50 Ways to Leave Your Blubber 

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Check out these local clubs for more information on mountain biking and street cycling:

www.tarheeltrailblazers.com (club)
www.charlottemtnbike.com (local races)
www.dirtdivas.net (women's mountain bike club)
Bike Commuter Support Group: www.bikementor.org
Cannonballs Cycling Team: www.cannonballs-cycling.org
Charlotte Sports Cycling: www.charlottesportscycling.com
Rank Riders: www.RankRiders.com
Rock Hill Bicycle Club: www.rockhillbicycleclub.com
TailWind Tandem Club: www.tailwindtandemclub.com
Tarheel Cyclists: www.tarheelcyclists.org
Tarheel Trailblazers: www.tarheeltrailblazers.com
Team in Training: www.teamintraining.org/nc

7. SOCCER Soccer is a fun and challenging workout — not to mention a seemingly all-consuming force among middle and upper-class families with SUVs and young children. There are several men's, women's and co-rec. adult soccer programs, as well as many public parks with soccer fields. For more info, check out: www.parkandrec.com and click on "things to do," then "soccer."

Charlotte Women's Soccer League (www.cwslsoccer.com)
Metrolina Adult Soccer League (www.eteamz.com/maslsoccer)

8. ADULT FLAG FOOTBALL Nearly the same as regular football, but with less compound fractures and turf burns, flag football is a great way to get outside with your friends and toss the old pigskin around. (Although technically, most are now made from synthetic rubber — damn animal rights' activists.) Mecklenburg County Park and Rec offers competitive and recreational division adult flag football leagues. The leagues run in the spring and fall at various parks in the Charlotte area, and games are played on Saturdays. For more information, contact Mike Moraglia, Athletic Coordinator at 704-353-1241 or e-mail at Moragms@co.mecklenburg.nc.us

9. SOFTBALL Softball is one of the most popular sports among Charlotte's young professionals. It gives folks an excuse to get together outside of work, get in a little exercise, and then consume mass quantities of alcohol afterwards. Charlotte Mecklenburg Park and Rec has dozens of facilities with softball fields, including several parks with multiple fields, including, Hornet's Nest Park, Mallard Creek Park, Nevin Park, Park Road Park and Renaissance Park. For more info, check out: www.parkandrec.com and click on "things to do," then "softball."

Clubs and Organizations: Carolina Softball (www.CarolinaSoftball.net)

10. BASEBALL If you're looking for something a little more competitive — not to mention 90mph pitches — you may want to give the Charlotte Adult Baseball League a try. The league began in 1988 with just four teams for players 30 and over only. Today, the league includes 10 teams and has opened up the age requirements to include all adults 18 and over. For more information, check out the Charlotte Adult Baseball League at: www.cabl-usa.org

11. DISC GOLF Although it's debatable whether disc golf is actually a sport or a pastime for stoners, it's a great way to spend the afternoon. There are six disc golf courses in Charlotte, each located at a public park. One of the nicer ones is Reedy Creek. Even if you're not into tossing the disc, the course itself is picturesque and peaceful. The same basic principles of regular golf are used in disc golf, except instead of balls and a club, you toss flying discs into metal baskets. Check out the Charlotte Disc Golf Club at: www.charlottedgc.com.

Disc Golf Park/Course locations:
Hornet's Nest Park, 6331 Beatties Ford Rd.
Kilborne Park, 2600 Kilborne Dr.
Reedy Creek Park, 2900 Rocky River Rd.
Renaissance Park, 200 W. Tyvola Rd.
Sugaw Creek Park, 943 W. Sugar Creek Rd.
Veterans Park, 2136 Central Ave.

12. BUMP, SET, SPIKE Ah, how I love the game of volleyball. The athletic grace. The power. The timing. The 6-foot-plus Amazon women on TV with barely-there bathing suits. Of course for people who actually want to play the game, there are about 30 parks with volleyball facilities in Charlotte, and there are a number of men's, women's and co-rec leagues that play year-round. For more information, check out: www.parkandrec.com, click on "things to do," then "volleyball."

13. SKATING After discovering fire, man created the wheel, and emergency room hospitals have never been the same. Sure, skating and skateboarding cause countless bumps and bruises every year, but it's still a fun way to get some exercise. There are a growing number of places around Charlotte where kids and adults can skate without being hassled by The Man, man. If you're looking for aggressive inline skating, check out Charlotte's only publicly owned skatepark, the Methodist Home Skatepark. It features a 6-foot vertical half-pipe, 6-foot bank ramps, a pyramid ramp and other street course challenges. Extremes offers a 10,000 sq. ft. indoor skate park especially designed for skateboarders, inline skaters and BMX freestylers. Finally, Grayson Skatepark is now under construction and expected to be completed this summer, featuring a flow/street course complete with banks, transitions, corners, rails and ledges.