We all know the regular ways that we can keep fit. You eat a balanced diet, and you do some form of exercise like running or jogging. But what about the other ways that you can keep yourself fit and flexible? Today we’re going to look at the more unusual ways that you can keep fit, and also learn a new and exciting hobby!
Yoga
Yoga is far from an extreme sport, but it offers many health benefits including stress reduction, core strength and flexibility. It can be done anywhere and at any time that suits you, so why not give it a go? Here are some more advantages of taking up yoga.
Water Sports
Swimming is the obvious one, but the unusual sports that you can play in water range from underwater rugby to water skiing. Any sport that is done in water builds up immense stamina while supporting the body when it’s underwater. Water sports are brilliant for people who suffer with joint pain.
Tai Chi
You’ve probably heard of it, but what is Tai Chi? It’s a martial art that’s non-competitive and comes from an ancient Chinese tradition. They claim that it relieves anxiety and stress. Why not try Tai Chi for health benefits and see how much it helps your mental and physical health?
Zorbing
We’re hoping you’ve at least seen how much fun zorbing can be. For those who don’t know, it’s a gigantic inflatable ball that you get into and run inside of to move around. It’s seriously fun but requires great fitness to do for large amounts of time. If you’re looking to dramatically improve your health while having fun, zorbing is definitely for you.
Other Ideas For Regular Sports
If you’re more interested in doing the regular kinds of sports like football, why not try and spice it up a little so that you can improve your fitness, and change up the game a little? For example, trying freestyle football during a friendly match between friends not only gives you the chance to show off your keepy-uppy skills, but it will burn calories and build muscle without you even knowing it. If you wanted to enter leagues, you could do that too.
You could create a brand new game out of your favourite exercise, it doesn’t matter if it’s you alone, or it’s something you do with friends. Keeping your form of exercise exciting will encourage you to keep doing it. Here are some ideas:
- Fruit racing – grab yourself a round piece of fruit and find a hill. Place the fruit on the ground and race it to the bottom of the hill. This could also be done with a ball, but if the ball gains air it may bounce away!
- Two handed tennis – exactly how it sounds, grab a tennis racket with each hand and play with both hands. You’ll be surprised at how much more work you’ll put into the game!
- Item spotting – with this, before you go for a run you could pick an unusual colour and while you’re on your run, whenever you spot that colour you have to increase you speed for a short time, or stop and do some jumping jacks. Pick whichever you would enjoy the most!
- Extreme parkour – this is already a sport, but the ‘extreme’ part is where you could change it up to suit you. For the thrill-seekers, when you’ve leapt and you’re hanging on a wall, try some pull ups before you carry on your route.
- Throwing games – try throwing unusual and differently weighted items. Start off small and build up how heavy your item is. Be careful not to hurt each other!
- Severe gardening – you’ve got to mow the lawn and tidy up the flower beds, do it as quickly and vigorously as you can. This might not be a sport, but it will certainly help improve your fitness. You could do the same for housework too.
- Rollerskate racing – well all know rollerblades as footwear we had as children. Purchase an adult sized pair and either race items that you throw or your chosen opponents.
Remember, there’s no point in doing an exercise that you don’t enjoy in some way because you’re likely to quickly give it up and set back into your old ways. You’re making a lifestyle change, not just a quick fix for those extra pounds you have gained. Don’t forget to fuel yourself with the right food too!
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