Joining an intramural sports team can help you stay in shape. Intramural sports are defined as ones that are recreational and organized in an established geographic area. Joining an intramural sports team is an especially fine way to stay in shape when you get to college. If you played team sports in high school, then you are already well-conditioned for what you can expect. Joining a team comes with psychological benefits. By your commitment to your team, you are encouraging yourself to stay in better shape. You'll also be reinvigorating your nostalgic enjoyment of a team sport. No matter what university you attend, any one of them usually features a solid choice of intramural sports teams.

Joining an intramural sports team helps you stay in shape due to the sheer number of choices schools commonly offer. Most universities offer a host of sports, and you will likely find one you are either good at or have enough familiarity with to try. There is also a combination of traditional sports with more alternative sports. Swimming, baseball, soccer, wrestling, football, softball and field hockey are some traditional sports. Some schools even venture into more unconventional areas like dodgeball, broomball, whiffleball, horseshoes, inner tube water polo, bowling, golf and pickleball. Among this huge variety, you can find one you like, but make sure the one you pick actually involves a lot of physical movement. To truly stay in shape, you want to avoid low-activity sports like bowling, since they won't burn as many calories.

Staying in shape means controlling calories. There is no better way to control calories than by making sure you burn more than you take in every day. Intramural sports are an ideal way to burn calories, since they will engage you in continuous physical exercise over a period of time. By joining an intramural sports team, you are also dedicating yourself to a team. With that comes a commitment to participate in a set number of games or matches every so often. Regularly exercising can be a challenge due to fitting it into your schedule. The beauty with team sports is that you receive a set schedule that you have to plan your own schedule around.

One of the strengths that intramural sports have going for them is the communal and social aspect of them. You will be motivated to continue participating in intramural team sports because of the fun that is guaranteed from the social aspect of the experience. This will also make it seem less like exercise in your mind, since you will be meeting up with peers to engage in an activity that you all enjoy. If you are tired of exercising alone, like running the stairs or lifting weights, intramural sports with a team can be a satisfactory alternative.