There are so many benefits to taking up a hobby. Of course, the first is that it can help you get a better work-life balance. After all, it’s a lot easier to say no to those late-night unpaid overtime sessions if you have pre-arranged plans!
Hobbies can also be a great deal of fun, and provide meaning in our lives that is unrelated to work, something that can make a bad day at the office a little easier to bear! Then there are all the wonderful relationships we can forge through a shared love of a particular activity! Indeed, many people meet their closest friends by joining a club or taking up a sport. Last, of all, some hobbies can help us stay fit and active, both in body and mind. Indeed, you can find a breakdown of some of the most popular options that do both these things in the post below.
Hiking
One of the most straightforward hobbies to consider for keeping your mind and body fit is hiking. In its simplest form hiking is just about finding a trail and taking a walk. Although it’s worth remembering that it can be so much more than this too!. Indeed, you will find that most hiking areas have several different trails, all at various difficulty levels. This means you can build up your physical capabilities, and test your mettle as you progress!
Additionally, another important mental benefit of hiking is that you get to immerse yourself in nature, something which many people can find soothing. Of course, there is also the mental challenge of planning your route, and navigating when you are on the trail, which will keep your mind as sharp as your muscles.
Rock Climbing
If you are looking for both mental and physical benefits, another hobby that you may wish to consider is rock climbing. Indeed, climbing is one of the very best activities for an all-over body workout as it requires you to engage many muscle groups including ones that aren’t usually worked like the ones in your toes and fingers.
The mental benefits of taking up rock climbing as a hobby include the challenge of scaling a cliff face, and pitting your will against nature. Many climbers also report that the views of sprawling vistas, once they have summited a mountain, can have a very positive mental effect too, often putting things into perspective and helping them clear their head and get a little more objectivity on the situations happening in their life.
Horseback Riding
If you are looking for an activity that will help you build mind-body coordination, and a rock-solid core then horseback riding is the perfect hobby. It can be incredibly fun and exciting too because when you get good enough for your horse to canter or gallop it can be truly thrilling!
Of course, the benefits to your core come from needing to hold your balance when you are sitting in the saddle. The good news is that you can make things a little easier on yourself, to begin with by choosing a wester saddle rather than an English one. You’ll build strong muscles in your legs too as you will need to use your heel to urge your steed on, and boost yourself up into the saddle seated position from the ground to mount your horse.
However, like many of the hobbies here, it is also important to protect your physical health when horseback riding. This means investing in the proper safety equipment including a helmet, and body protector.
The mental advantages of horse riding aren’t just about the thrill of a fast ride, however, as it can require laser-sharp focus to judge the distance of objects around you while you are on the move, as well as supreme concentration to master the different skills including jumping, trotting, cantering and the like.
Skiing or Snowboarding
If high adrenaline thrills are what you are searching for, then taking up skiing or snowboarding as a hobby could be a great fit. Don’t panic if you live in a place where there is little or no snow either, as there are plenty of facilities that are equipped to make their own now!
Physical benefits you can reap from taking up skiing or snowboarding include the fact that it’s a great cardiovascular workout, often burning the same amount of calories as a run! Then there are the improvements in muscle tone and strength you can expect, especially in the lower body, as well as increased flexibility, and again like horse riding it’s great for your core muscles because so much of it is about balance and control.
Mentally, skiing or snowboarding can also be incredibly fun and thrilling as it often requires going down the mountainside at high speed. It’s also usually an outdoor activity which means plenty of fresh, oxygenated blood pumping around the body, plus all those lovely endorphins!
Last of all, another great benefit to taking up skiing or snowboarding as a hobby is that it provides you with the perfect excuse to take winter vacations! This being something that can help you get a mental life if the slump after Christmas.
Football
One of the most popular active hobbies in the USA is football! Not to be confused with English Soccer, football is a sport that is played professionally and in most schools, colleges throughout the country.
The main physical benefits of football as a hobby include increased strength, as well as a good cardiovascular workout. Indeed, you need to be both strong and physically fit to be able to play the sport well.
Mentally, there is a lot more to football than the endorphins that are released every game by the players. Indeed, there are plenty of tactics involved in playing football well, as many of the top NFL coaches will tell you. Players also need to be able to work in line with their team on the field, which means predicting what they are likely to do which is itself an excellent form of workout!
Dancing
Last, of all, dancing has to be one of the very best hobbies that provide benefits for both the mind and the body. Indeed, on the physical side of things, dance is great for not only burning calories but for building muscle tone which supports posture and bone health. Many styles of dancing are also great for flexibility, so they can help you stay supple and feeling great.
Then there are those big ol’ endorphin mood boosts you get from moving your body to the music, which is great news for your mental health. You don’t even need to go to a formal class if you don’t want to, as you can pop on your favorite tunes and bop around your living room.
Of course, you will find that there are plenty of classes to try out as well, including ballroom, salsa, and Zumba which provide you with some additional mental benefits. The first of these is that you get to meet new people, and socialize. While the second is that concentration and coordination you use to hone your routines can help to keep both your mind and your mind-body connection sharp.
Final thoughts
As you can see from the information above, taking up an active hobby can provide a range of benefits in your life. Indeed, not only can it help you create a more balanced life, but also improve your mental, physical, and even emotional health at the same time.
So, what are you waiting for? Why not pick up a new active hobby today?
