Jumping back to 'My Story' my intentions with 'Female Empowerment in Sports' is to educate others while creating awareness and sharing tips on the female athlete and of the inequality that occurs within sport for females. As well as, some of the benefits that result from staying active in sport throughout an individual's lifetime.
I took on and created 'Female Empowerment in Sports' as part of my university degree. As I wrap up this individual project I wanted to conclude with a summary on how and why you can encourage females to stay in sport.
To begin i'll discuss the 'why,' as one must first be informed of the importance of #SportForLife before understanding what can be done to develop and inspire. First I'll discuss the importance of regular physical activity, the impact it has mentally as well as physically. Next i'll jump into some facts recently pulled from a study done on Canadians and the impact COVID-19 has had on the decision of females returning to sport, and finally, for the 'how' part of this final topic i'll restate some of the ways individuals or communities can get involved to assist, inspire and encourage females to stay in sport as a child, adolescent, adult and senior.
Bringing me to our first deliberation, the importance of regular physical activity. There are many benefits that result in regular exercise for both the mind and the body, to list a few consistent physical activity has been proven to assist individuals with mental health issues such as anxiety and depression as both a coping mechanism and a tool to reduce symptoms and or episodes (Better Health Channel, 2018, para. 3). Some common physical benefits include; "stronger bones, muscles and joins, lower blood pressure, a reduced chance of developing some cancers, type two diabetes and having a heart attack (Better Health Channel, 2018, para. 2). The list goes on and on. To discuss some specifics, an article by the 'International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health' discovered sport activity training is extremely important for elderly individuals with pcALCL, aka Primary Cutaneous Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma. "pcALCL is part of a spectrum of cutaneous CD30+ lymphoproliferative disease that also includes lymphomatoid papulosis. It often occurs in elderly patients, presenting at a median age of 60 years, although it may occur at any age" (Sica, 2020, para. 1). The research concludes that "...exercise has a positive impact on QoL because it reduces peak oxygen consumption, improves physical capacity, increases self-esteem, reduces accumulated stress, and promotes relaxation. Therefore, particularly in indolent lymphomas, it is necessary to indicate a program of physical activity to be practiced systematically" (Sica, 2020, para. 1). Another study conducted by the 'International Review for the Sociology of Sport' on the topic of 'The Importance of Sport Organization and the Wider Social Context; Adolescent Sport Participation and Alcohol use' found [in short] that, "The more often that adolescents take part in formally organized sport, the less likely they are to drink alcohol even if they have friends that drink alcohol. Formal sport tends to buffer the influence of alcohol-using friends on adolescent alcohol use" (Halldorsson, 2014, para. 37). [Remember this is just one key finding from the study, the actual results are more complex, to read the full article find the link in the references below]. The final peer reviewed article I found to discuss some specifics on the importance of regular physical activity is relevant to our current world in regard to Covid-19 and how regular activity assists the elderly in fighting off COVID-19. In short, the article conjectures that "living a healthy lifestyle with regular physical activity will not be the solution for the pandemic, nevertheless, it can be a valuable adjuvant acting as following. First, improving immunity, especially in elderly people, and the clinical condition of patients with CDs. Second, increasing the Covid-19 vaccine efficacy when it is available. Third, enhancing mental health. Taken together, the PA outcomes might also promote indirect effects such as less overwhelming of health systems by decreasing the number of severe cases, which also would result in significant economic benefits" (Speretta, 2020, para. 5).
Now that we have discussed some of the benefits of regular physical activity, let's continue to talk through some other reasons as to why females should be encouraged to stay in sport. 'Canadian Women and Sport' and 'E-Alliance' conducted a few studies in relation to the impact COVID-19 has had on girls in sport. What they found was that "1 in 4 Canadian girls (aged 16-18) who participated in sport at least weekly prior to COVID-19 and whose sport participation was negatively impacted by the pandemic are not committed to resuming their pre-pandemic sport participation levels once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted" (Canadian Women & Sport, 2021 [1]). 'Canadian Women and Sport' go on to explain that "If we don’t act now to counter this trend, we could see over 350,000 girls sitting on the sidelines post-COVID-19" (Canadian Women & Sport, 2021 [1]). Another finding while conducting this research was that "1 in 4 parents who participated in organized sport at least weekly and whos sport participation levels were negatively impacted by COVID-19 are not committed to returning to their pre-COVID-19 levels of sport participation" (Canadian Women & Sport, 2021 [2]). Parent sport participation is just as, if not more, important than children's sport participation as, "research shows that adult activity levels impact children’s sport participation" (Canadian Women & Sport, 2021 [2]).
It's without a doubt that sport and physical activity is crucial for a happy and healthy life, especially for females as they are considered less likely to stay in sport throughout their lifetime in comparison to males. So HOW then can you encourage females to stay in sport? No matter your gender, occupation or whether you are a current athlete yourself or not the best thing you can do is to either get or stay involved in sport to be a role model for the females in your life. Encourage, support and educate them on the benefits that result and th programs and resources that exist. Other ways you can contribute towards increasing female participation in sport is by getting involved with existing organizations such as 'Canadian Women and Sport' that work towards developing better sport through gender equity, or again, by simply getting involved in your community.
#SportForLife #FemaleEmpowermentInSports #TheHow&Why #Encouragement #Support #Educate #SheCanSeeItSheCanBeIt #LifeTimeFitness #PhysicalActivity #Femles #ThePowerOfWomen
References
Better Health Channel. (August 26, 2018). Physical Activity - it's Important. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/physical-activity-its-important
[1] Canadian Women & Sport. [@womenandsportca]. (July 21, 2021). 1 in 4 Canadian girls are not committed to returning to sport [Post]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CRRVpnuBw8T/
[2] Canadian Women & Sport. [@womenandsportca]. (July 27, 2021). 1 in 4 parents are not committed to returning to their pre-COVID-19 levels of sport participation [Post]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CR1u20CBy0g/
Halldorsson, V., Thorlindsson, T., & Sigfusdottir, I. D. (2014). Adolescent sport participation and alcohol use: The importance of sport organization and the wider social context. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 49(3-4), 311–330. https://doi.org/10.1177/1012690213507718
Sica, A., Vitiello, P., Ronchi, A., Casale, B., Calogero, A., Sagnelli, E., Costa Nachtigal, G., Troiani, T., Franco, R., Argenziano, G., Moscarella, E., & Sagnelli, C. (2020). Primary Cutaneous Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (pcALCL) in the Elderly and the Importance of Sport Activity Training. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(3), 839–. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17030839
Speretta, G. F., & Leite, R. D. (2020). Covid-19: high rates of severity and death in elderly and patients with chronic diseases reinforces the importance of regular physical activity. Sport Sciences for Health, 16(3), 589–590. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-020-00678-8
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