(Akiit.com) Mad about sports? Have you been told that watching so much sport is bad for your health? If the answer is yes, you are not alone! However, you can breathe a sigh of relief as supporting sports is not actually bad for your health.
There is a common misconception that people become isolated and overweight from watching sports as a pose to playing them. Watching sports connects people and can act as a social catalyst, providing many mental health benefits, as well as providing many physical health benefits.
Wondering if there is research to back up these theories that watching sport is good for you? The answer is that there most definitely is research to support these theories. Various studies have shown that supporting a sports team can come with many health and happiness benefits – these are listed below.
Support sports can prevent depression
While you may find yourself feeling sad that your team has lost a game, supporting a team for a while season, which should come with many wins, is likely to boost your mood, helping to prevent depression. A study showed that people who are attached to a sports team, tend to be less likely to become depressed because they are more socially active and spend more time out and about, such as at sports matches and watching sports at their local bar or pub with other supporters. Going to a game itself is even better for boosting morale. Win or lose, watching your team play while surrounded by a community of other supporters is a great way to improve your happiness. Buy some sports tickets for you and your friends – you can get all kinds of sports tickets online, go and watch a game, and see how you feel afterward. The chances are that win or lose; you will feel much happier after watching a live game. Also, many fans like yourself show team support, by picking up a team jersey or other clothing online at the NRL Store.
It can strengthen relationships
Watching the game with a friend, loved one, or partner can help to improve the bond that the two of you share. Research suggests that people that watch sports together tend to share a closer bond. Whether that is husband and wife, friends, or father and son, watching sports together, either live on at home, can help to build stronger bonds. Stronger relationships help to improve your mental health because you feel more confident in the bonds that you share with others.
Sports supporters may live longer
Exercising regularly and eating a balanced diet is vital for leading a long and healthy life, there is no doubt about that. While you don’t want to give leading a healthy life up, watching sports and socializing more because of this, can help to increase your lifespan. Research has shown that people that socialize more frequently tend to lead longer and healthier lives, recovering more quickly from accidents and illness. Brigham Young University’s research has shown that socializing more increases a person’s ability to survive cancer and fight off the common cold.
You can lose weight watching sports
Then there is the fact that you can lose weight watching sports. All that nervous energy and cheering can help you to shed a few extra pounds over the course of a year. There are also studies that show that people that watch sports tend to be more open to exercise. A lot of people get into sports because of their love of watching them, which in turn aids their health.
There you have it, a guide to why watching sports is good for you.
Staff Writer; George Fuller