Choosing The Right Sport

Team sports and work-outs at the gym are fun, they also add to your exercise quota for the week, helping you reach your self-improvement goals that much faster. The benefits of taking part in specific sports and of working out are given here.

Make Exercise Easy To Do:
Your body cannot “store” fitness, so once you have started, you have to keep exercising regularly. Make your routine flexible, if you think it is going to be hard to maintain, don’t choose an activity that requires good weather or a long detour from your office or home.

Sports And Work – Outs:
Badminton: Aerobic; improves joint flexibility, stamina, leg and shoulder tone and strength. 30-40 minutes continuous play burns up around 200-600 calories.
Golf: anaerobic; improves arm, shoulder and leg tone, and strength (you walk 6.5-8km/4-5 miles when you do a round of golf and burn off around 100-200 calories).
Jogging: Aerobic; improves stamina and leg strength and tone, an hour’s jogging burns up to 200-350 calories. Before taking up jogging take the usual precautions, check with your doctor and, as with all aerobic exercise, increase the pace gradually.
Tennis: Aerobic; boosts stamina and suppleness, strengthens and tones your shoulders, forearms, calves and thighs, if you play very energetically (with plenty of running around the court) at least twice a week for an hour, you will burn up around 300-400 calories per session.
Brisk walking: Aerobic; strengthens and tones your legs. (you should lose up to 100 calories per hour)
Cycling: Aerobic; builds stamina, tones legs (an hour’s cycling could lose you 250-400 calories, depending on the terrain).
Skipping: Aerobic; boosts stamina, strength and leg tone. Start with 3 skipping sets of 30 seconds with a 5-minute break after each, then build up to skipping for 2 minutes with a 10-minute break and also increase the repetitions. (Expect to lose up to 500 calories per hour).
Rebounding: Aerobic; bounding on a mini trampoline is a fun way to get fit at home. (In an hour expect to lose 300 calories).
Swimming: Aerobic; swimming is one of the fastest and best ways to boost overall relaxation. Do 4 lengths of a 25m / 25yd pool, rest for a minute and build endurance by reducing rest time and increasing your swim time, within a fortnight you will be noticeably fitter and firmer, an hour’s breaststroke burns 500-800 calories.
Football: aerobic; improves stamina, strengthens and tones your legs,an hour’s play burns up around 250-1000 calories.
Boxing: Aerobic; improves stamina, tones and strengthens your chest, shoulders and arms, an hour’s boxing burns up around 400-600 calories.
Volleyball: Aerobic; improves stamina, tones and strengthens the whole body, especially your legs and arms, mobilizes joints, an hour’s play burns up 200-600 calories.
Squash: As above, an hour’s play burns up 400-1000 calories.
Aerobics: Specific aerobics classes combine exercise with constant movement for up to an hour, fast fat-burners are an ideal activity to do regularly, if you are after speedy results. In an hour-long class you would lose 250-500 calories, depending on intensity.
Circuit, cross, resistance or weight training: Aerobic; increase stamina, strength and suppleness, an hour of circuit training burns up 350-800 calories.
Step classes: Aerobic; improves stamina, tones and strengthens your lower torso (bottom, thighs and calves), an hour-long class burns up 500-800 calories.
Yoga: Improves posture, tones, strengthens and relaxes the body, loosens joints, an hour’s yoga burns up about 200 calories.