The Benefits of the Availability of Recreational and Sporting Activities in a Community
“For many Nigerians, a large part of their earnings and time go into footing household bills and expenses. Spending any amount in a cinema, park or recreational center may count as a waste”
Recreational activities refers to actions or activities that people do during their leisure time for amusement, enjoyment or pleasure. Sports on the other hand are physical games and contests that require skills and adhere to specific rules. Sports and recreational activities have numerous benefits spanning across physical, social and mental well being. Physically, engaging in these activities will help strengthen the heart, build bone and muscles and prevent chronic illness. Socially, it strengthens relationships, builds inclusive communities and supports positive behavior. The mental state of an average human can be improved through recreational activities and is beneficial as it reduces stress, promotes self esteem through achieving personal and skill growth.
The most common examples of recreational activities are broken into two- indoor and outdoor games. With examples of indoor and outdoor games such as board games, laser tags and football and jogging respectively. An average Nigerian boy will begin playing football at the young age of 4, when the child has mastered the art of running. If the game interests him more, he may join a local football club or be a regular player at the nearest field down the street. But recreational activities don’t only stop at football, as listed above. Many people still don’t engage in them.
You can only find someone doing yoga or going to the gym when he/she is not trying to beat Lagos traffic, meet up with the boss’ and customer deadline or simply hustling. For many Nigerians, a large part of their earnings and time go into footing household bills and expenses. Spending any amount in a cinema, park or recreational center may count as a waste. Take Emeka for example, a young graduate who just finished school and gets a 9-5 job. He is unavailable from Mondays to Fridays, tries to meet up with his personal life on weekends and juggles how he can upscale his career in an unfriendly economy. Engaging in a simple recreational activity such as indoor board games may count as a waste of time or may not even occur at all due to fatigue and stress.
A random tweet read, “Instead of spending money in a gym, why not just go for bricklayer work and get paid?” The availability of recreational facilities depends on its affordability. The random tweet is a cultural mindset of the majority of the average Nigerian. It’s funny, but partly true, why spend just to lose weight or relax when you earn and lose weight? But still, reducing the price of entry fees at organized centers may help, it would not totally solve the problem of participation. It may make it easier for the average Nigerian to access, however, there is still the problem of survival vs leisure.
Will the consciousness of the benefits of recreational activities breed more inclusivity?Recreational and sporting activities are not only for the high profiled, rich or celebrity, they ensure several mental and health benefits. When was the last time you took a break and had a 30 minute meditation? Away from the pressure that life has. It’s not time wastage- it’s protecting your health, because at the end of the grind and hustle, that’s what matters.
Recreational activities help to reduce stress, boost mood, strengthen your heart and build stronger muscles. You don’t necessarily have to enroll in the most expensive gym or visit the most classy center to relax. These sporting activities are near you, take a walk, have friendly board games with people who genuinely lift up your mood, take a run around your estate, meditate, watch yoga videos. Your health matters and the breakfast you were served doesn’t mean you should bury yourself with work.
Studies show that recreational activities help fight depression. Try jogging around your street for 5 lapses in the morning and see if you remember that heartbreak. These activities are set to ease symptoms of anxiety and sadness. Work in the average Nigerian life cuts sleep short to about six hours a night because of traffic, heavy financial stress, and unreliable electricity. Try a recreational activity. Your sleep should not be powered by brutal traffic but a mental and physical exertion, so you can sleep faster and more deeply, thereby improving your overall well-being.
By Gift Onyechukwu
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