You don’t have to leave the house to get involved in a sport. In fact, you needn’t even venture outdoors into the garden. Here are seven sports that you can try in your living room (although you’d probably struggle to take up all of them indoors).

Cycling

Bad weather is no excuse to not take up cycling. Exercise bikes have made it possible to go on a bike ride in your home. Not only that, but companies such as Zwift.com have digitized indoor biking to make it an experience, dare I say it, better than going outdoors. Virtual games can allow you to cycle in locations around the world and even compete against other Zwift users in their homes.

Running

Just as the rain needn’t put you off cycling, it also needn’t stop you from taking up jogging. Treadmills are getting a lot cheaper and a lot better. Like cycling, indoor running has also gone virtual.

Rowing

Needless to say, you can also get your rowing fix indoors with a rowing machine. Like cycling and running, many of these machines come with games to make it more fun and competitive. Rowing happens to also be one of the best exercises you can do for your whole body, exercising everything from your legs to your abs to your arms.

Table tennis

Table tennis is the perfect sport for playing indoors. You can invite mates over and compete against one another. And whilst you may argue that a tennis table takes up too much room, many are now collapsible. Alternatively, you could throw a tablecloth over it and double it up as a dining table.

Golf

Sites such as GolfSwingSystems.com sell putting mats that allow you to practice your gold swings indoors. These mats can be positioned where you like and stored away out of site when not in use. Okay, so these won’t help when practicing your long drive. But for practicing your short shots these are ideal. You could even get creative and set up your own indoor mini golf course and invite some friends over to play.

Pool/snooker

A pool/snooker table does take up a fair bit of room, but like a tennis table can be doubled up as a dining table. Instead of being stuck with the balls and cues that your local bar offers, you can use guides such as TopPoolCues.com to buy your very own accessories to your very own specs. This is again a great social game for a night in with the boys.

Darts

Whilst not the most physical sport, darts does get you up on your feet and can be a great social activity. You may have to be a little more careful as to where you hang a dartboard  – some protection on the back wall may stop plaster getting damaged by stray darts. A garage is often the perfect place for hanging a dart board.