Sports activities are a great way of keeping active and staying fit. They get the heart pumping, help improve lung function, increase confidence, and reduce stress. The list goes on. But sporting activities aren’t the only thing that can provide all these benefits and more.
The solution for those who aren’t a fan of sports is trying some ‘non-sports activities’. There’s a long list of these that could suit your lifestyle and preferences. The best part about the ones we’ve picked out is they’re all affordable and can be performed in the comfort of your own home.
1. Dancing
This doesn’t need to be professional dancing in a genre such as ballet, hip-hop or folk but instead can just simply be you, your living room and an electronic device such as your phone. Find a playlist to your liking, press play and off you go. There’s no need to follow any kind of routine for this, just let your body loose and dance like nobody’s watching.
However, if you do prefer following a routine of some kind, there are plenty of video tutorials to follow online and even dedicated games for dancing. But how effective can dancing really be for your health? More significantly beneficial than it may seem. Dancing has proven to improve cardiovascular health as well as boost cognitive performance.
2. Hula hooping
Whilst on the surface, hula hooping may not sound all that thrilling, it’s definitely a non-sport activity you can do to challenge yourself a little. Once you’re comfortable with the standard singular hula hoop, try introducing a few more, perhaps even have a go at hula hooping on different parts of your body, arms and legs for example.
Want to take your hula hooping to the next level? Try using a weighted hula hoop. These have become increasingly more popular within the past few years and have many health benefits. For example, 30 minutes of hula hooping can burn anywhere from 165 calories to 200 calories.
3. Yoga/Pilates
Both yoga and pilates are fabulous to try if you’re looking for something that is gentle on both the body and the mind. Whilst it’s been proven that exercise of any form is beneficial for mental wellbeing, yoga and pilates assist with mood-boosting and relaxation, which overall helps build a healthier frame of mind.
You can practice both from home or in a class. A pilates class will allow you to be amongst like-minded individuals whilst also receiving some guidance from a professional within the industry. But it is just as effective to undergo either exercise at home. With so many great online tutorials and videos you can watch, pilates and yoga are both brilliant exercises for flexible living.
4. Skipping
Skipping is a true hidden gem of an exercise. With just a skipping rope, plenty of open space and a little bit of time, you will see and feel the impact maintaining this activity will have on your body and wellbeing. No space to skip to your heart’s content? Local parks and greens are great for skipping whilst simultaneously getting out in nature at the same time.
Alongside the usual benefits that exercise provides such as burning calories and toning the body, one of the perhaps most impactful health benefits is the effect skipping has on your heart and lungs. This activity is classed as a cardio exercise, so increases heart rate, allowing for a gradual increase of stamina over time.
5. Gardening
With roughly 42% of the UK now avid gardeners, this activity is certainly worthy of being on our list of non-sports to take up this year. The versatility of gardening allows people of all ages to plant what they want, where they want. No space in your garden or don’t own one? Allotments are a brilliant and usually affordable solution to this.
Better yet, gardening has an incredible number of health benefits ranging from calorie burning to nourishing your wellbeing. If just hearing it from us isn’t enough, scientists from all over the globe are in agreement that gardening helps with physical and mental health.
