The first hobby of the three is a physical hobby. Get a hobby that keeps your body healthy. We’re not meant to sit at desks for eight hours a day, which is sadly what many of us end up doing. It is especially important to have a physical hobby before you retire. Many people, especially men, die shortly after retiring. Part of this is a lack of physical exercise.
“No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training… what a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.” ~ Socrates
Humans are meant to move and having a physical activity as a hobby reminds us that we are not merely thinking beings. For many of us, physical activities fall by the wayside after high school. Having a physical hobby reconnects us with our physical being. It improves our health and vitality, and often provide the added benefit of immersing us in natural environments.
In our increasingly sedentary and screen-dominated society, deliberately choosing movement-based hobbies becomes an essential counterbalance. As Socrates once said, “No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training… what a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.”
The spectrum of physical hobbies is vast and accommodating of different abilities, preferences, and circumstances. Traditional sports like tennis, basketball, or golf offer the combined pleasures of skill development and friendly competition. Hiking, cycling, or kayaking allow for exploration of natural landscapes while building endurance and strength. Dance in its myriad forms—from ballroom to hip-hop to folk traditions—integrates physical movement with musical expression and often social connection. Activities like yoga, tai chi, or rock climbing require focused attention to the body’s positioning and capabilities, creating states of flow that quiet mental chatter.
What makes physical hobbies particularly valuable is their capacity to shift us out of analytical thinking and into experiential awareness. When we’re fully engaged in bodily movement, we temporarily suspend thinking about past or future and anchor ourselves in the present. This natural mindfulness offers psychological relief alongside physical benefits, creating an integrated experience of wellness that technical exercise programs designed purely for fitness often lack.
Physical and Fitness Hobbies
- Sports: Tennis, basketball, hiking, rock climbing
- Fitness Activities: Yoga, dance, martial arts, cycling
- Outdoor Adventures: Camping, kayaking, gardening, bird watching
- Team Sports: Volleyball, soccer, basketball leagues
Both men and women go through profound physical changes as they age, andropause and menopause. Metabolisms slow down; testosterone decreases, mood changes. Starting to engage in a physical activity once you retire is too late, your body will not have a solid base to build upon and chances are you will quit because it is too hard or painful. Hobbies provide a healthy break from work-related responsibilities, helping individuals recharge and return to their tasks with renewed energy. This balance is crucial for preventing burnout and maintaining productivity.
It is harder to get a new hobby going, than it is to continue a hobby. Many people think they will figure it out when they retire and when the time comes, they don’t know what to do so they just sit. It’s easy to be passive and watch TV or play video games. As we know from Newton’s first law of motion, a body at rest will remain at rest unless an outside force acts on it. Sadly, for many retirees that outside force is death.
Your physical hobby can be a team sport like soccer, or hockey. Or an individual pursuit like cycling or swimming. The important thing is that it gets your heart rate up and makes you sweat. The heart rate thing is important, so bowling while fun and social, won’t cut it as a physical hobby. It’s a good hobby, but not for this. It might be better as your mental hobby since it takes concentration. The same goes for golf. If you are one of those golfers who prefer using a cart, you eliminate the physical activity benefits.
MMA, mixed martial arts, is also not a good hobby if it involves actual strikes. While MMA fighters are incredibly fit, too many head strikes can cause concussions and defeats the purpose; which is to keep you physically healthy. If you practice martial arts without striking then that is great and it meets the criteria.
The reason it is important to get your heart rate up when exercising is because it helps to improve cardiovascular fitness. When physical activity increases your heart rate, it strengthens your heart and improves the efficiency with which it pumps blood. This helps to reduce the risk of heart disease and other health conditions, such as high blood pressure and obesity.
We know that the average heart has 2.5 billion beats in it. Regardless of the heart. A creature with a very high heart rate, like a hummingbird whose heart beats 10 times a second has a very short lifespan, a couple of years. While a creature like a tortoise with a very slow heart rate can live to be 200 years old! The idea is that by working the heart muscle it gets stronger and lowers the resting heart rate thus lengthening life. Not to mention the other benefits as well.
For men, as we age our hormones change. We produce less testosterone and can experience lower sex drive. Regular vigorous activity helps prevent this. Additionally, increasing your heart rate during exercise can help to boost your energy levels and improve your overall sense of well-being.
It is important to pick something you actually enjoy doing. It doesn’t make sense to try and force yourself to “go to the gym” if you don’t enjoy it. That is why gyms are packed in January and empty by March. People sign up for memberships but cannot maintain it because it’s not enjoyable to them.
Likewise, don’t join a team sport if you don’t like people. Seems like a no brainer, but being on a team can be very stressful if you are just beginning or are not very good. You don’t want to disappoint your teammates by making mistakes and unforced errors.
In addition, some physical hobbies require what I will call form. That is, there is a right way to do it. Golf is a good example. If you do not like being corrected, stay away from these sorts of hobbies. Weight lifting is another one. In power lifting form is important to prevent injury and maximize results. But you need someone experienced to watch you and correct your form. Make sure you chose the right hobby for your temperament.
Cycling is a great physical hobby
For me, cycling is my physical hobby. And I average a couple thousand kilometers a year. One summer I rode from Victoria to Montreal just because I had the time. I have ridden on a team in UCI races at a provincial level. I have done a double hairshirt in a single day; which is 200 miles or 322km for the metrically minded.
For me, cycling is the perfect physical hobby because you can ride alone or with other people. You can’t really play hockey or baseball alone. Cycling in a group requires focus and concentration, cycling alone less so.
Cycling can be an efficient way to burn calories, which can help with weight loss and overall health. The slimmest I have ever been in my life was the summer I cycled to Montreal. I was eating about 4,000 – 6,000 calories a day, but I was also cycling for 8-10 hours. I couldn’t physically eat enough to gain weight.
One of the other benefits of cycling is that it is a low-impact activity, which means that it is easier on your joints than activities like running or high-impact aerobics. This can make it an ideal exercise for people who are overweight or have joint problems. Cycling is also a hobby that you can do at almost any age. As of writing this, my father who is 90 years old, rides around his neighbourhood on a daily basis.
In addition to keeping your heart strong, cycling has a number of other health benefits as well. It helps improve muscle strength and flexibility, boost your mood, and reduce stress. It is also an environmentally-friendly form of transportation that can help to reduce the impact of pollution and traffic congestion.
Whatever you chose as your physical hobby make sure that it is not something that becomes a chore. It should be something you like doing. If you don’t have one yet, try different things. Try dancing if you like music, try racquetball if you like sports that require focus. If all else fails get walking at a brisk pace. The goal is to get the heartrate up.