Fitness: Go outside and play

As parents, we’ve witnessed the change that happens when kids head outside to play. Mood elevates. Energy levels are regulated. Behaviour improves.

As grown-ups, there are days when we could use some of that magic. Yet, adults are often remiss in harnessing the positivity synonymous with play.

“Over the last 30 years, science has shown that play is very productive for humans at any age; we need play to keep our brains flexible, ward off depression, sustain optimism, and sharpen our social-emotional skills,” experts from the National Institute for Play say.

Founded by Dr. Stuart Brown, an American professor of psychiatry, the Institute has been spreading the word about the health benefits of play for decades. To Brown and his colleagues play is anything but trivial, a determination they made from years of studying its effect on physical and mental well-being.

Kids and adults may describe and identify play differently, but the Institute’s definition suggests play doesn’t lose efficacy no matter how many decades it’s been since you played road hockey with your buddies after school. They claim “play is a state of mind that one has when absorbed in an activity that provides enjoyment and a suspension of sense of time.”

The nice thing about play is it can look different depending on your age, the environment, whether you play as part of a group or on your own, and your imagination. The only real rules about play is it is self-determining, largely unstructured and rarely under the direction of others.

It could be argued exercise needs to be more playful. And based on the Institute’s belief play brings joy and a feeling of timelessness, maybe the emphasis on routine, goal-setting and results is why more than half of Canadians don’t meet the recommended quota of exercise (150 minutes) per week.

When exercise feels like a chore, motivation ebbs. Add some playfulness and all of sudden workouts have a different feel. But it’s not just play-advocates that suggest adding spontaneity and pleasure to our exercise routines is good for our health. There’s plenty of science supporting the idea playfulness has value beyond the immediate improvement in mood and motivation. Studies have reported lower resting heart rates, faster recovery heart rates and better cardiovascular health among those who assessed themselves as playful. Playfulness has also been linked to a reduction in stress and greater social interaction both important factors in long-term health and well-being.

“Adults who do not regularly activate their play nature may experience their lives tinged with depression, and may lack the optimism, adaptability and resiliency to perform well in their work and family lives,” the experts from the National Institute for Play say.

It’s interesting we play sports, but workout in the gym, which suggests exercise is more of a grind than enjoyable. Some of the fun of playing on a team is the social interaction among people who share the same passion for the activity. But sometimes playing with others takes the shine off the enjoyment. That’s because the activity needs to be fun for everyone. In school yards playtime can be stressful for those who don’t feel included or who struggle to match the physicality of their playmates.

The same can be said for adults. Playing sports or going for a run or bike ride with friends or family can start as playful; a relaxed pace, plenty of banter and a low competitive threshold. But as soon as someone feels uncomfortable with the intensity of the workout or the importance placed on winning, the fun starts to diminish.

That’s not to say that competition and fun can’t go hand in hand. For some competitive play is where they feel the most engaged and where they experience the closest thing to the kind of play they enjoyed as a child. For others, competition is the threshold where play becomes less fun.

The challenge for most adults is to understand what types of activities activate a playful spirit and how to add more positive energy into their exercise routine. Doing away with expectations, adding the presence of a training partner, joining a team, losing your smart watch or other activity tracker that holds you to an established performance metric are some of the ways to dial up play.

Another option is to make play a family priority. Follow the lead of your kids or grandkids and let fun dictate your movement. Just be careful not add unnecessary structure or rules to kids’ play. Let imagination, creativity and spontaneity rule the moment. Some of the best teachers of play are kids.

Keep in mind not every workout needs to have playful vibes. Reaching performance goals still takes perseverance, dedication and hard work. This is just a reminder life is better when you can find ways to play when things get tough, and that not all your leisure time needs to be filled with activities with a purpose. As the saying goes, “all work and no play makes Jack (Jill) a dull boy (girl).”

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