Five hobbies that could improve your health! Did you know that they could also be good for our mental and physical health?
Hobbies provide a fulfilling and productive use of our free time, and our core identities are often tied to the interests we choose to pursue when we're not working, sleeping, or spending time with loved ones.
We'll take a look at five hobbies that will help boost your health for 2018.
1. Dancing: A Fun Form of Exercise
Dancing provides a great variety of health benefits and is an easy and affordable way to exercise for most people. Think about it: you don't need much equipment to dance - just your feet, some tunes and preferably a friend or two.
Dancing is gentle on the body - you can push yourself as hard as you want, or settle into a comfortable groove that is right for you. And everybody can dance!
Even if you are shy about tearing it up on the dance floor, almost everyone enjoys moving their body to the music, even if it is just in the comfort of their own home. There is no right or wrong way to dance. Just do whatever feels good to you!
Dancing is a social activity and we know that keeping active social relations is important for general wellbeing. Most importantly, dancing is fun. It is a painless, energizing workout. But how exactly does dancing keep us healthy?
First, dancing is an excellent cardio workout, and we know that cardio workouts help improve cardiovascular health, increase endurance, and strengthen bones and muscles.
Dancing is also good for brain health. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine reported a link between regular dancing excursions and a 76% reduction in the risk of dementia.
2. Gardening is Very Good for the Brain
Gardening may not initially seem like exercise, but studies have reported a wealth of unexpected health benefits associated with keeping your garden in order.
First, the simple act of pulling weeds, planting and reaching for tools adds up to a fine form of aerobic exercise that we know helps work muscles and increases strength, endurance and flexibility.
Also, being outside is just good for you. A 2014 study found that gardening and regular cycling reduce the likelihood of vitamin D deficiency in older adults.
There's also a link between decreasing risk of dementia and gardening, with one study reporting a 36% lower risk of dementia among people who do daily gardening.
3. Writing
Surely sitting at a desk with a laptop or pen and paper can't be good for your health?
Writing has been linked to a number of mental and physical health benefits, including improvements in memory, stress and sleep, among others.
Several studies, for example, have found that writing about their experiences helps cancer patients cope with their illnesses, helping them withstand stress and potentially contributing to improved physical outcomes.
An interesting study conducted by researchers at the University of Auckland in New Zealand even investigated whether writing could affect the rate at which wounds heal.
Researchers assigned one group of participants to write for 20 minutes a day about their most traumatic life experience. And they assigned another group this task of writing for the same length each day about their plans for the next day.
Two weeks after the first day of writing, small skin biopsies were taken from the participants. The researchers then photographed the resulting sores every 3-5 days until they were healed.
They found that 11 days after the biopsy, 76% of the wounds in the group of participants writing about trauma had healed, while in the group of participants writing about their daily plans, only 42% of the wounds had healed.
Generally speaking, writing is a great tool for self-expression, and while journaling about trauma can be cathartic, there are also possible social benefits in writing for a public audience.
4. Music is Medicine
Playing and listening to music can also benefit both mental and physical health. In 2013 they reported on the first large-scale review of scientific papers studying the impact of music on neurochemistry.
The review suggested that music can stimulate the body's immune system, lower stress and anxiety levels, and relieve depression.
Among patients awaiting surgery, listening to music has been found to be more effective at reducing anxiety than prescription drugs.
And listening to and playing music has been linked to lower levels of the ‘stress hormone’ cortisol.
To understand how much music excites our brains, a 2011 study also compared the brain's response to music with its responses to food and sex, since the pleasurable feelings derived from all three are triggered by the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine.
5. Pets. They are Good for Your Health
Pets of all kinds can make wonderful companions, and they can help us be healthier in many ways.
Owning a pet can not only provide opportunities for exercise, outdoor activities, and socialization, but can also help reduce:
- Blood pressure
- Cholesterol levels
- Triglyceride levels
- Feelings of loneliness
If you are wondering how this translates into broader health benefits, you should keep in mind that all of these factors can help minimize your risk of heart attack.
However, a 2013 study questioned whether the association between pet ownership itself was directly related to the reduced risk of heart disease among pet owners that had been reported in previous studies.
‘Having a pet, especially a dog, is likely associated with reduced risk of heart disease.’ Maybe it is just that healthy people are the ones who have pets. And not having a pet actually leads to or results in a reduction in cardiovascular risk.’
If you have a regular hobby that you enjoy, why not spend some time thinking about it. How could you apply your hobby-related activities to improving your health?
And if you're thinking of taking up a new hobby, then hopefully this article will give you some ideas on how to be healthier while having fun!