There’s no doubt about it that boating is a recreational sport. It’s a calming, relaxing way to dump the stresses of life and glide along a smooth plate glass of water while enjoying the sights and sounds of nature around you. When you are into boating, there are a lot of sports you can explore for recreational value.Water skiing is one of the most popular boating recreation sports that boaters do. It’s fun to do and requires little in the way of equipment although the equipment can be a little expensive. A nice pair of water skis can run upwards of a couple hundred dollars, and a good slalom ski can be even more expensive. However, when you consider all you really need is skis and a tow rope, it’s no wonder that water skiing is a popular boating recreation sport.Another fun recreational sport to do while boating is wake boarding – also known as boogie boarding. This involves taking a board much life a surfboard but smaller in size. A person kneels on the board while keeping hold of the tow rope and skims across the water jumping waves.Inner tubing is also another recreational boating sport many people enjoy. The fun part about inner tubing is that it can be done by small children and older people alike. Many tubes designed for pulling behind a boat will have handles on them to make it easier to hold on while traveling across the waves.Fishing is a recreational sport in and of itself, but when you are fishing while boating, you get double the enjoyment. You have access to areas not easily gotten to on land where the big fish are hiding just waiting for the tasty treat at the end of your fishing line. The leisurely float with a fishing pole in your hand is a great way to enjoy recreational boating sports.For some people, the ultimate recreational activity while boating is just sitting back and relaxing while the shore passes by. In a world where everyday life can be so stressful, relaxing can itself be considered a sport. After all, people participate in sports because they like them. Why can’t relaxation be a recreational boating sport as well?The feel of the wind in your face as you are piloting your watercraft on a smooth lake is a recreational boating sport for anyone who loves boating. When you consider all of the other sports you can do while boating, the result is definitely some satisfying recreational activities.
Consider Taking Up Recreational Sports To Relieve Stress
Nobody has to tell you how stressful it is living in today’s society. Because the cost of living has sky rocketed, we have to worry about paying bills, holding on to our jobs and providing for our children. Many of us work long hours seated at a desk, leaving us unable to get much exercise. To make matters worse, after we finally get home and put dinner on the table and get our children settled in for the night, we end up plopping down on the couch, in front of the television.
Some of us may head to the computer to surf the web or answer email correspondence. The combination of daily stress and lack of exercise has a poor effect on our bodies. It also impacts our minds because without a way to reduce stress, it may adversely our sleep habits and cause forms of insomnia. This can decrease our ability to think clearly during the day and can make it difficult to complete even simple tasks. That’s why it is of great importance to find an outlet for our stress and have fun as well. One such way is to participate in recreational sports.
Participating in recreational sports is an excellent way to relieve stress. It can be as simple as joining your local bowling league. Bowling is a lot of fun and it’s something that the whole family can participate in. You can rent the shoes for it at the alley and use their bowling balls, so you don’t have to buy expensive gear. If you have extra space in your home, you can invest in a ping pong table.
It might not seem like it but ping pong is a great form of exercise because you have to move around your side of the table a lot to keep the ball in play. It also requires you to swing your arm which provides additional skill. Many people have turned to golf as a way to get in shape and relax. Golf requires a lot of walking and swinging of the club. Most golf courses are designed to look like parks so playing a game of golf can take you out of your stressful atmosphere at work and place you in a peaceful setting where you can get some exercise and relax at the same time.
There are many other choices available in recreational sports. You can choose to take a dance class, or go bicycle riding. You can team up with some friends and take daily walks around the neighborhood or even in the mall. Mall walking is very popular and many stores open early to allow people to walk through them without having to do so while the shoppers are there. There’s also tennis, running and horseback riding. For the brave, there is parasailing and extreme sports like mountain climbing that burn calories and relieve stress while providing them with the thrills of a lifetime.
Choosing the Right Recreational Sport for yourself
How do you know which recreational sport is right for you? Though this is a simple question, it may not have a simple answer. Before answering this question, it makes sense to define what a recreational sport is. In layman terms, a recreational sport is any sport activity or event that one engages in during leisure time. In other words, it is a sport activity or event performed primarily for entertainment and fun. Though in some cases there may be monetary rewards associated with recreational sport, it is not usually the main goal. Other reasons associated with participating in a recreational sport includes: fitness, health, socialization, competition and sport support among others.
There are several options of recreational sports available for all age categories ranging from indoor to outdoor. Making the decision on which choice to pursue can be a real challenge and this varies significantly from one person to the other. For former professional athletes, the decision may be easier especially if they continue participating in their particular former professional sports, only at recreational level. The big task of choosing the right recreational sport is however on beginners. In order to make the right choice(s) if you are a beginner, it is important to consider the following general guidelines:
1.Choose a sport that you understand and passionate about: Recreational sport in a way becomes part of your lifestyle and therefore needs to be entertaining and enjoyable. Choosing something that you don’t like or have no knowledge about can be frustrating even if your friends adore it. It only makes sense to pursue something that you know the rules and regulations of the sport or game. However, this does not mean one cannot learn a new sport or game, but it easier to do so if you love the sport.
2.Consider your goals and objectives: As mentioned above, there are different reasons that drive people into recreational sports. Choosing a sport that is in line with your goals, for example losing weight will only enrich the overall recreational experience. Some one looking for a recreational sport to aid in cutting down some extra body weight may benefit from running, jogging, walking, hiking or swimming among other high calorie burning sport activities as opposed to playing cards or video games. On the other hand somebody looking for a recreational sport that favors socialization may benefit from the latter.
3.Facilities, tools and equipment required: Different recreational sports may require different tools, facilities or equipment or in some cases may require none at all. These tools, facilities or equipment may also vary depending on the needs of every person. For example if you want to play golf for recreation, you will definitely have to purchase a golf club, balls and perhaps shoes. You will also need an available and accessible golf course to play. In some cases if you have more than one favorite recreational sport, you may have to choose what is more convenient based on availability of facilities. It makes more sense to go running at a nearby track especially if you get off work late in the evenings than having to drive for several miles to get to a golf course (i.e. if you like both golf and running).
4.Availability of time: Since a recreational sport is a pastime sport, choosing the right one may be dictated by how much free time is at one’s disposal. Some recreational sports are more time consuming than others. Additionally some of these sports must only be played outside. Where as some sports such as running, jogging, walking, playing tennis, playing basketball or swimming offers both indoor and outdoor options, some of them, for example playing golf, hiking, kayaking, surfing among other don’t. The more time one has, the more the options to choose from and the vice versa.
5.Seasonality: Though this may not be a big deal for people living along the equatorial climatic regions, it definitely affects people living in areas with winter and summer season. Some recreational sports such as those requiring snow may only be available during winter and only in some parts of the world. So if skiing is the only favorite recreational sport that one can participate in, it means there will be nothing to do for most of the year i.e. during the other seasons. When deciding on the right sport for recreation, it is advisable to have more than one option especially in a situation where one is affected by seasonal changes.
6.Number of participants required: Where as most recreational sports require participation of more than one person at one time, some can be pursued individually. If your schedule doesn’t allow group or team participation, choosing a sport that will enable you to participate alone is a good idea. Jogging, walking, swimming, biking and running are great examples.
As mentioned earlier, this is not an exhaustive list of guidelines, but it is only meant to give you an idea of how to pick the best sport that will make your recreational life a success. Remember the bottom line is fun and entertainment.
Have a great recreational sports life.
Playbook: A samping of recreational opportunities in the greater Ballston Spa area. Published Sept. 5, 2010
Playbook: A samping of recreational opportunities in the greater Ballston Spa area. Published Sept. 5, 2010
Falling Leaves 5K race now registering
Read more on The Saratogian
MSU Recreational Sports & Fitness Day
Missouri State hosted the 2nd Annual Recreational Sports and Fitness Day on September 29, 2009. The event brought together many different student organizations to promote exercise and wellness through activities and free giveways.
Recreational Running: How to Start and Improve your Recreational Running
Recreational running as the name suggests is leisure or fun running. Though running has been around for as long as the humans have existed, recreational running has become more common in today’s world. Where as some people have made recreational running part of their lifestyles most of them have still yet to get started. Knowing the benefits of recreational running is a vital part in making the decision whether to pursue it or not. Before we look at how to get started with recreational running, here are some of the main benefits:
•Promotes healthy lifestyle, helps in losing extra body weight
•Reduces life related stresses and brain fatigue
•Refreshes and relaxes the mind hence the whole body
•Improves the general body strength, endurance, power and stamina by building muscle
•Can lead to competitive running sometimes
•Boosts the immunity of the body (most people who engage in recreational running rarely get sick)
•Great form of entertainment
These are just a few of the benefits, but the next question is how can someone with no prior experience start recreational running? Here are some of the helpful tips to help you get started and continue to make it part of your lifestyle:
1.Do your physicals: – Seek medical advice from your physician to make sure that your health status can allow you to pursue recreational running. It is especially important for people who are overweight to consult with their physician to ensure that they are physically able to run or jog without over stressing their body systems.
2.Find a trainer or coach: – Once you have been cleared by your physician, you need to sit down with your trainer or personal instructor who will advise you accordingly. With the help of your trainer or coach, set some realistic goals. Your trainer can help you decide on the right training shoe and tracksuit. Remember to start slow, it is really tempting to put too much on your plate the first time and not be able to get started. Most people get discouraged early in the process as a result of taking too many steps at one time. One step at a time is all you need and before you know, one step becomes a mile and a mile eventually becomes a couple of miles each day. Your goals should not become an obsession; but rather they should just be motivating factors. Remember recreational running should be fun and entertaining not a job.
3.Join recreational running friends, groups or clubs: Unlike other recreational sports such as indoor games, recreational running is more challenging physically and mentally. Having other people with similar or same interests around is significant for progress. This is especially important for support when the going becomes more challenging. It is also easier to achieve your goals if you treat recreational running as a social activity, after all you are having fun with friends. If for some reason you can’t find others to run or jog with, you can always take your dog for company, he/she will really enjoy doing that and it is great for his/her health too.
4.Participate in fun competitive races: One good goal to include in recreational running is to compete on fun road running. This is a great motivator for both beginners and experienced recreational runners alike. Running or jogging and finishing a 5 K, 10K, half marathon fun race is a wonderful experience that only the competitor is able to explain. There is something special about running with hundreds or thousands of other runners. By this point, recreational running will have become part of your live.
5.Take breaks to recover: I am sure you trainer or coach is knowledgeable enough to include breaks in your training program. The body needs to recover in order for it to make any progress. The principle behind improving your performance in any sport whether recreational or professional is “recovery and adaptation”. The simple explanation of this principle is, training stresses the body, but recovery enables it to recover and adapt to the new level of stress. So the more you train the better you become as long as you recover and do everything else right. Ideally, you can rest 1 – 3 days every week depending on your level of training and your goals. It is also significant to take a complete rest once every few months and do something else like swimming, playing tennis or anything else you enjoy doing other than recreational running.
Other key points to take into account for successful recreational running include:
•Eating healthy: always stay on top of healthy balance diet. It will only help your progress if you eat right, you don’t have to worry about counting calories.
•Hydrate always: Remember almost 75 percent of our bodies are made up of fluids. It is always healthy to drink as much water as possible. This can be supplemented with sports drinks or 100 percent juices. Avoid drinking carbonated drinks if you can, they only help to dehydrate your body.
•Supplements are vital: Mineral and vitamin supplements are crucial for your body’s well being especially when you are involved in recreational sport of any kind.
This is not an exhaustive guide to recreational running but it is a good starting place. There are numerous resources to find more information online. Start recreational running today and enjoy a new fulfilling healthy lifestyle.
Airsoft Guns For Interesting Recreational Sports
Games are fun. But it is not only fun, but exciting and thrilling when the games are war games with guns. Well, not the original guns, of course, but with Airsoft guns. Today toys are not only for small boys, but even the big boys play with toys, known as the Airsoft toys. The Airsoft guns are replica of real firearms, but they are safe to use or play with because the pellets are made of plastic. The Airsoft guns are of three types- the Spring Airsoft Guns, which is spring powered, the Electric Airsoft Guns , which is electric motor powered and the Gas Airsoft Guns, which is gas powered. The participants in the games are advised to wear full face mask, for safety sake. Airsoft games are are exciting experience, but it depends on the place and budget. There are many things you have to consider when you buy an Airsoft gun, like the size, weight, the capacity, the battery life, reliability, accuracy etc.Apart from guns, you can also find Airsoft Pistols and Airsoft Rifles. For starters, the Mini Electric Airsoft Rifle is recommended. because it is automatic with 4 AA batteries. For players who are more experienced and love thrill, then you should go in for Airsoft Snipper Rifle. These rifles are available in different brands and prices and can be spring action-ed, or with powerful electric motor.When Airsoft toys are used for games, remote control or RC toys are used for various hobbies like flying, racing, sailing etc. RC toys are fun, durable and easy to operate. There are many varieties of RC toys like helicopters, airplanes, cars, boats, trucks, tanks etc. RC toys have four parts- Transmitter, receiver, motors and power source. There are plenty of stores selling RC products both local and online.RC cars are available as gas powered RC cars, electric RC cars, nitro RC cars and mini RC cars. The electric RC are are easy to control, but if you have limited space for racing, then you can go in mini RC cars. For more fun, you have the RC buggies. The RC trucks are in great demand in the market. They come with powerful engine and strong body, which lasts long without getting damaged easily.For those interested in flying hobby, there are many models of RC helicopters and RC airplanes, and for sailing hobby, you have RC boats. When buying RC toys for you child, you have to first decide what model to get him, the size depending on the space available, the quality, the technical details etc.