What value does physical activity provide you?

Authors Note: I was assigned to write a piece for gym of the question "What value does physical activity provide you?" I really liked the topic, this is what physical activity means to me.

Physical activity is everything to me. It’s my only passion, the thing I can do all the time, my get away. It’s hard balancing soccer, futsal, select and aau basketball, cross country, and school volleyball, but it’s well worth it in the end. I don’t mind the countless hours of practices, in fact I enjoy them. I love every part of them; the challenge, being with my friends, and knowing that I’m staying healthy.

My favorite part of sports is that amazing moment in a match when you make a cool move, score a goal, or pass an opponent. For the reason that at the second you realize all of your hard work and dedication has paid off. That’s what I play for, the rest is just a bonus.

One thing I don’t think I would be able to play without is the bond that my team and I share. I only get to see my soccer friends during practices and games because they don’t go to school with me. So when I do have practice, I make sure I am there to see them and hangout with them. A school friend is very different from a sports friend, because you have to learn to rely on them to do well on the field. As well as forgiving them if they don’t. Which makes us grow even tighter in the end. Social interaction is a big part in my physical activity.

Another thing that is a big piece in why I play sports is that it keeps me healthy. I’m able to eat what I want to eat and not gain much weight. It keeps me fit so if I’m hanging out with friends and playing yard games, I can succeed. It keeps me from gasping for air while doing easy tasks. Keeping my health up is one  of the main reasons I play sports.

An additional reason I play sports is because I love the challenge. I find so much enjoyment out of pushing myself to do that next sprint, last few sit ups, or whatever the task is. When I see something I haven’t done before I try it and don’t stop until I get it. I challenge myself to go further, to train at home, and work hard at practice. When there isn’t a difficulty it’s not as much fun, it’s just boring.  I need a challenge to do a sport well.

So when I’m asked “What value does physical activity provide you?” I guess I could say a lot of things. I could say it provides with health, challenge, self-expression, and social interaction. However that’s not why I play sports. I play because I enjoy doing them more than anything else.