How to Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Joining a Sports Club

If you're feeling the need to get outdoors, do some exercise and kick-off a health drive, there's a whole host of ways of getting into a new activity.

It is recommended by medical professionals that adults should aim to exercise for half an hour everyday in order to stay fit and healthy. If you're not used to this, it may sound like quite a lot, but one way of side-stepping the boredom or chore like nature of exercise is to join a sports club. Below we've outlined three simple and interesting options that may be right on your doorstep.

Running clubs

It's obviously possible to don your lycra, lace up your trainers and start pounding the streets as a means of getting fit. Running is one of the best ways of getting healthy and losing weight - if that's the aim. However, what's great about joining a running club is that you're sure to find people who are like minded and of similar ability to you, which may increase your motivation.

Throughout the country there are hundreds of clubs that cater to all levels of runners, from the person who thinks they can't run a mile to people aiming for near elite times at the marathon. The benefits are many, not least you'll have other people to run with, who will encourage you and, before you know it, you'll have breezed through a 5k run and will start to think how far you can push yourself. Furthermore, group running offers security when out and the advice of experienced runners can be invaluable in avoiding injury and improving performance. So if you want to  get fit and healthy by taking up running, find out about running clubs.

Rowing clubs

Offering a slightly more expensive option than a running club, rowing is a great sport for learning a great new skill and getting really fit. It's believed that the (admittedly upstream) University boat race on the River Thames forces its participants to endure the equivalent exertion of sprinting up the stairs of the Empire State building - now, not everyone is aiming to be an elite professional but it gives you an idea of what type of workout is needed to achieve through rowing.

With the relatively large amount of equipment, technical skills and the safety issues of being out in open water - it is best to join a rowing club as a beginner if you are looking to get into rowing. ‘British Rowing’ recently launched a subsidized initiative to open 50 new rowing clubs across the UK, which aims to provide stable boats so people can learn to row and develop stronger grass roots initiatives that will encourage the continued growth of the sport. With the numerous waterways dotted throughout the country, rowing is a sport that's fairly accessible for most people. What's more, it's very social - you'll often be rowing with a crew so it can be a great way of meeting new people. And, as previously mentioned... it'll get you fitter.

Open air swimming

A slight deviation from its more widely practiced indoor cousin, open-air swimming is a great activity to get into especially as the weather warms up and the days get longer. The beauty of open air swimming lies in the swimming pools themselves, many are lidos dating from the 1930s or before. Clubs have been set up in order to maintain these iconic and often large swimming pools, and the costs are not inconsiderable.

If you join a swimming club that's affiliated with an open air swimming pool, it is possible to gain year-round and exclusive access to the site - meaning that you can avoid the crowds and get fitter and healthier in a unique environment. In the Spring and Summer months this can be especially rewarding. For example, you can get up for an early morning swim as the sun's coming up or get some quality lengths done in an evening's fading rays.

Swimming offers a great all body, low impact workout - and it's relatively easy to go from unfit beginner to a toned regular in a matter of weeks. As with all exercise, it's important to set yourself a goal and stick to it, so this summer open air swimming could be just the ticket.

Joining a sports club is a great way to boost your fitness levels and meet some new friends. Fitness clubs offer the support and advice of seasoned pros, which can make your path to fitness much more enjoyable in the long run.

Byline: The article comes from CS Healthcare, the specialist provider of medical health insurance for all parts of the civil service, public sector and not-for-profit organizations.

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