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Recent studies conducted at the Michigan State University Institute for the Study of Youth Sports reveal that kids are motivated to play sports by a variety of factors.

"Kids want to have fun, improve their skills, be with their friends, get some physical activity," says Gould. "They like to win, but it's not the top reason nor the only reason."

And while sports have real value for kids, experts caution that children will not just catch the positive effects by showing up for practices or on game day. To reap the benefits of sports, they say that children need to be a part of a youth sports program that promotes mutal respect and encouragement.

"In order to help develop and enhance positive self esteem, a youth sports program must make sure that every kid feels like he or she belongs on the team," Burnett says. "At the recreation level, the real value of sports is that everybody plays."

"Unfortunately, in many situations in America now, in youth sports, and recreational level especially, the less talented kids are being trained to be spectators -- to root for the handful of kids who will be the representative all-stars," he says.

Also, in many leagues, some experts are concerned that the focus is on winning, a team's place in the standings and making it to post-season play.

"At the real early ages until about the age of 10," says Gould, "you don't really need to worry about score. A lot of parents are forgetting this fun and fundamentals stage."

There are two ways to motivate a kid to play sports, Burnett says.

One negative method is an all-or-nothing approach:"You have to beat the competitor. You are only as good as the competitor you defeat. There is no place for second place."

He suggests an alternate philosophy that motivates kids to participate in sports by getting them to judge their success based on the skills they develop, regardless of outcome.

"Now you're competing against yourself. You focus on the skills," Burnett says. "The top athletes focus on tasks, not on trophies."

Regardless of what type of program you and your children choose, "When all the dust settles," Burnett urges parents, "You need to make sure that when you look at your child, that you relate to your child as a kid first and an athlete second."

When it comes to signing your child up for a sports program, look before you leap.

Ask yourself, "Why do I want my child to play sports?" Ask your child, "Why do you want to play sports?" And ask the program director, "What can you offer my child?"

A good program should provide children with all the positive values that sports have to offer -- and feed their reasons for playing.

There is no denying the benefits of participating in sports. Aside from the obvious health benefits that come with activity and exercise, research shows that there are strong physical, social and psychological rewards associated with competition.

Dan Gould, the director of the Michigan State University Institute for the Study of Youth Sports, stresses that when children participate in multiple sports at an early age, they can develop the "ABCs of sports -- agility, balance and coordination."

He adds that children can learn both fundamental motor skills, such as running or throwing, and sport-specific skills that will help them to stay active well into adulthood.

In addition to skill development, given the right environment, research has shown that sports can have a positive psychological impact on kids.

Dr. Darrell Burnett, a clinical psychologist and certified sports psychologist specializing in youth sports in Laguna Niguel, California, suggests that participation in sports meets the four basic needs that contribute to our self-esteem.

"When kids play sports, they can have the opportunity to feel that they belong, feel like they are worthwhile just for being kids, be treated with respect and learn about a sense of emotional control."

For those students who continue to play sports into high school, valuable skills learned on the field can be transferred to the real world.
Employers know that to be successful, student athletes must have developed skills such as self-discipline, decision-making, problem solving and time-management.

With all of the benefits to playing sports, how can parents motivate their kids to play sports year after year?

Experts recommend finding out what's driving the kids first.

Another known benefit of fasting is the healing process that is obvious in the body during a fast. When fasting energy is diverted away from the digestive system due to its lack of use and towards the metabolism and immune system. The healing process during a fast is made easy by the body’s search for energy sources. Abnormal growths within the body, tumors and the like, do not have the full support of the body’s supplies and therefore are more susceptible to disappear.

Fasting also leads to a feeling of rejuvenation and extended life expectancy. This might be due to the detoxification effect of fasting. A study was performed on earthworms that showed the extension of life thanks to fasting. The experiment was performed in the 1930s by isolating one worm and putting it on a cycle of fasting and feeding. The isolated worm outlived the other worms by 19 generations, while still maintaining its freshness and youthful physiological characteristics.

Fasting is part of the practices of many religions including Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Today many are trying to dig up the benefits of fasting. Some people fast for spiritual reasons while others fast as a way to physically discipline the body. Whatever reasons one might come up with, it has been scientifically proved that fasting has tremendous health benefits.

First, fasting is said to play an important role in the detoxification of the body. Detoxification is a normal body process of eliminating or neutralizing toxins through the colon, liver, kidneys, lungs, lymph glands, and skin. This process starts when fasting. Food no longer enters the body and the latter turns to fat reserves for energy. These fat reserves were created when excess glucose and carbohydrates were not used for energy or growth, not excreted, and therefore converted into fat. When the fat reserves are used for energy during a fast, it releases the chemicals from the fatty acids into the system which are then eliminated through the body organs, leading to the cleansing of the whole body.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking from dawn until sunset. Ramadan had been the name of the ninth month in Arabian culture long before the arrival of Islam. In the Qur’an it is said that «fasting has been written down (as obligatory) upon you, as it was upon those before you» which is a reference to the Jewish practice of fasting on Yom Kippur. Fasting is meant to teach the Muslim patience, modesty and spirituality.

Ramadan is a time for Muslims to fast for the sake of God and to offer more prayer than usual. During Ramadan, Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance and help in refraining from everyday evils, and try to purify themselves through self-restraint and good deeds.

As compared to the solar calendar, the dates of Ramadan vary, moving backwards about ten days each year as it is a moving holiday depending on the moon. Ramadan was the month in which the first verses of the Qur’an were said to be revealed to the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. That was during a night that Muslims call Laylat al-Qadr (the night of decree.) The night is believed to be one of the 10 last days of the month.