruise may seem counterintuitive, research shows that applying cold packs increases blood flow to the area, helping speed healing and reducing swelling.

Mental Preparation

Mental preparation encompasses the thoughts and emotions you experience before competing. Mental preparation is essential to attaining peak performance, and it starts with visualization and goal setting. Visualization involves mentally rehearsing specific movements and scenarios prior to executing them. Setting goals keeps you motivated, and thinking positively about the outcome of the race or game can improve concentration and increase confidence. To achieve optimal mental preparation, you need to establish realistic expectations and set goals based on fact rather than hope. Try not to focus on what others around you are doing or what was happening in previous races/games; instead, concentrate on your own efforts and your progress toward achieving your goals.

Stress Management

Stress management includes techniques aimed at lowering anxiety levels and managing stressful situations effectively. When you feel stressed out, try taking deep breaths, focusing on your breathing, and relaxing until you've managed to calm down. Meditation, relaxation techniques, yoga exercises, and listening to music all work well to promote positive feelings and reduce negative ones. Additionally, engaging in regular, moderate exercise can lower stress hormones and relieve fatigue.

Physical Activity

Exercise refers to planned physical activities done to improve fitness, while play is spontaneous physical activity. In humans, exercise is required for maintaining muscle mass, bone density, cardiovascular function, and hormone balance. Regular participation in physical activity is associated with decreased cancer risk, increased longevity, reduced obesity, improved mental health, and reduced risk of chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.

Cardiovascular System

The cardiovascular system consists of two major components: arteries and veins. Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood away from the lungs and into various parts of the body where it provides nutrients and oxygen to cells; veins return deoxygenated blood back to the heart. When blood flows through the arterial system, oxygen-rich blood enters the capillaries, travels to the cells, then passes through the venous system. The right ventricle pumps blood out of the right atrium (right side) to the pulmonary artery where it branches into small blood vessels called pulmonary capillaries. From here, the blood moves to the respiratory tree, which carries it across the lung alveoli (tiny air sacs) and into the left atrium and finally the left ventricle, which pushes the blood throughout the rest of the body. Arterial pressure increases as blood departs the heart and decreases as it returns to the heart via the circulatory system. If the heart does not receive enough blood flow, its pumping action slows down which may cause angina or chest pain.

Skeletal Muscle

Skeletal muscle is composed mainly of muscle fibers, which contract to move the bones. There are three types of muscle fiber: slow twitch, fast twitch, and cardiac. Slow twitch fibers contract slowly and fatigue easily, whereas fast twitch fibers contract rapidly, but fatigue faster. Fast twitch fibers are responsible for explosive muscular contraction, helping athletes jump high and run fast. Cardiac muscle fibers beat rhythmically to ensure regular circulation of blood throughout the body.

Lung Function

Lungs remove carbon dioxide from the bloodstream and release oxygenated blood back into the circulation. As mentioned before, oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged between the capillary bed and alveolar epithelium, respectively. Breathing is controlled by the brain's command center, the medulla oblongata. A lack of oxygen to the brain causes unconsciousness and death.

Digestion & Metabolism

The digestive system breaks food into smaller particles into small molecules that are absorbed into the bloodstream and carried to different organs and cells for processing. The liver processes toxins into bile, which helps break them down and facilitates their removal from the body. The pancreas secretes enzymes that help digest carbohydrates, fats, proteins, starches, and vitamins. The kidneys filter and cleanse the blood. The adrenal gland produces hormones that regulate blood sugar levels and adrenaline in times of emergency. The thyroid controls metabolic rate.

Immune System

Immunity is the body's defense mechanism against invading organisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, and parasites. The immune system contains specialized cells, organs, and tissues that work

Physical fitness

Physical fitness is defined as “the capacity to move freely and easily; freedom from disease, disability and deformity” (Source - Wikipedia). When we think about physical fitness, we are generally thinking about someone being fit enough to play sports or participate in exercise programs. However, there are many reasons why people engage in different types of sports and games to stay active and remain healthy. These activities not only help improve their physical condition, but they may also aid them in staying mentally sharp.

Mental fitness

Mental fitness refers to the ability to keep yourself focused, alert, and clear-headed while exercising at any time. Playing video games, watching movies, reading books, or listening to music can provide some mental stimulation without requiring much effort. If you want to enhance your mental fitness, try playing brain games or doing crosswords. This will help you stay motivated to continue working out and perform well in various activities, including those associated with work and school.

Social fitness

Social fitness is the ability to interact positively with others. The best way to increase your social fitness level is to get out of your comfort zone, meet new people, and learn how to make friends. You can start off by volunteering for a nonprofit organization or joining a group to do things together. Another way to boost your social fitness is to attend events where you can connect with others. There are many opportunities to meet people at local parks, community centers, sporting events, and even church services.

Spiritual fitness

Spiritual fitness is the state of mind that encourages you to focus on positive aspects of your life and helps you find the motivation to maintain good habits. Most people experience a sense of spiritual wellness when they practice mindfulness and meditation. Try yoga, Tai Chi, qigong, tai chi chuan, or any type of quiet movement to build your stamina and improve your mental clarity.

Cannabis is the only known recreational drug that is legal in many states throughout United States. Cannabis sativa L., commonly referred to as marijuana (or pot), has been used since ancient times for recreational purposes. The first use of cannabis was thought to have originated in Central Asia, though its earliest records were written about 1000 years ago in China. In the late 19th century, cannabis-derived medicines began being sold over the counter in Europe and North America. Medical claims for cannabis date back at least as far as the writings of Dioscorides, a Greek physician who lived in the 1st century AD. Cannabis sativa has been grown primarily for its psychoactive effects, particularly its euphoric qualities, which make it popular among recreational users, but it also has medicinal uses.

A number of sports and games are played with cannabis-based products. These include darts, snooker, boules, smoking pipes, bongs, water pipe, rolling papers, and hookah. Other games and activities involving cannabis use include cooking with cannabis, playing music using cannabis, making cannabis cookies, baking cannabis cakes, and eating cannabis foods.

The role of sports and games

Sports and games can provide opportunities for people to exercise, socialize and enjoy themselves. Many athletes participate in different sports and games, including team sports, individual sports, and others. Many individuals play these types of sports recreationally. Recreational sporting events may take place during non-school hours or after school hours. School-sponsored sports and games represent another type of recreational activity. Participants in school-sponsored sports and games receive instruction and supervision from trained coaches and referees.

Some participants in recreational sports and games choose to consume cannabis before, during or after participating in the games or sport. This practice is called "cannabis pregaming", "cannabis conditioning", "cannabis training", "cannabis buffering", "cannabis priming", or "cannabis enhancement". Sometimes cannabis consumption is combined with alcohol consumption for this purpose. Some athletes report feeling high while engaging in these practices.

Studies show that consuming cannabis may help improve athletic performance. A 2016 study published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence examined whether cannabis could increase physical performance. Researchers recruited participants to ingest either THC or placebo. They tested physical endurance and performed brain imaging while participants completed a cognitive task. The researchers found that cannabis improved physical endurance compared to placebo. They also found increased blood flow in the prefrontal cortex and decreased activation in the amygdala.

In addition to improving physical endurance, researchers reported that cannabis reduced anxiety and pain levels. Another recent study published in Psychopharmacology examined whether cannabis could reduce anxiety and depression symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease. Researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial. Patients took either THC or placebo prior to taking their medication. After four weeks, they noted significant improvements in mood and anxiety symptoms.