Working out can sometimes be a drag. Sitting in the gym doing the same thing over and over with no end in sight just isn’t a lot of people’s thing. Sure, some people can see past the grind and know the results that lie in wait, but not everyone wants to push through hours of boredom to get those results.
I was talking about this with my friend a little while back and she told me that she had felt the exact same way so she went on a mission to make exercise less boring for herself. So far, she’s loving Weighted hula hooping, water polo, and playing tag with her kids! She says the key is to change your workout regularly so it doesn’t feel tedious. And this tedious feeling of working out is one of the biggest issues people face. That’s why sports are such an excellent option. Rather than being glued wearing your tracksuits for men or women, you’re out there hitting the field having a blast with your friends while secretly working on your strength in the background. A win-win.
Check out these five sports that are fun to play but are secretly also an amazing workout.
Tennis
Believe it or not, tennis is one of the best full-body cardio workouts out there. Why’s that? Think about it. When you’re dashing back and forth across the court, you’re putting your whole body into it. You twist to hit back your opponent’s serve, you dash back to catch their return – it’s constant motion, and your whole body is at play.
Getting started can seem intimidating, but it doesn’t take as much as you think. First, you’ll need your racket and balls, of course. You’ll also want a solid pair of men’s or women’s tennis shoes to ensure you don’t hurt your ankles. Don’t worry if you don’t have a partner to play with just yet, even practicing at a local rec center by playing against a wall can be a great workout. Be sure to join online tennis communities so you find people who are down to meet up and play a few rounds after work, too!
Swimming
Have you ever seen a swimmer’s body? Talk about toned. My friend moved into a fixer upper and as soon as she got a swimming pool restoration service to fix the pool, she got such a nice figure from all the swimming she’d been doing! That’s because while you’re gliding through the water like a dolphin, basically all of your muscle groups are in action, propelling you forward with each stroke.
Swimming not only builds muscle through resistance from pushing against the water, it also is a great way to get slim down and burn fat. You can basically think of it as cardio and weight lifting rolled into one killer exercise. Did you know that swimming is one of the sports included in a triathlon event? The other two are running and cycling. Imagine how fit you have to be to even think about starting a Triathlon training plan and sticking with it. That’s how fit you can get by swimming on a regular basis. Maybe one day you can start training for a triathlon too. The best part is that you barely need any equipment at all to start swimming! Just a swimsuit and your local community pool are all you need to get fit while having fun.
Soccer
Soccer is the most popular sport in the entire world, and it’s easy to see why. The fast pace of the game, the interesting players, the fun reflexes and planning involved in executing a scoring play – what’s not to love?
The good news is that soccer is also an amazing workout, head to toe. Your legs are engaged by the constant running, your core is engaged whenever you bend to kick the ball, and even your arms get a bit of a workout if you’re playing goalie, or even throwing an out of bounds kick back into play.
You can find friends to play soccer with online, and many cities and towns have local leagues you can consider joining, too!
Basketball
Basketball is another amazing full-body workout. Running up and down the court is basically like doing a full set of sprints. And the coordination necessary to control the ball works out your upper body and core like few other sports can.
All that jumping to shoot is a great core and leg workout, too. Basketball is rapidly growing in popularity in the US and around the globe, pushing out baseball as the second most popular sport in the US (after football, of course), so you shouldn’t have much trouble finding a group to get together and shoot hoops after work. Just be sure to pick up a regulation basketball to get the full experience!
Bowling
Okay, bowling might not exactly be your first thought when someone mentioned sports. But unlike any of the other sports mentioned here (except maybe swimming), bowling has the potential to seriously work out your arms. Having a firm, controlled swing with a 15lb ball is not easy, and building up to that point will require you to seriously grow your arm muscles. Just be sure you use both arms evenly or else you may end up with one gigantic arm and one normal sized one – yikes!
Have fun, get fit, and enjoy your workout with an amazing sport today!
My dad practiced tennis and a dear friend of ours loves it, I am instead an aquatic animal. I love swimming.
These are all great sports and you definitely get in a good workout with each one. We LOVE going bowling as a family.
These are all good suggestions. Especially the ones that have a lot of running. And you are right, I was not expecting bowling to be on the list!
This is such a great post. Exercising doesn’t just mean walking on a treadmill or working out at a gym. It can be physical activities like these, as well.
Sports are a great way to have fun while getting in an excellent workout. People tend to think that working out has to be lifting weights or some other traditional gym workout.
Before, when I was a teenager. I really love playing tennis and bowling. Yes, perfect workout, plus you’re having fun too.
Such a fun list! I love workouts that are just a lot of fun – makes it exciting to get your exercise in 🙌
Now, I really need to do swimming. It’s just that I am afraid of water.
Golf can ALSO be an amazing one – as long as you’re WALKING the 18 holes!! My husband does that all the time and he comes home with more than 10k steps every time!
Those are all wonderful suggestions you got there. I love swimming so you guys definitely know hwat I want to pick.
These are all so enjoyable! I personally also love dancing and zumba. It’s such a great workout and incredibly fun.
bowling and tennis! even on the wii, it is a must. great for the arms and for relationships.
My son gets a good workout on the field. He misses it. I can’t wait until we can get back in there again.
I like fun facts and thanks for sharing some interesting insights! I used to play tennis and now I just go swimming in summer. Yet it is the best exercise to me – it gives my full body some incredible exercises. – Knycx Journeying
Bowling is workout? I neverknew that. I knew anout other games because physical effort like running etc is required but bowling is bit like lifting dumbles I guess.
I love swimming is one great sport ever and tennis is another sport that is very physical challenging.
I am so in need of a workout. I just can’t bring myself to do it with all that is going on in the world. I know I would feel much better if I did.
These are some sports that are fun and exercise! I love playing all of them! Makes me want to go and play some now.
I love tennis. People don’t consider it a workout but good game of tennis always get my heart pumping.
This content is very informative thanks for this 🙂
I wish I could of gotten into it at an earlier age! It doesn’t cost much, you can run anywhere and don’t need any equipment. Another one could be swimming and golf. Both these have a team aspect but there also individual in many ways.