Bored with the usual keep fit regimes like jogging, hitting the cross trainer or doing aerobics? If the answer is yes, make creating the body you want exciting and motivating by using calorie burning sports.
How can sports help you on the road to fitness?
Playing sports is a fantastic way to improve both your fitness levels and your health as playing a game is exciting and motivating your interest will be maintained and you will be far more likely to continue to do it than more conventional forms of exercise. Body fat levels can be reduced and your weight/body shape controlled by playing sports. It also increases your energy levels and can boost your mood. Self-confidence and mental concentration are improved and your co-ordination and agility are enhanced by doing some forms of sports. It also has the added advantage of increasing your social networks as many sports are team events.
Accessible for all?
The great thing about playing sports is that anyone can take part and get the benefits from joining in. There are no age limit to playing sports. Many team sports have different leagues based on the age of participants. Ranging from leagues for under 21’s, to those for the over 60’s. The strenuousness level of each league is appropriate to each age group and this means no one over exerts themselves and injuries are kept to a minimum. Most sports also have training programmes. This means that regardless of your existing fitness level you can be trained to increase your level over a period of time.
Playing a team game
Many sports have a positive impact on fitness levels, some are more strenuous than others. If you want a high calorie burning game that is likely to give you faster results on fat and weight loss then playing a game like basketball will achieve this. This game is capable of burning between 600-900 calories an hour as it is an extremely tiring game to play. It also improves spacial awareness and is known to reduce stress levels. Volleyball is another effective calorie burning game to play. This game on average will see you burning between 400 and 600 calories per hour.
Paired games
Squash is thought by some to be the healthiest health benefitting game in the world due to its intensity. It has the ability to increase a player’s aerobic fitness, boost flexibility and it develops strength and power. It is also an exciting, fast paced game to play. Tennis is another one of the best aerobic activities in sport and can burn around 600 calories per hour played.
Individual but competitive
Swimming is an especially good sport for your heart, it improves lung capacity and builds muscles. It also has the benefit of being able to be done all year round and is not weather dependent. Cycling is a low impact way to burn a serious amount of calories and has been shown to boost the brain’s capacity. Competing against others is exciting and motivating.
Join in any, or all of the above sports to lead to a fitter, healthier you.
