Health & Fitness

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Essentials

Expat fitness

Moving abroad isn’t just about starting a new job, learning the language and setting up home. Once you’ve arrived and settled in, you’ll probably want to find out where you can play your favourite sport, the best places to run or walk in your neighbourhood or where to find the best dance classes or sailing lessons if you're on a coast. Start by checking out the local expat leagues, expat gyms, and other sports associations. For instance, an expat in the Netherlands should start with ‘A guide to Dutch sports clubs and associations’. Why not take up a national sport? For instance, in the Netherlands, try sailing, or take up winter sports in Switzerland. Even if your sport is obscure, you’ll find that most countries will have a club associated with it, whether it’s football, cricket, rugby, skiing, swimming, tennis or squash, baseball, scuba diving or hand-gliding.

Expat and local networking

Use your connections to find the locations of the best places to practice a sport or to keep fit. Ask other expats which dancing schools they’d recommend for their children, which swimming school they use, the best pools to take the children to, for recreation or for serious training. If you are more into yoga and Pilates, then find out where the best teachers give classes and try it out. The best result can only be a healthier and happier you.

International sports clubs and other groups

If you’d like to join an international club, the American football team or International Women’s football club (yes, they could exist!) then check out Expatica’s Groups & Clubs listings on the Forums & Connect channel (Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, UK) and also on our A-Z listings by category under Groups & Clubs and Fitness. Existing clubs include the British Rugby Club of Paris, The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, which has branches in all Expatica countries, and the Brussels Kangaroos Baseball Club. You can even take up Morris dancing in the Netherlands!