Another sport I would highly recommend is rock climbing. Most cities have an indoor climbing gym and on the whole I've found other climbers to be very friendly and helpful to people just getting started.
There is also this whole puzzle solving aspect to rock climbing that I was unaware of before I started climbing. You can mostly brute force your way through a route if you are strong enough but there is always a more efficient way to do it that uses a fraction of the energy. Figuring out the right way to do a route is very satisfying to my inner nerd.
Agreed. I boulder daily. It is one of the most rewarding forms of exercise on many levels. And if you get involved with it on a serious level you will see fast results.
There is also this whole puzzle solving aspect to rock climbing that I was unaware of before I started climbing. You can mostly brute force your way through a route if you are strong enough but there is always a more efficient way to do it that uses a fraction of the energy. Figuring out the right way to do a route is very satisfying to my inner nerd.