5 Sports You Played in Secondary School That You should Consider Taking Up As Soon as It’s Safe to Go Out

Yellow House, Green House, Red House, Blue House, and the Funny House… inter-house sports in secondary school was fun! That was when a lot of people were young, fit, agile and enthusiastic about sports. Now everyone has eaten akpu and burger and our stomachs are preceding our bodies. Haha, this is no shade, promise. 

Anyway, one of the highlights of a lot of people’s secondary school days was the inter-house sports. Students looked forward to it and practiced for months. Many students were eager to join a team – either football, basketball, volleyball, long-jump and many other activities done during the inter-house sports. Parents came to cheer their kids and the idea of winning a prize was a huge motivation for many students.

As a matter of fact, the prestige that came with carting away loads of prizes during the inter-house sports was huge. The winners automatically started ‘wearing shoulder pads’ and became big boys/girls in school.

But that was then sha. A lot of students participated because they wanted to lick glucose and win prizes, and some because they genuinely love sports.

It is different, now that ‘everyone’ is grown-up. People have bigger responsibilities, lesser time and motivation to participate in sports. Many people also do not have the agility that they had as teenagers. Now, the hustle and bustle of life have left little time or will-power to participate in sports.

But you can still pick it up. Aside from the fun you get when you participate in sports, it’s also an amazing way to stay healthy and fit. You think you have lost that secondary school inter-house sport ‘touch’? Let’s challenge you to rejuvenate it by doing these simple sports:

Tennis

You might not become a Serena Williams, but playing tennis is an awesome way to keep fit. As kids, a lot of people did this just for the fun of it, but as an adult, you can be intentional about this – to have fun, stay fit and reduce body fat. Tennis is a good sport for maintaining health, fitness, strength, and agility.

Other benefits of tennis include:

• Increasing aerobic capacities.
• Improving metabolic function.
• Lowering body fat.
• Improving muscle tone, strength and flexibility.
• Increasing reaction times.

Running

If as a young person, you could run so fast that people used to tease you about your feet not touching the ground, then perhaps you need to awaken your athletic skill. There are some people who can’t run to save their lives; some are the clumsy ones who trip over their own feet. But if you can, then it’s time to get back to it. You can start by jogging regularly, then jogging faster and faster… then running. To be on the safer side, please run in an open field. Need it to be fun? Then invite your friends/family to join you.

Running helps you build stronger bones, helps tone your legs, strengthens your muscles and generally improves cardiovascular fitness.

Football

A lot of people watch football – which is a good thing. But can you play? The good thing about football is that it is so common and you will always have people to play with, especially in open fields. So you’ve got no excuse. Aside from its health benefits, playing football comes with many advantages; it makes you a better team player and helps you coordinate better.

Basketball

Although basketball courts are not as common as football fields, there are still places where you can get to play. A lot of people believe that to play basketball, you have to be tall. Nope, it’s not so compulsory. While having a good height is an added advantage, remember you’re not trying to win a FIBA world cup. So if you’re interested in playing basketball, go for it.

Volleyball

A lot of people played volleyball in secondary school but lost interest in it. You can start playing again if you have the opportunity to.

Remember that the goal is not to go on an international level – if you can, that’ll be awesome, the goal is to have fun while remaining fit and healthy.

Other sports played in secondary school include Javelin, Long jump, Shot put and so on. If you know of places where you can still practice these, then, by all means, do. Let’s not forget our good old tenten and suwe, they don’t fall under the ‘sports’ category, but oh well, it’ll be fun to be children again.

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