to take an elevator to a happier floor.
It’s the science behind why a walk, swim,
or bike ride can get you feeling up.
Remember how your pumping
heart is increasing the blood
flow throughout your body?
The blood is pumping to your
brain, too, and that can make
your brain function better. Some
research shows that exercise acti-
vates the hippocampus, the part
of your brain that’s important for
memory and learning.
Researchers have found that girls
who play sports often do better
academically. And because you’re
sleeping better and concentrating
better, you may also, in turn, be
getting better grades.
Some exercise helps you relax
because of the kind of activity
you’re doing. Maybe you like the
solitude of walking the dog or the
peace of canoeing with your big
sister on a quiet lake. Some people
get their best thinking done when
they have fewer distractions.
Worries about friend drama,
school, or your busy schedule just
fade away. Ahhh! Peace and quiet,
inside and out.
life
bonuses
You play sports because you like to!
It feels good to play, but more than
that, you’re picking up skills that can
help you off the field, too—now and
for the rest of your life.
You learn that you
can deal with life’s
ups and downs.
In sports, you know you may win . . . or
lose. You keep going, even if it’s hard.
That’s called perseverance. You learn
to look back at a loss and find things about your performance that were
“wins.” Knowing that who you are is not decided by what happens during
one event can help you at school, at home, or at work someday.
Being able to bounce back when things don’t turn out as you’d hoped—
that’s called resilience. It makes it easier to deal with new situations and
bumps in the road your whole life. You know that the challenge might
be easy—or not—but either way, you can keep moving forward.
You learn
people skills.
In sports, you play with loud people,
quiet people, goofballs, and serious
types. You learn how to cheer them
on and support them if they’re down.
You learn that if you speak up when
you don’t understand, things will
make more sense. You learn there are
good ways and bad ways to disagree.
Being able to empathize and being
good at communicating and resolving
conflicts will make you stronger and
more independent wherever you go.
These skills make you a leader!
You
learn that
you can learn.
Picture yourself playing your favorite
sport. You may not remember, but there
was a day when you’d never played it before.
You had never, say, kicked a soccer ball—ever.
But look at you now: You have skills! You
learned a few things and then a few more.
You’re still improving. Throughout your
life, you’ll always need to learn—
whether it’s skills for your
career . . .
I need to
fix this Mars
Rover, stat!
. . . or to under-
stand what’s going
on in the world and
solve problems.
As president of
the United States,
here’s what
I think . . .
As an athlete, you understand it’s OK not to know everything at first,
because you can learn. That translates to confidence and bravery.
You learn to handle pressure situations.
Races, games, matches—in sports, competition can equal excitement.
There are bound to be pressure-filled situations, like when your team is
down by one in the ninth inning and you’re up to bat.
In solo sports you take on pressure, too. Imagine you’re surfing: You see
the perfect wave forming, and you’re trying to position yourself to catch
it before it’s gone. You learn it can be fun to conquer a challenge.
That doesn’t mean you’ll never be worried or nervous. You learn to
recognize nerves, take a deep breath, and face the task head-on.
And a girl who’s ready to face a challenge with gusto instead of
fear will go far.
Quiz
why do
you play?
Stop and think for a
minute about why you
like to play sports, whether
it’s a team activity or some-
thing you do on your own.
Which of these
sound most like
you? Pick all the
answers that apply.
I like to go all out!
Playing in games
is exciting!
My