Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

Josh Leo has been trying to figure out why people feel so passionate about sports. He went to a hockey game and was bored, so he thought he’d try to participate in sports to see if that would create a passionate experience for him.

Josh Leo’s Vlog » Josh on Sports – Part 2

I love his final decision on the process:

“I think it’s pretty clear that this isn’t working out. I don’t think that playing sports badly is the best way to get an understanding about the passion that people have for sports.”

He’s right. Passion for sports is not about playing sports so much as being part of a tribe. If you don’t feel connected to your local hockey or basketball team, sports will hold little interest for you. So, the question still remains, if you have never enjoyed sports, how do you get excited for exercise?

Exercise and being active doesn’t have to happen in a sports environment. It also doesn’t have to happen at a gym. You can increase your activity just by changing your life a little bit. Here are a few ways to keep active without resorting to sports:

• Once a week, walk to the grocery store to get your groceries. Only buy as much as you can carry in two bags.

• Once a week, find an alternate route to work that doesn’t require your car. Even if you live too far from your work to walk or ride a bike, there are still alternative routes for you. You could take public transportation. The walk to and from the bus stops will add activity to your day.

• Get an active job. You might not want to give up your lucrative day job, but a part time job that is active (like at a department store stocking shelves) will not only bring in extra money, but move you in ways that you aren’t used to.

Just because sport is the method that so many people use to increase activity, doesn’t mean you have to resort to that option. There are as many ways to exercise as there are people. Go find your own favorite!