Sports for over 50s – there’s golf and then there’s…

Are you looking for something to keep you active, mobile and healthy which you can do right through retirement? Being active is essential not only for your physical health but also for your mental well-being. But it can be hard, as you get older, to find sports which are easy on joints and other parts of your body which just need that little bit of extra TLC.

We’ve come up with some fun and quirky sports which will keep you active so have a look and see if there’s one you like the look of!

Race walking

Now this is making a comeback. Race walking may look rather bizarre if you haven’t seen it before, but it’s a great way of keeping up your cardio with less impact on joints than running. So throw caution to the wind and get on board this revitalized exercise train (races have even taken place at the Rio 2016 Olympics on 19th August!) And if you’re a keen footballer, then being older and worrying about your joints doesn’t have to be an issue, there are over 400 walking football teams in the UK and a national championship to aim for!

Race walking is great because it’s:

• Cardio
• Easy on the joints
• Social
• Gets you outdoors
• Keeps you competing!

Body-boarding

Some of our Platinum Skies properties enjoy a seaside location, like Monterey and Esprit, so popping off to the beach is no problem. You might have surfed in your youth or never touched one of those floating boards, and now hiking yourself up to standing on a board seems a little far-fetched. Well, don’t throw the baby out with the sea-water! Body-boarding is just as much fun, less stress on the body, and great exercise. It can even be good for your health.

Silver body-boarder doesn’t have quite the same ring to it as silver-surfer but that’s no reason not to try it! Body-boards aren’t that expensive, and there’s nothing quite as thrilling as catching that white-crested wave and cruising into the shore-line (especially if you’re racing your grand-kids).

Body-boarding is great because it’s:

• Water-based cardio
• Easy on joints thanks to the laying down position
• Can be enjoyed with others and family members
• Gets you in the water!

Mountain Biking

The roads these days just seem to be getting busier and busier and sometimes it can feel unsafe to venture on them for a cycle ride. This is where mountain-biking can be a great activity. If you’ve never done it before you may just want to try straight-forward off-road trails and then head on to the more hill-orientated stuff. You will need some decent kit for this one, but it’s an incredibly social sport, allowing for a bit more chatter than running, is easier on the joints, gets you outside and is super for fitness.

Mountain biking is great because it’s:

• Social
• Can be done with clubs and groups
• Perfect for grandchildren
• Easy on joints
• Very fittening
• Gives you the chance to explore the countryside

Bowls

Are you naturally competitive? Do you thrive competing against your peers but you want a sport you can carry on getting better and better at regardless of age? Man or woman, sporty or no, bowls is a sport which,

‘…takes just seconds to learn – and the rest of your bowling career to master.’

from

Bowls England website

There are over 2,500 clubs across England and it’s a fairly cheap sport to play relative to others. It can be played in singles, pairs, triples or fours and involves bowling balls towards a white ‘jack’ aiming to get closer than your opponents.

Bowls is great because:

• There really are no age barriers
• You can keep playing throughout retirement
• Relatively inexpensive
• Social team sport
• Can join local clubs
• Competitive sport

Of course, there are so many other sports you can get involved in when you’re retired, including that classic sport, golf. We love encouraging our residents at Platinum Skies properties to keep active and social during retirement – you should too! To become a Platinum Skies retiree why not get in touch today?