If Traditional “Working Out” Is Not For You, Join a Sports League
By: Jim Cerami, Beermann Pritikin Mirabelli Swerdlove LLP, Vice-Chair YLS Health &
Wellness Committee
Select any or all of the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
I don’t have time to work out;
I don’t enjoy working out;
I don’t have a partner to work out with;
I don’t want to be locked into a gym membership.
I understand. And, I have the solution to your problem(s): join a recreational sports league. In
Chicago, there are a number of organizations – Chicago Sport and Social Club, Players Sports
Group, and Sports Monster come to mind – that offer leagues during every season of the year.
Almost every sport or activity imaginable is available through these organizations. Furthermore,
within each sport there are many skill and experience levels from which to choose. If you played
high school basketball, there is a league with the level of competition appropriate for you. If you
have never played soccer, there are beginner leagues that will serve as a great introduction to the
sport.
Here is how it typically works. You and a group of friends or colleagues organize a team,
choose a sport and skill level, and select a day of the week to have your games. You don’t have
time during the week to play? No problem; play on Saturdays. You like to keep the weekends
free to spend time with your kids? Play on Tuesday nights after work. The point is that you only
need to devote a couple hours a week to your league.
What if you cannot get a large enough group together to form a team? Each of the organizations
mentioned above offer individuals or small groups the ability to register as “independents.” The
organization then joins you or your group with other small groups to form your team, and the fee
for almost every sport if registering as an individual is under $100 for the season.
Another benefit of playing recreational sports is the opportunity to meet you new people,
develop new friendships, and network for business and career development purposes. Here’s the
thing: You can go to every CBA committee meeting and seminar and meet a lot of great people
and learn a lot about your areas of practice. But many of the people at those meetings are your
competitors. However, how many other lawyers are on your softball team? None? Great!
How many doctors, accountants, and contractors are there? A few? Well, you just became the
lawyer on that contractor’s softball team that may get the call when the contractor is served with
a summons.
The bottom line is that every week you get together with a group of friends and/or acquaintances,
have a great time, and get exercise without even thinking about it. You will be amazed at your
anticipation for next week’s game. And what happens next is even more surprising. You might
join another league in a different sport, you might join two different teams so you are playing
twice a week, or you might actually start exercising independently to improve your performance
on the field or court.
It is really only after you start using your body for your sport or activity that you realize your
potential.
Now try to make the statements at the top of the page again:
1.
2.
3.
4.
I don’t have time to work out – yes you do, you just need two hours a week.
I don’t enjoy working out – you like playing games though.
I don’t have a partner to work out with – you have ten partners now.
I don’t want to be locked into a gym membership – who said anything about a gym?
Resources:
www.chicagosportandsocialclub.com
playerssports.net
www.sportsmonster.net
www.meetup.com