The concept of recreation is most often associated with a particular sport, and the basic difference between professional and recreational sport is the ultimate goal. Professional athletes train and develop their abilities in the long run in order to achieve the best possible sports result in a particular competition, and recreational athletes use sports competition (recreational) to lose weight, improve fitness and combine fun with “useful”. Nowadays, when physical movement and physical activity have become a mandatory activity of people, such as showering and maintaining hygiene, any form of recreation is considered excellent and better than inactivity.
But the question is, is one approach to recreation better than another? Can some form of recreation actually do more harm than good to your body?
SPORT AS RECREATION?
If we are talking about sports in recreation, then certainly the best examples are football, basketball, tennis, volleyball and lately Functional movement training. In most cases, recreational sports are reduced to a game. The game is the competition for which I mentioned that professional athletes prepare for training in the long run, that is, a competition in which there is no calculation and everyone gives their maximum to achieve victory. The game will make every adult a child and give him a competitive instinct and a desire to win.
I think everyone will agree with the fact that top sport is not healthy and that the high demands of top sport push athletes to the extreme, which very often results in injury. In top sports, the question is not whether someone will get injured, but the question is how much that injury will affect the further development of athletes. The more prepared the athlete is, the faster the recovery will be and the injury will leave less trace. Injuries most often happen in the game, or competition, because then athletes break their boundaries and have a higher motivation for the desire to win.
Now try to compare an example from a top sport with recreation. In recreation, there is no training with which you prepare for the game, but recreation is the game itself. Now imagine the stress of playing football, basketball or tennis for a body that is out of shape and overweight. What happens most often are various injuries, a drop in immunity and a heavy load on the circulatory and respiratory systems. In addition, each sport has its own specifics and rarely affects the development of muscles and functional and motor skills, so for example bowling or playing tennis 3x a week will certainly not have a good effect on harmonious muscle building and even development of abilities and will actually work imbalance in body.
The great advantage of sports in recreation is fun, ie high motivation due to the human desire to prove and win. Playing football with a team may seem like a blend of enjoyable with rewarding, but consider whether that’s exactly the case. Recreational sports should not be completely condemned and thrown out, but people should be aware of what they are getting into and choose a form of recreation for themselves with a dose of caution and preparation of their body.
It is important to note that any sport can be an integral part of recreation if its elements are adapted in training and used well. On the contrary, it is the meaning of quality recreational training.
HOW TO RECREATE?
The goal of each of us should be to be healthy, fit for daily activities and to easily go through everyday obstacles. The better we prepare our body and mind, the better we will feel and be a more successful and happy person. If you set things up that way, then it won’t matter to you if you’ve beaten someone in tennis or football and you won’t be thinking about ego-filling activities because you’re better at something unimportant than someone.
If someone works in an office eight hours a day, then his competition would have to be fighting back pain, improving fitness, and fighting overweight. If that person achieves such a level of form through training, then that person has directed recreation properly. The best way of exercising for a beginner is to do 3 day workout split, which gives you enough time to rest.
Take the example of a person who deals with stressful jobs such as lawyers, politicians and, more recently, school teachers. Their recreation must have the effect of raising self-confidence, reducing excess weight and stress levels. If such a person can dedicate their time to the family after a working day and set aside part of the time for their taste and lie quietly in bed, their recreational training is properly directed.
Training is not a sports competition, training is a set of different methods with which we transform the body and abilities for the better and prepare it for what we primarily do. As the training of a top rower and a football player is different, so the training of recreational rowers must be different from the training of athletes.
CONCLUSION
If you expected me to write you a formula for good recreation, you will be a little disappointed. How to plan and program training depends on the person and we coaches deal with this issue. My advice is to find an organized form of recreation with a professional and you will surely go in a better direction than to train alone. Take care of your body and make sure you work for it the best and safest. After all, everything else will be less important compared to health problems. Health will give you energy, self-confidence and a fantastic look and fitness. Take care of your body and prevent problems with a healthy lifestyle!