Is there really a general top ten of the healthiest sports? Probably not. This is because the most important prerequisite for doing a sport regularly is probably that it has to be fun. However, what a person considers to be fun varies from person to person.
As a suggestion, we have put together 10 really healthy sports that meet two requirements: a relatively low risk of injury and a high benefit for physical and mental health. The order of the listed sport types is of no importance.:
Swimming
Absolutely stress-free, can be carried out no matter the season, improves lung capacity, burns calories, builds up muscles
Tennis
High calorie consumption, promotes coordination, channels strength, tones many muscle groups
Rowing
Leads to effective weight loss, increases muscle strength, with rowing machines also possible indoors
Squash
According to “Forbes” for years “the healthiest sport in the world”, burns calories, increases aerobic fitness, increases flexibility, develops strength, improves hand-eye coordination
Basketball
Increases spatial awareness, promotes decision-making, good stress reduction, supports coordination, very high energy consumption
Cycling
Good calorie burner, strengthens the brain and cardiovascular system and exercise in nature makes you happy
Cross-country skiing
Especially uphill, cross-country skiing burns more calories than any other sport, very good whole body training
Running
Runners have fewer bone and muscle problems than non-runners of the same age, running releases endorphins, running improves both mental and physiological health
Volleyball
Positive effect on the cardiovascular system, builds up mobility, strengthens coordination
Gymnastics
Apart from general physical benefits, gymnastics promotes the ability to concentrate and improves coordination. Especially in childhood, gymnastics creates great advantages for physical and mental development
The above list probably does not give any indication as to which sport is best for you. Perhaps the following results of a study will help you make the right choice. Researchers wanted to find out which kind of sport has the best effects on athletes’ health when they exercise regularly. Here are the results:
- Squash or tennis players are 47% less likely to die from premature illness than people who do not play sport.
- Swimmers have a 28% lower chance of dying prematurely. Most of the people who took part in the trials regularly visited the swimming pool and were not occasional swimmers.
- People who generally pay attention to their fitness and, for example, take aerobics classes at the gym are just behind the swimmers at 27%.
- The participants who were cycling had a 15% lower chance of dying from typical age-related illnesses.
