After the long winter, getting outside and moving around is a great way to stay healthy and enjoy the warmer weather. But summer is also peak time for outdoor sports injuries. Here’s how ISO’s technical committee for sports and other leisure pursuits keeps you safe and active in the sun.
Summertime means time off work and more opportunity for leisure, which provides not only the break you need but the chance to get outdoors, have fun and improve your health. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that a lack of physical exercise is one of the leading risk factors for conditions such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Its findings also reveal that 25 % of adults are not getting enough exercise, rising to 80 % in teenagers.
Studies have shown that regular outdoor activities have significant benefits for health. WHO states that the benefits of being physically active far outweigh the risks of accident or injury and can improve muscular and cardiorespiratory fitness, improve bone strength, increase energy and help with weight control. Brain health improves too. In 2018, British medical journal The Lancet published a study on over 1.2 million Americans that found that exercise provided a noticeable improvement to mental health, thereby reducing treatment expenditure from 12 % to 22 %.
The arrival of summer is an excellent time to take stock of the safety standards that can help you maximize the fun of your favourite sports while preventing serious injuries. On an international level, these standards are developed by ISO’s technical committee ISO/TC 83, Sports and other recreational facilities and equipment, which sets the basic safety requirements for protective equipment and sporting facilities. So, with summer now upon us and statistics encouraging us to get outside and move, it’s good to know ISO has got you covered.

Exercise provides a noticeable improvement to mental health.