Der richtige Sport für Menschen ab 50
Sport tut uns in jedem Alter gut. Kontakte zu anderen Menschen auch. Warum also nicht das Angenehme mit dem Nützlichen verbinden und sich gemeinsam bewegen, in Form halten oder gar mal so richtig auspowern? Vieles macht in der Gruppe einfach mehr Spaß und so manch eine Sportart kann man alleine auch gar nicht ausüben. Ein gemeinsames Spiel oder gemeinsames Training wirkt sich zudem sehr positiv auf die eigene Motivation aus. Kleine Wettkämpfe untereinander machen Spaß und helfen dabei, am eigenen Ziel dran zu bleiben. Nach dem Sport dann noch bei einem Getränk zusammensitzen und über das Training und das Spiel fachsimpeln – einfach unbezahlbar!
The personal and health requirements
Actually, everyone who wants to start a new sport or expand their training should do it: talk to their doctor. However, the older you are, the more important this advice becomes. Discuss your training plan with your doctor, he will be able to tell you whether the plan is feasible for you or whether you should take it easy or whether you can step on the gas a bit more. He will look at your general health and include any pre-existing conditions in his recommendations for exercise in old age. Maybe there is something you should train specifically to maintain your fitness for as long as possible. Please note that this check should definitely take place and that the article here on Alterix can in no way replace medical advice.
Otherwise, of course, whatever is fun is allowed. Think about how much time and other resources you need for your training and how much of it you can actually spend. Also consider the financial aspect, because the most expensive and best golf equipment won't do you any good if you can't afford the membership fee.
Together at the club or gym in retirement
Classic training in the gym is one of the first things that come to mind when we hear the word 'training'. Here you meet nice people and still have some peace and quiet while exercising. Everyone does their own laps in the circle near the machines. But there is often time for socialising afterwards in the sauna or over a drink at the sports bar. Most fitness studios offer studio courses. These usually take place according to a specific timetable/weekly schedule and there you can pursue your sport in a group and under the guidance of a trainer. From Zumba to yoga to step aerobics, there's hardly anything that isn't available. Ideal for keeping our grey cells on their toes as we learn new movements. Since there are courses for all levels, you should definitely find something suitable. Sometimes there are even special classes for certain age groups, and in an 'aerobics for seniors' class you don't run the risk of feeling weird among 20-somethings. If you like it calmer, take yoga and relaxation classes; for a little more - but gentle - exercise, take Pilates or back classes.
By the way, you can do most of these sports - and more - at your local sports club. Depending on the size of the club and the heterogeneity of its members, the range of activities can be even more varied than in a fitness studio. The fact that you often pay a lower annual fee in a sports club than in a gym is also an advantage. So is the interaction with other athletes. In a club that you may have belonged to for many years, there is a more familiar atmosphere and this is often cultivated in social events such as a midsummer bonfire, Christmas party or a joint visit to a partner club.
Individual sports that are also fun in groups
Hiking, jogging, cycling and swimming are sports that require only a manageable financial outlay and actually also require membership of a club. If you don't want company, just go out on your own. If you want to exercise with someone else, get your friends together for a weekend bike ride or join a running group. Even at the swimming pool, you won't be alone if you don't want to be. If you want to be on the safe side but don't want to commit yourself to a club in the long term, you can of course book an appropriate VHS course or take advantage of an offer from your health insurance company. You meet the people there for the few times the course takes place and, with a bit of luck, you have found acquaintances with whom you continue to do sport regularly.
Football, handball and other team sports perfect for seniors
Football, handball and other team sports often require club membership. However, since you may not want to learn these sports, but simply maintain them at any age, you may already have your infrastructure. If you are a member of the football club, you simply switch to another age group.
Sport in a small group
Tennis and badminton are also sports where you need a partner. However, you don't have to get a whole team together, but an agreement with a single partner is sufficient here. You can either do this privately or organise yourself in a club or studio. The notice boards in clubs are often the place to look for training partners. The same applies to classical couple dancing - it is difficult to find a partner on your own, so a newspaper advertisement or a search on a portal or sports partner exchange can help. Or you can look for dance aerobics, line dancing or other forms in which each person dances alone, but still in a group. In golf, you play for yourself and against yourself and the course, but hardly anyone ever goes out on the course alone. Either you find three other players (a flight is a maximum of 4 people) either among your friends or at the golf club, or it happens that you are assigned other players in your booked time slot, because the golf club also has to keep an eye on capacity utilisation and it only happens when there is very little activity that a person starts alone.
By the way, if you are looking for a sports partner, you can look around on portals like Sportpartner.com or Sportparter-boerse.com. Sometimes you can also get in touch with like-minded people through your local health insurance company (like the AOK here).
