Sports & Recreation Options

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

24 Apr 2006 04:30 PM

Too often we forget that getting fit doesn't mean grueling away on a treadmill day in and day out. The main idea behind fitness is to get the body moving and to be active.

As a species, we were meant to move. Our ancestors traveled a great deal. They had to hunt for food. They gathered their supplies. They moved all the time. Today, we have so many luxuries at our convenience, not only do we not have to be that active - we're encouraged by our own technology to be as lazy and sedate as possible.

Our mobility now supplanted by our technology is leading to a culture of obesity and ill health. For the first time in generations, Americans are not likely to live as long as our fathers and mothers. Instead, our own inactivity is to blame for our failing health as a nation of individuals.

Combating this failure are fitness centers, fitness experts and personal trainers. They encourage us to exercise daily. They encourage us to use equipment - more technology - designed to build up our fitness and get us active.

However, a lot of us don't like working out in an exercise routine day in and day out - and the simple truth is that while that is definitely a prescription for getting fit - it's not the only prescription.

Sports and recreational activities like basketball, baseball, playgrounds, volleyball, swimming and just going out for a bike ride - these are all available to us and by getting more active - by playing more - we can improve our fitness and our health.

There's another bonus to sports that all the fitness equipment in the world cannot provide. The more natural your activity, the more your body will respond to the activity. Frankly, most sports don't seem like exercise because you're having fun. So if you are tired of the gym, go out and play some ball - play with your kids or just play. Play time can often be more rewarding and easier to repeat than the same drill over and over again.

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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