Best Sports for Newcomers

Many of us have new year’s resolutions and they’re usually about eating well and getting fitter during the year ahead. We know that most people will give up on their resolutions and some may not even try them at all, but we’d like to help everyone with ambitions to get fitter this year.

Becoming more active can be an easy transition for sports fans. There are dozens of live sports events on daily and it’s really simple to find out what sport is on today, but have you ever thought about replicating the sports stars you see on the screen? Sports are really simple to get involved with and could not only increase your health, but give you a new social circle too. In this article, we’ll show you the best sports for getting into shape with in 2021.

Running

It’s been a staple of athletics since its inception and has long been synonymous with fitness. The reason for the enduring popularity of running is simple: it’s cheap, simple and effective.

There are a variety of health benefits to running including improving your cardiovascular fitness, building strong bones and strengthening muscles, but that’s not all – running will also give huge benefits to your mental health and can increase your social circle. Physical activities, such as running, bump up your endorphin production and can alleviate the symptoms of depression or stress.

The ease of access for getting into the sport is a real benefit too as all you really need are a pair of trainers to suit your feet. You can run almost anywhere on land (although we’d recommend sticking to pavements at first!), and as there’s no pitch or time constraint, you can literally start and finish whenever suits your needs.

Motivation is often the biggest stumbling block for new runners but with technology constantly evolving, it’s easy to set yourself targets and record your performances via certain apps. Strava is an excellent free app which allows you to not only record your own runs, but also see your friends’ progress so you can keep yourself motivated on beating their results too!  

Tennis

Every year the nation falls in love with tennis during summer as the Wimbledon Championships get underway and the local courts are flooded with aspiring athletes trying to be the next Andy Murray or Heather Watson.

Tennis is the perfect activity to ease your way into the world of health and sport. Tennis can be played as singles or doubles, and due to having two to four people on each court it’s socially rewarding as you’ll meet people who share similar interests and common goals. Another benefit to tennis as opposed to more strenuous activities is that it’s a lifetime sport. At local clubs you’ll find youngsters who can barely hold a racket through to grandparents playing the same sport and this means it’s one you can enjoy for years with your loved ones.

Physically you’ll improve your agility, flexibility and balance, as well as burning calories to help weight loss.

Cycling

Cycling has seen a resurgence in popularity since Bradley Wiggins won the Tour de France in 2012. People usually start their love affair with cycling as children, using their bike purely for fun and freedom. As we get older, people retain their affinity with their bicycle but the usage changes to more functional applications for transport and health.

Cycling can be really fun and there’s a broad range of different bicycles to choose from depending on the type of riding you’ll be doing. Road cycling is one of the most popular forms of the exercise and that’s due to the autonomy of being able to maintain constant speeds for long periods of time.

Once you’ve got a bicycle, you can choose to go at your own pace and for your own set amount of time. It’s all down to you to decide how far you push yourself to keep the pounds off, as well as increase your cardiovascular strength.