Sport and Exercise

“Sport” is commonly defined as any form of physical activity undertaken for the purpose of exercising, doing physical work, for the development of one’s physical skills or for competitive advantage. “Sport” includes any form of activity that is carried out for competitive advantage. Sport can also be used in contexts that have nothing to do with sport such as “fitness culture” or “workplace culture”. In these instances, the term is used to refer to an aspect of society that exists parallel to but unrelated to sport.

“Sport” in the academic sense refers to the application of knowledge about how people can make the best use of their physical surroundings to improve their performance in many or any number of exercises, activities or physical pursuits. “Mind sports” on the other hand refers to a certain set of mental sports that focus on the development of one’s mind rather than one’s body. Sport is often thought to exist mainly within the arena of organised sports such as American football and soccer, with lesser degrees of involvement by the general public in non-sport physical activities. However, research suggests that a large proportion of people in all parts of the world engaged in some form of non-sport mental activity as well, with the general consensus being that these activities do not threaten the physical health of the individual.

Sport and exercise have become an increasingly important component of a wide variety of well-rounded, inclusive and balanced fitness programmes. Many people feel sport and exercise provide a beneficial outlet for social interaction and relaxation, promoting mental health and wellbeing. Sport and exercise has been shown to be important in reducing stress, improving health, improving fitness levels and reducing illness. Sport and exercise has been acknowledged as a beneficial influence in a wide variety of health outcomes, including physical health, performance in sport and exercise, body mass index, and depression.