Recreat 1.

Generalidades de la Recreación

Lic. Julio M. Campos

ion www.svdeportes.info

1. INTRODUCTION

Recreationologists, coordinators, entertainers, group leaders or, leaders, are some of the
names used for the function that we are going to fulfill, but beyond that, the participants in
recreational activities need a person capable of guiding them towards an exercise of self-
management, decision making, learning. , creativity, cooperation, community participation,
etc.

Currently, many free-time activities tend to be simply hobbies, in which the person
participates only passively, thus becoming consumer activities. In this way, their
educational content is lost, they do not last over time and do not allow the development of
the person.

When we talk about recreation, we are talking about Education for free time, a transfer of
experiences to the use of time itself and, therefore, an educational activity of great
responsibility for the one who coordinates it. These concepts of free time, recreation and
education are inseparable and require effective preparation and training on the part of those
in charge of such a task.

But what is recreation? We can find multiple definitions that depend on the point of view
from which it is focused. Sometimes, it is considered a time of recovery, other times, of
consumption, to increase production at work.

Here we will deal with recreation, as a free time activity, that involves creativity,
socialization and personality development, a recreation understood as a time of learning,
creativity, participation and cooperation, which will surely remain in our memory to be
transferred to multiple situations in our daily lives.

When we talk about recreation, we all think of the games and rounds of our childhood life
and/or the games with our social group; In the worst case, this is understood as social
escapism and with it it is intended that we forget our daily life and the problems that
overwhelm us, living this as another alienation in the prevailing system.

It is intended in countries like ours to forget the violent episodes that are committed daily,
through recreation; leaving behind the possibility of moral memory of the victims of our
current situation, a purpose that seems macabre in a reality where what is necessary is not
to forget but to assume and contribute.

Recreation is the positive attitude of the individual towards life in the development of
activities for the time, which allow them to transcend the limits of consciousness and
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achieve social and biological balance, which result in better health and a better quality of
life. .

Fun is the use of time in a planned manner for the therapeutic refreshment of one's body or
mind. While leisure is more of a form of entertainment or rest, fun involves active
participation but in a refreshing and joyful way. As people in the world's wealthier regions
lead increasingly sedentary lifestyles, the need for recreation increases. The increase in so-
called active vacations exemplifies this trend.

The purposes of recreation are to have an attitude that leads to learning and achieving goals
and personal growth. Recreation provides integral balance to the individual.

Recreational practice always helps to improve the quality of life, activities that harm the
individual are not recreation.

Recreation normally occurs through the generation of spaces in which individuals can
participate freely according to their interests and preferences. The basic notion of a
recreation situation is to allow everyone to find what generates the most pleasure, thus
being able to feel comfortable and then making the best of the experience. Recreation
differs from other relaxation situations such as sleeping or resting since it always implies a
more or less active participation of the person in the activities to be carried out.

It has been scientifically proven that those people who are immersed in their work routines
and who do not dedicate spaces to recreational experiences, generally suffer higher levels
of stress, anguish and/or anxiety. Therefore, recreation serves human beings not only to
activate the body, but also to keep the mind in a healthy balance.

Recreation as an organized activity can take place both in open spaces and in closed spaces.
Clear examples of the first case would be all types of activities to be carried out in parks,
squares or in nature. For the second case, recreational activities related to art, music,
communication, theater, cinema and the use of cutting-edge technologies may be perfect
options. The organization of recreation spaces for a given community is an important task
that concerns governments since through it individuals can establish much stronger ties of
contact and belonging, as well as lower social stress levels. violence and individualism.

2. DEFINITIONS of RECREATION

Recreation (From lat. Recreatĭo meaning recovery , and ōnis, speech).

 1. Generalidades de la Recreación

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1. Action and effect of recreating.

2. Fun to relieve work.

Recreate . (From lat. Recreāre, recreate).

1. Create or produce something again.

2. Amuse, cheer or delight.

Game . (From lat. Iocus, jokes).

1. Action and effect of playing.

2. Recreational exercise subject to rules, and in which you win or lose

Play . (From lat. Iocāri, jokes).

1. Do something with joy and for the sole purpose of entertainment or fun.

2. Entertain yourself, have fun by taking part in one of the games subject to rules, whether
or not you have interest.

3. Take part in one of the games subject to rules,

4. Said of a player: Carry out an act typical of the game every time it is his turn to intervene
in it.

Other definitions:

 All those activities and situations in which fun is implemented, as well as relaxation
and entertainment through it.
 Action and effect of recreating. Therefore, it can refer to creating or producing
something again. It also refers to amusing, joyful or delighting, in a search for
distraction in the midst of work and daily obligations.
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 Recreation is continuous learning processes, in which we all participate to a greater

or lesser degree.
 Any activity carried out freely and spontaneously, in our free time and that
generates physical, spiritual, social well-being, etc.
 Any activity that gives pleasure and rest to the person.
 It is an activity that takes the individual out of their daily life, amuses them,
entertains and distracts them.
 Carry out various activities, outside the normal ones daily, where you get rest,
relaxation and distraction
 It is a set of activities that is carried out in a specific time in order to satisfy our
needs.
 Recreation is getting closer to happiness, the opposite of work
 Activities or sports that are carried out in order to obtain a benefit, whether physical
or mental.

3. BENEFITS OF RECREATION

Recreation can be framed in those opportunities for the use of free time that society offers,
and that allow experiences ntar leisure. We also assume that free time is the part of
individual and social time without external restrictions or compulsions. We place leisure in
a sphere of human activity characterized by pleasure and freedom.

A. Psychological benefits
a. Better mental health and maintenance of it
 Holistic sense of well-being
 Stress management: prevention, mediation and restoration
 Catharsis
 Prevention and reduction of depression, anxiety and anger
 Positive changes in moods and emotions
b. Development and personal growth
 Self-confidence
 Independence
 Competence
 Self confidence
 Values Clarification
 Academic improvement and cognitive performance
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 Autonomy and independence

 Sense of control over one's life
 Modesty
 Leadership
 Increased aesthetic capacity
 Increased creativity
 Spiritual growth
 Adaptability
 Cognitive efficiency
 Problem resolution
 Natural learning
 Cultural and historical knowledge, learning and appreciation
 Environmental knowledge and understanding
 Tolerance
 Balanced competitiveness
 balanced life
 Prevention of problems in young people at risk
 Acceptance of one's own responsibilities

c. Personal satisfaction and appreciation

 Sense of freedom
 Self-update
 Fluidity and absorption
 Euphoria
 stimulation
 sense of adventure
 Challenges
 Nostalgia
 Quality of life and life satisfaction
 creative expression
 Aesthetic appreciation
 Natural appreciation
 Spirituality
 Positive changes in emotions.

B. Psychophysiological
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a. Cardiovascular benefits, including stroke prevention

b. Reduction and prevention of hypertension
c. Reduction of cholesterol and triglycerides
d. Better control and prevention of diabetes
e. Colon cancer prevention
f. Decrease in back problems
g. Reduction of body fat and obesity
h. Improvement of neuropsychological functioning
i. Increase in skeletal mass and strengthening in children
j. Respiratory benefits: increased muscle capacity, benefits for people with
asthma
k. Reduction in the incidence of disease
l. Improvement of urinary control in old age
m. Increased life expectancy
n. Management of menstrual cycles
o. Arthritis management
p. Improvement in the functioning of the immune system
q. Reduction in alcohol and tobacco consumption

C. Social and cultural benefits

a. Community satisfaction
b. community pride
c. Cultural and historical knowledge and appreciation
d. Reducing social alienation
e. Solidarity and political commitment
f. Ethnic identity
g. Social bonding, cohesion and cooperation
h. Conflict resolution
i. Community development in a decision-making environment
j. Social support
k. Family bonding
l. Reciprocity and sharing
m. Social Mobility
n. Community integration
o. Nurture from others
p. Understanding and tolerance of others
q. Environment of knowledge and sensitivity
r. Better view of the world
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s. Socialization and acculturation

t. Cultural identity
u. Cultural continuity
v. Prevention of social problems for youth at risk
w. Benefits for children's development

D. Economic benefits
a. Reduction of health costs
b. Increased productivity
c. Less absenteeism at work
d. Reduction of work accidents
e. Decrease in job rotations
f. International monetary balance for tourism
g. Local and regional economic growth
h. Contributions to national economic development

E. Environmental benefits
a. Physical infrastructure maintenance
b. Agriculture and improvement of relationships with the natural environment
c. Environmental ethics
d. Public commitment to environmental issues
e. Environmental Protection
 Ecosystem sustainability
 Species diversity
 Maintenance of natural scientific laboratories
 Preservation of natural areas
 Preservation of culture, heritage, historic sites and areas

We can point out then that the general health benefits produced by sport, physical activity
and recreation can be framed within both the physical and functional spheres, summarizing:

 Increased blood pumping to the heart

 Low heart rate
 Increased lung capacity
 Low blood lactate levels
 Increased cardiovascular endurance
 Improved peripheral muscle oxygenation
 Lower blood pressure
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 Improves intellectual functioning

 Helps in the control of arterial diseases
 Improves muscle tone
 Prevents risks associated with high blood lipids
 Control obesity
 Reduces the risk of myocardial infarctions

In the order of psychosocial aspects, benefits can be noted such as:

 Promoting habit control

 Stimulates productivity, independence and autonomy
 Increases self-confidence and emotional stability
 The relationship between knowledge of the body increases, as well as the image of
the body is perceived in a more positive way.
 Helps regulate emotion and pain
 Significantly favors the fight against alcohol and cigarette addiction

In this discussion of characteristics and benefits, we can close in a synthetic way, clearly
expressing “that movement makes strength.” If the force of positive change that every
human being, without distinction of gender, age or race, requires for their own benefit and
that of society in general, incorporating activities such as painting, dance, theater, music,
study into our way of life and contact with nature, reading and writing, sports and physical
activity; thus contributing significantly to improving our quality of life.
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4. HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF RECREATION

“Make them learn by playing and thus you will put yourself in the best position to know
each one's dispositions” Plato.

When man becomes sedentary and begins to outline the first social embryos such as: the
Ancient Mayans, Aztecs, Incas, Samurai (Japan), man includes important activities “play”,
although it is not as a form of recreation; but rather in a magical-religious way.

There are utensils and structures that suggest that the Chinese carried out sports activities as
early as 4000 BC. Gymnastics appears to have been a popular sport in Ancient China.
Monuments to the Pharaohs indicate that a certain number of sports, including swimming
and fishing, were already designed and regulated thousands of years ago in Ancient Egypt.
Other Egyptian sports include javelin throwing, high jumping and wrestling. Some sports
from Ancient Persia such as the Iranian martial art of Zourkhaneh are linked to skills in
battle. Among other sports original to Persia are polo and jousting.

The game is characterized from its origins by a spiritual symbolization, it is part of the
culture of the people and becomes manifest in the individual and collective consciousness.
Customs, knowledge and culture are generated from its characteristics of creativity,
freedom and spontaneity.

Making an anthropological analysis of the game, we can attribute to it a magical-religious

beginning, always linked to euphoria, and manifested in sacred rites towards higher forces.

There are many recreational manifestations where certain cultural elements are detected:
myths are allegorical fictions (human figures) that capture stories of a certain group about
legendary figures and events, an example of this is the Popol-Vuh, in the symbolism of ball
game that occurs among the Mayans, with the conception of good and evil – their religious
sense associated with playfulness, results in this comparison between morality and play –
good and evil.

In many ancient peoples, the contemplation of life generated a feeling towards it that
became evident in the form of a sacred game, because in this way they asked and thanked
the gods, and in many cases, losing in a game meant death.

In Egypt : It flourished on the banks of the Nile River, its inhabitants led an ostentatious
life, full of color, so it could be considered that they gave great importance to recreation.
Their recreational activities consisted of a variety of sports such as gymnastics, wrestling,
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weight lifting and other activities such as hunting, archery, racing, hunting, archery, chariot
racing, music, dance, painting and writing.

In Assyria and Babylon : These two cultures flourished in the valley of Mesopotamia
between the Tigres and Euphrates rivers, among the activities we found were the sports of
boxing, wrestling, archery, chariot racing, hunting, dance, music, sculpture, painting and
zoological and botanical gardens.

In Greece : It is in Greek culture where leisure and recreation fully flourish, it is here
where the philosophical foundations of both are made. In Greece is where the concept of
the “integral man” occurs; great importance was given to art, knowledge and sports; since
the ideal man had to be a combination of soldier, athlete, politician, artist and philosopher.
Recreation took place with different sports, sculpture, music, poetry, theater, all of this
combined with sacred games in honor of the gods. The temples were a place for play,
where the religious and the profane were touched. Adults and children participated in the
rituals, each according to their characteristics and needs. In addition, vessels with paintings
of games were found.

In Rome : Recreation and leisure were of great importance for this culture, they held
games, festivals in honor of their gods, the most important of which were to commemorate
military triumphs in honor of the God Jupiter. Recreational activities were of a utilitarian
type, they practiced swimming, fighting, racing, jumping, they also had passive recreation
with hot springs (sulfurous water pools), theaters, anti-theaters, forums, circuses and
gardens.

Ivory dolls were also found, used for both games and sacred rituals.

Middle Ages : there were a large number of parties and recreational events, with which the
deep puritan sense, which was linked to the ethic of work and constant effort, was gradually
ending.
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5. TYPES OF RECREATION

Once the concepts of “recreation” and “play” have been defined, it is necessary to also
define “free time” and “leisure” in order to truly understand the types of recreation.
Free time is any period of time in which we are not obliged to carry out any action or work.
Free time includes various forms of expression and activity whose elements are often
physical and physiological in nature, as well as intellectual, social, artistic or spiritual.

Leisure includes all the activities that we voluntarily do in our free time, with the aim of
generating happiness and joy in us. Therefore, it is an essential component of the person,
since it represents a vital experience that expresses the experience of specific values that
help people's self-realization as it allows free and gratuitous action. It is a creative space,
for personality expansion, with recreational, educational, self-expressive and health content
in its meanings of physical, mental and social well-being. It therefore has a direct
relationship with the quality of life and has the advantages of freedom of choice, creativity,
satisfaction, enjoyment, greater pleasure and happiness.

Differences between free time and leisure

When we talk about "free time" we refer to the period of time that the individual has left
after carrying out their daily obligations (work, educational, social, family). However, there
are many activities that are carried out during this time and are not exactly leisure activities,
such as: satisfaction of biological needs, family obligations, bureaucracy, etc. There is also
a part of our free time that we dedicate to self-imposed activities, which are not part of our
obligations, but are activities that we have decided to do (religious tasks, social
volunteering, etc.). These types of activities that we do in our free time are not part of
leisure activities.

The good use of free time improves general health and well-being, expanding to all
remaining areas of life. It is a fundamental right of people, just like education, work, etc.
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Types of recreation

They can be classified according to various criteria, but in general we are going to divide
them into two large types:

 Spontaneous or Pure: it is leisure as such, it is all the activities that are done
voluntarily in free time, and that generate pleasure and joy. There are multiple types
of activities, with different natures, for example:
o Cultural activities: theater, music, poetry, reading, writing
o Outdoor activities: walks, walks, picnics
o Social activities: talks, debates, meetings, meetings
o Physical activities: sports, physical exercises
o Mental activities: puzzles, memory exercises
o Games as such, with the simple purpose of playing

 Directed: they can be the same activities, but they are carried out seeking to meet a
specific objective. For this, it is sometimes necessary to modify activities in their
form, content, time or way of carrying them out.
o Physical education
o Sports
o Therapies
o Tourism
o Others

Types of reenactors

 Sociocultural entertainer: reaches the community and opens spaces, people meet
and play. Afterwards, socialization is carried out and problems related to a specific
topic are addressed.
 Animator: he is the one who leads and directs the games, who gives the starting and
ending signals, explains the rules and carries out the general mechanics of the game.
 Drivers: they are animators on a smaller scale, they can be for parts of the game or
for time intervals, a specific task
 Coordinator: who directs when most decisions are made as a group, for example,
governing the way captains are chosen or defining the order of matches, etc.
 Recreationalist: the person trained to perform all the previous roles, who manages to
transmit knowledge from the games.
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6. CHARACTERISTICS AND FUNCTIONS OF RECREATION

Among the main socio-psychological characteristics of recreation in all its forms, we have:

People carry out recreational activities by themselves; free from any external
obligation or compulsion
Recreational activities provide participants with immediate satisfaction
The essential element of recreation is not in the results, but in enjoyment through
participation
Recreation is a form of participation in which man feels what he does and does what
he feels as an expression of a need that he is satisfying.

Some of the functions that recreation fulfills are the following:

Educational: with recreational activities, you can teach almost anything, in an

effective and fun way for those who receive the teaching
Energy replacement: the energies spent in the production process are replaced,
consisting of active and passive breaks, entertainment, family and friendly
relationships.
Self-development and growth: the person who feels good will be well, and
therefore, will grow as a person in all areas of their life.
Social: Doing recreational activities in a group strengthens relationships between
family and friends, since one or several common interests are shared, and, in many
cases, a recreational activity is enjoyed more by doing it in a group.
Health: Recreational activities improve physical and mental health, thus preventing
diseases and improving general physical condition.
Economical: Almost all recreational activities do not require major expenses to
carry them out. In addition, activities such as extreme sports increase tourism and
therefore the local economy.
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7. ELEMENTS OF RECREATION
o That? They are activities that are carried out in free time and that generate
pleasure and joy. They are chosen without obligation.

Communication
Artistic and Consumptio
creation n level
Physical and
sports

o As ? As you want. Generally, the rules and conditions are chosen to carry out
recreational activities.
o When ? In free time, when we are not required to carry out work, study or
basic needs tasks.
o Because ? Just because. It does not have a purpose in itself, simply to carry
out recreational activities.
o Where ? In physical, cultural (learning and knowledge) and social spaces
(group meetings, etc.)
o With who ? You can do individual or collective activities, depending on the
type of activity or the purpose you want to achieve.
o So that ? To meet a specific goal or just have fun.
o With what? Recreational activities can be carried out with or without
materials, which almost always do not require much financial expenditure.

8. IMPLICATIONS AND SCOPE

o Being able to improvise

o To be noticed
o Decision making ability
o Find ways to enrich the process
o Include everyone involved
o Trust but also respect
o Ability to have fun
o RECREATION is not solving problems or fixing lives
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o RECREATION is not simply entertaining people or animating parties, it is

education for free time.