Sports and Exercise
Home Feedback Contents Search Team Citations

 


Picture yourself inside on a beautiful day when the sun is shining and the birds are chirping.  You are eating, watching some television, and playing video games.  Don’t you think there could be something better that you could be doing instead of sitting around being a slug?  Well, I am here to suggest some better things to do with your free time so that you can make sure that you are healthy and fit for the present and the future.

 

     There are so many healthy things that children and parents

stockxpert.com

 can do such as getting exercise, but because of technology, too many people are staying inside.  There is a lot of new technology that keeps children inside such as video games, the computesports balls over whiter, and the television.  Kids would prefer to stay inside to play video games, go on the computer to instant messaging, or use a networking system instead of doing something productive or active.  Another technology that kids are addicted to is the television.  It is said, that on average, a child spends over four hours watching television every day.  Kids can very easily get addicted to this technology so they lose track of the time and never have time to go outside.  They spend so much time with electronic components that they don’t get to do the things, in their lives that need to be done.  Their school work can suffer since they don’t have any more time to study or to do any of their homework.  I know many very intelligent people who have low grades on tests because they were playing video games instead of studying the night before a big test.  This happens to many people and once it happens it is hard for those people to bring back up their grades, when all they really needed to do in the first place was study instead of playing video games.

     You need to become healthier if you are one of those people who stay inside all day on the computer, television, and playing video games.  But luckily, there are many ways that you can do this.  Start by going outside.  It is a fact that children need nature and the outdoors and need to be out in the fresh air for a while.  When you are outside, you are really working all of you senses like how you see things, what they feel like, what objects smell like, and what they sound like.  When you are just sitting in front of a screen you are really only working your brain muscles, but this does not work too much of your brain muscles.  Absence of nature and using all of your senses can also lead to problems like obesity, attention disorders, depression and stress.  When you are inside all of the time, you tend to eat more than you really need to, since most of the time you eat when you are bored, and this can lead to obesity.  Also, when all you are doing is constantly watching a screen whether it is a television screen or a computer monitor, this can lead to attention disorders.  Most of the new technology that we have is made, so that you don’t need to concentrate on one part for a long period of time.   This could lead to disorders like A.D.D (attention deficit disorder) which means that you can’t pay attention for long periods of time. Getting fresh air can even enhance academic and emotional growth.  So as you can see, going outside and getting fresh air can help you in every way.  The main concept is that you are getting exercise while you are also getting fresh air and using your mind, which is good for your body.  tennis balls detail

 

Sports

Baseball/Softball

Soccer

Football

Basketball

Tennis

Boxing

Golf

Weightlifting

Bowling

Rugby

Pool

Volleyball

Curling

Fencing

Squash

Table Tennis

Field Hockey

Lacrosse

Track and Field

Cricket

Ice Hockey

Badminton

Racquetball

Gymnastics

Archery

Marbles

Shooting

Croquet

Snooker

Netball

 

sxc.com

    In addition, you would probably also want to do some sports.  There are so many sports in the world that you can play.  These are games that anyone can play, and it doesn’t matter if you are really athletic or not.  Some examples of games are marbles or table tennis.  If you practice at these games, you can get really good at them.  Doing these activities is much better for your mind and body than sitting on the couch watching TV or sitting in a chair on the computer.

     Sports are excellent you.  One reason is that most sports are played outside, so you are getting fresh air.  Another reason is that sports are a form of exercise.  Exercise is one of the best things you can do for your body.  Getting exercise increases your circulation.  It also stimulates the excretory system and eliminates the waste you have through your kidneys, lungs, intestines, and your skin.  Exercise also makes your muscles grow and even your body to grow more easily.  This is essential for any child still growing.  Exercising also strengthens your heart.  Another benefit of exercising is that after you are done, you will so much better with yourself.  You really feel good about what you did, and you sometimes can feel like a totally new person.  Not only will you look great after some time of exercising, but you will feel great.

  If you are afraid that you can not play these kinds of sports, or you are not interested in these kinds of sports, then there are many other sports that you can play instead.  You can use your imagination to think of some different sports that you can play.  Some examples are playing games such as slow-motion running.  The object of this is to see who can get to the finish line last.  Now of course, you need to have rules so the people competing are all moving.  You could also have a game like golf.  But to change it up a little bit, you can play so that the objective is to have the fewest strokes, but also to finish in the shortest amount of time.  You can also play a game called Tai Chi-Do.  This is just a combination of aikido moves with the slow-motion of t’ ai chi.  Aikido is a form of Japanese martial arts, and t’ai chi is an aerobic way to be calm and relax.  It is almost like stretching, but in calming ways, and in slow motion.

     If you want to be a good athlete instead of someone who might just play games for fun or for exercise, you need to give all of your energy while you play your game and you have to want to be there playing.  You need to have positive energy while you play.  There are also many other things that you need to have such as the following: joy, determination, optimism, pride, self-challenge, team spirit, self-motivation, a calm mental state, good concentration, and relaxed muscles.  All of these will lead to high-level performance.  You may also need to get organized.  If you get organized, being an athlete can be easier.  I have a calendar in my kitchen that we put all of the games and practices for my team on so that I can never forget when I have a game or practice.  I also make sure that I know where all of my equipment is.  I always keep it in the same spot, so that I can just quickly grab it before I leave, and still know that I have everything.  Before you leave to go somewhere, you should quickly make a list in your head of what you need, and then make sure you have everything so you don’t miss something important that you really need.  You need to be ready for every game, and ways to help you with that is to make lists in your head of what you may need, and having a good attitude!

     When you are on the field, there are many ways something can go wrong, but the important thing is to make sure that you don’t get too upset.  If you get too upset, then you may say things out loud that were really meant to be kept inside of your head.  You want to stay positive, and that will affect your play in a good way and help others around you to be more positive as well.

     Being negative about something is the worst thing you can do to help yourself.  When you are negative, you are probably not thinking about ways that you can challenge yourself.  There are many ways to stop from getting negative.  You can constantly repeat the attitudes that you wish to have so that you are always reminded of what you want to change into.  A way you can do that is to record yourself saying what ways you want to change or what you want to change in your attitude.  Then play that record back every day so you are constantly reminded of what you want to come from your hard work.  You may want to read stories or articles that you think may be able to help you change your attitude.  Another way to help you get a better attitude and to do it in a fun way is to make fun posters of some encouraging words or sayings.  These will also remind you of what you want your attitude to focus on.  You can place them all around your house I places such as your bathroom, your kitchen, and your bedroom.  This way everywhere you go, you will be reminded of a good attitude.  You can have fun making these posters too, and make them visually appealing by adding pictures, color, or anything else that can make then stand out.  You also want to stop yourself as soon as you think you may be having a bad attitude or a negative thought.  Then you want to replace it with a positive attitude and a good thought.  Anything that you can do to make yourself have better thoughts and be more positive will help you while you are playing sports or with anything you do in your life.

     Before you play your game, there are many priorities that you may need to make sure that you do.  You also need to think about how you can play a better game.  You want to make sure that you are in good and healthy shape throughout your season so that you can play the best that you can.  During the day of your game, you don’t want to do anything that might tire you out.  Even if there are a couple of hours in between, you don’t want to do any physical activity that can tire you out because your body won’t be able to perform at its best when your “tank” is only half full.  Another thing you don’t want to do, which is especially hard in the summer, is to go swimming during the day of a game.  You mainly don’t want to get your head wet by going under the water, or work too many of your muscles while swimming around.  Swimming is a bad idea because you work so many of your muscles while you are swimming or paddling through the water.  When you get your head wet, you work harder to keep your head up since the water adds extra weight to what your neck has to hold up.  Then, when it comes time for your game, you will be very tired.  Another thing you may want to do before a game is to think about what you can do to make your play a little better.  You could think about plays that your coach told you at practice and maybe practice or think about them so that you are aware in the game.  Also, like I said before, you want to make sure you have everything for you game, like your water, your equipment or anything else that you may need in order to play.

     To make sure that you aren’t inside on the computer all the time or playing video games and watching television, you can play sports.  There are many sports that you can choose from to play, or you can even think of new sports to play.  In order to play these sports, you need to have a good attitude and be ready for all of your games and practices.  Make sure that everything you do, during the day of your game, works to ensure your performance at your game is the best it can be.  Some things that you can do for this is to go through some drills or go through plays that your coach may have taught you.  You want to stay organized during your season by doing things like putting your practices and your games onto a calendar.  You also may want to keep all of your equipment in one area so that when you are ready to leave, you know exactly where your stuff is.  If you do all of this, then you are really making sure that you are becoming a good athlete, and this will not only help you in your games, but in can help you in the future in school and out of school.  This will also make you fit and healthy so you are in your best shape, and you are the best person that you can be.


Click here to go to the Technology's Effect on Kids page

Click here to go to the New Technology page

Click here to go to the Food and Nutrition page


Books:

  1. Title: Mental Toughness Training for Sports

Author: James E. Loehr

Publishing Company: Forum Publishing Company

Copyright Date: 1982

Place of Publication: New York, New York

  1. Title: Sports in America

Author: James A. Michener

Publishing Company: The World Publishing Company/ Thomas Y. Crawell Company Inc.

Copyright Date: 1976

Place of Publication: New York

  1. Title: Sports

Publishing Company: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.

Copyright Date: 1988

Place of Publication: New York

  1. Title: The Warrior Athlete- Body, Mind, & Spirit

Author: Dan Millman

Publishing Company: Clarkson N. Potter

Copyright Date: 1979

Place of Publication: New York

Websites:

  1. Title: Health and Behavior-Study: Children don’t exercise nearly enough at preschool

Company: USA Today

Visited: 1/28/08

Revised: 2008

URL: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2004-11-01-preschool-exercise_x.htm         

  1. Title: Mother Nature: Raising Healthier Kids

Company: USA Weekend

Visited: 1/28/08

Revised: 2008

URL: http://www.usaweekend.com/07_issues/071118/071118healthy-kids-report.html

Ebsco:

  1. Title: Mind Over Muscle

Company: Weider Publications Inc.

Visited: 1/28/08

Revised: 2008

URL: http://web.ebscohost.com/src/detail?vid=3&hid=22&sid=b7be1e3f-06c3-47ce-8314-cd88d66da824%40sessionmgr3

Grolier:

  1. Title: United States of America

Author: Jim Benagh

Company: Encyclopedia Americana

Visited: 1/28/08

Revised: 200

URL: http://eagrolier.com/cgi-bin/article?assetid=0397800-13

 

Send mail to mbegosh@lebtwpk8.org with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 04/02/08