Play as One Form of Exercise

Think back to when you be eight years old. You no dey schedule exercise. You dey run because somebody dey chase you, dey climb because the tree dey there, dey stay outside until streetlight come on because to stop no ever cross your mind. Movement no be task. Na just wetin a day take dey made of.

Then we grow up, and movement come dey demoted to line item. Something to track, optimize, feel guilty about. The word *workout* even get work inside am. No wonder plenty of us no fit make am stick. We turn one of the most natural things wey human body dey do into homework.

Wetin if you no gats do so?

Play dey count. E really dey count.

Your heart no sabi the difference between treadmill and game of tag. E sabi say you dey work. Vigorous game of basketball, one hour for pool, long bike ride to nowhere in particular, dance floor wey you no fit leave: these dey raise your heart rate, build strength, and burn energy just like the gym dey do. Often more, because you dey forget to watch the clock.

The official physical activity guidelines for adults dey recommend about 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, and dem no talk say e gats be misery. Recreation, sports, and active play all dey count towards that total. Swimming, hiking, to kick ball around with your children, pickup game, even one evening of energetic dancing. If e raise your heart up and put your body dey move, your body dey bank am the same way.

Quiet advantage dey hide inside this. The CDC talk say one of the real benefits of staying active na the chance to do things wey you actually enjoy and spend time with people. The activity wey you dey look forward to na the one wey you go come back to. And to come back, week after week, na the entire point. Perfect program wey you abandon for March dey do less for you pass clumsy game of badminton wey you go still dey play for October.

Wetin play dey do for your mind

Na here play dey earn im place for mental-health site. Movement of any kind na one of the most reliable mood lifters wey we get. The CDC report say single session of moderate-to-vigorous activity fit reduce feelings of anxiety that same day, sharpen your thinking, and help you sleep better that night. Over time, to stay active dey lower the risk of depression and dey help protect the brain as you dey age.

Play dey add something extra on top all of that. E dey absorbing. When you focus on the ball, the rhythm, the next move, the worried part of your mind go finally go quiet. That break from rumination na im own kind of medicine. And most play na social, wey matter more pass wetin we dey admit. National poll from the American Psychiatric Association find say 83 percent of adults wey dey play sports talk say e dey benefit their mental health, with to be part of team named as one of the top reasons.

You dey get the movement and the connection for the same hour. Few things dey give you both.

To find your own version of play

No be everybody wan join league, and you no gats. Play na whatever dey make you lose track of time while you dey move. The point na to find your own, no be to borrow somebody else own.

Few directions to wander inside:

• Anything with ball. Basketball, football, tennis, ping-pong, casual round of catch. The game dey pull the effort out of you without to ask.
• Water. Swimming, water aerobics, or just to dey play around inside pool. Easy on the joints, hard to do with long face.
• Dancing. A class, a parlor, a wedding. Few activities dey raise your heart rate while dem dey make you smile at the same time.
• The outdoors. Hiking, paddling, cycling, climbing. Nature dey add im own calming effect on top of the movement.
• Anything with children or dog. Dem be tireless play machines. Let dem set the pace and you go don tire before you know am.
• Group games. Frisbee, volleyball, recreational league. The social pull dey carry you comot for door on days wey motivation alone no go fit.

Notice wetin genuinely sound fun, no be wetin sound impressive. The fun na the point and the strategy at once.

How to bring play back into grown-up life

E dey feel small awkward at first. Play fit seem like something wey you too old or too busy for. You no be. Na so to ease back in.

1. Start with wetin you one time loved. Sport, game, dance dey wey you use to light up when you dey do am? Begin there. The body dey remember, and the spark dey come back faster pass wetin you go think.
2. Lower the stakes all the way. You no dey try out for anything. To play badly na perfectly good way to play. Competence dey come from showing up, and to show up dey come from say you no dey dread am.
3. Bring somebody along. Movement with friend or your family go stop to be chore and go start to be plan wey you go hate to cancel. The commitment to another person dey carry you on the low days.
4. Put am on the calendar like say e matter. Regular Saturday game or Tuesday dance class go become thing wey you dey do, no be thing wey you go get around to. Rhythm dey beat motivation every time.
5. Let am be enough. You no need log am, score am, or hit any number. If you move and enjoy am, e work. That permission na wetin dey keep people coming back for years.

A gentle, honest note

Play na movement, and movement dey ask something from your body. If you don dey mostly still for long time, or you get heart condition, joint trouble, you dey pregnant, or anything wey dey give you pause, check with your doctor before you throw yourself into hard game. Warm up small. Ease into the intensity instead of to go all out on day one. Pick the version wey suit the body wey you get now, and modify freely. No prize dey for pushing through pain wey dey tell you to stop.

And if movement of any kind feel impossible right now, if the heaviness wey you dey carry pass tiredness, that one worth to talk to professional about. Play no be cure for everything, and dem never mean am to be so.

For plenty of us, though, the trouble never be say we hate to move. Na say we forget say e fit feel good. The eight-year-old wey run for the joy of am still dey inside there. Give dem ball, pool, dance floor, open field. See wetin go happen.

Sources

• CDC, Benefits of Physical Activity
• CDC, Health Benefits of Physical Activity for Adults
• American Psychiatric Association, Americans, Psychiatrists Agree: Sports Can Be Good for Mental Health