See which sports are recommended to you, according to your age

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Healthy body healthy mind. While exercise helps prevent diseases and maintain a better quality of life, it is necessary to adapt to the needs of your age

It is well known that physical activity through sports is a highly recommended supplement to maintain a healthy body, which will prevent some diseases like cardiac, diabetes, circulatory and respiratory problems. In addition, having healthy exercise routines helps maintain mental health to improve our mood and self-esteem, as mentioned by the BBC.

Leer en español: Conozca los deportes recomendados de acuerdo a su edad

But just as the above is a reality, so is to internalize that age is not only a number but is a determining factor when choosing a sport discipline, as it is likely to be at the risk threshold to suffer irreversible injuries thanks to the physical activity practiced, for not recognizing, sometimes, that 40 years is not the same as having 20 years.

The World Health Organization, on its web portal, has a downloadable publication called Global Recommendations on physical activity for health. The manual segmented the recommendations depending on the ages of the reader: young people between 5 to 17 years old; adults between 18 to 64 years old; and adults over 65 and older. All this population, categorized depending on the physical and cognitive development that it has.

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The Australian weekly paper, The Conversation, recently published an article by Dr. Julie Broderick from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, where she makes a break of the groups as follows:

Children and adolescents: in early childhood, children should practice sports with a variety of skills, which will help develop cognitive skills, strengthening of bones, skills, abilities, reflexes, body weight control and sleep patterns. In addition, these activities will help promote self-confidence. Among the recommended sports are swimming and playful activities of hitting and kicking balls for motor development. An article by La Nación includes volleyball, soccer, and basketball.

Dr. Broderick talks about adolescence as a complicated stage, because young people are losing interest in the practice of physical activity. That is why she recommends encouraging them to participate in team sports, where the social factor helps to integrate and meet new friends. If these sports do not appeal to you, you can recommend swimming and athletics. This stage is usually stress and anxiety, for which the sport helps to counteract these sensations.

The 20 years: An article published by the newspaper La Semana mentions the stage of 20 years as "the decade of our lives in which we can achieve our best physical level." The body will be at its peak to take it to incredible physical limits, just as recovery times are shorter. Dr. Broderick mentions that the development at this age of a firm muscle mass and bone density will allow it to remain for several years without losing them quickly, unlike older ages. It recommends sports such as weights, rugby or high-impact disciplines where there are variations between the aerobic and anaerobic, such as those currently practiced in the so-called training boot camps. 

The 30 years: According to the digital portal of the Create Health project of the Facilísimo Foundation, this period should be devoted to maintaining balance and maintaining routines, since it is likely that physical problems may arise. Recommends aerobic sports that stimulate the cardiovascular part, including only walks for periods of 30 minutes a day, equally yoga is an alternative.

The 40 and 50 years: Dr. Broderick recommends sports that include resistance exercises, which help to improve the way to burn calories to prevent the accumulation of fat and loss of muscle mass. Exercises with lifting weights as power sports; He also recommends running and pilates.

This training will help the 50-year-old stage to strengthen its central body strength and prevent possible back pain. The newspaper La Nación recommends in its article that sports that include jumps should be avoided as it can endanger the joints, spine, and knees. That is why it recommends disciplines such as swimming, yoga, gym with moderate impact to strengthen the bones and promote stretching in general.

Over 60 years old: As reported by the BBC, at this stage, the chances of chronic diseases are greater, but they can be counteracted by continuous sports practice, with very low impact, light strength, and flexibility, and also continue to stimulate the cognitive process. The most recommended practices are walking, swimming or yoga.

The practice of some sport will always be recommended as a preventive measure of diseases and to prolong a healthier life, but be very careful with the excesses. Know your physical limitations, however much you want to feel like when you were younger, what should have been a healthy activity, could result in a permanent injury. Age is not just a number.

LatinAmerican Post | Gabriel Moros

Translated from "Conozca los deportes recomentados de acuerdo a su edad"