RECREATION AND NON-

COMMUNICABLE DISEASES
OBJECTIVES:

• Identify the benefits of outdoor recreation

to your physical and mental health.
• Understand how physical activity affects
mood disorders.
• Participate in activities that make you more
aware of your surroundings.
1. Which of the situations show anxiety, stress, and depression?

2. What situations do you experience as an adolescent?

Physical Activity and Health

The Greeks long believe in the mental benefits one can

get from physical activity. They understood that a healthy
and fit body was positively related to mental and
emotional wellness.
The roman poet, juvenal, exemplifies this with the
phrase,
“Mens sana in corpore sano”
“ A sound mind in a sound body”
Physical Activity and Health

in addition, the World Health Organization (WHO)

defines health as “a state of complete physical, and
social well being and not merely the absence of
disease or infirmity.
Benefits of Physical Activity on our Health

• Physical activity is important for fitness, weight

management and controlling chronic diseases.
• Regular physical activity helps people to feel good about
themselves .
• It helps reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood
pressure, some cancers, type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis or
other Non- Communicable diseases like mental Illness.
Mental illness

Mental illness encompasses all diagnosable mental

disorders, these mental disorders are quantified by
changes in our thinking, mood, or behavior that
lead to impaired functioning.
Our focus here will be limited to anxiety,
depression, and stress and how physical activity
addresses these mental disorders.
 Anxiety

Anxiety is a normal response when a fear-eliciting situation

arises. These fearful situations may be real or imagined, and
our natural response would be to “ fight” or “flight”
We have “prewired” function for dealing with dangerous
situations. When placed in stressful situation or situations
that cause us to be anxious, this system kicks into gear.
These fight or flight illustrates how this works and our
physiological
 Stress

 Stress is a substantial imbalance between demand and

response capability, under conditions where failure to
meet this demand has consequences.

Stress is a response that includes mental reaction

(Stressor) and a physical reaction (Stress response)
 Major causes of stress

Parents School Social Life Self

 Expectations  Grades  Low confidence
 Friends
 Pressure to excel  Test  Low self-esteem
 Relationships
 Too strict  College or not  Self expectations
 Sexuality
 Too busy/ not present  favoritism  Dreams/desire/wants
 Sex
 Argument between parents  Sports and other recreation
 Sickness/ death of parents  Cliques/bullying
 Peer pressure
Physical signs of stress

• Mental alertness that can lead to insomnia

• Muscles tremors
• Twitches
• Elevated blood pressure
• Excessive sweating
Mental signs

• Confusion
• Forgetfulness
• Suicidal thoughts
• Poor concentration
• Lack of focus
Depression

• Is a mental disorder notable for negative

alteration in mood.
• This can often accompany other anxiety disorders
and may vary in severity and duration.
• Depression and depression- related illness has
become more common among adolescents .
 Healthful ways to cope with mental disorders

• Engage in physical or recreational activity that you enjoy. Do not

choose to do something you hate, otherwise, it too can add to your
stress. Find something that you like to do and, if you can, take a
friend who enjoys doing the same thing. This way, the activity
becomes a fun one.

• Make sure to get enough rest and sleep. You will find that things
become easier to handle and less stressful when you are well-rested.
 Healthful ways to cope with mental disorders

• Get to know your strengths and focus on them. If you are an excellent
basketball player, teach someone who wants to learn the sport. If you
take good pictures, start posting your work on website. It is better to
keep stresses at bay, when you know your strong points.

• Talk to someone who can give you proper guidance and support. Talk
to your parents, teacher, or trusted adult who will help you make
healthy choices and decisions.