full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Leah Lagos and Jaspal Ricky Singh: How playing sports benefits your body... and your brain


Unscramble the Blue Letters


The victory of the uedrdong over the favored team. The last muinte penalty shot that wins the tournament. The high-energy training montages. Many people love to glorify victory on the playing flied, cheer for favorite teams, and play sports. But here's a question: Should we be so obsessed with sports? Is playing sports actually as good for us as we make it out to be, or just a fun and entertaining pastime? What does science have to say? First of all, it's well accteped that exercise is good for our bodies and minds, and that's definitely true. ernecisxig, especially when we're young, has all sorts of hetalh benefits, like strengthening our bones, clearing out bad cholesterol from our arteries, and decreasing the risk of stroke, high bolod pressure, and diabetes. Our brains also release a number of chemicals when we wukoort, including eohrdnnpis. These natural hormones, which control pain and pleasure rnsespeos in the cental nervous system, can lead to feelings of euphoria, or, what's often called, a runner's high. Increased endorphins and ciesnsnott physical activity in gnaerel can saephrn your focus and imrovpe your mood and memory. So does that mean we get just as much benefit going to the gym five days a week as we would jioinng a team and competing? Well, here's where it gets interesting: because it truns out that if you can find a sport and a team you like, seutids show that there are all sorts of benefits that go beyond the physical and mental beftneis of exercise alone. Some of the most scnngfiaiit are psychological benefits, both in the short and long term. Some of those come from the communal experience of being on a team, for instance, learning to trust and depend on others, to accept help, to give help, and to work together towards a common goal. In addition, coitmemmnt to a team and doing something fun can also make it easier to establish a regular habit of exercise. School sport participation has also been swohn to reduce the risk of suffering from depression for up to four years. Meanwhile, your self-esteem and confidence can get a big boost. There are a few reasons for that. One is found in training. Just by working and working at skills, especially with a good coach, you reinforce a growth mindset within yourself. That's when you say, "Even if I can't do something today, I can improve myself through ptacrcie and achieve it etelvluany." That mindset is useful in all walks of life. And then there's learning through fairlue, one of the most tarovntsfmarie, long-term benefits of playing sports. The experience of coming to tmers with defeat can build the riecenlise and self-awareness necessary to mnagae academic, scoial, and physical hurdles. So even if your team isn't winning all the time, or at all, there's a real benefit to your experience. Now, not everyone will enjoy every sport. Perhaps one team is too competitive, or not competitive enough. It can also take time to find a srpot that pyals to your strengths. That's completely okay. But if you spend some time looking, you'll be able to find a sport that fits your individual needs, and if you do, there are so many benefits. You'll be a part of a supportive community, you'll be building your confidence, you'll be exercising your body, and you'll be nurturing your mind, not to mention having fun.

Open Cloze


The victory of the ________ over the favored team. The last ______ penalty shot that wins the tournament. The high-energy training montages. Many people love to glorify victory on the playing _____, cheer for favorite teams, and play sports. But here's a question: Should we be so obsessed with sports? Is playing sports actually as good for us as we make it out to be, or just a fun and entertaining pastime? What does science have to say? First of all, it's well ________ that exercise is good for our bodies and minds, and that's definitely true. __________, especially when we're young, has all sorts of ______ benefits, like strengthening our bones, clearing out bad cholesterol from our arteries, and decreasing the risk of stroke, high _____ pressure, and diabetes. Our brains also release a number of chemicals when we _______, including __________. These natural hormones, which control pain and pleasure _________ in the cental nervous system, can lead to feelings of euphoria, or, what's often called, a runner's high. Increased endorphins and __________ physical activity in _______ can _______ your focus and _______ your mood and memory. So does that mean we get just as much benefit going to the gym five days a week as we would _______ a team and competing? Well, here's where it gets interesting: because it _____ out that if you can find a sport and a team you like, _______ show that there are all sorts of benefits that go beyond the physical and mental ________ of exercise alone. Some of the most ___________ are psychological benefits, both in the short and long term. Some of those come from the communal experience of being on a team, for instance, learning to trust and depend on others, to accept help, to give help, and to work together towards a common goal. In addition, __________ to a team and doing something fun can also make it easier to establish a regular habit of exercise. School sport participation has also been _____ to reduce the risk of suffering from depression for up to four years. Meanwhile, your self-esteem and confidence can get a big boost. There are a few reasons for that. One is found in training. Just by working and working at skills, especially with a good coach, you reinforce a growth mindset within yourself. That's when you say, "Even if I can't do something today, I can improve myself through ________ and achieve it __________." That mindset is useful in all walks of life. And then there's learning through _______, one of the most ______________, long-term benefits of playing sports. The experience of coming to _____ with defeat can build the __________ and self-awareness necessary to ______ academic, ______, and physical hurdles. So even if your team isn't winning all the time, or at all, there's a real benefit to your experience. Now, not everyone will enjoy every sport. Perhaps one team is too competitive, or not competitive enough. It can also take time to find a _____ that _____ to your strengths. That's completely okay. But if you spend some time looking, you'll be able to find a sport that fits your individual needs, and if you do, there are so many benefits. You'll be a part of a supportive community, you'll be building your confidence, you'll be exercising your body, and you'll be nurturing your mind, not to mention having fun.

Solution


  1. field
  2. terms
  3. sport
  4. underdog
  5. shown
  6. joining
  7. social
  8. studies
  9. resilience
  10. practice
  11. health
  12. manage
  13. failure
  14. improve
  15. benefits
  16. commitment
  17. transformative
  18. sharpen
  19. minute
  20. consistent
  21. workout
  22. blood
  23. responses
  24. endorphins
  25. accepted
  26. significant
  27. plays
  28. eventually
  29. exercising
  30. turns
  31. general

Original Text


The victory of the underdog over the favored team. The last minute penalty shot that wins the tournament. The high-energy training montages. Many people love to glorify victory on the playing field, cheer for favorite teams, and play sports. But here's a question: Should we be so obsessed with sports? Is playing sports actually as good for us as we make it out to be, or just a fun and entertaining pastime? What does science have to say? First of all, it's well accepted that exercise is good for our bodies and minds, and that's definitely true. Exercising, especially when we're young, has all sorts of health benefits, like strengthening our bones, clearing out bad cholesterol from our arteries, and decreasing the risk of stroke, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Our brains also release a number of chemicals when we workout, including endorphins. These natural hormones, which control pain and pleasure responses in the cental nervous system, can lead to feelings of euphoria, or, what's often called, a runner's high. Increased endorphins and consistent physical activity in general can sharpen your focus and improve your mood and memory. So does that mean we get just as much benefit going to the gym five days a week as we would joining a team and competing? Well, here's where it gets interesting: because it turns out that if you can find a sport and a team you like, studies show that there are all sorts of benefits that go beyond the physical and mental benefits of exercise alone. Some of the most significant are psychological benefits, both in the short and long term. Some of those come from the communal experience of being on a team, for instance, learning to trust and depend on others, to accept help, to give help, and to work together towards a common goal. In addition, commitment to a team and doing something fun can also make it easier to establish a regular habit of exercise. School sport participation has also been shown to reduce the risk of suffering from depression for up to four years. Meanwhile, your self-esteem and confidence can get a big boost. There are a few reasons for that. One is found in training. Just by working and working at skills, especially with a good coach, you reinforce a growth mindset within yourself. That's when you say, "Even if I can't do something today, I can improve myself through practice and achieve it eventually." That mindset is useful in all walks of life. And then there's learning through failure, one of the most transformative, long-term benefits of playing sports. The experience of coming to terms with defeat can build the resilience and self-awareness necessary to manage academic, social, and physical hurdles. So even if your team isn't winning all the time, or at all, there's a real benefit to your experience. Now, not everyone will enjoy every sport. Perhaps one team is too competitive, or not competitive enough. It can also take time to find a sport that plays to your strengths. That's completely okay. But if you spend some time looking, you'll be able to find a sport that fits your individual needs, and if you do, there are so many benefits. You'll be a part of a supportive community, you'll be building your confidence, you'll be exercising your body, and you'll be nurturing your mind, not to mention having fun.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations


ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
playing sports 2



Important Words


  1. academic
  2. accept
  3. accepted
  4. achieve
  5. activity
  6. addition
  7. arteries
  8. bad
  9. benefit
  10. benefits
  11. big
  12. blood
  13. bodies
  14. body
  15. bones
  16. boost
  17. brains
  18. build
  19. building
  20. called
  21. cental
  22. cheer
  23. chemicals
  24. cholesterol
  25. clearing
  26. coach
  27. coming
  28. commitment
  29. common
  30. communal
  31. community
  32. competing
  33. competitive
  34. completely
  35. confidence
  36. consistent
  37. control
  38. days
  39. decreasing
  40. defeat
  41. depend
  42. depression
  43. diabetes
  44. easier
  45. endorphins
  46. enjoy
  47. entertaining
  48. establish
  49. euphoria
  50. eventually
  51. exercise
  52. exercising
  53. experience
  54. failure
  55. favored
  56. favorite
  57. feelings
  58. field
  59. find
  60. fits
  61. focus
  62. fun
  63. general
  64. give
  65. glorify
  66. goal
  67. good
  68. growth
  69. gym
  70. habit
  71. health
  72. high
  73. hormones
  74. hurdles
  75. improve
  76. including
  77. increased
  78. individual
  79. instance
  80. joining
  81. lead
  82. learning
  83. life
  84. long
  85. love
  86. manage
  87. memory
  88. mental
  89. mention
  90. mind
  91. minds
  92. mindset
  93. minute
  94. montages
  95. mood
  96. natural
  97. nervous
  98. number
  99. nurturing
  100. obsessed
  101. pain
  102. part
  103. participation
  104. pastime
  105. penalty
  106. people
  107. physical
  108. play
  109. playing
  110. plays
  111. pleasure
  112. practice
  113. pressure
  114. psychological
  115. real
  116. reasons
  117. reduce
  118. regular
  119. reinforce
  120. release
  121. resilience
  122. responses
  123. risk
  124. school
  125. science
  126. sharpen
  127. short
  128. shot
  129. show
  130. shown
  131. significant
  132. skills
  133. social
  134. sorts
  135. spend
  136. sport
  137. sports
  138. strengthening
  139. strengths
  140. stroke
  141. studies
  142. suffering
  143. supportive
  144. system
  145. team
  146. teams
  147. term
  148. terms
  149. time
  150. today
  151. tournament
  152. training
  153. transformative
  154. true
  155. trust
  156. turns
  157. underdog
  158. victory
  159. walks
  160. week
  161. winning
  162. wins
  163. work
  164. working
  165. workout
  166. years
  167. young