The Best Sport for Your Health That Can Prolong Your Life

All of us are aware that a sedentary lifestyle leads to health diseases. Sports and exercise are the best way to keep the body healthy and fit. Let us see some startling facts to know the graveness of the situation.

Around 36.20% of the adult American population is obese, and 32.5% of American adults are overweight. Besides, many suffer from chronic diseases, heart problems, diabetes, etc., which decreases the person’s lifeline.

The other life-risking factor is the high BMI, i.e., Body Mass Index. People having BMI above 30 falls under the category of obese, which becomes one of the parameters of shorter life expectancy. Now, to reduce this increasing body fat, a person must intake low-calorie food. 

So, the important question is, are you okay living with health problems and taking lifelong medications or ready to work towards physical fitness? The choice is yours. If you want to stay fit and want to know about the best sport for your good health and prolonged life, read this article till the end.

It is commonly seen that one often gives up exercising as doing exercise becomes boring after a while. However, when you play some sport like tennis, soccer, badminton, etc., staying fit becomes fun and motivates one for the next game. So, let’s look at which is the best sport for health and its benefits.

Can You Lengthen Your Life by Doing Sports?

what is the healthiest sport

What is the best exercise for longevity? One often hears about the importance of taking proper sleep, eating healthy food, drinking plenty of water, doing physical exercise, playing various sports, and avoiding falling into bad habits. These are nothing but the secrets of extending your life and staying healthy and happy.

If you don’t have a fitness routine, start today; it is never too late! Today one can see, even seniors taking the initiative to live a healthy lifestyle and benefiting from regular exercises, including balance training, walking, brisking, flexible exercises, etc.

Moreover, playing sports like tennis, swimming, jogging, badminton, soccer, etc., can add a few more to your life. According to Mayo Clinic Proceedings research, sports activities do enhance life expectancy. Tennis by 9.7 years, Badminton by 6.2 years, Soccer by 4.7 years, Cycling by 3.7 years, Swimming by 3.4 years, Jogging by 3.2 years, and Calisthenics by 3.1 years.

Besides, doing various combination workouts, including aerobic exercises, cardiovascular exercises, and strength-based exercises are beneficial. Also, if you drink, smoke, or have any other addictive habits, leave them now. These have serious harmful impacts on the body as well as the quality of life.

Best Sport for Health and that Leads to Healthy and Long Life

how can regular exercise extend your life

What is the healthiest sport? Everyone will have different answers to this question; some will say it is swimming, while others might say running or cycling. Although these also play an important role in ensuring good health, squash and tennis are higher up in the list of the best sport for good health. Take a look at a few interesting facts.

  1. Squash or tennis players are 47% less susceptible to die from premature death.
  2. People who regularly swim have a 28% lesser chance of premature death.
  3. Aerobics and gym enthusiasts have 27% less chance of dying young.
  4. Cyclists have a 15 % lesser chance of dying from age-related ailments.

The below-given table will give you a brief of the best sport for health and the years they increase in a person’s life with regular practice.

SportsHealth benefits
TennisBurns high calories, strengthens and tones muscles
BasketballReduces stress, enhances spatial awareness, improves decision-making skills
VolleyballPromotes cardiovascular health, helps enhance mobility and coordination
CyclingBurns calories, helps in improving brain and cardiovascular health, improves mood
SwimmingBuilds muscles, reduces stress, and enhances lung functionality
Jogging/runningEnhances bone and muscle health, produces happy hormones, improves both mental and physical health
Squash“the healthiest sport in the world” ~ Forbes, enhances flexibility, burns calories, enhances strength and hand-eye coordination

What Are the Benefits of Sports?

As suggested above, sports increase the life expectancy of a person. But how can regular exercise extend your life, or what are the other benefits of sports? This section will discuss the benefits of playing sports regularly.

  • Health benefits

Regular exercising and sports reduce the risk of heart diseases, joint stiffness, and various other health problems. Physical activity involving various aerobic, strengthening, balancing, and moderate exercise have great advantages to one’s health. The major health benefit that one gets from these workouts and gaming sessions is increasing muscle strength.

  • Increase academic scores

Yes, you read it correctly! Many people mistakenly think that sports will affect the academics of the youngsters, but it is completely the opposite of that. Studying involves learning, memorizing, understanding, and repeating various methods and steps. Sports activity develops the skill sets which help in doing all these things efficiently. Moreover, similar to your fitness goal, learning requires initial goal-setting and ardent determination. Hence, sports activities are relevant to the practice undertaken during studies. 

  • Helps in socializing

When you go to a tennis court, badminton court, a stadium to play, you get to meet many people. Hence, you get to interact with various kinds of people, which helps in improving your social skills. It is beneficial for those who lack confidence and fear social interaction. If you want to avail double benefits, i.e., better health and social life, then going out to play is the best way to do so. 

  • Mental health benefits

In today’s world, stress is common. It can be due to work, poor health, relationships, financial or any other reason.  Sports can help in calming you down and avoid panic attacks, anxiety, and other such issues. 

  • Improves communication skill and teach teamwork

These two skills are necessary for the overall development of a person. When you play a team sport, you need to coordinate with them to win the show. This eradicates the barrier of hesitation, which directly has a positive impact on improving self-esteem. Hence, one should include sports activities to stay fully charged all day long.

When your body participates in vigorous activities like vigorous exercise, it requires adequate rest, and hence people can get deep sleep after doing so. It is believed that aerobic exercises can result in the release of endorphins, which reduces the stress level, keeps your mind at ease, and so you can have a better sleep.

Conclusion

Even though there are many benefits of playing sports, you must still keep a few things in mind. These include warming up before starting the game and regular training, and practice sessions that are necessary to reduce the risk of injury. You should also keep a first-aid box for emergencies and keep track of your blood pressure, pulse rate, etc. If you get seriously hurt, immediately reach the doctor, and follow his instructions. Hence, maintain your healthy weight by doing regular workouts and playing sports of your choice.