Sports

Sports and Their Health Benefits

Summer is just around the corner and it’s time to think about how you can make the most of it. Unless you are very disciplined you have probably abandoned or reduced some of your health and fitness resolutions you made at the turn of the year. Now is the time to remember what those were and reinstate them. If fitness goes your motivation is probably still burning. 

But maybe you’re thinking it would be better to try something different this summer, perhaps take up a new sport and see if it can become a new lifestyle passion. Below there are some excellent ideas. You have probably tried some of them before, but with dome dedication there activities can transform your life. 

SWIMMING 

If you’re thinking of taking up a new sport this summer you could do a lot worse than taking up swimming. Apart from being refreshing and interesting actively  it is excellent for your all round health and wellness. It’s not just professional swimmers who have fit bodies, you can too. 

First of all Swimming is excellent for your heart. Regardless of what stroke you do you depend on your heart to power your body through the water, this quickly raises the heart rate and helps you burn calories. The sport also improves your lung capacity and builds muscle. What better way to spend an afternoon. 

TENNIS 

Summer is just around the corner and that means tennis season. But not just watching the major tournaments unfold with a beer, getting out onto the court yourself and reaping the huge health benefits of this entertaining game. You might not catch Andy Murray or Serena Williams, but you will build strength and burn calories. 

Tennis is among the best aerobic activities, that also include jogging and cycling. In one hour of playing tennis you will burn 600 calories, additionally, you will build a lot of strength like Clayton Kershaw with all the sprints, pivots, throws and hits. There’s a reason Pro tennis players look so strong and fit, they need to be. 

ROWING 

When you go to the gym you are very likely to encounter a rowing machine. This is the low sit down machine with the handle. You hold the handle, fit your feet into the footwells and pull the rope. The resistance is calculated by the program setting. You might like this machine so much it’s time to try the real thing. 

There are endless health benefits to rowing which is one reason that gym machines are so popular. Rowing is an excellent weight loss activity that also builds strength without much risk of injury. Rowing in real life is also enjoyable and good for socializing. 

SQUASH

You may not be familiar with squash. Squash tournaments aren’t exactly pay per view, but as an aerobic activity, squash is one of the best. Normally people play squash in sports centers and gyms. You might have heard them as you walk to the weight room slamming a small ball against the walls. Why not give it a try? 

Squash is considered to be the number one activity for burning calories, developing fitness, boosting flexibility, developing strength, and improving hand-eye coordination. It isn’t a difficult sport to understand or play, all you need is the ball, racket, and a squash partner. 

BASKETBALL

You don’t have to be a top NBA player to reap the benefits of basketball. The sport is fun to play, great for socializing and excellent for fitness. If you haven’t tried basketball and you want to improve your fitness this summer then find a club and get on the court. You can play indoors or outdoors. 

Basketball is fun but it’s also tough. The court is small and the game is fast, you will do a lot of running on the basketball court, increase your heart rate, build your strength, improve your flexibility, hand-eye coordination and build a whole heap of calories. 

CYCLING 

What better way to make the most of the summer than to head out on your bike and get some exercise in while enjoying some spectacular scenery at the same time. That is what cycling can offer you. It is not only an ideal workout for those who enjoy high cardio activities, it can be a sightseeing enterprise. 

Cycling is known to be excellent for your health and fitness. It is a very low impact sport meaning that you don’t have to worry about picking up injuries. Because it is a high cardio activity it burns a lot of calories and improves your cognitive function. If you’re so inclined cycling is an excellent way to spend the summer. 

CROSS COUNTRY SKIING 

Not exactly a summer activity, that is unless you head to some of the nordic regions for your summer holidays and try out some cross country skiing. That would be recommended, then you would know the drill when it comes to winter and you can take advantage of it closer to home. But why would you want to? 

The reason is that cross country skiing burns more calories than any other activity – up to 1,122 calories per hour. Add to this the findings that cross country skiers are 40% fitter than physically fit people on average. So if you want to get fit and stay trim seek out some skies. 

RUNNING 

Running is one of the most popular and effective exercises for anyone, and perfect to get into this summer. There’s a simplicity to running that is hard to match – all you need is a pair of running shoes and some aspirations. There is also no stopping you, you can literally run anywhere, indoors or outdoors. 

Your body is an intelligent machine, it responded to the demands placed upon it. If you run regularly you are asking your body to increase muscle mass, bone density, and lung capacity. Your body in turn responds. This is not only beneficial for you now, it also serves you well in later life as your body starts to atrophy. 

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