Journalist, publisher, author Penny Hastings lives in Santa Rosa, California, and is the co-author of "How To Win A Sports Scholarship" and author of Sports For Her: A Reference Guide for Teenage Girls. She has written numerous articles for newspapers and magazines. She is the owner/publisher of Redwood Creek Publishing. www.winasportsscholarship.com.
Sports Benefits for Girls
If you are an female athlete, congratulations. Besides having fun, making friends, keeping busy and being in shape, you are benefitting in ways you might not even be aware of.
Research compiled by the Women’s Sports Foundation (www.womenssportsfoundation.org) indicates that participation in sports and vigorous and regular physical activity has tremendous benefits for girls. They find that females who participate in sports are healthier, happier, less likely to participate in risk-taking behavior and more likely to get an education. Here is some information that might surprise you and encourage you to stay active.
Females of all ages (even your mom and grandma) who participate in sports: have higher levels of self-esteem, suffer less depression and develop a more positive body image than nonathletes; decrease their risk of obesity, lower their risk of breast cancer, osteoporosis and heart disease.
Girls who participate in sports are: 3 times more likely to graduate from high school; 80% less likely to have an unwanted pregnancy and 92% less likely to use drugs.
College females who participate in sports: have access to athletic scholarships to help pay for their educations and are more likely to graduate at a significantly higher rate than the overall female student population.
No matter what your age, you can always become more active and reap the benefits. Sometimes athletic girls give up sports when they get older. But, today's active lifestyle encourages just the opposite! There are sports for adults ranging from softball to soccer, bocci to bicycling, running to rowing. I know a woman who plays tournament soccer on an over 60s team, another who does open-water swimming in her 80s, a softball player who has played in a competitive league for over 40 years. The opportunities are out there. There's no excuse for anyone to be inactive--especially females!
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