Hi dear readers,

Hope you are doing well today! As many of you, I try to live an active lifestyle. Adding workouts into a daily routine as much as possible, while not missing out on all the other important aspects in life: having fun, spending time with friends & family, enjoying the outside, relaxing and doing something good for someone else.

Well, having fun & seeing friends + family can pretty easily be combined with doing something good for someone else (like volunteering). Participating in a fun activity together as volunteers is easy and saves time for (more) relaxing and going outside.

But have you considered the other (perfect) combination of activities? I figured out that working out + volunteering is so much fun! I tried it out recently and with just two hours I worked out and filled my heart with joy by making a change for others. And the good thing is, there is multiple levels of workouts so you can find one that fits your excercise level!

  • Walk & Talk: Did you know walking is a very good excercise in general? You burn a lot & train your core while your mind relaxes. Combining your walks with giving someone company is of great value. Please check your nearest elderly home or ask around your neighborhood who would like to have some good conversations and light exercising for an hour or two a week. It might be that thing someone looks forward too, getting out of the door while you work on your active lifestyle.
  • Coaching: Maybe you are actively doing a team-sport or (like me) you used to do it. Why not get back on the field as a coach? Being a coach is a voluntary job that surely is an active role: arranging things for the team and coaching them through the came. Most coaches run on the side of the field the entire game. And if you feel like more exercising, why not join the warming up;-)? Or prep a warming up for the team and give the perfect example. Check your favorite sport clubs for options to become a coach.
  • Elderly sports: Did you know a lot of 55y+ love to work out and get together  weekly? These sporting groups have options for volunteers to join: prep the training by setting up exercises, join the workout & give a good example, help them with working out and coaching them through the exercises. I recently did this with an outside trainings-group and the training was actually almost like my workouts in the gym. And the elder ladies loved the company:) An alternative for outside workouts can be inside a hall or in the swimming pool. Swimming along may give them the extra support and feeling of security they need. You may check your own gym or online to inform about group-activities or have a look in your local swimming pool.
  • Active sports: Are you more a fan of active sports? No problem. Activities such as climbing tracks, obstacle runs or fighting sports are always in need of some extra hands. Especially because some activities may have a risk, some extra eyes come in handy as well. Many (outdoor) activity parks will be happy to welcome volunteers. For fighting sports you may like to check your nearest indoor sports hall.
  • Training: Are you very good in a specific sport or activity? Then you might be the perfect trainer. Giving a training will mean you give the right example and therefore you actively participate in this role. It’s good to practice as much as possible and work-out while helping others getting skilled. Trainers are mostly paid but can be on voluntary base as well. I used to train pupils (4-6y old) field-hockey on a voluntary base and it was a lot of fun. The kids loved it and I worked on my skills too. A true win-win!

Hope it inspires you to make it work (out)!

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