Joining a sports team may be the secret to lasting fitness

Growing up, it’s pretty common to be part of a sports team. But as life gets busier and our responsibilities grow, many assume that part of life is over. But it doesn’t have to be, says Dr Jo Lukins, author of The Elite: Think Like an Athlete, Succeed Like a Champion. The former sports psychologist says there’s recently been a surge in adults joining sports teams.

“People in their 40s, 50s and 60s are participating in team sports in ways that previous generations didn’t,” she says. “I think people are craving being around other people, and the team environment provides the opportunity to meet that need.”

“People are craving being around other people, and the team environment provides the opportunity to meet that need,” says Dr Jo Lukins.Credit: Stocksy

The team environment doesn’t just allow interactions with others, she adds, it also helps foster lasting relationships and build deeper connections within their community, all of which have a positive effect on mental health.

“So from a social and emotional perspective, there’s a lot to be gained from being part of a team sport.”

A review published in the Scandinavian Journal of Public Health in 2018 found “consistent evidence” that participating in a team sport is associated with improved social and psychological health, regardless of which sport people play.

Playing a team sport can also do wonders for your physical fitness, thanks to a phenomenon known as “social facilitation”. It’s the reason why, when we’re exercising in a group, we’re likely to put in more effort than we would if we worked out alone.

“The mere presence of someone else encourages us to do better,” Lukins says.

“The important thing to know is that if you’re nervous about joining a sports team, it’s guaranteed someone else is, too”.

Jane Langof, a feng shui master, can vouch for the benefits of being a team player. A dedicated gym-goer, Langof got an extra spring in her step when she joined a netball team in her late 30s, over five years ago.

It happened by chance. Her daughter was at netball training and the coach asked for a parent to step in and help out as the team was a member short. Langof volunteered.

“From that moment, I thought, ‘I need to join a team of my own’,” she recalls. “So I went from not having played any sport to enrolling myself in a netball team.”

Becoming a member of a sports team was a godsend, Langof says. At the time, she was swamped by the “typical day-to-day time stresses and busyness of life as a working mum” and was yearning to find her spark. Joining a netball team, she discovered, was the “healthy addiction” she’d craved.

Despite her love for the game, Langof wasn’t a natural. However, rather than quit, she poured hours into becoming a better player.

Langof now has a close circle of new friends from playing the sport. Because signing up in the first place was a “huge leap” out of her comfort zone, it has paid off in spades. Langof now feels more confident trying her hand at other new pursuits, plus she’s fitter than ever.

If you’re toying with the idea of joining a sports team, Langof recommends taking the plunge. But that might be easier said than done, Lukins says, as there’s a “level of courage” required in being vulnerable. But, she emphasises, that doesn’t mean you should shy away from the challenge. “The important thing to know,” she says, “is that if you’re nervous about joining a sports team, it’s guaranteed someone else is, too”.

Evelyn Lewin is a GP and freelance writer.

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