I think most people have something they like to do to improve their overall fitness, sense of well-being, whether it's a sport, exercise, yoga, etc.
I've done a lot of different sports over my lifetime. I played a lot of tennis when I was younger - killer drop shot, but too many unforced errors (we call it winner tennis).
I used to love playing hockey in Shoreview, MN on Sunday mornings when it was -15F; that way it was too cold for the kids to come out and we had the rink to ourselves. Last couple years, I have been doing sprint triathlon, and half marathons, and even some cricket.
What do you Citizens like to do for exercise/fitness?
I do a lot of running, which has been well documented here (and everywhere). During the warm months, I also play softball.
I consider softball a good exercise for an off day for me. It keeps me on my feet for a few hours and the occasional bouts of sprinting can help spike the metabolism a bit, which makes it pretty decent for burning extra calories. It's certainly not doing much on it's own, but it's a lot better than just sitting around on an off day.
I'm trying (yet again) to get back into lifting. I've enjoyed it a bit more this time around. I need to lose some weight and extra muscle really helps speed that process along. It'll also help my softball. I hit so many balls off the fence on the fly last year (ugh). I had one that hit the top of the fence, bounced straight up, and then came back into the field of play. All I need is a little extra muscle to get 10 more feet on some of those fliners.
I take a 1-2 mile walk most everyday (weather permitting). Nothing too fancy.
I really, really like stationary biking. I know that sounds crazy, but I enjoy it.
I enjoy spinning classes with the right instructor. The problem is, the instructors at the Y at the most convenient times are all not particularly good. I also enjoy pickup basketball, and I need to get back into soccer.
I haven't been to the gym in probably 18 months, but I really enjoyed lap-swimming and the treadmill. I try to be active, but my most consistent exercise is probably the daily 15-minute walk to and from the parking ramp.
Weather/season permitting, I train for and run 5k's, 7k's and half-marathons and agreed to do the Grandma's full in 2014.
I play softball in the summer and used to do some league basketball in the winter (not this year or last).
We have a bicycle trainer, some dumbbells and an elliptical machine in the basement that see intermittent use; more in the cold months than summer.
I also snowboard and hunt (lots of walking) and do yard work (chop fire wood) and play with Kernel...which is exhausting.
As mentioned many times here I like biking, hiking, snowshoeing. I'm going to ask for a pass to Vertical Endeavors for Christmas so I can try rock climbing a little bit. See if I like that.
If you get to VE and want a climbing partner, let me know. I have climbed a ton in the last few years at a local Y but haven't ever been to either VE location.
I mostly play table tennis. While it isn't one of the things people tend to think of as real exercise, I play doubles for an hour over lunch with some coworkers, mainly from Asia. It really gets the blood pumping.
I like to play full-court basketball. But I'm too old and fragile for that; I haven't played in over a decade (wow! 12-13 years already?).
Instead, I have a routine at the gym: walk for 15 minutes on the treadmill at a brisk pace; ride a stationary bike for ~15 minutes at a moderate pace (or, sometimes, ride intervals of 30-second max effort/60 seconds of moderate-to-slow, for 15 minutes); circuit training on resistance machines (about 8-10 different machines); 15 minutes of ROM kick-boxing exercises and core work, and 30 minutes or so of stretching.
I'm pretty routine-oriented in my workouts, almost always following the same pattern. I use low weights/resistance Because Old, but lots of range of motion and balance stuff. Us old people need to work on flexibility and balance and core strength.
Also, I park about 10 blocks from my office, partly Because Cheap (free street parking) and partly for the daily exercise walking to/from.
Volleyball! Usually 2-3 times per week, sand in the summer, indoors in the winter. Mostly co-ed so I can play on a team with my wife (only took me about 12 years to get about as good as she is), but some men's leagues, too.
I like softball but my right arm doesn't. Haven't played for a couple years now, since I took the summer off after wrecking my knee. Hope to get into it again this year.
Otherwise, hiking, hunting, trapping, chores, wrestling with the kids- nothing formally designated as "exercise", but anything that gets me up and moving counts, right?
Right!
I run. Mainly because I don't have time for anything else. I can get a three mile run in three days per week in about 25 minutes. That takes care of my exercise and dog duties in one.
I like to bike, too, but it takes so much longer to get the same workout as running that I rarely have time. I didn't get on the bike once this past summer since I was training for the half marathon and had to stick with running.