National Sports Day

Nelson Mandella has said this about sports "Sports have the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire, the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sports can create hope, where there was once only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination. Sports is the game of lovers."

The experience of watching sporting events with friends and families is something only to be experienced. When we all cheer for our favorite team or an athlete it brings out the strong feeling of belonging to the community. Sports in India bring out so many emotions amongst people, passion, joy, pride, and even sadness. I bet very few things in our lives put us through so many different emotions.

India has a great legacy of glorious sporting achievements. Its history is filled with some great athletes who have made our country proud on various occasions. Be it cricket, hockey, kabaddi or Olympics sports Indian athletes have conquered everything.

These athletes come from all parts of the country with different backgrounds, different cultures, and economic conditions but with a single mission to make India proud. Sports culture in India is growing.

Many talented athletes are popping up from different parts of the country. India is growing as a sporting nation and you can see its success in many different competitions. To spread awareness about everything good about sports and to honor our athletes we celebrate National Sports Day in India on the 29th of August.

If you know that then kudos to you. This is a day very close to all of us here at Fast&Up, many of us love to be a part of some of the other sports or fitness activities, and while some of you share the same ideology as us and know why it is celebrated, most people don’t have the general idea behind this day.

Another important reason to celebrate this day on the 29th of August is it is the birth anniversary of Major Dhyan Chand, the legendary hockey player who won gold medals in the Olympics for India in the years 1928, 1932, and 1936.

He is considered one of the greatest hockey players ever. His contribution to Indian hockey is immense. He inspired many Indians to play hockey and because of him, India has dominated the sport of hockey for so long.

So, as we all get to celebrate National Sports day this year, we must ask ourselves why it is important.

Let’s find out why sports are important to us?

• It teaches us teamwork and problem-solving skills - You learn how to develop teamwork and communicate clearly to solve problems when you are battling for a shared objective with a group of players and coaches. This knowledge comes in handy while dealing with issues at work or home.
• Improves academic performance - Playing a sport requires a lot of time and energy, so people think that it would distract students from schoolwork. Nothing can be further from the truth, sports require memorization, repetition, and learning — skill sets that are directly relevant to class work. Also, the determination and goal-setting skills a sport requires can be transferred to the classroom.
• Improves physical health - Sports may undoubtedly assist you in achieving your fitness objectives and keeping a healthy weight. They do, however, also promote making wise choices like abstaining from alcohol and smoking. Indirect health advantages of sports include a reduced risk of breast cancer or osteoporosis in later life.
• It boosts self-esteem - Seeing your efforts pay off and realize your goals boosts your confidence. Achieving a fitness or sports goal motivates you to reach other goals you've set. This is a fun and fulfilling learning experience.
• Helps to reduce stress and pressure - Exercise is a healthy method to unwind and let stress go. Additionally, you can meet new people that will serve as a support network for you. Call a teammate, go to the gym to discuss, and play it out when you're feeling pressured or worried.
• Helps to maintain discipline - As soon as you begin spending time participating in sports, discipline becomes a normal part of life. This is so that people might be motivated to follow certain laws and regulations in life and work toward a beneficial goal. Because sports instill a good, team-based view in children, they may feel healthier and be able to have stronger and healthier interactions with others.

The awareness about health and fitness is growing in India. People are putting their health a priority, especially after covid. Playing sports is an effective way of staying healthy. It also doesn’t cost much to get into a sport.

Sports can assist people to connect and coordinate their neuromuscular connections between muscles to attain full-body coordination in addition to strengthening their physical structure. In addition to these physiological advantages, social contact in sports helps individuals build wholesome relationships, communities, and long-term mental health.

Let’s understand the health benefits of playing sports

• It helps to reduce the risk of heart attack - the risk of heart attacks can be reduced through physical activity. Participating in sports may improve the heart's ability to stretch, allowing it to pump more blood with each beat. Your heart becomes more efficient and effective when it can pump more blood with each beat.
• It helps to manage weight - rising obesity is a big concern in India. Taking part in sports or other physical activities, according to experts, can help you to deal with this problem. In addition, it has been found that exercise helps to reduce appetite. It can help you to manage weight.
• It helps to lower hypertension – playing outdoor sports can control or lower your blood pressure. Playing outdoor sports allows the body to use a variety of different muscles in repeated and rhythmic movements. It helps to reduce stress and lower blood pressure. Outdoor sports such as playing tennis, badminton, running, bicycling, and swimming.
• It may help to control blood circulation - when you start participating in sports, your blood circulation may improve. The body continues to receive adequate oxygen, which may help it stay healthier and more active. Exercise not only improves blood circulation but also raises hemoglobin levels and blood volume.
• It helps to increase immunity - regular exercise and participation in sports can help the body become resistant to numerous ailments that typically strike people with weakened immune systems. Exercise may considerably speed up the rate at which white blood cells circulate throughout the body. Playing sports may cause more perspiration to be produced and may help to eliminate pollutants.
• It helps to make muscle tone - Sports may be the most enjoyable, integrating, and effective way to build muscle. When you participate regularly in sports that require physical activity, such as soccer, tennis, jogging, racquetball, baseball, and kickball, you can develop strong, toned muscles, which are always desirable. With time and regular practice, participating in sports may also boost one's muscle strength and endurance.
• It helps to make bones stronger - Sports participation may help to strengthen your bones as well as your muscles. As you repeatedly "load" the bones with high power and strength movements, your bone density increases, giving your bones more strength.

For instance, running while participating in sports puts far more weight on the bone than merely walking. As a result of the added strain, the bone may adapt by becoming denser and stronger so that it can survive future increases in loading. The bone may continue to strengthen and become denser if stress is continually applied to it.

Following Awards are also presented on the sports day:

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy 

In 1956–1957, the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy was established. It is given to a university in recognition of "excellent performance in inter-university tournaments" during the previous calendar year.

Arjuna Award

In 1961, the Arjuna Award was established. Athletes who have displayed "continuous exceptional performance" throughout the past four years are given this honor. The award consists of "a bronze statue of Arjuna, a certificate, ceremonial clothing, and a cash prize of Rs. 15 lakhs."

Dronacharya Award

Established in 1985, the Dronacharya Award recognizes coaches who "produce medal winners in renowned international competitions." The award consists of "a bronze statue of Dronacharya, a certificate, ceremonial robe, and a cash prize of Rs. 15 lakhs."

Dhyan Chand Award

In 2002, the Dhyan Chand Award was established. People who have "made a lifetime contribution to the growth of sports" are given it. The award consists of "a Dhyan Chand statue, a certificate, ceremonial robe, and a monetary prize of 10 lakh rupees."

While we have seen the rise of sporting culture in our country in recent years, with the rise in popularity of different franchise leagues and coverage given to sports other than cricket. All these franchise leagues have made other sports popular in India. The biggest success of this private league is the re-emergence of kabaddi.

Kabaddi is truly an Indian sport. It is rooted in our soil but it declined in popularity because it was considered uncool to play kabaddi. It was also not financially viable to become a kabaddi player as the money in the sport was less.

Along came the Pro kabaddi league and suddenly it became cool to play kabaddi again. Kabaddi players became crorepatis overnight. It restored our pride in kabaddi.

We still have a long way to go and this day is a reminder that harr Gali Mein Sachin hain is not right, ab har Gali Mein Sachin, Sania, Sindhu, Phogat, Chettri, Saina. We need to improve our efforts at grassroots levels. Every corner in India has Sachin, Sunil, Sindhu, and Sania waiting to be discovered.

One great initiative that the government has started that is sure to unlock India’s true sporting potential is the Khelo India Games. The Khelo India program has been introduced to revive the sports culture in India at the grass-root level by building a strong framework for all sports played in our country and establishing India as a great sporting nation.

The results are clearly visible as India has come leaps and bounds in many global sporting events. At the recently concluded commonwealth games, India got 61 medals, 22 gold, 16 silver, and 23 bronze medals.

Fast&Up always supports our athletes. We are delighted that athletes who use Fast&Up products were at the commonwealth games.

Here are some of the athletes we are proud to be associated with-

Sathiyan Gnanasekaran – winner of the bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games.

Srihari Nataraj – only fourth Indian swimmer to qualify for the final of the swimming competition.

Sunayna Kuruvilla – Young Indian squash player who represented India at the commonwealth games in 2022.

So, on this National Sports day let's make sport an important part of our life. Let’s get involved in at least one sport and start playing it a minimum of once a week.

If you don’t have space to play, find one, make a group, and make some time. Don’t just waste your weekend sitting on the couch.
Take the initiative and you will see so many people joining you. Being a leader that’s what sports teach us. Let’s try and grow sports culture in India little by little.

Encourage kids to take up sports. It will help the kids to make new friends. It will also help shy kids to be more open. We as a county are celebrating people who are making India proud in their respective disciplines and more people are picking up sports as a career.

That is the idea behind this day, to celebrate sports and the sportsmen in the country and keep ourselves fit and living a healthy and disease-free life, it not only shapes the mind of a person but also makes the mind strong and active.

Prevention is better than cure is a cliché for a reason, and to adopt this active life sports and nutrition go hand in hand, what is on your plate matters, what you consume matters, you are getting your daily dose of nutrition is important and to bridge this gap, we here at Fast&Up keep working to provide you with the best Nutrition products, so that you can ace your day!