What is a Physical Hobby or Physical activity?
Physical hobbies are activities done in your leisure or spare time which demand the movement of your body and the use of your energy. These hobbies can either be done indoors or outdoors, alone or with others and by all age groups.
Physical hobbies fall into three main categories. It is important to partake in each type to achieve balance and well-being. The three main types of physical exercises are flexibility, aerobic, and muscle-strengthening activities. Each category of hobbies has its own benefits and will improve your overall fitness as an individual.
Physical hobbies are very beneficial for our health. Engaging in active hobbies helps improve mood and well-being. They help us relax, have fun, boost mental strength, and develop relevant life skills. Active hobbies improve our bone density and reduce our risk of serious health problems.
Examples of physical activities include walking, cycling, hiking, yoga, basketball, weight lifting, swimming, soccer, hiking, volleyball, Tai-chi, karate, and many others.
This page will cover physical hobbies, why physical hobbies are important, the types of physical hobbies or activities, and physical hobbies by interest and personality.
Why Physical hobbies are important for your health?
Physical hobbies or activities are extremely important to your mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing. It doesn’t matter if it is cycling, brisk walking, or boxing. They will help you in many ways.
Facts
More than 60 percent of U.S. adults do not engage in the recommended amount of activity.
Approximately 25 percent of U.S. adults are not active at all.
Physical inactivity is more common among:
Women than men.
African American and Hispanic adults than whites.
Older than younger adults.
Less affluent than more affluent people.
Social support from family and friends has been consistently and positively related to regular physical activity.
Source: cdc.gov
We need to take our health very seriously and the easiest thing is we can do it with our hobbies in our free or spare time.
Health Benefits of Physical hobbies
Engaging in consistent physical hobbies is very important.
The benefits of active hobbies are there for anyone to experience. It doesn’t matter your age, shape, size, or race. It is a universal principle and nobody can escape from the benefits once they start engaging in such habits.
Below are some of the benefits of engaging in physically demanding hobbies.
1. Physical hobbies help you manage your weight. If you gain more calories than you burn you will gain extra pounds to your waistline. Being active physically with your hobbies ensures you burn enough calories to maintain a healthy weight.
Recommendation: To maintain a healthy weight, it is recommended you engage in at least 75 – 150 minutes of activity a week. Remember to consult your doctor before you engage in any physical activity.
2. Physical activity strengthens your bones and muscles. Your bones, joints, and muscles age over time, and therefore to keep them in top condition you need to use them. Ever heard of the saying “Use it or lose it”? If you ignore the use of your body, it will fail you.
Physical hobbies will help improve your bone density and strengthen your muscles over time. It helps you prevent serious health issues like hip fractures, arthritis, and general bone loss.
Examples of simple bone-building activities are walking, jogging, dancing, swimming, hiking, and cycling. This I can testify in my personal life after running marathons for a long time.
3. It improves your mood. Physical hobbies or activities help reduce your stress levels and anxiety. Studies suggest that engaging in physical activities helps with depression.
People who consistently exercise or perform active hobbies cause the reduction of stress hormones in their brains. This leads to good quality sleep hence better focus and concentration during your waking moment.
4. They Improve your life span. Living a sedentary life is one of the major causes of heart problems and cancer-related diseases. This can greatly shorten your life. However, taking on these habits like consistent walking for 20 minutes a day has been studied to help to increase your resilience against such diseases.
You don’t need to engage in vigorous activities to improve your health. According to studies engaging in activities like walking, cycling, jogging, or running consistently will greatly help reduce premature deaths.
5. Physical hobbies also help with better memory, mental clarity, reduced brain fog, and improved mental flexibility for more creativity.
Types of physical activities or hobbies
Physical hobbies come in three different forms based on their purpose.
People either engage in aerobic physical activities, flexibility-based exercises, or build strength and muscle.
Due to the nature of these hobbies, some of them can be found in other domains. For instance, weightlifting can help you build muscle and reduce weight at the same time.
Below are the types of physical hobbies and examples of them.
Aerobic activities
These activities are mostly referred to as endurance activities. These activities increase your heart rate and breathing. You can do these kinds of activities easily in your leisure time to keep you healthy, build your stamina, improve your ability to perform simple day-to-day tasks, and boost your overall fitness level.
Aerobic-based hobbies strengthen essential organs in your body for better functioning. They improve your heart, lungs, and your entire circulatory and cardiovascular system which helps protect you from diseases like diabetes, cancer, and high blood pressure.
Here are some of the aerobic physical hobbies
- Swimming
- Walking as a hobby
- Dancing
- Jogging
- Running
- Cycling or Biking
- Push-Ups
- Squats
- Mountain Climbers
- Cycling
- Hiking
- Tennis
- Golfing
- Gardening
These hobbies will keep you in good shape.
Flexibility activities
As the name suggests, these kinds of physical hobbies are done to improve motion in your joints. The idea is to improve or maintain the flexibility of joints which are lost due to factors like gender, age, genetics, and even physical injuries. They can help loosen up tight hamstrings and stiff hips.
Here are some of the flexibility-based physical hobbies
- Yoga
- Tai Chi
- Pilates
- Stretching
Muscle building activities or strength exercises
Muscles are very important for every age and gender. Losing muscle means losing strength, and losing strength means you are incapable of performing simple daily tasks and also increase your risk of diseases.
You can build muscle by lifting weights or lifting any slightly heavy object for a very long time. Simple everyday carrying of groceries can help you maintain your muscle.
Here are some muscle-building activities or hobbies you can pick from.
- Ice Climbing
- Indoor Climbing
- Basketball
- Kick Boxing
- Rock Climbing
- Skipping rope
- Volleyball
- Karate
- Skiing
- Weight Lifting
- Pole Dancing
- Gymnastics
- Baseball
- Orienteering
- Kayaking
Physical hobbies by interest and personality
Depending on the age, gender, or personality of an individual, some people prefer certain hobbies to others. Here, we will try our best to categorize these physical hobbies for different people.
Physical Hobbies for Men
These are what are termed manly hobbies. It is very important to be physically vibrant as a man. Every now and then you will be needed to carry heavy things around your home and most of all very much healthy to be around for the whole family. Here are some physical or active hobbies for men that will help you man up.
- Weight Lifting
- Rock Climbing
- Parkour
- Trail Running
- Running marathons
- Fishing
- Volleyball
- Bungee Jumping
- Surfing
- Hunting
- Tai Chi
- Karate
- Tae Kwando
- Fencing
Physical Hobbies for Women
Being a woman doesn’t mean you don’t need to be physical. Those were the old days, Now, women do almost if not more than men. However, considering the general female population it is important to say not everyone will say yes to that.
Here are some active hobbies to pick and protect your health.
- Biking
- Running
- Gardening
- Hiking
- Walking
- Skiing
- Surfing
- Swimming
- Horseback riding
Physical Hobbies for Seniors
Whether you are in your mid-40s,50s,60s,70s, or above, this is one of the crucial moments in your life to take care of your health. Your body needs it and you need to give it to it. The longer you live, the longer you can share your wisdom with your family especially your grandchildren. These hobbies will help you prevent mental anomalies like dementia.
Convinced? Here are some simple physical hobbies to pick up as a senior, to increase your energy levels and improve your quality of life.
- Traveling
- Swimming
- Walking
- Dancing
- Stretching
- Yoga and Pilates
- Playing ball with your grandkids
- Volunteering
Physical Hobbies to do at home
Even if you prefer to be at home, there are many active hobbies you can do to remain fit and healthy.
Here is a list of some active hobbies to do at home.
- Lift weights
- Start a garden
- Pushups and Squats
- Yoga
- Martial Arts
Physical Hobbies for Couples
As couples, engaging in activities together can strengthen your bond and keep you ever so close together. Here are some active hobbies to do as a couple.
- Go to the gym together
- Joint cycling
- Running
- Try Zumba classes
References
https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/index.htm
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/why-is-physical-activity-so-important-for-health-and-wellbeing
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity#:~:text=Regular%20physical%20activity%20is%20proven,of%20life%20and%20well%2Dbeing.
