Leisure and Recreation

Lesson aims – 1.1 Consider what is actually meant by leisure time. 1.2 Consider the choices individuals have about how they make use of their leisure time. 2.1 Consider what recreation and recreation time are. 2.2 Look at the different types and options available. 3.1 Consider the link between recreation and leisure, and the benefits to be gained by being active for life.

Leisure Leisure time is quite simply the time when you can choose what you want to do. You have to establish some sort of balance in your life as there is a certain amount of time when you have to sleep, eat, maintain good hygiene, work or go to school. 168 hours - = Leisure Time

Active Leisure This includes taking part in activities that involve exertion of physical or mental energy and can often include low impact physical activities such as yoga or walking, which expend little energy and have little contact or competition. There are also some high impact activities such as aerobics or There are also some high impact activities such as aerobics or kick boxing. kick boxing.

Passive Leisure This includes activities such as those in which a person does not exert any significant physical or mental energy and this might include going to the cinema, watching television or playing video games. This aspect of leisure time is the one that causes the most concern amongst many experts as it is thought that many activities do not provide the benefits offered by active leisure activities, although for many people this is when they claim that they are relaxing the most ?

History of Leisure The word leisure derived from the Latin licere meaning ‘to be free’ and up to Victorian times was not really part of daily life as many workers would work up to 18 hours shift! Table Question – What are the reasons for increased leisure time? – 2 minutes Go! The fact that people do no now have more leisure time at their disposal means that there is quite a lot of competition within the leisure industry to come up with popular provision.

Leisure Provision Local authorities have a legal responsibility to provide leisure services, which include libraries, swimming pools, playing fields and sports centres. There are an increasing number of private enterprises that run a variety of sports related facilities, but these only operate if a profit is made and there is sufficient demand. This is why location can influence your choices, as rural areas generally have less provision than urban areas.

Examiners Tip You should be aware of what leisure time actually is, the reasons why it has increased and the types of provision that are popular for people today

Recreation Recreation can mean just relaxing and enjoying yourself, but it is increasingly being used to mean doing something that is active and healthy. Physical Recreation This is where you would opt to participate for intrinsic reward rather than extrinsic reward, so you would be aware of the health benefits you would be getting as an individual, for pleasure and for a purposeful use of time.

There are a great many activities to choose from and they differ between individuals for some of the following reasons: Age Location Provision and cost However, there are many physical recreation activities, walking being the most common one, which are not restricted by any of the factors identified above

Outdoor Recreation Many of these activities are also associated with some degree of challenge, including activities such as climbing, fell walking or caving, which involve you in coping with the natural environment that you encounter. Some water based activities such as sailing would also come into this category, as you would have to cope with the natural water environment

Lifelong Sports To gain the maximum benefit from the use of your leisure time through an active recreation pursuit, it is best if you are able to involve yourself in an activity that can be carried on throughout life. Many sports organisations encourage this by making arrangements for different age groups. Swimming is a good example – many competitions, sessions and clubs are targeted at different age groups to encourage maximum participation. It is accepted that people are not going to be fully active in all their recreation time they have available, but it is hoped that if people know how good remaining active is, in terms of all the health benefits this will be a major motivator.

Examiners Tip It is important to be able to identify what is meant by recreation, but questions are likely to focus on how the best use can be made of available time to bring about the maximum health benefits

Summary Questions 1)Which of the following would not be considered to be an active leisure activity? a) Visiting the library b) Attending a yoga class c) Rambling d) Attending an aerobics class 2)What is meant by a low impact activity? 3)What is meant by intrinsic reward? 4) Describe the leisure and recreation facilities that are likely to be available in a typical community?