How to use the FIFA World Cup to get fit

Cast your mind back to your school days, to seeing champions playing football, dominating their feet, dribbling the ball with their left and right legs, controlling it, turning it over, kicking it and of course catching it under their feet Then stopping it, moving it from under the feet of the opposition and meticulously moving from one side to the other, hitting people who want to stop them on their way, tripping and turning them over. And not to forget the goalkeepers flying in the air, stopping the ball as if they were called to do so by an invisible force of nature. Maybe you were a part of the school team then, a player of merit, a professional in the making. Well, you still have that inside of you!

The thing is, football is a sport that requires extreme fitness, resilience, toughness and tenacity. And players need a lot of training, especially in strength, stamina, agility and endurance. But we don’t all have to be so competitive and look at it like a game.

That’s why football weekends are recently being promoted in numerous places as a fun weekend activity for both men and women, of all ages. Whether it’s in the evenings, after hours, Saturday and Sunday mornings or evenings, football is picking up steam. The World Cup is the ideal time to get involved in this recreational trend,  challenging your body to its limits whist having fun.

If the fun element is not enough to convince you, here are the Comprehensive body benefits:

Fitness. As an impact sport that, if practiced frequently, measures up to hours of exercise and is equivalent to activities such as swimming or cycling. it’s  90-minute of exercise that doesn’t just help improve cardiovascular fitness. It improves endurance, agility, focus, coordination, concentration and most importantly reflexes, responses and presence of mind. The combination of running, walking, sprinting, and kicking can provide benefits such as increased endurance, reduced body fat, improved muscle strength, and increased bone strength and tone. Improves neuromuscular coordination.

It is great for mental health. Overcoming your emotional and psychological stress, football lifts your mood and improves your self-confidence. Practicing any form of sport is a good way to build one’s personality. Whether it’s a mistake on the field or coming back from a major upset, setbacks are bound to happen. And in order to advance, players must learn to persevere.

Plus, whether you’re looking at the ball, dribbling it, or looking up at the sky when you kick it, your alertness levels increase. Above and below, and from side to side, is your focus. Moving your attention makes you fast. Aiming and shooting makes you goal oriented and protecting the goal post makes you relentlessly persistent.

It helps you become more open and social. Because soccer is a team sport, you’re constantly meeting new people, and if you’re an introvert, joining a group of players will help you open up. Team sports are always about camaraderie, cohesion, and accepting each other’s strengths and weaknesses, so you can fill in the gaps and become a pillar yourself. Over time, this will make you a team builder in every aspect of your life.