The other day when I was out and about running some errands, I had the privilege to run into an old friend. We had connected earlier in the week at the pickleball courts in Yountville. He mentioned how fun the sport was and how his body wasn’t as stressed after a tennis session. He added that the few hours he went to play pickleball gave him a great workout. “I don’t like to work out that much anymore at the gym or a group fitness class because it’s just not fun anymore. I get bored.” He added, “But pickleball is something I can go out and play with my wife, my friends, and meet new people while still getting a great workout. My calorie ring on my fitness watch tracked that I burnt nine-hundred active calories.”
Conversations we have with our personal training clients are similar. For example, an important question we ask clients who are just starting their personal training experience is, “What holds you back from achieving your fitness goals?” Along with lack of time, not being sure where to begin, and fear of getting hurt, “The gym isn’t a fun place,” is a standard answer.
For some people, entering the same room day in and out is boring. Visiting the leg press machine that’s still warm from the body heat of the person previously using it can be off-putting. Waiting your turn for the lat pulldown machine as another gym-goer shuffles throughout their phone sitting on the equipment when you want to get in and out efficiently can be maddening. Lastly, if there are no parking spaces at the gym, a knee-jerk reaction for a person who already lacks the motivation to get into the gym after a long day of work is to pull a one-eighty, drive home, and avoid the gym altogether. As a result, the gym can lose its appeal. If it’s a person’s primary source of exercise, these variables can be hard-pressed to keep a person’s interest.
Circling back to my conversation about pickleball with my friend, he mentioned how fun and what an excellent workout his pickleball experiences gave him. If something is fun, the desire to return to this activity increases. This demonstrates a potent tactic to stay fit while finding something you enjoy. For my friend, this new recreational physical activity keeps him outside and running around.
Keeping a fun physical activity is an effective method to stay fit. However, let’s not forget, recreational physical activities like pickleball require light running, changing directions, and swinging a racket. These are significant movements that apply stress to the body. Whether it be a recreational sport, gardening, or playing catch with your kids, the body needs optimal condition to reinforce the longevity of these activities. It’s essential to support such a physical activity with strength training and injury prevention exercises to participate in an activity we genuinely enjoy sustainably. Therefore, a good ratio to hold yourself to is to perform at least one hour of strength training and injury prevention exercise every three hours you participate in your recreational physical activity.
Let’s not forget that recreational physical activity can be a primary form of maintaining our fitness levels. However, remember that routine exercise has its place in ensuring the body stays strong, balanced, coordinated, and free of injuries.
Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com , or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.
