How sports can help you get through tough times

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Sports activities have a positive effect not only on our physical shape. They also help to cope with difficult life situations. This is noted not only by athletes, but also by scientists.

Have you noticed that playing sports not only builds your physical endurance, but also helps you cope with life's difficulties? Some athletes say that outside the playground, training has been as beneficial for them as it is on it. If not more.

It's not about fitness. Sport makes you a tough nut to crack. In every way.

You are no longer intimidated by the prospect of a reprimand from your boss. Tough deadlines are no longer pressing you so hard. Relationship problems no longer seem insurmountable.

You might think it's all about fatigue. Exercise exhausts you so much that there is simply no energy to worry about anything. But, apparently, this is not the only point. Conversely, research has shown that sports boost mental alertness and alertness for a short time. And even on days when people who exercise regularly take a break from exercising, they are still more resistant to stress.

We often hear that intense and regular exercise helps prevent and treat diabetes, strokes, heart disease, hypertension and osteoporosis. But almost no one mentions one of the most important benefits of playing sports: strenuous training teaches us to cope with difficulties.

How training has influenced athletes

This skill is best developed by those involved in sports that require a lot of endurance. These athletes make a living by enduring stresses that most people can't. They confirm that sport has taught them not to be afraid of difficulties.

American long-distance runner Desiree Linden said that years of practice had taught her to stay calm and focused even when she was starting to run out of steam. She simply repeated to herself: "Quiet, quieter, quieter, calm, calm …".

One of the best surfers in the world, Nick Lamb, believes that the fear and inconvenience that he had to overcome only helped him ride the biggest waves. In addition, in his opinion, they gave him an incentive for personal growth. Nick realized that almost always, when you are ready to give up, you can make another effort on yourself and overcome obstacles.

If you back down, you will regret it. Be brave and go ahead.

Nick Lamb

Rock climber Alex Honnold, famous for free solo climbing (without belay and a partner), claims that you can only cope with difficulties through constant training. They allow you to get used to the loads, after which the high-altitude climbs do not seem so scary. The same principle can be used in everyday life.

American cyclist Evelyn Stevens, who set an hour record on the track, said that in the most difficult moments for her, she tried not to wait for it to end, but tried to feel all the tension and deal with it as much as possible.

Extreme photographer Jimmy Chin advises listening to the voice of reason in dangerous situations and distinguishing between real and imagined risks.

People who were fortunate enough to talk to the 16-time champion of the USSR in rock climbing Valery Balezin note that enviable resilience is inherent in him in all life situations: both during ascents and in everyday life.

What Scientists Say

However, it is not at all necessary to engage in extreme sports or strive to set a world record. According to research in health psychology, when college students with no previous exercise at all tried going to the gym at least two or three times a week, they felt the positive effects of training in all areas of their lives. The students who participated in the study experienced a decrease in stress levels, alcohol and caffeine intake, quitting smoking, or reducing the number of cigarettes they smoked. They also began to eat healthier foods, handle more household chores, and perform better in school.

In addition, after two months of regular training among the participants in the experiment, the level of self-control increased. In layman's terms, the students learned to stay calm and collected when their body told them to stop. This also affected their ability to withstand stress, fight bad habits and cope with large amounts of information.

According to the author of the bestselling The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg, exercise is one of the core habits that initially affect one area of life and then trigger positive changes in others. These habits are so powerful because they change the way we think about ourselves and what we can do.

This is probably why the charitable project, in which more than five thousand homeless people took part in the marathon, was such a success. 40% of the marathon participants were able to find a job, 25% - permanent housing.

Long-distance running has also helped many cope with life blows such as divorce or the death of a loved one.

Other research has also confirmed that regular exercise helps us cope with stressful situations. At the beginning of the semester, researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany divided the students into two groups. One of the groups had to go jogging twice a week.

The experiment lasted 20 weeks. Its completion coincided with the most stressful period of student life - the session. Using heart rate monitors, the researchers tracked the difference in stress levels between two groups of students. As you might have guessed, the jogging students were much less stressed.

These studies have shown that in order to obtain the desired effect, it is not necessary to apply titanic efforts. You just need to find for yourself the kind of training that will force you to gather your will into a fist and overcome yourself and your laziness.

What is all this for? In order to pump yourself. In all senses.