Recreation and Quality of Life

Recreation plays a key role in the quality of human life. People experience recreation everyday, whether or not they realize it is happening. The many forms of recreation provide endless amounts of opportunities for people of all ages. Like any concept, for all its positive aspects, there are some downsides to participating in recreational activities. However, participation in recreational activities is essential for better living.

Leisure can be defined as the ability to choose appealing activities and participate in them at one's own pace; one is also entitled to stop participating in this activity whenever desired (Cordes 11). Recreation is an extension of the leisure definition. It can be described as voluntary participation in leisure-time activities that are meaningful and enjoyable for the person involved (Cordes 13). This includes a vast array of activities, anywhere from baseball to tanning. There are four types of recreation: public, commercial, corporate, and therapeutic (Cordes 11). Public recreation is made up of programs developed by non-profit agencies such as the YMCA that people of all ages and interests can participate in. Activities include sports as well as less physically-demanding ones such as nature walks or arts and crafts. These types of programs are usually free of charge. The commercial recreation industry is profitable and refers to places such as health clubs and fitness centers. Corporate recreation is for employees and paid for by the companies they work for. Examples of this are company softball teams and fitness centers on company property. Therapeutic recreation programs are developed by persons in the public and private sector, and they are usually targeted towards special populations such as the elderly, disabled, or mentally handicapped.

There are numerous benefits to participating in recreational activities. Physical fitness is important to a healthy lifestyle, but there is no all-inclusive standard because of differences in age, physical limitations, and overall health. With respect to non-athletes participating in recreational activities, there are five components that can be addressed: cardiovascular fitness (heart health), flexibility (stretching muscles as far as possible), endurance (ability to exercise for certain periods of time without tiring), and strength (one's degree of force exerted against multiple resistance levels). Lastly, a person's percentage of body fat should be between twenty and twenty-five percent (Cordes 39).

Satisfaction is the fulfillment of a need, and since recreation encompasses a wide variety of activities, persons can be satisfied in many different ways. Attitudes can be described as feelings about particular objects. One may enjoy certain types of recreational activities while disliking others. Value refers to how much worth something has to a person. There are two different types of values: instrumental and terminal. Instrumental values are intangible things such as good health and toughness. On the other hand, terminal values are also important and vary from person to person. These include things such as peace and freedom. Recreation can be a learning experience as persons can gain knowledge through participating in different types of activities. It can also be a "spiritual experience" (Cordes 46). In this regard, persons learn more about themselves and their roles in life through recreation.

There are also some downsides to participating in recreational activities. Women may have jobs, but in most cases, they still do the majority of the work (cooking, cleaning, and caring for children) inside the home, which cuts into their leisure time. Underprivileged persons have less recreational opportunities as well. There is less public land available for recreation within inner city communities and sometimes virtually no support from the community. Inner city areas are also at a great disadvantage because of the high rates of crime that take place in them (Cordes 275). America could be called the "epitome of laziness." Ninety-eight percent of American households own a television and the average person watches for close to three hours per day (Cordes 276). This is something that definitely takes away from recreational opportunities.

Certain people can be labeled as "type T" personalities, meaning they need to participate in high-risk behaviors for satisfaction (Cordes 276). Included here are things such as bungee jumping and whitewater rafting. These types of activities are certainly on the more dangerous side of recreational activities and carry a higher probability of causing injury or death. Some people use drugs as a form of recreation, which can be very dangerous. Gambling, violence, and the injuries it causes are more examples of downsides to recreation (Cordes 280).

While having both positives and negatives, recreation does indeed provide benefits for people of all ages. This fact can be divided into four groups: children, teenagers, and adults/seniors, and special populations. Recreation provides children with opportunities to interact with others and safe environments for participation in recreational activities while developing higher self-esteem and positive attitudes (Witt 25).

Teenagers are going through many changes during the adolescent years. There are factors such as puberty, finding one's identity, and being introduced to unhealthy behaviors such as drug and alcohol use. Participating in recreation can help teenagers with all these things by promoting positive behaviors and creating fun and sociable environments.

Adults and seniors can also benefit from recreation. The disengagement theory refers to an individual being detached from society (Cordes 107). This may come through death of a loved one, divorce, losing a job, or retirement. People who have experienced these types of things may feel a void in their lives, and recreation can fill this void. There are many opportunities for this demographic of people. They can join adult or senior sports leagues or participate in travel and tourism programs. Recreation is also important to special populations of people. These include those with emotional problems, mental impairments, or physical handicaps (Baglin 8). These people become more attached to society through recreation and special programs can be tailored to their individual needs.

Recreation enhances quality of life in many ways. It provides opportunities for people of all ages and ability levels. People can participate in things that they want to; there are not any constraints on them. The benefits of taking part in recreational activities are seemingly endless as well. These include physical fitness, satisfaction, positive attitudes, values, learning, spiritual experiences. Taking all these things into consideration, recreation is truly essential to better living.