Could Team Sports Benefit Your Kids?

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Playing team sports has many benefits. However, soccer is one sport that has more benefits than other team sports. One such benefit that is often overlooked and more valuable than any other is health. This doesn’t just pertain to current health, but a healthy lifestyle as an adult. You might think this refers only to cardio-vascular endurance and maintaining a healthy heart. While that is certainly a factor, the health benefits and avoidance of risks go well beyond that.

If you think high school and college age adults don’t take legal and illegal supplements to advance their performance, you’re only lying to yourself. Many football and baseball players take steroids and creatine. Steroids are unsafe and illegal. Creatine can be healthy if you take less than 4 grams per day and drink a lot of fluids, but not many kids stick to that game plan. If you want your child to be safe while enjoying a fun and beneficial sport, lead him or her toward soccer. Dangerous supplements are a non-factor. You can find more benefits for soccer and team sports in general below.

Friends And Goals

Soccer is one of the best sports to play when it comes to social interaction. Let’s look at a couple of comparisons. In the game of football, everything is about strength, power and overall toughness. Bonding is a possibility, but it’s not what you would call the friendliest of atmospheres. In baseball, making new friends is likely. There’s nothing like sitting in the dugout, chewing seeds and discussing the game with your teammates. On the other hand, every player has an individual goal, which is to outperform their teammates when it comes to stats. Baseball is about winning, but it’s just as much about personal performance. In soccer, the relationships are friendly and everyone has one common goal – defeat the opponent.

Looking And Feeling Great

Did you know that people who exercise more have more energy? This might be obvious to those who are familiar with fitness, but others would be surprised to read it because they think exercise makes people tired. Exercise doesn’t only offer energy; it also improves your immune system. While this might not be as big of a factor for kids, if they play soccer at a young age, they’re more likely to play it as an adult. It’s a healthy hobby that can keep an adult healthy and even lead to important networking in soccer leagues as an adult.

As far as looks are concerned, anyone who runs several miles per day up and down the soccer field is going to look lean. The only danger when it comes to looks is burning too much muscle, which can lead to frailty. When your heart rate exceeds 180, you burn muscle. If you’re and adult and you’re used to running, you should be able to keep your heart rate below 180, but in order to ensure a nice physique, it’s recommended that you do some muscle training. Kids, on the other hand, are not likely to exceed a heart rate of 180 and are not concerned with their physique. Therefore, soccer has no downside. All it’s going to do is help burn calories, which will shed unwanted fat.

To sum it all up, here are the benefits for playing soccer:

- Health
- Social Interaction
- The Ultimate Team Atmosphere
- Energy
- Developing the Habit of a Healthy Lifestyle
- Improves Immune System
- Networking
- Staying Lean

Keith Barrett is a keen sports fan and takes part in a range of sports. He also does some coaching and uses football trophies as a prize to motivate some players.

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Getting Your Kids Involved in Water Sports

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Every parent wants their child to take up a hobby that they can turn into a skill and a passion, but finding them a hobby they enjoy can be more difficult than it at first appears.

If musical instruments, ballet classes and tennis lessons have all been exhausted, there may be another option that might be just the ticket – water sports.

Getting your children involved in any hobby is undeniably fantastic for their brain development, whilst also helping to mould them into happy, passionate and skilful adults. However outdoor pursuits, whether team sports, athletics or water sports offer another benefit – they’re getting kids to embrace the outdoors. This has been proven to benefit their health and happiness even further than hobbies carried out indoors.

In fact, children who spend a significant amount of time embracing the joys of the great outdoors have been shown to possess lower stress levels and fewer symptoms of ADHD. Additionally, they tend to do better in school. Time outdoors also increases the levels of vitamin D that the body produces. Vitamin D is not only vital for everyday health but current studies are concluding that it may contribute to a lowered risk of cancer.

But what choices are there for outdoor hobbies? While sports such as tennis, football and hiking are all obvious choices, many children want to do something a little bit different, and that little bit more exciting. Water sports are a fantastic idea, as long as there is a facility nearby.

For those living near the sea, surfing is a cost-effective and highly enjoyable pursuit. If there are any lakes or water sports centres within the region then kayaking, canoeing and yachting are all fantastic options. Even if there are none of these facilities within a reasonable distance, the local swimming pool may well offer scuba diving lessons – a great skill to have in place for any future holidays abroad.

Yet many parents are deterred from getting their kids involved in such pursuits due to concerns for the costs. The initial expenses may involve the purchase of childrens wetsuits. A pair of kids waterproof trousers might also come in handy for time spent around the water areas while they are not actively participating.

However, childrens wetsuits and kids waterproof trousers do not need to be expensive and if funds are really tight, buying second hand is always an option.

In regards to the activities themselves, the cost of this can vary widely. While private lessons will in most cases be very expensive, lessons performed in large groups will cost considerably less, and even less so if the classes are booked in monthly, termly or yearly slots.

It’s also worth seeing the money spent as an investment for the future. Some children who learn these skills may make a career out of teaching others. Even those that don’t will learn skills such as team-building, quick thinking and independence that they will carry into the future and will help them in the working world. Even money spent on the childrens wetsuits, or on kids waterproof trousers can still stand as an investment – the clothes may still be useful in the future should the first sport they try out turn out not to be the one for them - and they can always be sold on or passed onto younger members of the family.

This post was written by James Harper on behalf of Little Terra. James writes on a number of subjects including outdoor activities and sports.

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Here Comes the Summer

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The summer holidays are always a tough time for parents. The children are off school for 6 weeks. It is difficult to find things to do to keep them amused. Many activities available cost money. Even small costs for each activity mount up over the vacation. A single activity may appear reasonably priced. Entrance fees for a whole family plus drinks and snacks during the day can lead to a fairly expensive day out.

It is therefore important to plan funding for activities during the summer holidays well in advance. There are many savings accounts on the market offering excellent rates. Some require a minimum deposit of just £1. Some also offer unlimited deposits and unlimited withdrawals. Read more about the different types of saving accounts available.

The first problem encountered by all families is childcare over the long school holidays. In this modern age, it is usual for both parents to work. Many employers offer flexible shifts for mothers around the school day. During the holidays the child is not at school which makes it difficult for both parents. Arrangements need to be made in advance.

There are many play schemes all over the country. These tend to be the equivalent of school hours and are just a couple of pound a day. The children will be interacting with others and have lots of different activities to take part in from running around to painting and even making cakes. Day trips are often organized at reasonable prices.

Most families have at least one holiday a year. Days out at local farms, zoos and theme parks are very enjoyable. Some places offer family discounts to make their attraction more affordable. Many newspapers offer coupons or special offers which will assist. It is not practical to visit places every day of the holiday. It is very important to put some money aside for great days out.

Taking children swimming or visiting the local sports centre can be enjoyable for the whole family and relatively inexpensive. They have the added bonus of engaging the children in physical activity. This could also wear children out, making them less demanding for the rest of the day.

There are family activities which can take place at no expense. This may be visiting the local park, taking a bike ride or going on country walks. This allows for great family bonding time. Take a picnic to make a more enjoyable experience.

If the weather is not so good, children may enjoy being creative at home. Have plenty of pens, paper and paint in the home so that they may experiment. Start saving items such as shiny sweet wrappers, bottle tops and pipe cleaners so that collages may be created. Washing up liquid bottles can make fantastic space shuttles. Children are very imaginative and will enjoy playing shops with empty cans and bottles.

The school holidays take a lot of consideration to keep the little ones entertained. Have some money put aside for a holiday and great days out. Combine this with inexpensive family activities such as swimming and walks in the park. Start saving bottles, cans and jars now for activities to do at home. The summer holidays can be very enjoyable for the whole family if they are properly thought through. Money does not need to be spent every day.

This article was written by Sam. Sam is a financial writer based in the UK and currently works for moneysupermarket.com .

Visit Sam's twitter here.

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