Wellness Watch - Youth Sports
Youth Sports
All physical activity comes with some inherent risk of injury, but the benefits generally outweigh the risks for most of us. That’s certainly true when it comes to participation in organized sports for kids. Developing an active lifestyle early can help avoid future diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis later in life. There are other benefits as well.
Youth sports can teach
- Teamwork
- Leadership
- Commitment
- Cooperation
Sports can help improve a young person's
- Physical health
- Mental health
- Emotional health
- Spiritual health
Particularly in the south Georgia heat and humidity, we all need to take precautions to avoid heat illness when we are active outside. You can find important recommendations from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association here: https://www.nata.org/NR07052018.
Many parents also worry about the dangers of concussions for their children who play sports. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has some helpful information here: https://www.cdc.gov/headsup/basics/concussion_prevention.html.