Pintu Modak, PhD Physical Education Birla Institute of Technology & Science Pilani Rajasthan INDIA

 Perception is the ability to become aware of the things  Awareness is the ability to perceive  Awareness without perception is not possible  Perception without awareness is not possible

So, perception without awareness is like a bachelor getting divorced. To perceive something includes having subjective awareness of it. isn't perception defined as a kind of awareness? Perception is "awareness of the elements of the environment through physical sensation

Modern sports become very competitive and highly professional Performance is so reaching beyond human abilities (limits) Physiological processes determine the human performance There is a limit to these processes, therefore a limit to human performance So, we are trying to illegally alter these processes to enhance performance. Gene therapy is one of the examples

 This has given rise to serious ethical issues in the world of sports.  So, the perceived health benefits from participation in sports are gradually being subtle (difficult to perceive).  There is a worldwide concern not only about the health of elite athletes but also of other participants at school and college level sports.

The study aims : to study young people’s perception and their awareness about benefits of sports participation Recently a survey was conducted by the author Questionnaires : behavioral and attitudinal questionnaires. The population : 4 technical institutes, India Total : 500 technical students The study reveals :  a significant percentage of students avoid participation in sports and physical activities.

The author has incorporate his personal experience as a teacher working with students in fitness and sports in this study Students’ participation in sports and physical activities at BITS Pilani India Total number of Students pursuing engineering degrees on campus Integrated first degree 3610 Higher Degree 532 PhD: 371 Total 4513

Students’ sports participation (approximate figure) Students participation Nos.  Regular using Health Club 400  Playing various games : 150  General fitness, walking and running 50 Total 600 Regular: 3 days a week It means only 13% students participate in sports and physical activities

Students’ activities 4513 Per% Physical activities and sports overscheduled not interested other extracurricular activities no reply

The University has a root-mail service to connect all students and staff members on campus. Through this root- mail we contact the students who don’t come to sports and encourage them and make them aware of benefits of sports participation. It has been observed that …..  most students are well aware of sports participation benefits. So, awareness and perception always don’t work unless a person does not want to change.

 Many students even found ignoring the benefits and enjoy the lifestyle as they have been living.  They have become obsessed with doing the things the old way, their lifestyle inertia that is keeping them fixed in place.  The lifestyle inertia (wont/habit) is a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur unconsciously.  Sometimes, they suffer from Compulsive disorder, or obsessive- compulsive disorder, is an anxiety disorder or a persistent attachment to an object or idea  This is what needs to overcome to accomplish any meaningful change in their life by forceful stimuli..

 A significant difference found between awareness and perception with sports participation among students.  Many parents restrain their children from participation in sports due to present trend of sports.  As a result, most students are now found to be more susceptible to metabolic diseases due to physical inactivity  It is concerned to know that only 13% college going students are active in physical activities and sports.

The underlying factors affect one’s healthy lifestyle are important to know to overcome (from working experiences and literature reviews.) Lifestyle inertia: rigid tendencies that must be reversed for optimum health. Personality inertia: fixed ideas, fixed reactions to particular stimuli or situations, fixed emotional reactions Rigid habit patterns. include rigid dietary preferences, sleep patterns, rigid exercise patterns and many others..

Inertia in the body: the body is designed to be self- correcting. If this self-correction ability fails, even for a few moments, deadly inertia can set in Concise: (conclusion) It has been well documented that sports participation has health-related benefits. But still a significant number of students found avoiding participation. As a result most of them are found to be suffering from metabolic diseases. Recreational activities and modified games may attract students but not all. In such case, compulsory participation may be the most efficient way to push them towards DECODING their lifestyle habit

thank you