March tips for families

It is March which means many things for Virginia Tech students…probably most prominent in their mind is Spring Break. What a great time and opportunity to think about the value of play and recreation!

Recreation refers to all those activities that people choose to do to refresh their bodies and minds and make their leisure time more interesting and enjoyable. By definition, play is purposeless, all-consuming, and fun. But as Stuart Brown explains, play is anything but trivial. It is a biological drive as integral to our health as sleep or nutrition. Dr. Stuart Brown, a professor of psychiatry and founder of National Institute For Play, has dedicated much of his career to the study of human play: what it is, how it affects our health, and the devastating consequences if it is suppressed.

Play can be many things: structured or unstructured, competitive or recreational, adventurous or familiar, brief or time consuming, physical activity, mentally engaging, etc. Each person has a unique play personality. For college students, giving themselves permission to play may feel unproductive and counter intuitive as they are focused on academic deadlines. It is crucial for students to find a balance that allows them to thrive socially, emotionally, physically and academically. Many forms of recreation and play provide opportunities for physical activity and movement.

At Recreational Sports, we see so many Hokies prioritizing physical activity, recreation and play. Here is a reflection of what Hokies have been doing since the beginning of the academic year:

• 21,370 different (unique) students swiped into McComas Hall, the Field House and the Venture Out Center with a total of 500,000+ attendances
• 8000+ are playing Intramural Sports
• 1300+ are on a Sport Club team
• 10,000+ have played golf this year
• 500+ attended a Venture Out Trip
• 30,000+ attended a Group Exercise class

In Sonja Lyubomirsky’s book How of Happiness, she describes several reasons that physical activity makes people happier. First, it is related to self-esteem and mastery. Beginning a sport or workout routine makes you feel in control of your body and experience a sense of improvement. Second, physical activity offers the potential to experience flow and distraction from worries and rumination. Third, physical activity can also provide opportunities for social contact and reinforcing friendships.

In Dr. John Ratey’s book Spark, he describes how exercise primes the brain for learning. Research has shown that those who exercise before studying consistently outperform their non-active counterparts in terms of academic performance. This is thought to be due, in part, to the release of a protein called brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) during exercise, which supports the growth and development of brain cells and can enhance learning and creativity. Exercise has also been shown to improve cognitive function in adults, including increasing the ability to recall new information and generating more creative solutions to problems. 

So, MARCH on over to Rec Sports and join the Hokie Movement. If you can play you can play.

Ali Cross
Director of Recreational Sports