Walking sports: the ideal, fun way to get back into exercise

Messages to eat healthily and do more exercise can become boring. We all know it, but guilt about not doing it for one reason or another makes us turn off the radio the second we hear the phrase “just 20 minutes’ exercise a day…”

Luckily the doing can be a lot more interesting – even fun – than the tired old warnings, and for the over 50s or people with limited or restricted ability, South Downs Leisure (SDL), at Worthing Leisure Centre, offers a variety of sports and activities that add that vital exercise to people’s lives but in a fun way. They’re the same as the popular games, just slower paced and open to all, regardless of age or fitness level.

Last year, Sport England launched its Back to Netball and Walking Netball campaigns in a bid to get people off the sofas, and netball has now become the fourth biggest sport in the country. The walking version is gradually reaching sports centres around the country, and it’s at the heart of SDL’s offerings for older people.

Walking football is even more widespread, and most towns’ leisure centres offer the beautiful game for those who just want to play it a little more slowly.

Worthing Leisure Centre also has a Phoenix Club for over 50s, which offers gardening, arts, table tennis, dancing – and even pantomime staging for the more extrovert.

Check out their website on www.southdownsleisure.co.uk or call on 01903 905050.