YouAsk Kim
A woman in a seated twist on a green mat in a sunlit room, an olive tree and the sea behind her

Move · 20 min

Throw a ball about

A ball, a patch of grass and someone to throw it to. No rules, no score, twenty minutes of play.

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

Before sport had leagues, it was a ball and someone to throw it to. Playing like this, with no score and no rules, is still one of the easiest ways to move outdoors, and one of the few that works for almost any age together.

The steps

Four small steps,in your own time.

  1. Find a ball: a soft one, a football, a tennis ball, a beach ball. Whatever is in the cupboard.

  2. Go to a park, a garden or any open space with soft ground and nothing breakable nearby.

  3. Throw, catch, kick or bounce it back and forth for twenty minutes. Make up small challenges as you go: five catches in a row, left hands only, a step further back each time.

  4. Stop while it is still fun. Notice how you feel, and leave the ball by the door for next time.

The reason

Why it helps

Catching and throwing ask for reaching, bending, quick steps and hand-eye coordination, all without feeling like exercise. Play also tends to make people laugh, which is part of why twenty minutes passes quickly. It is one of the simplest ways to be active together across generations.

A gentle variation

If running about is too much, sit on a bench or chair and throw a soft ball back and forth, or roll it along the ground. A balloon indoors works on a rainy day, and is slow enough for almost anyone to catch.

Friends resting after a game, the sea behind them

WE · TRIBE

Try itwith someone.

This one needs someone else: a child or grandchild, a friend, a neighbour, the person you care for sitting in a chair. Let the youngest or the least steady person set the rules.

Make it a plan in HIVELIVE, with WE

Try it today

Today or this weekend, take a ball to the park or garden and throw it about with someone for twenty minutes.

Add it to your day

More like this

More from VIVE Move,for real days.

All of VIVE Move
A quiet room with a deep green sofa and morning light

Move · 10 min

Gentle yoga by a window

Five slow shapes on the floor by the brightest window you have, in ten minutes, with nothing to prove.

Neighbours setting a long table in a green garden

Move · 60 min

Play a game with friends

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