Participation in recreation and sport offers a wide range of benefits including:

Lower blood pressure – Activity helps your heart pump stronger and slower.

Healthy weight – Activity helps burn off excess calories decreasing the risk of obesity.

Healthy heart – Physical activity helps reduce your risk of a heart attack or stroke.

Improved sleep – You’ll get better sleep in less time and have more energy too.

Decreases stress – Physical activity can be a break away from stress as well as an opportunity to release any built-up tension.

Improved self-esteem – Improvement of skills, health and body awareness increases confidence in ones self while decreasing depression and anxiety.

Stronger bones and muscles - Weight-bearing activities, such as walking, make bones stronger. Strength-training activities, such as lifting light weights (or even cans of beans), make muscles strong.

Opportunity to make new friends – Playing with teammates as well as traveling to games and tournaments provides opportunities for socializing and friendship building.

Increases flexibility – Regular activity keeps joints and tendons flexible and limber.

Improves team-working skills – Working with ones teammates and/or coach provides opportunities for cooperation, group decision making and compromise.

Develops leadership skills – Sports offer the opportunity to lead, coach or mentor others both on and off the field.

Improves rehabilitation results – Being active boosts the immune system and aids in healing.

Promotes healthy growth and development – Physical activity helps to build healthy bones and to develop coordination and balance.

Being Happy! - Endorphins are released when you exercise, making you feel happier!