Section A Reasons for taking part in activity A1 Ted Harding and Cesare Facchini

Reasons for taking part in activity Improves body shape Training and taking part in sport can improve body shape. Muscles are strengthened and made more flexible. Helps the individual to look and feel good As your body shape improves you begin to look better and feel better about yourself. Contributes to good health Exercise normally allows people to cope better if they become ill.

Can be enjoyable People will only continue to take part in sport if they enjoy it, so it follows on that it must be enjoyable. Can help to relieve stress and tension Sport can provide a distraction from the normal turmoil's of daily life, and may allow you to take out aggression. Allowing for physical challenge Physical challenge can be very satisfying, taking part can make people feel good about themselves.

Improve co-operation Many sports are played in teams, and so it is important to build co-operation skills to work as team, which are also useful in real life. Stimulates competition Sport can stimulate competition, which makes people more competitive in everyday life. Gives opportunity for aesthetic appreciation Some sports are more aesthetic than others, e.g. ice dance, but in any sport a great piece of play is pleasing to the eye.

Encourage social mixing Sport allows us to mix with people that we may not normally meet and become friends with. Encourages friendships Taking part in sport with someone often strengthens or creates a friendship. Allows us to take part in sport Activities are stimulating

Health Benefits Taking part in sport will reduce the risk of being affected by illnesses It will reduce the risk of heart disease or a heart attack Lowers cholesterol Reduces high blood pressure and reduces the heart rate

Reference List GCSE Edexcel Text Book www. Wikipedia.org