How does sport help with the well-being of participants?

You might be throwing on your running shoes and practising to become the next Mo Farah, or pulling on your shirt and training hard like Van Dijk, sport is a great all-round activity for those looking to improve their well-being and general quality of life. In fact, it doesn’t matter what sport you’re playing or what level you’re playing at, the benefits of playing sport completely outweigh the negatives. Keep reading to discover exactly how sport helps with the well-being of participants, including how it can boost your mental health, help with anxiety and depression, and of course, skyrocket your physical fitness. Sport positively impacts your mental health Physical activity like playing sports has been proven to have a strong influence on mental well-being; mental well-being typically includes your ability to develop your potential and build positive relationships with others. Indeed, sport is a great way to set personal goals (and smash through them) as well as meet others in your community that also have similar and shared interests.  Sport helps with anxiety and depression  As well as boosting your mental well-being, sports have also been proven to be a beneficial treatment for symptoms of depression; studies show a 20-30% reduction in depression in adults who participate in physical activity daily. While many adults might fear the stigma that comes with taking medication for depression or even attending counselling or psychotherapy, sport comes with fewer side effects but still has some significant advantages.  Sport reduces the risk of cognitive decline  While sport is great for improving the mental health of participants in the here and now, it can also be incredibly beneficial in preventing many mental illnesses in the future, as well. Studies have shown that physical activity like sport reduces the risk of developing dementia by 20-30%, as well as minimising the general risk of cognitive decline in adults and older adults. Sport helps build your fitness and keeps you healthy  While perhaps a slightly more obvious positive of sports, the physical advantages of keeping fit also can’t be understated. Regular physical activity not only prevents and treats diseases like stroke, diabetes, breast and colon cancer, and heart disease but also prevents hypertension and obesity, as well. Just doing some form of sport daily can significantly improve your fitness levels and make you feel a lot healthier overall.  Sport can be done at any level of skill and by absolutely anybody in the family. Not only can it aid with anxiety and depression, improve your physical fitness, reduce the risk of cognitive decline and amplify your mental health, but the general well-being of participants will undoubtedly soar.