I love this time of year! The warmer temperatures, the windy yet sunny days that get longer and longer – it can only mean one thing: BASEBALL SEASON! And if you know me at all, you know I love softball just as much, if not more, than baseball because it’s a game I can actually play. For the past three years, our employees, family, and friends have come together each season to form Team IPT, Idaho Physical Therapy’s entrant in the Nampa Rec. Dept’s adult co-ed slowpitch softball league. We may only be a rag-tag group of marginally-talented players in bright orange shirts, but we have a lot of fun, and that’s the whole point.

I know a lot of people who claim, “I don’t play sports,” either out of fear they won’t be any good or a misguided notion that sports aren’t a worthy pursuit. Whether or not you were some kind of jock in high school, sports can greatly benefit your health and enhance your life as an adult.

• Exercise: Current guidelines advise adults to get 30 minutes of activity on most days of the week. If you’re one of the many, many people who tend to consider exercise as a chore, sports can offer you a fun, exciting way to get your sweat on.
• Friends: Total human health is complicated and comprised of many layers, and studies consistently show that people who have strong social ties tend to be healthier and have a better outlook than their isolated peers. So grab your friends and start a team, or join a team and make some new friends. Either way, you’ll have fun and do yourself good.
• Brain work: Your muscles need to be used regularly to stay strong, and the same goes for your brain. When you try a new sport, you may feel awkward as you stumble through your first lessons or games, but your brain (as well as your body) is getting a marathon workout trying to learn it all. Similarly, pretty much all sports require strategy and problem-solving in order to succeed – a win-win for your brain.

Sports offer a multitude of benefits, and softball isn’t your only option. You can also play basketball and volleyball on adult recreation leagues, take a beginner martial arts class with friends, join a local running club and participate in a race, or any number of opportunities. Find one you love, and get out there and play! Keep moving, my friends!

– Alan