WHICH SPORT IS RIGHT FOR ME?

Swimming, jogging, badminton: Of course, there are countless sports out there – but which is the ONE that perfectly suits your own wishes and goals? How do you find the perfect pastime that keeps you slim and healthy while also being fun? As a sports scientist, I would proceed as follows…

The most important tip right at the beginning – the perfect sport must first and foremost be fun. Because if you have fun, you stay on the ball in the long term (or on the tennis racket, on the hiking trail, on the bike, and so on). If you’re having fun, you don’t have to motivate yourself for a long time before you start. Hardly a training session is canceled, which is crucial for everyone who wants to see results at some point. Because regular training is the most important success factor for fat loss, muscle building, and better endurance. With fun, everything runs like clockwork.

AND HOW DO YOU FIND THIS PERFECT SPORT?

Quite simply: by trying it out.

It is best to get out a piece of paper and pen beforehand and put your gut feeling on paper (without mental barriers):

Which sport did you enjoy when you were a child ( hula hoop, football)?

What have you always wanted to try (golf, dancing, marathon running)?

Are there famous athletes who impress you with their spirit or their body?

What would you most like to look like?

Also extremely important: your personal goals.

Do you want to exercise to lose weight?

Do you want to build muscle and just look sportier?

Is your goal more to stay healthy and fit?

Do you want to get rid of those annoying back pains that plague you in the office?

How much time do you have for sports?

Do you need fixed dates to really go or can you motivate yourself?

Finding the perfect sport: 3 central questions

The last three questions on the list are particularly important. How much time is available, can it be divided freely, and/or are other people needed to implement the sports plan? In another article, I explain why parents in particular should take the time to exercise and the benefits of doing so. There is also a sport that is ideal for parents.

Team sports are valuable for children because they learn certain things that are important for life: stick to fixed deadlines, cooperate with others to achieve common goals, sometimes hold back and let others do the show, work with others for theirs Enjoy success, take on a role in the team and fulfill it reliably.

As an adult, these experiences can still be important and valuable, but adults tend to benefit from the high fun factor and social contact with others in team sports. For some it is difficult to reconcile two fixed training dates per week with personal everyday life with job and family, others need exactly that – fixed dates in order to go at all. This is a type of question.

Individual sports such as jogging or cycling have the advantage that everyone decides for themselves when the training session takes place. You don’t necessarily have to make appointments with others. If you need several people to have fun while jogging, you can also quickly find running partners – for example running groups in your place of residence (just look it up on the internet). Running doesn’t have to be lonely.