Learning a new physical skill is a great way to keep yourself in good shape physically and mentally. Picking up a new hobby has been shown to increase brain functions which can increase your performance levels in the other aspects of your life, as well as allow you to become more adaptable by diversifying your capabilities. There are so many physical activities you can try, and a lot of them have become far more accessible and affordable than ever before.

The Importance of Fun

Before we jump into the list, it’s vital to know why you should pick a physical activity that you will find fun. Enjoying an activity is crucial to ensure you can commit to the new hobby and that it doesn’t become a tedious task that you’ll just end up dropping. A lot of people find outdoor-based activities more fun but everyone is unique and finds different things interesting, so it could be a matter of finding a way of switching up your indoor workout. So it might be useful to try a new skill via a taster session before you commit to it and start buying expensive equipment.

learning a new physical skill

Kayaking

Some people go through life only ever trying land-based activities, but the Earth’s surface is 71% covered in water! There’s so much more you can explore via water – whether that’s the ocean, lakes, or rivers – and kayaking can allow access to areas and views you’d never see otherwise. It’s difficult to know where to start if you’ve never done it but advice at watersportswhiz.com can help you know what kind of equipment you might need and where you can get started. Knowing the essentials can get you on the water efficiently and safely, and who knows where kayaking will take you? Not to mention the upper-body and core benefits! You may be sitting down in a kayak but it’s pretty much a full-body workout that will improve your health, but it is low impact so it can be great for someone with sensitive joints.

Dancing

There are so many styles of dancing out there so there will be definitely something that will take your fancy. From ballet to street dance, to the jive and quickstep, they all have amazing health benefits and at the very least can help you show off on a dance floor at a wedding! Different genres of dance can help develop different things but most dances can help with coordination, rhythm, flexibility, and even confidence. It can be great fun if you try it with a friend or your spouse. You can try out Zumba which is a fitness workout to target the cardiovascular system; it incorporates Latin dance, but is very accessible and is a fun way to get your cardio in.

learning new skills

Rock Climbing

Whether it’s in a climbing gym or outside on a cliff face, climbing is a challenging and extremely rewarding skill to learn. It’s very easy to get started because you can rent equipment and start with relatively little experience. Bouldering is an accessible way to start climbing because it doesn’t require any equipment, such as a harness, and can help you build your strength and confidence to work your way up to more difficult climbs. There are different grading systems so you can track your progress and develop your technique, which works your brain through strategic thinking as well as various muscle groups.

Martial Arts

There are many different styles of martial arts that have many social and physical benefits. Improve your balance, agility, and reaction time and lose weight, but also relieve stress and increase your focus. Many martial arts teachings place a strong emphasis on keeping a level head, so they incorporate meditation and breathing techniques to encourage reaching a peaceful state of mind. In the short term, physical activity like martial arts can be a mood booster but in the long term has also been shown to Improve your mental health, such as reducing anxiety and helping to find a purpose in life, which can put you in control of your life. And at the end of the day, hitting and kicking things in a safe and controlled environment can be great fun as well!

Parkour

You can’t deny that parkour looks fun and that free runners look cool. There’s absolutely no reason why you can’t give it a go either. Vaulting over walls and even practicing flips is going to be very rewarding when you finally land that new skill. This full-body workout encourages quick decision-making, and creativity and improves cardiovascular endurance. It can be a scary experience working at heights, but getting out of your comfort zone and overcoming fears. This is extraordinarily important for your day-to-day life because it expands your horizons and opportunities. We often live in a little bubble that we need to push out of in order to really experience all of what life has to offer. Doing something like parkour might be something you are completely against trying, which is exactly why you should do it.

new skills

Learning a Musical Instrument

Trying to learn a new instrument can help keep your brain sharp (such as improving memory) and boosts your mood too. Depending on the instrument you can also even strengthen fingers, strengthen arms, improve posture, and increases lung capacity. Learning new songs and performing them, whether that’s in concert, busking, or around a campfire with friends, is super fulfilling and fun.

Finding a new physical skill to learn is going to improve your life in several different ways. Trying something that you find fun will help encourage you to work harder and develop your skills, rather than give it up because you find it too boring. Looking for an activity that is fun and has the bonus of being healthy is vital in achieving this. Water sports, dancing, martial arts, and rock climbing are just some examples, but it doesn’t stop at sports, playing musical instruments can be very beneficial to your health too. But the key is to try out different things and be sure to get out of your comfort zone.