Get Fit

“Leave all the afternoon for exercise and recreation, which are as necessary as reading.” ~Thomas Jefferson

Exercise is a great way to develop good habits. Endorphins are the drug that the body produces when you exercise. Bad habits can be overturned and even eliminated when replaced with a good habit like regular exercise. Why not start now?

The summertime (for the northern hemisphere) is a great time to get out and see what kinds of sports you like. Where I live, practically every corner lot has a skateboard park. Every other corner has an outdoor basketball court. Some of the local fitness centers have tennis courts, running tracks (indoor and outdoor), swimming pools, racquetball courts, football fields and futbol fields, weight rooms and cardio rooms. Some of these require you to pay a fee, but a lot of them will only cost you the price of a ball, or maybe the price of a good pair of shoes. That sounds like a good price to me. Now is the time to check out a new sport.

If you feel like you’re an introvert, there are many non-team and non-competitive sports. You can try bouldering for an introduction to mountain climbing. Bouldering doesn’t require ropes or belaying partners. You can be shy and sporty. Or you could try biking. Biking gets you out to see the scenery, it’s not too hard on your joints, you can do it alone, and there isn’t much you need for equipment. Or you could try long-boarding. Long-boards are skateboards designed for downhill travel, mostly. They aren’t easy to push up a hill, so most people who ride them tend to shuttle or walk up hills and then ride down. Similar to the long-board is the paddle board. The paddle board is a sort of mock surf board that’s wide to help you balance on it. You can stand or kneel and paddle your way across a lake. Every once in a while at the lake I visit I see two people on a paddle board, but not often, so the introvert can be more comfortable. Or you can take your dog with you. Lots of people do that.

If you’re not so introverted, you can gather up a bunch of your friends and start a volleyball game, a soccer (aka futbol) game, baseball, softball, hockey, lacrosse, kick the can, jousting, water polo, paintball, go cart racing, jai alai, or even disc golf.

One of the main points I’m trying to make is that there are so many sports to play, I’m sure everyone on Earth could pick one that they enjoy. If you don’t enjoy one, try another. And I bet you haven’t tried them all yet. I dare you to go out and try a new one today. Don’t let Mister Jefferson down. Once you’ve read this archive post, then you’ve done your reading. Now leave your afternoon free for some endorphin-producing exercise.