Why You Should Pick a Sport and Start Playing

If you want to do something positive for your health and well-being, picking up a new sport and playing it regularly is one of the best things you can do. I know that this is easier said than done now that we’re facing a global pandemic as we are all trying to be creative in staying fit and healthy while stuck at home. We were asked on a recent survey in our office what’s the one thing that we miss doing while in quarantine. One of the most popular answers was actually engaging in team sports! I totally understand the sentiments because playing sports has a number of benefits.


Grow Self-Discipline

One of the biggest changes you’ll experience as a result of playing sports is developing and growing more self-discipline. When you’re more disciplined in life, it’ll help you in all kinds of ways beyond the field of play. If this is something you’ve struggled with in the past, playing sports can genuinely help a lot. You’ll learn to work hard in order to achieve the results you want.


Indulge Your Competitive Streak

Indulging your competitive streak is something that we all need to do from time to time. And there’s nothing at all wrong with being a competitive kind of person. It can actually help you in all kinds of ways and it’s something that we all need to work through. It’s better to be overly competitive on the pitch than in your personal life.



It’s the Best Way to Get Fit

Playing a sport really is the best way to get fit. Let’s face it; hitting the gym can be pretty boring at times and if you’re not able to achieve consistency that way, you should think about whether playing a sport might make it easier for you to do that. Most team sports involve cardiovascular exercise as well, so this probably is the best way for you to get fit over the long-term.


There’s a Fix for Every Excuse You Can Think Up

Just about any excuse you can think of not to start playing sports can easily be addressed. For people who say they don’t want to because they wear glasses, they can choose eye contacts instead. If you think that you do not have the height, the speed or the built for a certain sport, there are other sports to try. If you argue that you’ve got no talent for a sport, it doesn’t matter. There are sports appropriate for all skill levels, and it’s not necessarily about being good at it anyway.


You’ll Make New Friends

Perhaps most importantly, you’ll make friends along the way when you join a team and start playing sports on a regular basis. Making those new contacts and building new relationships forged on the field of play is a wonderful thing. And the bonds you form through sports are some of the strongest of all. It’s a great way to be more social and meet more people, and that’s something we could all benefit from.


As you can see, there are so many benefits that come about as a result of playing sports, especially in a team context. It’s up to you to think about how you might make this happen and what the best ways to find a sport that suit you.

I know that a lot of things will never be the same again as we go to the NEW NORMAL, and sports is definitely included in that list. But I am pretty sure that the benefits will not change despite of these changes.

Stay safe and healthy!