Are you aware of the importance of recreation for your well-being; You know how many things you can avoid if you recreate enough with your loved ones, if you leave time for recreation in your life. Let me tell you that the importance of recreation is significant, so much so that ailments and chronic illnesses can be avoided, because individuals who frequently recreate generally have more positive moods, control their emotions, avoid in this way the negative stress so harmful to physical, mental and emotional health.
Numerous studies have shown that recreation is a basic element to achieve emotional health, and that it directly affects the state of well-being of individuals, based on the premise that well-being not only refers to the material plane of each individual, to the coverage of the basic needs of the human being, but it implies the existence of a balanced state of emotions, which provide harmony and tranquility, which has an indisputable impact on comprehensive health.
But, we must understand that recreation is not necessarily related to parties, excessive alcohol intake, sleepless nights, etc., since these practices instead of benefiting the physical body, affect it directly; so there must be a balance, which does not imply that these types of activities that everyone likes are not done, because they are a way of sharing, and if you do not fall into excesses, they are an important element to free yourself of the stresses of everyday life.
However, from the point of view of social research, recreation is defined as the creation or production of something again, and also refers to the action of having fun, rejoicing and delighting, during a process of seeking means for distraction. , that they separate for those moments from the routine of work and from the responsibilities of the family and/or social environment. In this way, to recreate means to re-create oneself in a systematic way from the mental, emotional, physical, work, family, social and spiritual levels.
This is how Hernández, Abel (2001) conceptualizes it, who maintains that recreation is «all human activity, free, pleasant, carried out individually or collectively, which is destined to perfect man».
Hence, the importance of recreation for their well-being lies in knowing how to find the most pleasant alternatives from their individuality, and considering in turn that the participation of people in recreation during their free time, facilitates the renewal and replacement of the energies worn out by the daily routine, for a new, fresh and fluid energy, which has been the product of recreational activity. Therefore, recreation is considered to foster in people the creative renewal of energies from an emotional and spiritual plane.
In this context, it is important to point out the conclusions of experts in social matters, such as Cuenca (2004), who states that «recreation should be a comprehensive experience related to the meaning of life and the values of each one and consistent with them , an experience of re-creation”. In this sense, recreation should be promoted as a process that generates responses not only physical, but also emotional and mental, within a context of the natural need of man, to achieve his physical, mental and spiritual well-being, as well as strengthen the development comprehensive at all levels of society.
On the other hand, Pérez, Aldo (2003) when analyzing recreation from a disciplinary perspective, concludes that it aims to use people’s free time, so that they are motivated to increase their value as human beings and as members of a community. social and/or community environment. Therefore, through the development of recreational activities, a motivating process can be achieved that, in turn, generates artistic, cultural, sports and social benefits; where the recreational process can be carried out individually or in groups.
In this order of ideas, it is convenient to mention the approaches of Rodríguez, Eulogio (1988), who states that «in physical recreation in groups, it is necessary to take into account the tastes, interests, preferences, demands and offers to achieve the participant satisfaction. Therefore, the following aspects should be considered:
The likeswhich are the physical activities that people prefer according to their individual criteria, without considering the skills they have for it, nor their degree of knowledge or habits related to the practice of said activities.
the interests, Although they are related to tastes, they depend on certain individualities conditioned by the criteria of the members of a group that participates in a recreational process, as well as the way it is carried out, the place, the duration of free time and the people who will be part of it. cluster.
Physical Recreational Preferences in a recreational group, they constitute the order of execution that people establish in relation to their tastes and interests, and depending on the habits, knowledge and abilities that they possess.
The demand It is the one that arises from the tastes, preferences and interests of groups, and that is determined by the social and institutional environments that make life in the community, and that seek the opportunity to carry out recreational activities for the welfare of the groups. .
Finally, the offer comes to represent the result of the decision-making of the recreational system, given the set of data and information generated by the determination of the tastes, interests and preferences of the groups.