Whether you have a gym pass or you use the great outdoors, getting fit and staying fit is an important part of healthy living. There are many ways to get fit, such as participating in a team sport, or finding alternative recreation such as hiking. The great part about getting fit is the many ways in which you can do it. The numbers of activities you can do to get and stay fit are limitless, so all you have to do is pick some and stick to them.
Team Sports
Playing on a team is a great way to get fit. It is an opportunity to socialize and exercise simultaneously. Team sports can be highly competitive, or they can be just for fun, the key is finding the right team sport for you. So where do you go to find a team to play for? When it comes right down to it there are really only two options, you can join an existing team, or form your own. Where do you find existing teams? Your best bet is through your school or community center. Most schools have teams that you can join, and coaches ready at hand to teach the members of the team how to play their best.
Community/Club
Great alternatives to school teams are community and club teams. Often times it is extremely difficult to make a school team, or time consuming to be on one with practice everyday, etc. So, finding an existing team for your sport of choice in your community or nearby communities may work best for you. Some of the benefits of this are getting to know people outside of your school, being able to find a team that practices and plays when your schedule allows, playing with both genders, the possibility of playing on a team that your school does not offer, or playing more sports at the same time. There are few objections to having someone play for both a school team and a community team.
Benefits of Team Play
One of the most obvious benefits of team play is the ability to play with other people, have fun, socialize, and get fit all at the same time. However, team play offers other, less obvious benefits. One such benefit is learning and drawing from the skills of others. Often times playing with a team will heighten your overall skills because it allows you to play with several people with different skill levels. Team play builds team work, and cooperative skills, it creates opportunities for leadership, and it builds self-esteem. Often times team play provides a way to associate with people outside ones normal spheres of comfort, and in doing so broadens ones horizons. So go out there and join a team, there is bound to be one right for you.
Recreational/Solo
Team play is great, and offers many benefits, however, it is not the only way to get and stay fit. There are other activities that provide similar amounts of conditioning and fun that team play provides. Often times these activities are referred to as recreational activities, rather than sports. Regardless of what they are called they are a great way to have fun and be fit. Many of these recreational activities include games such as handball and racquetball, but can range to sports such as skiing and snowboarding.
Types of Solo Activities
There are several types of solo activities; they range from activities that require no equipment- hiking, running, etc, to those that require a lot of gear- kayaking, surfing, repelling. Many types of solo activities require learning from a professional, but some you can just try and get better at through practice. There are many outdoor and indoor solo activities. You get winter and summer recreation, complex and simple, etc.
Benefits of Single Playing
One huge benefit of single play is you do not have to rely on any one else in order to get fit, however, it can be very enjoyable to do these things with other people, and often much safer. Rock climbing is a fairly dangerous sport, and while you do not need a whole team to do it, having two people is essential. Many solo activities become hobbies and favorite past times of people. Any beach you go to you will see surfers, boogie boarders, and skim boarding, you may also see people parasailing, wind-surfing etc. These are fun activities, some cost a lot, and others very little. Kayaking is a fun pastime that can be done on the ocean, in rivers, lakes, basically on any body of water. In the winter every good ski resort will be packed with skiers and boarders, and every snow-covered hill will have people sledding. There are plenty of recreational and solo activities to be had, the key is finding one you can afford and that you will enjoy for years to come.