Five Benefits to the Body as It Relates to Sports

Pushing the limits of the human body and competing in physical games dates back to the beginning of human civilization. Sports remain an integral part of modern culture and society. Whether you're a weekend warrior, a seasoned professional or something in between, athletes of all ages and skill levels reap many physical benefits from playing their favorite sports.

Muscle Strength and Tone

Whatever your sport-of-choice, participation is likely to enhance your muscular strength and tone. Muscles respond quickly to use or lack thereof. Ongoing sports participation helps you retain muscle mass as you age, thereby maintaining your metabolic rate. Regular use of your muscles during sports play also enhances coordination and balance.

Bone Strength

The muscular workout that accompanies playing sports confers a secondary benefit: Bone strength. Your muscles attach to your bones, enabling movement when they contract. The pull of contracting muscles on your bones helps them maintain their mass and strength. Just as your muscles lose strength if you don't use them, your bones weaken in the absence of regular, weight-bearing exercise.

Cardiovascular Fitness

Sports that keep you moving, such as basketball, soccer, football, lacrosse, rugby, distance running, cycling, tennis, racquetball, swimming, boxing and cross-country skiing, enhance your cardiovascular fitness level because they involve aerobic exercise. With ongoing participation in an aerobic sport, your heart grows stronger and your stamina increases. Regular participation in a sport that involves aerobic exercise reduces your risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and stroke.

Healthy Body Weight

Playing sports can help you achieve or maintain a healthy body weight. When you participate in athletics, you burn calories that may otherwise be stored as fat. For example, a 150-pound person playing football, basketball, tennis, soccer or lacrosse burns roughly 400 to 475 calories per hour. Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian and colleagues reported in a 2011 study published in the "New England Journal of Medicine" that increased physical activity protects against weight gain that commonly occurs during adulthood. Maintaining a healthy body weight reduces your risk for chronic diseases, including high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, degenerative arthritis and heart disease.

Mental Acuity

Sports and other forms of exercise enhance your brainpower. The movement and coordination required to play sports stimulate multiple brain centers and promote brain cell crosslinkage. Duke University neuropsychologist Patrick Smith, and colleagues reported in a 2009 article published in "Psychosomatic Medicine" that regular aerobic exercise, such as that which occurs with many sports, leads to improved memory, thought-processing speed and attention.