Top Five Fun and Healthy Hobbies

Are you looking to start or resume a hobby? The following are the top five fun and healthy hobbies you can engage in (regardless of your age).

Painting and Drawing
As a child, there is always a natural need to express oneself through painting and drawing. Unfortunately, as we grow older, our day to day responsibilities and activities take over and we often forget how fun and healthy it is to express yourself visually by painting or drawing. This does not need to be an expensive hobby. Crayons, pencils and paper can cost you less than $5. Also, there are a number of free library books you can borrow in order to get yourself started.

Gardening
Most people love plants and gardens but worry that if they take on gardening, they will be tolling away on the ground. The truth is, there are a number of plants that are easy to care for and besides the initial planting and watering phase, most plants will only need basic pruning and weeding one or twice a month. Fertilizers are usually used once or twice a year.

Joining a Book Club
It's often hard to set aside time to read new books and there are so many to choose from, it can be overwhelming. The best way to start is to review the most recent New York Times best seller list or ask your reference librarian for the most popular titles in your favorite genre. In order to motivate yourself, join a book club. There are a number of free book clubs.

Cooking

Cooking is one of the most polarizing activities. Either you love to cook or you hate to cook. It seems like there is no middle ground. For those who feel too intimated to cook, I found that searching for a favorite recipe online is easy and great. Some websites such as www.foodtv.com also offer you a rating of the ease/difficulty of preparing the meal. Once you develop a few favorites, you might want to organize a cooking swap with a friend. It's great because you get a chance to try out other people's cooking.

Take on a sport
You don't need to aspire to be a professional athlete or be obese in order to feel the urgency to take on a sport. Exercise, in any form, is a natural stress reliever. Therefore, take on a sport that fits your personality and schedule. For those of you who are solo performers, swimming, running, biking and hiking are great sports. For those of you who are more into the group support and interaction, there are a number of group sports such as baseball, basketball, volleyball, tennis and dancing.

If you make it a goal to try at least one of the above each month, you will discover more of what your interests and talents are. Also, enter a new hobby with an open mind, often, we are tainted by our own childhood positive and negative experiences. Therefore, things change. Your hobbies and tastes change as well. I used to dread physical education in school mostly because my physical education teacher was intimidating and condescending. Not going to the gym is one of the highlights of my day.