Find an Active Hobby
What do you like to do? If the answer to that question is running and lifting weights, you might think this post doesn't apply to you, but it's beneficial for anyone to aquire an active hobby. Often the determining factor between someone who is in the shape they want to be and someone who is still struggling to lose a few pounds is the calories they burn without even trying to. Doing 30 minutes on the treadmill each day is great, but why follow it with four hours of vegging in front of the television. An hour or two spent doing an active hobby can burn as many or even more calories than that one short exercise session.
What I’m talking about is a hobby that burns calories, but not excessively so. An active hobby is something that is interesting. You might even find it relaxing. If you're lucky it'll also leave you with a sense of accomplishment. This time of year I find those qualities in gardening.
I enjoy walking the perimeter of my house and trying to remember which variety is planted where. Sometimes I can tell by sight, like with the thick spikes of a hosta or pineapple looking tops of Asiatic lilies, and sometimes I have to rely on my memory or photographs of the previous year to figure out what’s coming up where. I enjoy putting my brain to work recalling the names and characteristics of the plants in my garden. I put my body to work travelling to plant sales to find new varieties, digging up and separating plants that have grown too big and weeding and mulching to make sure the garden looks great all summer long. It's not usually strenuous work but I find it very rewarding and know it' doing its part in keeping me healthy and happy.
If I sound a little obsessed it’s because I am. I never think about burning calories or getting into shape when I spend hours each week in my garden, and that’s precisely why it’s such a great hobby. Deep down I know I am strengthening my muscles and bones but I’m so absorbed in my enjoyment of doing it that I never stop to think about it. No matter how much you enjoy running or resistance training there’s always the knowledge that it’s an activity done specifically to become more fit.
Find a hobby that incorporates fitness but puts other priorities ahead of it. Create beauty with a flower garden, produce food for your family with a vegetable patch, make time for your kids by volunteering to coach their soccer team. Those are just a few options, can I help it if my brain is stuck on foliage right now? I'm still looking for an active winter hobby, let me know if you've got any good suggestions.