What is Recreation and Leisure?

Recreation and leisure are relatively intertwined and have somewhat of individual meanings. Recreation comes in many forms such as hiking, biking, running, camping, dancing, and/or playing a sport. It is something that someone does when they have free time and is for pure enjoyment with no feelings of obligation or commitment. Leisure is very similar to recreation, however, I would separate the two by noting the level of energy that is used. If a person were to go and play a sport or hike Mt. Rainier they are using higher levels of energy. Yet if someone were to sit-down and knit, go for a walk, or simply read a book, they are using lower levels of energy, this is what leisure may be defined as.