Why is Sports a Great New Year Resolution for Indians?

As the world prepares for 2018, checklists and new year resolutions are resurfacing. Our resolutions are usually reactions to fix things that have gone out of hand, like resolution to keep fit, focus more on one aspect of our life or another, learn something new, etc. But, why do we wait for things to go wrong? Is it not possible to resolve issues before it gets too late?

Luckily, for most of our goals for the year 2018, there is an all-in-one solution - Sports. Most of us don’t realise that playing a sport has much more to offer than the evident health benefits. While we are raising our voice to make sports a compulsory subject in schools, here are 5 reasons why we as pre-active members of the society need to resolve to take sports more seriously:

Stay Physically fit

Fitness resolutions are quite popular, and playing a sport is one way to make it fun. Our children and youngsters lack fitness, and it’s time we got them to adopt playing as a regular and serious activity. Not only does sports help children grow healthy, it also helps older adults maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Better Mental Health

According to the Department of Sport and Recreation (Government of Western Australia), being physically active protects against mental health issues, decreases depression in older adults, and is as effective as medication for mild to moderate depression. Sports also help improve self-esteem and cognitive function in youngsters.

Holistic Development

According to Dr. Richard Bailey (writer and researcher on Education and Sports), children who engage in regular sporting activities have better self-esteem and confidence. Sports also help teach children social skills, discipline, and coping with setbacks or defeats. Research also shows that children who grow up playing sports are better professionals than those who don’t, because sports helps develop strategic thinking, analytical thinking, leadership skills, goal setting and risk taking etc., among other qualities.

Coming together as a community

We all know how powerful sports can be in bringing together a community, a nation, and even the world. The solidarity between England and France during the terror attacks in either countries (2017 attacks in Paris, and 2017 attacks in London) showed that sports helps people stand together. Closer home, we have seen examples of the Hockey Village in Rajasthan, Janwaar Castle in Madhya Pradesh, Yuwa in Jharkhand, and the likes that prove the point the sports has the power to unite people against all odds. A new year resolution to play together could be the best way to unite the Indian society.

Make India a sporting powerhouse

With over a billion people, India has the potential to become a sporting powerhouse. While we as a community have petitioned for a policy-level change to introduce sports as a compulsory part of education in schools, we need to change things at the grassroots too. However, it is not as difficult as it sounds. People love playing, and if we as individuals decide to take sports seriously and dedicate some time daily, the younger generations will get exposed to sports, understand its value, and eventually make way for a sporting culture in India.

These are just a few reasons why sports is a great new year resolution, and even if we do not engage with sports directly, if we resolve to encourage local sporting activities and motivate children to take up sports seriously, it will help in creating a better future for sports in India. To reach there, we must pre-act today. So, are you ready to take up sports as your New Year resolution?

Alarm Bajne Se Pehle #JaagoRe

Sources:

Mirror

Department of Sport and Recreation, Government of Australia

Novak Djokovic Foundation

Psychology Today

NCBI