Netball – All You Need To Get Fit

I’ve often told people that all you need to do in order to fully commit to a weight loss program is to choose a fun fitness activity. Sports are a great way to get fit and healthy, as they require a great amount of functional movement, joint flexibility, strength, speed, coordination, balance, and endurance. These are all key factors in keeping a good level of physical health, but you also improve mental health through sports by having a way to let out some of that pent up adrenaline, let the brain rest, and just generally have a fun time with your friends.

The reason I find netball a perfect example of using a fun sporting activity to promote health and fitness is that it encompasses several key fitness elements while keeping the players at very low risk of injury compared to other sports.  It is a very good sport for women to get involved with, as it is a female-dominated sport; however, Australians have mixed male and female netball teams as well, which just goes to show how the sport has a strong social aspect.

Netball promotes the development of a strong and slender physique

If you want to know what sport is right for you, just envisage the kind of physique you want to achieve and then look at the athletes from different sports and how their bodies developed from training. A lot of women have a problem with looking too muscular or blocky, so they shy away from things like combat sports and traditional bodybuilding. I have a friend who enjoys swimming and is a very good swimmer, but every once in a while she starts feeling self-conscious about developing a thick, broad back and big shoulders, so she just quits going to the pool for weeks at a time.

Netball players tend to have strong legs and toned arms, but an overall slim frame, which many women find more appealing. In fact, when you ask most women what they want out of their fitness program it basically boils down to a bunch of cardio to lose extra fat; nice, firm thighs and buttocks; a flat belly; toned, but not overly muscular arms and a good posture with a straight back. Netball will give you exactly this, in addition to improving your stamina so you have more energy throughout the day.

Netball is dynamic and requires tactical thinking

Other great benefits you get from playing netball are developing balance and functional movement patterns, as well as flexibility, stronger ligaments, and a wider range of motion of your joints which will help prevent injuries in your day to day life. It doesn’t require too much investment on your part – players wear netball dresses and comfortable sneakers and use a ball, beside the elevated goal rings that’s pretty much all you need. It can be played inside pour outside, and it requires split-second decision making, tactical thinking, and teamwork, all traits that can be useful in your day job at the office.

Netball covers all aspects of an effective fitness program – cardio, high-intensity training, strength and power training, flexibility and improving both hand-eye coordination and kinesthetic awareness – has a very low risk of injury and is a pretty popular female sport that will help you meet new people and develop social and teamwork skills, so why not give it a go?