Forrest Gump - A man who just loved running
A wise man (Naval Ravikant) once said that you should find 3 hobbies:
one that keeps you fit
one that makes you money
one that keeps you creative
I want to really focus on the first point, a hobby that keeps you fit, the key word in that sentence is hobby. A hobby is something you enjoy doing regularly. If you didn’t enjoy it then it wouldn’t be a hobby, it would be a pain. So to put that first point in other words, find something you enjoy that keeps you fit.
Why? Because if it’s enjoyable, then it won’t be difficult and if it’s not difficult you will look forward to doing it. A win win situation for you and your physical state.
Last year I signed up to this app called Footy Addicts with some friends. Footy Addicts lets you look for football matches near you and allows you to sign up for a small fee. The matches vary from 5 aside all the way to 11 aside. I love football so this app is a godsend, it allows me to play football regularly whilst also keeping fit. Being fit isn’t a strong point of mine and to be honest I’m not that good at football either but I enjoy playing football and players of all abilities are welcome. There’s no added pressure of being up to a certain standard.
As an adult, keeping fit is hard, you rarely have the luxury of free time. Going to the gym can also be boring. If you don’t think so, I implore you to visit the gym without headphones and watch how time drags. Only a small amount of people actually enjoy the process of going to the gym, you may enjoy the feeling of accomplishment at the end but usually the whole process is something you want to get over and done with. Finding a hobby that keeps you fit will allow you to mix up your weekly gym routine.
Before you became an adult, keeping fit would have been easy. As an adolescent if you wanted a kick about, you’d knock on your friends door and ask him to join you, you didn’t have jobs or priorities, nothing could stop you. At school you had compulsory physical education lessons and at university you had a variety of sports clubs to join. All the things you don’t get as an adult. To get a few friends together for a kick about alone takes a lot of planning, this is why Footy Addicts is a great idea, in the space of 5 minutes on the app I can find a game, book it and pay.
An added bonus of playing football in London is the variety of people from different backgrounds you get to interact with. As a person new to London, this app doubles up as a way to make friends. For example through Footy Addicts, I know of someone who recently made friends with an Australian who had just relocated to London. It’s a great way to meet new people in a relaxed environment. School was the best place to make friends and most of your life long friendships start from school, however it gets really difficult post school to make new friends, especially If you’re in a new city. With the constant stream of people moving to London for work, Footy Addicts is a great way for them to meet new people whilst (yes you guessed it) keeping fit!
Disclaimer: Being active is only one part of keeping fit, eating well is just as important if not more. Trust me I know. However find a hobby to keep you fit and you’re half way to posting half naked pictures on the gram!
Not everyone likes football so it would be great if there were apps like this for other sports, maybe there are. Please comment below if you know of any, thank you!
By the way If you want to listen to the full periscope from Naval where that initial statement is from, a link is here https://www.pscp.tv/w/1nAKEyeLYmRKL
Thanks to GG and Saran for reading my initial drafts.