Can Watching Sports Encourage Us To Get Fitter?

Sports streaming trends in the US show us that football and basketball are still America’s favorite sports. With the recent pandemic restricting sports activities and reducing the number of live events we could attend, most of our sports-related activities moved to the online environment, and we became more reliant on streaming services.

However, recent studies have shown that streaming and watching sports motivates people to engage in similar activities. For instance, in 2019, after the FIFA Women’s World Cup, over 850 thousand more women started playing football. A similar thing happened after Wimbledon when court bookings increased by 49% by casual tennis players.

These statistics draw the question – will watching sports make us want to get fit?

Even though sitting on the couch while watching a football game won’t give you killer abs and help you get in shape, it may positively affect your motivation to engage in sports. Recent studies in neuroscience confirmed that watching sports stimulates the sympathetic nervous system that activates when we engage in physical activity. Similarly, if you’re already playing a sport, watching it and being actively involved in what you see on screen can improve your performance and help you hone your skills better.

Streaming sporting matches as a motivational factor in your fitness journey can incredibly impact your well-being. However, since the motivation for engaging in sports sharply decreases soon after watching the match, we suggest you dig deeper into what motivates you to stay focused on your goals and keep you accountable.

To help you out, we’re bringing you a few pieces of advice on changing your mindset and maintaining focus on your fitness journey. On the other hand, if you’ve never engaged in any sports activities and want a change in your life, use this list as a beginner’s guide for starting a new activity.

Get to know yourself

Every fitness journey should start with an honest review of your habits, current physical condition, and, most importantly, your goals and expectations. While some may want to start exercising to get in killer shape or lose weight, others want an activity to help them take their minds off the things that stress them out. Don’t follow crazy social media trends and engage in unhealthy behavior patterns that can harm your health. Remember that the fitness goals you see on Instagram aren’t your goals, and it’s perfectly OK to engage in sports activities only to lift your mood without any strict or unreasonable ambitions.

Find a sports activity you genuinely enjoy

It’s hard to keep track of countless new fitness trends that tend to pop up on your social media feed daily. Even though they may look fun, ask yourself if you are indeed the type of person who would enjoy them. If you hate being sweaty and can’t stand cardio, running is probably not your best choice. Remember that consistency is the only key to success, meaning that choosing an activity you’ll frequently skip because you don’t enjoy it will not yield results (whatever they may be). There’s nothing wrong with walking or doing yoga. Remember, any activity is better than no activity at all.

Start slow

Starting a fitness journey by setting a 6-time-a-week training session program may work for a week or two, but it is unattainable in the long run. Since we all have lives outside the gym, make sure you’re creating a fitness program around your typical work day, not the other way around. The best approach is to start small by having one or two weekly training sessions and slowly increasing the training frequency as you go along.

Don’t count on other people to do your training sessions with you

Even though going to the gym on your own can make you feel exposed or uncomfortable in a new and unfamiliar setting if you really want to stick to your fitness journey, our advice is to go alone. Training sessions with friends are a lot of fun, but people who go to the gym in groups tend to give up more quickly, meaning they’ll feel less motivated if their training partner isn’t there. If you know you can’t find a reliable accountability buddy, find an activity you can enjoy on your own.

Reward yourself

After establishing goals you want to achieve, find something to reward yourself with after accomplishing each bigger step on your path. It can be anything from a nice dinner, a massage session, or new workout gear. It will help you stay on track and see the bigger goals you’re reaching.

Conclusion

Even though streaming sports won’t do much for your physical health, it can put you in a proper mindset to incorporate healthier habits into your daily routine. If you’re starting a new fitness activity, check out these suggestions on keeping yourself accountable and more focused on your path.