10 reasons to #BeActive

As an official partner of the European Week of Sport 2019 – a campaign that aims to promote sport and physical activity in Europe, the European Football for Development Network (EFDN) puts forth 10 reasons to #BeActive and achieve physical fitness through football and other sport activities.

In a fast-paced world revolving around insurances where people are busy spending hundreds and thousands of their money, insuring homes, cars, including health and lives etc., they often miss out on insuring the most important and essential part of their living – “The Active Lifestyle Insurance” which is the most uncomplicated, long term and free of charge insurances of all. It is a combination of both physical and recreational activities which benefits a person to lead a healthier lifestyle.

1) Improves Endurance, Strength and Flexibility

Being active develops the three main components of physical fitness in the human body and prolongs its lifespan. While endurance, strength and flexibility can also be achieved individually by working out at a gym or going out for a run etc., involving oneself in a sport activity helps to build various traits and values apart from physical development. Football is one of the global sports which can be played anywhere by anyone and all one needs is a football. A professional football player covers on average about 9 km -10 km in a 90-minutes’ match. The sport boosts the physical health by increasing a person’s ability to

-function continuously without fatigue over a long period of time (endurance),
-build physical power and resist stress caused by weakness (strength),
-carry out physical activities without feeling sore or tightness in the muscles (flexibility).

The Active Fans programme, which will run from January 2018 until June 2020 aims to develop a new European standard and methodology that uses football as a tool to reach men and women from 35 years and older who would like to get physically active again, make lifestyle changes and improve their diets.

2) Relieves Anxiety, Stress and improves Mental health

Studies show that being active through physical fitness activities can treat mild to moderate depression as effectively as antidepressant medication. The reason behind this physiological function is as simple as when a person engages in fitness activities, the brain releases endorphins – powerful chemicals that are involved with fighting stress and makes oneself feel good. It helps to combat depression by blocking the negative thoughts associated with it. Playing team sports like football, increases the stress-buster effect by distracting the mind from negativity and focusing on their involvement in the game. Being active also improves the quality of sleep and increases its duration. A healthy mind is a positive sign to lead an optimistic life.

3) Improves Social health and develops Social skills

Being active improves the third main aspect of a person’s life – social health. The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of health states that “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. Social health is commonly defined as a person’s ability to form meaningful relationships with other people and interact in healthy, positive ways. Being active through team sports, helps people, especially children to develop a social circle around them. Football as a team sport provides the best platform to improve a person’s relationship and socializing skills with other people through interaction and communication within a team.

The ‘FC Emmen Oldstars’ is a walking football programme which targets elderly people so that they can maintain an active lifestyle, stimulating them to play football (again), get into contact with one another and be involved with FC Emmen, with the main focus on the social aspect.

4) Boosts Self-Esteem and Confidence

Accomplishing any goal in general, boosts a person’s self-esteem and increases their level of confidence. Setting realistic goals to be active and reaching the desired fitness targets provide a sense of achievement to a person and strengthens the feeling of self-worth. Especially, in sports, which involves encouragement, appreciation and rewards, the field provides adequate opportunities to set goals in improving oneself and the motivation to achieve them. Being physically fit, improves a person’s body composition and image, thereby boosting their self-confidence.

Bohemian Foundation works together with the Mountjoy Prison in Dublin and has provided opportunities for released prisoners to be reintegrated through sport by involving them with local football, thereby strengthening their Self-Esteem.  Inmates get to break down the barriers, socialise with each other and reintegrate with the community later on. Players from Bohemian F.C. help coach in the training sessions.

5) Boosts Memory, Concentration and Learning

Being active helps a person to maintain a healthy body and improves brain health. An aerobic exercise which includes activities such as walking, running, swimming or cycling, improves the cardiovascular system of the human body. The part of the human brain that strongly responds to aerobic exercise is the hippocampus, which is associated with the brain’s memory and learning systems. Aerobic exercises constituting in sport activities increase creativity and problem-solving skills. Engaging in aerobic exercise through sports aids in brain development and cognitive learning in children and prevents or slows down memory-loss in older adults due to the deterioration of hippocampus in the process of ageing.

The Scoring for Health programme encourages children from the ages of 7 to 13, and their parents, to adopt a healthy lifestyle and make them aware of the value of eating healthily and being active.

6) Improves Discipline and Time Management

Being active regularly through fitness exercises or sport activities shapes a person to be organized, disciplined and effectively manage their time. Prioritizing on work and maintaining a schedule towards physical fitness reduces time-wasting and increases multi-tasking. Engaging in athletic track events or sports like football, basketball etc., that require performance along with effective time management and quick-thinking during play, helps a person to stay active and disciplined to the rules of the game. A set of habits learnt regularly through sports transforms into a routine in the general lifestyle of a person.

7) Increases Hard work and Commitment

It is a known fact that success is the result of hard work and commitment and reaching goals isn’t always an effortless path. Working towards a goal teaches a person the value of hard work, commitment and dedication and sports are the perfect medium to learn these values. Being actively involved in sports, activates hours of dedication in a person’s body and mind every day to achieve the required fitness levels. The constant hard work and commitment keeps increasing to higher levels once the targeted results are being achieved.

8) Teaches Teamwork and Respect

A popular acronym of TEAM is Together Everyone Accomplishes More. Being active in team sports like football, hockey etc., focuses on the team rather than an individual and teaches life’s most important values such as respect towards one another, setting aside personal differences and working together for the success of the team. Being involved in a team, improves leadership and communication skills to function better with other people. It teaches a person to respect and understand others without stereotyping them based on gender, culture, religion or race etc. Unity in Diversity is often achieved and promoted through team sports.

The Community Champions League is an EFDN project in partnership with nine community engaged football clubs with the aim of promoting social integration through sport. It provides the opportunity for people from different cultures to come together to build relationships and friendships while breaking down barriers through the prevention of violence, racism and intolerance in grassroots sports and their communities.

Show Racism the Red Card (SRtRC) is an anti-racism and anti-discrimination programme which utilises the high-profile status of football and football players to help tackle racism in society. The project aims to raise awareness of diversity, foster social cohesion, and reduce physical and verbal violence linked to racism.

9) Teaches Sportsmanship and the art of failure

Being active in sports, especially in football, where a wide range of emotions are naturally let out, the sport helps a person to understand and manage their emotions effectively without hurting other people. Whether they end up on the winning or losing side, the sport teaches them to be empathetic towards others. It teaches the core value of life which is “Winning or Losing isn’t permanent, but virtues are”. Involving in sport activities, teaches a person to never give up and embrace the art of failure, learn from the mistakes and shape their failures into stepping stones to success.

10) Helps to build and maintain friendships

Sports improves a person’s socializing skills and develops their ability to build healthy relationships with others. Being active through fitness communities, sport activities etc., are a great way to connect with people and to form new friendships with those who share similar passion with the fitness activities involved. It eliminates isolation and loneliness from a person’s life. Exercising along with friends has various benefits such as sticking to the schedules, competing against one another, being motivated and push harder towards one’s fitness goals.

The European Healthy Football League is an app-based competition was launched by The European Football for Development Network (EFDN), encouraging football fans of all ages to make healthy lifestyle choices and compete against fans from other clubs.

Overall, being active keeps the nutrients running in the body which benefits the physical, mental and social health of an individual. It improves the quality of life and reduces a sedentary lifestyle. Life isn’t measured by the years that we live rather than how actively we live.