Author: Coby Seaver
Sports have been a part of my life ever since my parents signed me up to play on the neighborhood soccer team. I was in kindergarten at the time and had no friends that were at my new elementary school. At my first practice, I recognized several kids that were in my new class and was able to make my first friendships outside of preschool. I had a blast learning how to pass to my teammates, scoring goals, and running as fast as I could. When I scored my first ever goal, the excitement that I felt and seeing how happy it made my family made me realize that I wanted to keep playing. Throughout elementary school, I was introduced to various new sports such as basketball, tennis, swimming, and skiing. These experiences in sports taught me how to compete, the importance of a hard work ethic, the discipline it takes to win, and to not be afraid. Most importantly, sports taught me how to be a leader when I was the team captain for my high school tennis team. Without these experiences I obtained through sports, I would not be the person I am today.
I want people to not only understand how beneficial sports are to an individual, but also the positive impact they leave in communities. Playing in sports allows people from all backgrounds to meet one another. Additionally, watching sports brings people together no matter their background or perspective to focus on commonalities instead of differences. These professional sports teams also promote healthy living in their communities because it incentivizes children to want to be like them one day. This creates community sports leagues that give children an opportunity to be active and learn all the things I learned when I was a child playing sports.
The Plus One Foundation values sports so highly because we understand how beneficial they are to overall brain health. When exercising, your heart rate is increasing which leads to an increase of blood flow to the brain. This allows more oxygen, nutrients, and proteins to enter your brain which is necessary for healthy brain cells and the growth of new neurons. Participating in sports also promotes stress relief. Chemicals that make you happy such as dopamine and endorphins are released when exercising, while chemicals that create stress and anxiety are reduced. Lastly, researchers at the University of British Columbia found that the exercise you get from sports increases the size of your hippocampus. As a result, memory as well as critical thinking skills are improved. This benefit is important to note since this can explain why exercise reduces the risk of dementia by 30 percent according to the Alzheimer’s Society.
We at Plus One strive to provide our clients dealing with neurological disorders with sports experiences because we know that it has the ability to change lives. Some of the activities we offer include swimming, horseback riding, yoga, and martial arts. These experience are not only enjoyable for our clients, they are therapeutic and serve as an effective coping mechanism that is essential for our clients to continue on the road to recovery.
The power of sports has benefited my life both physically as well as mentally and I hope that you all understand the importance of sports for your health, your community, and the Plus One Foundation.
Sources:
https://www.childfundpassitback.org/2019/10/16/does-sport-have-the-power-to-change-the-world/
https://www.dana.org/article/how-does-exercise-affect-the-brain/
https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/more-evidence-that-exercise-can-boost-mood
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/risk-factors-and-prevention/physical-exercise