As a Personal trainer I have worked with many people who have cycles of falling in and out of love with exercise. Enjoyment is closely linked to competency, so the times of enjoying exercise usually correlate with the times when you have had your best results.

One of the best ways to make exercise fun is to join a sporting team or group activity with a regular exercise schedule and include a social aspect like coffee afterwards. I have been involved in team sports since I was 7 years old and still play soccer today. I love the team bonding and social benefits you get from being part of a team and really look forward to my weekly training schedule and competition days, it’s a lot of fun.

Here are 3 other fantastic opportunities available to people living on the peninsula who are keen to get back into a fun team sport.

Dragon Boating

A fun and accessible sport for people of all ages and level of fitness. If you are a team player and enjoy being on the water we urge you to give it a go.

Here are some ways Dragon Boating is described as

• Great for fitness and upper body strength
• Awesome social network -
• Adrenalin pumping
• The best way to finish a day in the office
• A great way to start the day
• How can you beat watching the sunset from the water every week in summer

Most clubs are continuously seeking new members of all fitness levels so get in touch and find out about your local training times. Visit [email protected]

Lawn Bowls

A game once considered for just the oldies is now very popular among all generations. It’s a low impact activity, often quite competitive and enjoyed most year round. It’s also easy to join a team and get active outdoors with multiple venues to play and teams to join including at Pittwater RSL, Mona Vale, Newport and Avalon.

Benefits, include:

• Improved fitness and mobility
• Improved coordination and skill development
• Increased confidence and self-esteem
• Enhanced mental wellbeing
• Community connectedness and support.

Group Cycling

If you enjoy cycling it can be fun to organise a small group of friends or family and make a weekly routine to ride out through the beautiful national Park to West Head. If you are not confident on the road but love the bike, consider joining a local group ‘spin class’ and pedal your heart out to upbeat music. If you are looking for a good cycling event for added training motivation visit Conquercancer.org.au

James Clare has a Nutrition degree, 10 years fitness industry experience as well as being an elite soccer player in the UK. To meet with James for a free 30 minute chat to discuss your nutrition or training plan Phone: 9999-4702 Email: [email protected]