Fitness, health and happiness
What is the fastest and most dangerous ball sport in the world? It’s pelota where the ball, which is harder than the one in golf, can move at over 180mph. And did you know that the new sport of bossaball is a combination of football, volleyball and gymnastics all played to a rhythmic Brazilian beat? Perhaps you know that the Wife Carrying World Championships take place in Finland or that England hosts the World Worm Charming Championships each year? Or did you ever wonder why one player in the Indian sport of kabaddi has to chant and hold his breath while he plays? I mention these things because we have been thinking about fitness and health this week and the aforementioned pursuits are all things people do to keep active.
We provide many opportunities at St Andrew’s to play sport and improve one’s health and there are good reasons for doing so. Cardiovascular exercise helps to create new brain cells responsible for learning and memory and so it improves one’s brain power. Exercise helps to prevent the signs of ageing. It also boosts our immune system meaning we are less likely to become unwell. Exercise helps us to sleep better which in turn enables us to have more energy and be productive for longer periods. And sport teaches us to be collaborative, develop friendships and be decisive, all things which will serve us well in later life.
Exercise is linked to happiness because we can think more clearly and have a healthy mind. We don’t need to enjoy every sport to be healthy and fit and we don’t need to be the best. Indeed, good exercise doesn’t need to be a sport at all – there are lots of different things one can do: from dance to mountain biking to weir walking to karate. Or even worm charming. Whatever it is, exercise just needs to be active and we just need to enjoy it. Being fit and being happy often go hand in hand and I take great pleasure when I see the fields and pitches awash with happy, smiley faces. Long may it continue.