The Science Behind Soccer
Kickstarting women's health: the science behind soccer
The Benefits of Football Fitness Across Generations for Women’s Health
Euro cup, Copa America and outdoor soccer is in full swing! But whether you are an admirer of the game or continue to partake, either competitively, casually or with your kids, learn about how football (soccer) can support women’s health at ALL stages of life.
Believe it or not, there has been a ton of great research on how soccer can positively impact a variety of health outcomes for women. Some of these physiological impacts include reducing blood pressure (by up to 10 points in women with hypertension!), improving bone mineralization, fat loss up to 1-3kg, and improving blood lipid profiles with just two 1 hour sessions per week.
Because soccer is a sport made up of diverse movements (accelerated running, stopping, turning) it manages to hit many different aspects of fitness training. It acts as a high intensity interval training -with sprints followed by moments of recovery - alongside strength, balance and endurance (cardio) training. Soccer training allows most participants to hit 80% of their max heart rate.
This isn’t just for competitive athletes - much of this soccer research comes out Denmark by Professor Peter Krustrup and his team. His research focuses on bringing soccer to a variety of different groups, including the elderly, homeless, and women who have gone through breast cancer treatment.
How do they make soccer more accessible for untrained people and the elderly? The concept of Football Fitness or, walking football, took hold in 2011. These programs in Denmark are run out of soccer clubs and basically serve as mini practice training sessions. Complete with warm ups, paired drills, and small sided games that help introduce soccer skills and activity, while limiting the risk of injury (which might occur in a larger sided game). There are other modifications that occur, such as starting with just walking before progressing to running, and disallowing stepping on the ball (which can lead to tripping). Small sided games also allow everyone to touch the ball more.
I loved researching this topic as I have been playing soccer my whole life and am fortunate to continue to play on a competitive women’s team. Many of my patients know that when I start talking about soccer I have to cut myself off because we will get off topic for too long. I hope one day Football Fitness makes it way to Canada so I have something to continue to play in my senior years!
Want to learn more about how we can optimize our health now and as we age? Book a complimentary meet & greet appointment with me to learn more about my approach!