Beer Neutral Exercise: Rec Sports are Cool Again
Adam talks about team sports

 

I've played sports most of my life, so I know how great it can be to be part of a team—and how much easier it is to get exercise that way.

It's a lot easier to work hard when other people are depending on you (your teammates), and when you're trying to beat the clock—instead of hoping the clock goes faster, like in a typical solo workout.

Traditionally, recreational sports leagues have been geared toward sports that require a lot of skill and experience you practice when you’re young, like basketball, volleyball, soccer and softball.  But now there are a host of "retro" sports like kickball, flag football, and dodgeball that are much easier to play, even with no prior experience.

Not only can you find a league that fits your competitive desires—all the way from ‘running on fumes’ to ‘full blast’— but these sports are surprisingly egalitarian and great for normal people who want to get on a co-ed team and be active without killing themselves.

This winter, I was on a "softcore" co-ed flag football team in Seattle through Underdog Sports and we had a great time. We weren't all super athletes, but neither were the other teams, and the rules were geared to keep everybody safe.

This Spring, I'm on a kickball team in Portland.  Our team is made up of all "indies”—people who didn't have a set team—so they just put us together and made one.  Turns out, we're almost all new to the city, so it’s also going to be a great way to make friends.

Even though it's always more fun to win, a beer or two after the game takes the sting out of losing. And because it's kickball, the best athletes don't have much over those who have never played before.  You just kick the ball and run hard!

If you feel like you need to get outside more, join a team today.  I guarantee if you have a good attitude and don't worry too much about how good you or anybody else on your team is, you'll have a great time and become more active.  You'll also make a bunch of new friends, and who couldn’t use a couple of those?