The health benefits of playing football

The health benefits of playing football

With the weather getting nicer, it is time to go outside and play!

Football is a great sport to get some fresh air and hang out with your friends. Did you know, a study conducted at the National Institutes of Health in the US on football showed many health benefits! The study included both active and sedentary individuals. Some of the major benefits included increase in oxygen intake while exercising. Individuals also saw a decrease in body fat and increase in lean body mass. In addition, those who played football a few times a week saw themselves improving their overall cardiac health.

The mental planning and physical stamina needed help each player to come out a better version of themselves. Here are just a few benefits:

Mental and physical benefits: 

Often, individuals find themselves eager to start working out, but basic activities such as walking on the treadmill can feel tedious after a while. One of the major benefits of football is the dynamic nature. The team spirit, being outside, and interacting with others is very important. So many months have passed without human interaction and team spirit. Football is a great way to get back into the team spirit! 

Mentally, there are so many great benefits to gain. Football requires a great amount of focus. Losing sight of the football can result in a potential steal from the opposing team. Furthermore, having the skill to assess the space on the pitch and which direction to go in is extremely important. All these different components of decision-making greatly improve our gross motor skills. Not to mention, the responsibility of being a team player is extremely crucial. The aggregate of each player’s contribution can affect the outcome of winning or losing the match. While football should be played for fun, having some extra motivation to win never hurts. Increase in overall responsibility, motivation, and team spirit are all a great package deal! 

Physically, as mentioned before there are some great benefits to gain. Hand-eye coordination is extremely important in football. With quick, calculated moves, agility is only bound to increase! Increased agility improves your stamina not only in football, but your ability to jump, stretch, and execute exercise movements safely and efficiently. Increase in physical activity applies more pressure to the bone structure, thus increasing bone density. When bone density is increased, the strength of our bones to prevent injury is also raised. Football is the perfect combination of an anaerobic and aerobic sport. One can burn calories easily while on the pitch and gain muscle with consistent practice of this sport.

Making sure one exercises a few times a week can be so helpful. With the beautiful weather, a way to socialize with loved ones, and the countless benefits, the football pitch is the place to be! Enjoy this time to gain all the health benefits, because remember, your health first! 

 

Hammami, A., Chamari, K., Silmani, M., Shephard, R. J., Yousfi, N., Tabka, Z., & Bouhlel, E. (2016). Effects of recreational soccer on physical fitness and health indices in sedentary healthy and unhealthy subjects. Biol Sport, 33(2). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27274105/