“five a side-22-Edit” (CC BY 2.0) by Stewart Black
Members of modern society desperately want to be healthy and fit, and studies have shown that around 91% of people crave weight loss. For some, the problem is not knowing how to go about it, or finding traditional methods of exercise repetitive and dull. It doesn’t have to be that way though, there are plenty of enjoyable sports that are great for getting in shape.
With Euro 2016 ongoing, and the new Premier League season just around the corner, now is a perfect time to put your football boots on and get healthy. Looking at last season’s title winners should be enough to fill even the most lethargic person with inspiration.
Leicester City reaped the rewards from each player striving to be at the peak of his physical fitness for the whole campaign. The team was full of work horses whose aim was to cover more ground than the opposition, win more challenges, and burst through defences at blistering speed. The team had the fewest injuries in the league as well, and it could have been to do with the use of wearable fitness trackers that monitored players’ stats and gave the manager information about where to position players and when to rotate them. The players were wearing Catapult Sport’s OptimEye S5 device, which collected data about the players’ acceleration, direction, position, and the impact of collisions. If you are serious about getting fit, you too could invest in some kind of fitness wearable to track your progress.
The Premier League champions worked their socks off in every game on their path to glory, and although they ranked 18th in terms of possession, fought hard off the ball to spring their opponents on the counter. For these reasons they had to be in peak physical condition. Now, you may be thinking that you can’t relate to these top flight stars, but that is where you would be wrong. Their key man up front came up from the bottom to become a household name.
Jamie Vardy should fill everyone with a sense of belief. The man who propelled the Foxes to the league title last season was playing non-league football a few years ago. His rags to riches tale shows the value of hard work and dedication. From an unknown, average guy to a world-renowned and sought after forward, Vardy’s story shows that anything is possible. As of late June, Leicester are at odds of 28/1 in the football betting to retain the title. Keeping hold of Vardy will be of major importance to them succeeding in this task.
Are you feeling motivated yet? All you need to do now is gather your friends, get down to the local park and get playing. Once you get into the swing of things again and find your footballing feet, you could look into what five-a-side leagues there are in your area. Over 1.5 million adults in the UK are already playing “Small Sided Football” as a means to get fit. Go and join them!