I want to be an athlete again.

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tbduarte1
tbduarte1 Posts: 84 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I was an athlete in school. I played football, basketball and baseball. I threw in track and I overall was successful in every sport in PE. I miss it. I miss competition. I am in the midst of losing weight, I have a little less that 150 to get to my goal weight. I want to become an athlete again and I am wondering if others have found something to compete in other than running.

I live in a rural area so there are not any programs for adult sports leagues. Any ideas?

Replies

  • eatyogarun
    eatyogarun Posts: 59 Member
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    Disc golf? I guess it's not super active, mostly walking and throwing, but my son is a very active young man and he loves it.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,178 Member
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    I row, started rowing at about age 46, while obese, and competed for several years, both on-water and machine (yes, there are rowing machine races, virtual and real-life). Races usually have age groups (or handicaps), and many have weight classes (normally only lightweight, which is quite light, and open weight.

    I don't compete now (age 63), but not because it's not an option available. (I can't train the way I'd like, because of knee damage from years of obesity, for which I'm trying to defer surgery; and I kind of got competing out of my system, I think. I still row regularly, 4 days a week on-water in summer, but less volume of machine rowing in winter.)
  • chunky_pinup
    chunky_pinup Posts: 758 Member
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    I have found my athletic abilities again by becoming competitive in Powerlifting! It's amazing and been such a rush.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
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    Are there any cycling competitions or groups where you live?
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,070 Member
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    There are competitions for just about any athletic endeavor you are interested in. Powerlifting, running, cycling, climbing, softball, ultimate frisbee, golf, fencing, crossfit, roller derby, speed skating, hockey....the list goes on and on. Although I don't think I've ever seen a yoga competition. :D To @AnnPT77 - you can even do virtual competitions for things like rowing, cycling, running, walking. Maybe get an activity tracker and participate in the online competitions. And then there's my favorite...compete with yourself.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
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    I play pick-up basketball with a group of guys at work.
    I used to race triathlons.
  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 1,974 Member
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    Choose what you want to do - or give something new a try.

    I did martial arts for years (want to get back into it)

    I ride and race motorcycles now, which is my passion, hoping to make the pro ranks in the next year or so. It's a surprisingly physically demanding sport...VERY demanding actually. I have to do a fair bit of cross training if I even hope to be remotely competitive.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,287 Member
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    You could train for an iron man competition ...or a cycling competition.. it would give you a date and a goal just to make it through the competition .
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
    edited January 2019
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    Triathlon, there are several distance options. It would give you lots of variety!
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,883 Member
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    Long distance cycling ... several options under that heading.
  • Deviette
    Deviette Posts: 979 Member
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    There will be lots of options, you might just have to look for it.

    Personally I get to satisfy my competitive itch by doing judo
  • HeliumIsNoble
    HeliumIsNoble Posts: 1,213 Member
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    Martial arts here. I even have a little display of medals for it now!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,178 Member
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    mom23mangos wrote: »
    There are competitions for just about any athletic endeavor you are interested in. Powerlifting, running, cycling, climbing, softball, ultimate frisbee, golf, fencing, crossfit, roller derby, speed skating, hockey....the list goes on and on. Although I don't think I've ever seen a yoga competition. :DTo @AnnPT77 - you can even do virtual competitions for things like rowing, cycling, running, walking. Maybe get an activity tracker and participate in the online competitions. And then there's my favorite...compete with yourself.

    I've actually done virtual as well as real-life machine races. I'm usually about a 75-percentile rower, more or less, but I even medaled in the first annual World Rowing Virtual Indoor Sprints sponsored by World Rowing and Concept 2. It turned out that my then-new group (60-69 lightweight, when I had just turned 60 & lost to below 135) was much less competitive than my old one, and apparently some of the more elite top-25% li'l ol' ladies didn't enter it in its first year. ;)

    I'm pretty sure OP can recover athleticism, since I seem to have found a teaspoonful of it for myself even after starting as a very inactive obese woman in my mid-40s after stage III cancer & treatment. :)

    Strive on, OP: You'll get (back) there! :drinker:
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,070 Member
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    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    mom23mangos wrote: »
    There are competitions for just about any athletic endeavor you are interested in. Powerlifting, running, cycling, climbing, softball, ultimate frisbee, golf, fencing, crossfit, roller derby, speed skating, hockey....the list goes on and on. Although I don't think I've ever seen a yoga competition. :DTo @AnnPT77 - you can even do virtual competitions for things like rowing, cycling, running, walking. Maybe get an activity tracker and participate in the online competitions. And then there's my favorite...compete with yourself.

    I've actually done virtual as well as real-life machine races. I'm usually about a 75-percentile rower, more or less, but I even medaled in the first annual World Rowing Virtual Indoor Sprints sponsored by World Rowing and Concept 2. It turned out that my then-new group (60-69 lightweight, when I had just turned 60 & lost to below 135) was much less competitive than my old one, and apparently some of the more elite top-25% li'l ol' ladies didn't enter it in its first year. ;)

    I'm pretty sure OP can recover athleticism, since I seem to have found a teaspoonful of it for myself even after starting as a very inactive obese woman in my mid-40s after stage III cancer & treatment. :)

    Strive on, OP: You'll get (back) there! :drinker:

    Sorry, I meant to say to your point, not to YOU. LOL Since you had mentioned competing in virtual rowing races. :#
  • tbduarte1
    tbduarte1 Posts: 84 Member
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    Thanks for the suggestions. Im a teacher so maybe I'll start an open gym for adult basketball

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