Most people, as children at least tried participating in various recreational sports for a while. Even if we did hang up our football helmets and tennis rackets when we discovered the opposite sex or developed other passions for less active things.
However, as adults, less and less of us are part of any softball, basketball or baseball team, perhaps because we feel we have too little time to commit to it on top of work and looking after kids or maybe because we’d rather stream the latest offering from Netflix instead or do our competing on the Xbox instead. This is probably not doing us very much good at all.
You see, there are numerous proven benefits to participating in recreational sports as an adult. Here are some of them:
Fitness
Obviously, taking part in recreational sports, being one of the people on those softball line up cards, is going to be of great benefit for your physical health, providing you actually y’know turn up regularly, that is! Ideally, we all need to get at least 2.5 hours of moderate exercise each and every week to stay trim, fit and healthy all-round. Being part of a team helps us to achieve this, not only because it demands we are active, but also because it incentivizes us to keep showing up lest we let others down.
Meeting People
A lot of adults in many parts of the western world, including the US, are lonelier than ever, Due to the fact we all lead busy lives and because we all have so many cool electronics to play with instead of socialising in the local community, many of us have become more isolated and joining a local volleyball club or similar is a great way to counter this. Many of your teammates will become firm friends, and even if they don’t, having contact with people outside of work is always good for the more isolated amongst you.
Of course, it’s a pretty good way to network with individuals in the community who might be able to help you with leads on jobs and things like that too!
Beating the Blues
If you’re feeling down or anxious, even if you’ve been diagnosed with clinical depression, playing recreational sports could help you to start feeling better. Obviously, playing a little basketball isn’t going to completely cure you if you’re clinically depressed, but being around people, working towards a goal (beating the opposition), and most importantly, getting your heart rate up, are all things that will help to give you a boost.
Team Building
Being a team player is a characteristic that lots of employers look for in a candidate, so being able to show that manage you’re looking to impress that you play sports with a team of guys or girls every week could just give you the upper hand in any job interview situation.
As you can see, there are many very good reasons to get involved in recreational sports, even if you aren’t typically the kind of person who enjoys sports; you don’t even have to be good at it, you just have to be willing to show up and do your best!