Why Team Sports Are Good For Your Body And Mind

The physical benefits of team sports are easy to see, but did you know that team sports can also have a profound impact on your mind too? Here we look at the physical benefits of team sports and the mental benefits too.

The physical benefits of team sports
 

Team sport improves your physical health
A study by scientists at the University of Bristol concluded that just 15 minutes of football every day can deliver significant weight loss benefits. According to the NHS, you should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity (or 75 minutes of vigorous activity) a week, so participating in team sports is a brilliant way of working towards this.

We tend to focus on the weight loss that comes with increasing exercise, but it also has positive impacts on our health in other ways. Exercising regularly helps to strengthen our muscles and bones, will increase flexibility and help improve energy levels.

It makes exercise feel less like a chore

Team sports are fun! Football, basketball, rugby, hockey - they’re the things you’d pick if you were doing PE, right? It’s fun to run around a football field with your mates, and much more appealing than sweating away in the gym for hours on end. If you’re wondering what exercise is the best for improving your fitness or losing weight, the answer is always what you enjoy. You’ll always stick with something you genuinely enjoy, making hitting your weekly exercise target way less taxing.

The mental health benefits of team sports

Socialising
This is more important than ever, after a year of keeping our distance from others and not being able to see our friends and family. Being a part of a team means you’ve got familiar faces to see week after week, and if you’re lucky, you’ll make friends for life.

Samuel, who plays in his local MAN v FAT Football league, says that he’s got to know so many top blokes from his participation in the league. “It’s definitely helped my mental wellbeing. Seeing the guys gives me something to look forward to when I’m having particularly bad days, and it’s been a life-changer for my social anxiety”.

It boosts your confidence
That feeling of belonging in a team is hard to beat when it comes to giving you self-confidence. We see many men join MAN v FAT Football alone, feeling self-conscious about their fitness levels, but they end up feeling great about themselves because they know they’ve got their team behind them cheering them on. Andy plays in the MAN v FAT Football league in Aldershot, and he said:

“That first week you turn up is scary. But once you’re there and you’re in a team with a bunch of blokes who look like you and are there to support you, you’ll wonder why you didn’t sign up sooner.”

Greg, who has lost 43lbs, agrees, saying: “It really helps with your confidence. I wouldn’t be the person I am now without my teammates and having that feeling of working together towards a common goal”.

It increases your motivation
Knowing that you’ve got your team behind you is a great motivator. Whether you’re trying to lose weight, improve your fitness, or if you just want to beat the other team - there’s nothing quite like knowing that your team is depending on you.

This is one of the key reasons why MAN v FAT Football players do so well. Ian lost over 80lbs with MAN v FAT Football and credits his teammates with helping him succeed. He said: “My teammates have played a huge role in my weight loss. Having a group of people there to support you, share your success and keep you going was a big, big motivator for me.”

And the science backs it up. Writing in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, Pedersen et al. found that people exercising in a team expressed a higher degree of enjoyment and intrinsic motivation due to the social interaction of being in a team. (Source: The effect of team sports and resistance training on physical function, quality of life, and motivation in older adults - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/sms.12823)

So if you’ve got a fitness goal in mind, doing it in a team is the way to go to keep up your motivation to achieve your goals.

It can help to improve your mental wellbeing
Exercise is an important tool in dealing with mental health problems like depression and anxiety, so much so that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the NHS both recommend that it plays a part in treatment plans.

Some researchers even believe that exercise can be as effective as anti-depressants in mild to moderate depression thanks to the impact exercise has on the brain. You’ve heard of the ‘happy hormone’ (aka endorphins) that make us feel good when exercising, but there’s also a huge benefit seen in those who exercise regularly.

For example, people who have depression tend to have a smaller hippocampus (the region in the brain that helps regulate mood), but exercise that is sustained over time supports cell growth in this area, improving nerve cell connections, which helps with symptoms of depression. (Source: https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/exercise-is-an-all-natural-treatment-to-fight-depression)

How to find a team

It can be difficult to find a team to join as a bigger man, especially since COVID has made it harder for fitness sessions to take place. If you’re into football, even if you haven’t played since you were a kid, consider joining a MAN v FAT Football league. There are leagues across the UK where you’ll be put into a team with likeminded blokes so you can start reaping the benefits of team sports. Find your nearest league here: http://www.manvfatfootball.org and use the code BC4U to register for just £5.

*If you are experiencing depression or struggling with your mental health, please consult your doctor or contact the NHS if in a crisis.