Basketball season is starting. Although it’s fun for most to watch this sport, both live and on television, it’s also a fun activity that promotes fitness. Here are five healthy benefits of playing basketball recreationally, for both children and adults:

1. Basketball promotes cardiovascular fitness. This is probably the most obvious benefit. This sport requires extensive running and jumping, which gives the heart and lungs a thorough workout. Since it’s usually an enjoyable activity, the workout can last long enough to burn quite a few calories while strengthening the body.

2. This sport helps tone muscles. It’s true that basketball won’t build a lot of muscle, but the acts of running, jumping, dribbling, and shooting can help tone muscles in most individuals. For those who are not into lifting weights, basketball can be a convenient way to tone flabby arms or legs.

3. Basketball improves coordination. Especially when children and teens are the players, basketball is a great method for developing coordination among the hands, eyes, feet, legs, and arms. Practicing basketball on a regular basis can do wonders for many clumsy kids.

4. Shooting hoops helps develop socials skills and builds bonds. Since basketball is a social sport requiring at least two players, it’s also a great outlet for people to socialize in a healthy way. When teams are established and more than two players are involved, team work also comes into play. The social skills needed for basketball will help both children and adults succeed in other areas of life.

5. Playing basketball can help boost confidence. This is particularly true for basketball players who are children. Even for those who are not incredibly talented, each new skill developed or basket made will send a little boost to an individual’s ego. Being a part of a winning team is another part of basketball that can build confidence in many. 

Show unconditional love. Kids who try something new are bound to fail sometimes, especially when they are involved in sports. Make sure you support your children when they make mistakes, showing love regardless of performance. In addition, encourage your children to learn from their mistakes in healthy ways, focusing on improvements and goals.

Hold your tongue. It’s all too common to see parents on the sideline, shouting orders to their kids or assaults at coaches and officials. Don’t be THAT parent. Shouting at your kids while they are playing will throw off their focus and often confuse them, causing unneeded problems. Even more, this kind of behavior can be embarrassing, and it teaches your kids that respecting others is not important. That’s not a purpose of children’s sports.

Keep your idealistic expectations to yourself. You may have big dreams of your son being quarterback of the football team, but he may not be cut out for it. And if he is, you’ll want him to follow that path on his own terms, choosing a sport because it brings joy, not because of parental pressure. On another note, you may wish your kid was the star player, when instead, she’s on the bench most of the game. Focus instead on the benefits of being part of a team, and encourage your child to do their best regardless of how much playing time he or she gets.

Although an athlete who participates in competitive sports or who has a tough training routine will require more protein than the same person who is sedentary, this protein is easily acquired through meals. The typical American diet actually provides too much protein. Consuming a portion of meat at each meal will likely provide all the protein you need and then some. The only people who would need supplementation would be those who cannot consume enough food to begin with, such as individuals in the late stages of AIDs. Those people are unlikely to be athletes.

Eating protein beyond the recommended levels provides no enhanced effect for athletes. In fact, doing so can actually hamper performance. If you’re eating protein shakes and bars for most of your nutrition, you’re likely losing out on carbohydrate foods that are essential to proper muscle development and performance. Your nutrition can be diminished as well if you consume protein foods instead of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains that provide a plethora of vitamins and minerals that your body needs to thrive and prevent disease.

To get the best benefits for your sports activities, choose balanced meals with plenty of unprocessed foods, drink ample amounts of clean, filtered water, and avoid fad diets, including supplementation that is not approved by your doctor.

Despite out best efforts, Ashley and I kept the “girls can’t play sports well” stereotype alive by sucking royally. Rarely did we ever catch a ball or make it past first base. But despite our lack of coordination, we always had fun, never noticing that we were exerting our hearts and muscles, and staying fit in the process.

In sixth grade, we transitioned to middle school and no longer was kick ball an option at lunch recess. I went through a grieving process after losing my daily kickball routine with Ashley. School was never as much fun again. Nor was exercise.

As an adult, I still yearn for the same kind of joy in a workout. Recently, I was pleasantly surpirsed to discover that adult kickball is an exercise option for me, as adult kickball leagues are actually already in existence all over the country. One of the most widely established kickball organizations is the World Adult Kickball Association, also known as WAKA.

WAKA is a co-ed club founded in 1998 in Washington, DC. The organization is open to any adult 21 years or older, who has adequate health insurance coverage. Each WAKA area has a league consisting of 4-16 teams. These teams play around 8 games per season, usually in the fall, followed by playoffs.

In addition to just playing kickball, WAKA offers social opportunities for members, including parties, camping trips, pub crawls, and opportunities to travel to Las Vegas for kickball championships each year.

Anyone who is internested in playing with WAKA can simply search for a local league at their website, kickball.com,  register online, and then join or form a team.

According to the book, Understand Sports Massage, there are three types of restorative massage for athletes:

Recovery Massage

Recovery massage is beneficial to athletes with no injuries who need to recover from strenuous training or competitions. Recovery massage routines focus on relieving muscle soreness and spasms and bringing the body back to homeostasis. It is similar to a full-body Swedish massage, although there may be special attention given to muscles that are used heavily for your sport.

Remedial Massage

Remedial massage uses more advanced massage for athletes with minor to moderate injuries. Deep tissue work and trigger point therapy is often used to break adhesions in soft tissues,and to restore muscles that are overcompensating in some way or not functioning properly. Tennis elbow and chronic pain from nerves pinched by muscles are two maladies that remedial sports massage can address.

Rehabilitation Massage

Rehabilitation massage is advisable for athletes recovering from severe injuries or surgeries. General full body massage is helpful while a person’s injury is new. This brings on a parasympathetic and healing response in the individual. In addition, dealing with injuries or surgery often results in overcompensation patterns that can cause further injuries or hinder athletic abilities. A massage therapist with advanced training can address these issues while providing massage routines that will aid in healing.

Finding a Sports Massage Therapist

Sports massage requires skill beyond basic Swedish massage. If you are interested in hiring a therapist for sports massage, make sure you find one who has an extensive knowledge of the sport you are involved. Certain massage techniques can cause neurological disorganization, taking a toll on any neurological training that you’ve achieved to play your sport with ease. In the same way, an exceptional massage therapist may be able to aid in neurological and movement training in your body.

To find the right sports massage therapist for you, ask for referrals from other athletes, physical therapists, or trainers in your area.

While Zumba is still the rage in many places, SH’BAM is starting to make its moves in fitness as well. SH’BAM is a lot like Zumba in the sense that you dance as exercise. It keeps you moving and sweating, but it also gives you some moves to use on the dance floor.

The major difference between Zumba and SH’BAM is that Zumba uses  a combination of salsa, merengue, cumbia, reggaeton, and current top songs; SH’BAM is all about the hottest hits. Pop, hip-hop, rap, you name it — SH’BAM will get you moving to the top hits of yesterday and today.

A SH’BAM class is usually only 45 minutes long. It’s pretty intense, and you don’t stop moving. There will be numbers that will allow you to  calm down and recover from the high-intensity numbers, but know that you will constantly move. A class is made up of 12 dance numbers, and each number has its own choreography. The first ten minutes are spent warming up, then you go through the series of work-out/recovery songs. Finally, you’ll be lead through a cool-down.

Every muscle will work while you are participating in SH’BAM! You can burn about 500 calories in one class without even realizing how much “work” your body is actually doing. This way of exercising is great way to get your body into shape. Not only that, but you can even transfer what you learned in class to the dance floor.

Zumba allows you do to that too, but only to a degree. Having taken both classes before, I think that SH’BAM is more “useful” in terms of the dance floor, but I like Zumba better. I feel like there is more technique and history around Zumba than its new rival, which often feels like hip-hop sans proper training; however, it is certainly starting to become all the rage just like Zumba did a few years ago.

It used to be only a game played with dogs and friends. Now Ultimate Frisbee has grown in prominence. One reason it grew from a game in the backyard to intense leagues in the park is the fitness benefits it offers.

For those who don’t know, Ultimate Frisbee is a non-contact sport that includes two teams of seven players on each team. It is played with a frisbee disc, and the object of the game is to send the disc into a goal by passing it to a teammate who is standing inside the endzone. It is similar to football in the way that players score, but the similarities stop there. One difference, besides lack of physical contact, is that every player on the team can catch the Frisbee. Like any other sports competition, the team that scores the most goals by the end of the game is the winner. The game usually ends at 15 points.

Playing a sport like Ultimate Frisbee can be very fun, but it can also help you get the healthy body you desire. First of all, if the frisbee throws and passes are executed the correct way, your arms will get a pretty good workout. Your legs will also get a workout since running is such a big part of the game. Finally, because you are on the move, the game will help you with your circulation.

All you need is a disc, a large grassy area, and friends to enjoy all the fitness benefits of Ultimate Frisbee.

Here are the top five finishers for both men and women:

Men:

1. Geoffrey Mutai KEN 2:03:02
2. Moses Mosop KEN 2:03:06
3. Gebregziabher Gebremariam ETH 2:04:53
4. Ryan Hall USA 2:04:58
5. Abreham Cherkos ETH 2:06:13

Women:

1. Caroline Kilel KEN 2:22:36
2. Desiree Davila USA 2:22:38
3. Sharon Cherop KEN 2:22:42
4. Caroline Rotich KEN 2:24:26
5. Kara Goucher USA 2:24:52

On the women’s side, Kara Goucher had a great performance even after giving birth to her son Colt a mere five months ago. The women’s race was certainly fascinating, but much of the news revolved around the men’s competition.

However, the biggest talk of the race was Mutai’s speedy time. While the previous course record of 2:05:52 was set by Robert Cheruiyot last year, Mutai ran the race in 2:03:02. This obviously raises questions on just how fast the fastest marathon can be run; can humans break the two hour time? While Mutai set a new course record and ran a time that is the fastest that anyone has ever ran a 26.2 mile distance, it does not count as a world record. This is because the Boston course is slightly downhill from the beginning to the end. Yes, that’s right, the site of one of the most famous marathons in the entire world is not certified as a record-quality course by the International Association of Athletics Federations or the United States Track and Field Association.

This is because it violates two rules. One rule is that there can’t be a net elevation loss of greater than one meter per kilometer, and Boston is at three percent. The second is that the course has to begin and end within 50 percent of the race’s distance, but Boston’s relationship is at about 90 percent.

So, if you’re planning on breaking records…go to London or Chicago instead.

First of all, playing sports gives your kids something to do and a group that your kids can belong to. I’m not making any promises, but I think if a child has a sport to play, he or she would have less chances to bring up the phrase no parent wants to hear: “I’m bored.” Also, playing sports can help kids meet new friends because they will be in a group with fellow peers who have the same interests.

While it is well known that sports can have tremendous effects on kids physically, many people don’t know that sports can help kids develop mentally as well.  From researches done by Family.com, kids who played sports, especially girls, are more likely to have confidence and very high self-esteem. Plus, physical activities can help kids to relieve stress and reduce depression. These same kids are also found to have excellent discipline. They learn to set goals and then work to achieve those goals. They learn that by working hard they can accomplish the things that they want to in their lives. Sports can also help many kids understand that you have to work as a team and help develop good leadership skills, which are important attributes for the future. Kids who play sports will also quickly learn that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. They learn to be good sports in both situations.

Additionally, playing sports can help kids perform better academically, believe it or not. Students who play sports in high school will be more likely to achieve academic success in high school and in the future. They will also develop math, motor, and strategic skills that will sure to help them with their future. Kids involved in sports are less likely to take drugs or smoke because they realize the impact that these destructive activities can have upon their performance. Girls who play sports are also less likely to become pregnant. What parent doesn’t want that?

With so many benefits to gain, encouraging your kid to get into sports might be a good decision.

The benefits of using tennis as a form of exercise are endless. First of all, tennis is ranked as one of the top five activities that burn the most calories in a hour (according to a report in Consumer Reports last year). In fact, if you play tennis for a hour you will have burned more calories than someone who has spent the same amount of time jogging, using a rowing machine, or doing yoga. That’s not the only basic benefit of tennis. Think about this: while many people buy expensive training equipment to improve every part of their bodies, they don’t know that all they really need are a tennis racket and ball because there isn’t a workout that tests and strengthens every part of your body like the sport of tennis.

First off, playing tennis can help sharpen your mind, as it help to tone your body. When the tennis ball is struck sharply, you have to react and respond quickly. This helps to keep the mind sharp and young. Also, tennis helps to tone your arms and legs, as it helps you to work your biceps, triceps, forearms, calves, hamstrings, and quadriceps. Tennis has also been known to be a big help for flexibility.  Additionally, tennis’ most important benefit is in the heart. Tennis can improve heart activity and lower the risk of heart disease.

While the benefits are well known, the sheer fun of playing the game of tennis is what makes this sport so great. It is a sport in which you can meet all types of people on the court. It is a sport that you can take your family out to play and connect with your kids. It is the perfect opportunity to make the family memories that you’ve always wanted. Plus, the sport is good because it is accessible. It is cheap to buy a racket and some tennis balls, and it is easy to find a court. Plus, it is an easy game for everyone to pick up. It is for all ages, no one is too young or too old.

Tennis is the perfect fitness workout as it  gives everyone involved both a fun today and a healthier tomorrow.