YouAsk Kim
Neighbours setting a long table in a green garden

Move · 60 min

Play a gamewith friends

Padel, table tennis, a kickabout in the park: an hour of play with people you like is movement, and it counts.

60 minutesFrom the library, free to readFour steps
Save for laterTry it today

Exercise can feel like another job on the list. A game does not. When you are chasing a ball and laughing at your own bad shot, you forget you are moving at all, and you have spent an hour with people you like.

The steps

Four small steps,in your own time.

  1. Pick a game that is easy to start: padel, tennis, table tennis, badminton, boules, a kickabout, a frisbee in the park.

  2. Ask two or three people, and put a day and a time in the same message. Book the court or the spot if it needs one.

  3. Agree before you start that nobody is keeping serious score. Warm up for five minutes with easy rallies or passes.

  4. Play for as long as it is fun, stop before anyone is worn out, and stay for a drink or a chat afterwards.

The reason

Why it helps

A game moves the whole body in short bursts with plenty of pauses, which suits most bodies better than a long grind. Playing with others makes it far more likely you will turn up, because someone is expecting you. And laughing with friends is good for you in its own right. The half hour after, with a coffee and the story of the worst shot, is part of the practice.

A gentle variation

If running about is not for you this week, choose something slower: boules, a gentle knock-up, walking football. Being there and moving a little counts as much as winning.

Friends resting after a game, the sea behind them

WE · TRIBE

Try itwith someone.

This one is already with someone. To make it last, set a standing day, the same time each week, so nobody has to organise it from scratch. If one of your friends is caring for someone, keep their place open until they can come.

Make it a plan in HIVELIVE, with WE

Try it today

This week, message two or three people with a game, a day and a time. Play for as long as it is fun, then stay for a chat.

Add it to your day

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