Editing Recreation (section)

==Etymology==
The term ''recreation'' appears to have been used in English first in the late 14th century, first in the sense of "refreshment or curing of a sick person",<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=recreation&searchmode=none| title = Online Etymology Dictionary}}</ref> and derived  turn from Latin (''re'': "again", ''creare'': "to create, bring forth, beget").

===Prerequisites to leisure===
People spend their time on [[activities of daily living]], [[Employment|work]], [[sleep]], social duties and leisure, the latter time being free from prior commitments to physiologic or social needs,<ref>Yukic TS (1970) p. 2</ref> a prerequisite of recreation. Leisure has increased with increased longevity and, for many, with decreased hours spent for physical and economic survival, yet others argue that time pressure has increased for modern people, as they are committed to too many tasks.<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,950883,00.html?internalid=ACA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070104032425/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,950883,00.html?internalid=ACA |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 4, 2007 |title=Stress: Can We Cope? |author=Claudia Wallis |date=1983-06-06 |magazine=Time |access-date=October 31, 2010}}</ref> Other factors that account for an increased role of recreation are affluence, population trends, and increased commercialization of recreational offerings.<ref name=kraus>{{cite book |vauthors=McLean DD, Hurd AR, Rogers NB |title=Kraus' Recreation and Leisure in Modern Society|edition=7th |publisher=Jones and Bartlett |year=2005 |pages=1ff |isbn=978-0-7637-0756-9}}</ref> While one perception is that leisure is just "spare time", time not consumed by the necessities of living, another holds that leisure is a force that allows individuals to consider and reflect on the values and realities that are missed in the activities of daily life, thus being an essential element of personal development and civilization.<ref name=yukic/> This direction of thought has even been extended to the view that leisure is the purpose of work, and a reward in itself,<ref name=yukic/> and "leisure life" reflects the values and character of a nation.<ref name= kraus/> Leisure is  [[human right]] under the [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]].<ref>[[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]], [[s:Universal Declaration of Human Rights#Article 24|Article 24]] ([https://undocs.org/A/RES/217(III) Text of Resolution]), adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (A/RES/217, 10 December 1948 at Palais de Chaillot, Paris)</ref>

===Play, recreation and work===
{{Main|Play (activity)}}
[[File:Pieter Bruegel d. Ä. 041b.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Pieter Bruegel the Elder|Pieter Bruegel]] ''[[Children's Games (Bruegel)|Children's Games]]'' (1560)]]
Recreation is difficult to separate from the general concept of [[Play (activity)|play]], which is usually the term for children's recreational activity. Children may playfully imitate activities that reflect the realities of adult life. It has been proposed that play or recreational activities are outlets of or expression of excess energy, channeling it into socially acceptable activities that fulfill individual as well as societal needs, without need for compulsion, and providing satisfaction and pleasure for the participant.<ref name=y3>Yukic TS, 1970, pp. 3f</ref> A traditional view holds that work is supported by  recreation, recreation being useful to "recharge the battery" so that work performance is improved.

Work, an activity generally performed out of economic necessity and useful for society and organized within the economic framework, however can also be pleasurable and may be self-imposed thus blurring the distinction to recreation. Many activities in [[entertainment]] are work for one person and recreation for another. Over time, a recreational activity may become work, and vice versa. Thus, for a musician, playing an instrument may be at one time a profession, and at another a recreation.

Similarly, it may be difficult to separate education from recreation as in the case of [[recreational mathematics]].<ref>Kulkarni, D. [http://www.matholympiad.info/Documents/TeachingWithKenKen.pdf Enjoying Math: Learning Problem Solving With KenKen Puzzles] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801080339/http://www.matholympiad.info/Documents/TeachingWithKenKen.pdf |date=2013-08-01 }},  A textbook for teaching with KenKen Puzzles.</ref>

===Health and recreation===
Recreation has many health benefits, and, accordingly, Therapeutic Recreation has been developed to take advantage of this effect. The National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) is the nationally recognized credentialing organization for the profession of Therapeutic Recreation. Professionals in the field of Therapeutic Recreation who are certified by the NCTRC are called "Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists". The job title "Recreation Therapist" is identified in the U.S. Dept of Labor's Occupation Outlook. Such therapy is applied in [[Rehabilitation (neuropsychology)|rehabilitation]], psychiatric facilities for youth and adults, and in the care of the elderly, the disabled, or people with chronic diseases. Recreational physical activity is important to reduce obesity, and the risk of osteoporosis<ref>{{Cite journal
| last1 = Smith | first1 = E. L.
| last2 = Raab | first2 = D. M.
| title = Osteoporosis and physical activity
| journal = Acta Medica Scandinavica. Supplementum
| volume = 711
| pages = 149–156
| year = 1986
| doi = 10.1111/j.0954-6820.1986.tb08944.x
| pmid = 3535406
}}</ref> and of cancer, most significantly in men that of colon and prostate,<ref name=210x/> and in women that of the breast;<ref>{{Cite journal
| last1 = Breslow | first1 = R. A.
| last2 = Ballard-Barbash | first2 = R.
| last3 = Munoz | first3 = K.
| last4 = Graubard | first4 = B. I.
| year = 2001
| title = Long-term recreational physical activity and breast cancer in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I epidemiologic follow-up study
| journal = Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention
| volume = 10 | issue = 7 | pages = 805–808
| pmid = 11440967
}}</ref> however, not all malignancies are reduced as [[outdoor recreation]] has been linked to a higher risk of [[melanoma]].<ref name=210x>{{Cite journal
| last1 = Parent | first1 = M.
| last2 = Rousseau | first2 = M.
| last3 = El-Zein | first3 = M.
| last4 = Latreille | first4 = B.
| last5 = Désy | first5 = M.
| last6 = Siemiatycki | first6 = J.
| title = Occupational and recreational physical activity during adult life and the risk of cancer among men
| journal = Cancer Epidemiology
| volume = 35
| issue = 2
| pages = 151–159
| year = 2010
| pmid = 21030330
| doi = 10.1016/j.canep.2010.09.004
}}</ref> Extreme [[adventure recreation]] naturally carries its own hazards.