Fadzayi Maposah

Correspondent

Many people have been watching soccer. There are soccer fans not only in Zimbabwe, but all over the world.

These are people who are well versed when it comes to soccer. I have shared that when I was back in college many years ago, my colleagues and I would go and watch soccer matches.

It was awesome to walk to the National Sports Stadium and support the national team. The walk back to college was determined by the outcome of the game. When the team won, the walk was short as we were in high spirits, but after a loss, the walk back to college was heavy and dreary!

Even the talk would share what the mood was. When the team won, there was always something to talk about, how the game had gone and how at times we had become discouraged, but how the tables had turned and our team had made our day. We could even sing the way back.

I am no longer an enthusiastic soccer fan. I just hear the results and celebrate with the fans of the winning team.

I am always ready to comfort those who support the losing team. There is so much that can happen in 90 minutes of a soccer match. Have you not watched a game and as soon as it starts, the other team will take the lead?

Already within a short space of time, the other opponents will be under pressure to  equalise. They even work towards scoring two goals so that they may lead.

I have observed that there are many lessons that we can draw from soccer matches. These lessons may assist in our health. All soccer teams have key players, but everyone has a role to play in ensuring that the team wins.

In order for one to be healthy, one should ensure that they take care of what they eat. What we eat contributes to the general state of our bodies.

Soccer players are mindful of what they eat so that they can be able to withstand the pressures that comes with playing a game that requires stamina, focus and concentration.

Why is it that when we eat at times, we take food that affects even our concentration? The food may be tasty, but if eaten in the wrong quantities and at the wrong time, will affect how the body functions.

Have you noticed that at times when you over-eat, you then feel very sleepy and you are not able to do anything productive.

Only last week I heard the story of a person who after having their supper, decided that they would relax on the couch as they waited for a soccer match to start.

When she woke up, the game was already at half time. It is fortunate that with the available technology, she was able to watch a recording of the game.  Having to watch the second half of the game without  knowing what transpired in the first half left her confused.

Snippets of the first half were not able to provide full information of what had happened in the second half.

Think about it, basing how something is proceeding without full information is never safe.

One lesson that we can apply to our health from soccer is that as we live it is important to have full information.

A soccer game lasts 90 minutes. That information is important as with each ticking minute, the players are aware of the remaining time.

There are games, however, that go into extra time and the players continue with added pressure. The same applies even in our life. While there is standard life expectancy, there are many who end up living above that. At some time in my childhood, I used to think that one would die at the age that was stated as the life expectancy! Then I was so sure that I would die as soon as I reached that yardstick.

So, you can imagine the shock I would have when I heard that someone had died when they were young.

Extra time in soccer calls for increased resilience. So does life as an older person. There will be things that used to be easy at the beginning of the journey of life that become difficult as one gets older.

Energy is always high at the beginning of the game. There is a lot of excitement too. Think of the youthful years. 

As the game moves, the soccer players have studied the other team and are more cautious in their approach. The players have learnt many lessons and when they approach the game, they do it with maturity.

This is the same as people approach mid-life. They are mindful of lessons learnt and seek to protect themselves as they go through life so that they have the resilience required for the remaining years that they may live.

There may be also need for moments when the soccer players have to sit on the bench and watch others play.

Such is life. When one is weak, one has to take a seat and regain energy to be able to continue to play. Others may never get a chance to play again.

They may continue to sit on the bench and watch others . They remember how they used to be able to play as they go down memory lane.

Others are recalled back into the game and until the finish whistle, they give the game their very best. As the World Cup soccer matches come to an end this weekend, may it be a learning platform for health and life lessons.

#23 days to Heroes Day!