New Hobbies
Welcome
along to another post. Today, I wanted to talk a little bit about some new
hobbies or activities you can try. Enjoy!
SPORT
AND FITNESS
So
many people enjoy being fit and active and the fact is that there are so many
different kinds of sport and physical activity out there which you can try. In
my view, there is something out there in this category for all of us, and I’ve
listed some possibilities below.
Going
to the gym
Although
I myself am against the new gym culture which seems to be developing in our
society, I realise that for thousands of people, it is a passion and a
fantastic way of building muscle and keeping healthy. Whether you are looking
to lose some weight, gain some extra definition, or simply looking for a new
form of exercise to do, this can be a great new activity for you.
Yoga
Far
less strenuous than the sorts of activities you do at the gym, this can be a
great way of relaxing your mind and body. From what I have seen, the results
are amazing and the people who have participated in yoga classes say it has
really benefited them and made them a lot healthier and calmer. I have never
tried yoga myself but I would really like to at some point in the future and it
comes highly recommended by many of my friends.
Martial
Arts
A
great long-term form of physical activity, often with goals to reach (for
example, the belts in karate) which you can aim at. They can teach you a lot of
self-discipline, and provide you with vital skills such as self-defence for
those who wish to feel safer in society. And of course, as with most sports,
there is just a massive variety of options you can try. Karate, Judo, and
Jujitsu to name just a few.
Water
sports
This
is another incredibly popular kind of sport and involves such activities as
water polo, water volleyball, diving, and swimming. Since the last Olympics in
London, they have become increasingly popular in the UK, with more people than
ever signing up for these sports. As with all forms of sport, there are many
fitness benefits to taking them up, including more muscular definition, better
physical health, and an improvement in mental health.
However,
there are those who can’t swim, for which this sort of sport would be a
problem. But don’t worry, because I am recommending swimming lessons under this
category as well. Even if you are an adult, there is no shame in learning to
swim, which can give you many of the same rewards as any other physical
activity. Also, don’t be afraid or embarrassed to sign up. Remember that there
are probably many others who will be in a similar situation to yourself, so you
can learn together. Meeting new people is another possible positive of learning
a new skill like this!
Sports
Of
course, there are the more traditional sports that you can take up if you so
wish, which have again been more popular (certainly in the UK) in the wake of
the London Olympics in 2012, and have been given more funding as part of the
legacy of the games. Seriously, there has never been a better time to sign up
to a new sport. And, of course, there are so many out there for you to explore.
I have given you a list of possibilities below, but this is by no means
exhaustive and I encourage you to look into it deeper to find something you
might enjoy.
- Football (soccer for my international readers)
- Rugby
- Tennis
- Netball
- Badminton
- Table tennis
- Hockey/ice-hockey
- Basketball
- Baseball
- Gaelic football
- Aussie rules football
Running
or walking
For
me, the simplest and best of all physical activity is walking, jogging, or
running. It is absolutely amazing for personal fitness and is one of the
easiest things to do. I used to walk thirty minutes to school every day and
then the same distance back, and it did wonders for my leg muscles and for my
general physical and mental health. Whether it is light walking, jogging,
running, or even hiking, it is a great way to get your 60 minutes of exercise a
day, and best of all, it doesn’t cost you a thing! Happy days!
MUSIC
Music
plays such a huge role in all of our lives, no matter our age, gender,
nationality, or background, and no matter whether it be classic, instrumental,
R n B, soft rock, or any other genre. For some of us, the love and enjoyment of
music goes deeper than simply listening to it. It becomes a passion, which can
be indulged in a number of ways.
Learning
to play
With
a large number of instruments available and people willing to give you lessons
easy to come by, we live in a time when learning to play is relatively
straightforward. The most popular choice is the guitar (which I would really
love to learn myself) and is generally considered to be the coolest of all
instruments. As for me, I had piano lessons for 18 months, and it was
beneficial to me in terms of giving me something to do at weekends and boosting
my self-confidence. Sadly, my education began to interfere with practice and I had
to give up, but I still value everything I learnt during those lessons and it
was really great fun to do. I absolutely recommend learning an instrument if
you are looking for a way to explore your passion for music in a new way.
Joining
or starting a band
Of
course, you might already be able to play, which brings me to my next point. If
you have already learnt to play something, it might be a good idea to try and join
a local band, so that you can put your skills to good use. There is also the
option of starting one with friends, or with others who can play, from which
you can still get the same rewards; practising and using your skills, meeting
new people, expressing your love for music.
Writing
your own songs
Composing
and writing songs is also a great way of exploring your musical talents, as
well as expressing all of your emotions through the medium of music. From the
age of around 14 until I was 16, I used to enjoy writing song lyrics (without
music) and it became a coping mechanism for me, as I would put all of my emotion,
both positive and negative, into the words I was writing. It definitely did me
a lot of good, and I recommend it to you all. In addition, it goes without
saying that if you have the opportunity to add music to the lyrics then this is
an added bonus, and you never know how far you might go with it. After all, Ed
Sheeran used to busk, and has now become one of the biggest stars in the world!
READING
I
am a MASSIVE advocate of the powers of reading. Whether it be fiction or
non-fiction, magazines or newspapers, short stories or full novels, I strongly
believe in the power of reading. In this society which relies so much on
technology, I feel it is more important than ever that we take time out and
leave our devices behind for a while. This has become known as unplugging. Recently, I realised how
reliant I had become on the internet and just how much time I was spending on
my laptop, so I have now decided to dedicate some time every day to unplugging,
during which time I read.
Reading
is such an amazing thing to do, and has only served to increase my passion for
literature, and I wholeheartedly encourage you to read as much as you can,
wherever and whenever you can.
WRITING
If
you have been following me for a while, you will know that I absolutely love
writing, and my aim is to write professionally at some point in the future. Therefore,
I am listing it here as another potential new hobby you can try out. What is so
wonderful about writing is that it can take so many forms, and these are just a
few of them:
- Novels
- Short stories
- Poetry
- Song lyrics
- Reviews (books, films, products)
LEARNING
A LANGUAGE
I
am slightly biased here because I speak three languages, and am studying both
English and French at university, but I cannot praise enough just how useful
learning another language can be. It opens up so many doors in terms of
employment, travel, and opportunity. Not only that, but it can provide you with
a key life skill and a greater awareness of other cultures, and a deeper
understanding of your own culture. Below, I am giving you a list of languages I
believe are useful to learn (I have left out English because I am a native
speaker and this blog is in English).
- Mandarin
- French
- German
- Spanish
- Russian
- Arabic
- Dutch
INTERNET-BASED
HOBBIES
Whilst
this may appear to be a contradiction to my earlier statement about unplugging,
I still want to recommend the sorts of internet-based activities you can do,
which all have their own benefits. I have listed just a selection of them here,
but I am sure there are so many others I have forgotten.
- Blogging
- Photography (via sites like Instagram and Pinterest it is easy to get your work shared around)
- YouTube
TRENT
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
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