Walking, running, and cycling are all great activities easily done alone, but it’s natural to sometimes crave a little company when you’re working up a sweat. It’s probably going to be a little longer until you feel comfortable going to your favorite yoga studio or kickboxing class, but there are still some sports that are easy to do while following social distancing rules.
First things first: To make sure you’re being safe, check with your local public health department to confirm things are open enough to get together with a few friends. And if you haven’t been as active as you normally are (totally understandable!) make sure to start slowly so you don’t injure yourself.
Next, pick your activity. Here are three to try:
Tennis
Dust off that old racket—now is the perfect time to head to a nearby court. Because there’s always a net between you and your opponent, you are naturally going to be far apart. To help players stay safe, the United States Tennis Association has come up with specific guidelines to follow. One of the key steps to take is to clean your hands before you start to play and not to share equipment with anyone else. That includes tennis balls. To keep them separate, have everyone bring their own can of balls and mark them somehow (a sharpie works great here). Then make sure to only pick up your own balls with your hands.
Golf
As golf courses started opening up again around the country, people were eager to tee up with their friends. Knowing this, the United States Golf Association and other organizations came up with a CDC-reviewed resource to keep everyone safe. Luckily, golf courses are by nature large outdoor areas that make it pretty easy to follow these social distancing guidelines.
Some of the key ones: staying six feet apart from others (even at the tee or after your round is over), only touching your own clubs and balls (mark yours clearly to make this easy), and avoiding any celebratory high fives over an especially great swing.
Soccer
This sport is a little tougher to imagine playing safely—after all, you have to get pretty close to other players to steal the ball from them or defend your net!
That’s where skill work can come in. Set up some cones to keep everyone more than six feet from each other and focus on things like passing drills (work on short passes and long ones), dribbling around cones, and shooting.
Same rules apply here as with golf and tennis: Only touch your own soccer ball with your hands and don’t give other players high fives.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or condition. Always check with your doctor before changing your diet, altering your sleep habits, taking supplements, or starting a new fitness routine.
Alice Oglethorpe
Alice Oglethorpe is a freelance writer and editor based in Chicago, IL. She covers health, happiness, fitness, and anything else that piques her interest. Her work has appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine, Self, Shape, Fitness, Redbook, Health, Better Homes & Gardens, Psychology Today, Good Housekeeping, and more.
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