The best time of your life could be your retirement. It’s an amazing opportunity to get active and find some new friends.
We’ve got some great ideas for the best sports for elderly people to take up and have fun with.
Swimming
OK, so maybe we don’t “play” swimming but it’s a sport and it’s a ton of fun.
Most of all, it’s a very safe sport to take part in, even if your joints are a bit fragile or walking’s not so easy.
That’s because when you’re submerged in water, you’re letting the water take 90% of your body weight.
Despite that, it’s excellent aerobic exercise and if you swim in a public pool, it’s also a great way to meet new people.
Cycling
Cycling for just 150 minutes a week will take your cardiovascular fitness to the next level and cycling clubs are everywhere if you want some company while out on your bike.
As a form of exercise it keeps your whole body moving without putting any undue pressure on any individual part of you.
You’ll also find that regular cycling is much cheaper than paying for gas or taxis.
Walking Football
This is a new variation of soccer in which the rules require everyone to walk and not to run, which makes it ideal for people over the age of 50.
It’s played on a 5-a-side basis and uses the regular rules of soccer (though if you run, the opposition wins a free kick).
This means you get a good workout but without much risk of falling over or overexerting yourself.
Squash
If you’re still in excellent shape, then squash is a fantastic form of exercise but let’s be fair about this – it requires a lot of running.
Squash players can burn 500 calories in just 30 minutes on the court, so if you want to prevent type 2 diabetes, this can be a good way to go about it.
Golf
Golf may not involve running but there’s plenty of walking involved and learning to swing properly also gives you a good workout for flexibility.
You’ll also be using your brain a lot when playing golf and that might stop the onset of dementia or, at least, slow it down a lot.
Most of all golfers get a thorough core workout whenever they play and it has been shown that this can really help elderly people retain their full range of mobility.
Walking
Yes, walking is real exercise and it can be practiced as a competitive sport too, though to begin with, we recommend doing it for fun.
Walking has been proven to lower blood pressure and as long as you do it on a regular basis, it can also help you burn calories and lose weight.
A walk out in nature has proven benefits to your mental health too and research shows that the sight of greenery makes us feel happier.
To get the most out of walking, we recommend doing it with friends, this gives your social life a nice boost as you stay healthy.
Bocce Ball
Spend any time in Southern Europe and you’ll find that outdoor spaces regularly attract seniors to play Bocce Ball together.
Bocce Ball sets are cheap and all you need is two players to get started (though you can play with up to 8 people at a time).
One player throws the small ball (the jack) to get started and then the aim is to get your larger balls closest to the jack (but remember the other player can hit your balls with theirs and move them).
Croquet
If you have backyard space, you can also play croquet and it’s one of our favorite sports.
You just need a cheap croquet set (which consists of some hoops, some mallets and a ball).
Then you put the hoops out on the back lawn and take it in turns to hit the ball through each hoop, it sounds easier than it is.
If you’ve never played croquet before this YouTube video has a great summary of the rules and the game as a whole.
Final Thoughts Sports For Seniors
Retiring doesn’t mean that life comes to a stop. In fact, to the contrary, you can have a lot of fun in retirement.
We hope that you’ve found a sport that interests you on our list of the best sports for seniors.
Looking for other interesting things to do in your retirement? Why not consider senior yoga or some brain games?
We’ve also got some really good ideas on this list of activities for seniors according to specialists.