10 Best Rated Men's Hiking Shoes

Best Rated Men's Hiking Shoes in 2023

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Unwind with One of These 10 Relaxing Hobbies

This article discusses the benefits of 10 relaxing, inexpensive hobbies: yoga, meditation, gardening, hiking, coin collecting, making the world a little cleaner and greener, knitting, reading, scrapbooking, and journal writing.

With the specialization of the medical field, it's easy to forget that the body is a system. Stress affects both mind and body and ultimately decreases our physical and mental efficiency. On an everyday basis, stress causes aches, pains, and a negative attitude; long-term stress adversely affects all of the body's systems. It can also lead to chronic fatigue syndrome and depression.

Unfortunately, most of us are programmed to sacrifice our relaxation time-and sleep-so that we can finish our day's work, for home and office. "Self time" is last on the list of priorities.

Many of us not only cut short the "self time,' we also fail to distinguish it from "relaxation time." Your "self time" might include responding to e-mail or chatting on Facebook, but these activities may not be a source of true relaxation.

To maintain a productive frame of mind and a healthy body, you need to schedule "self time" every day-and it needs to be a priority instead of the first task to be eliminated in a time crunch.

If you don't know what to do with your "self time," consider these ten relaxing and inexpensive hobby ideas:

Yoga: You've probably heard it a million times: yoga is good for your mind and body. Perhaps you've heard the same about other forms of exercise that you consider to be torture.

Fess-up: why haven't you tried yoga yet? Perhaps you believe one of several popular myths about yoga: I can't contort my body like that.I'm too fat.I'm too old. Yoga doesn't look sweaty enough. If you don't sweat, it isn't exercise.

The reality is that no one is too stiff, too fat, or too old for yoga, and yoga is exercise.

You don't have to be flexible in order to do yoga. You become flexible by doing yoga. You don't have to be able to put your feet behind your head or able to contort into any strange positions that your body isn't ready for. You don't have to be skinny, flexible, or young. Beginning yoga videos start with easy basic poses and demonstrate how to modify poses to fit your needs. There are also many yoga workout videos created specifically for beginners who are overweight, pregnant, or wheelchair-bound. If you think yoga is not strenuous enough for you, try power yoga.

Regardless of your age or body style, the benefits of yoga await you. Stretching the muscles and breathing rhythmically relax the body and mind, and if you practice on a regular basis, you will feel more calm, relaxed, and centered at all times, not just during and right after a workout. Yoga can increase your strength, improve your flexibility, and ease pain in your muscles and joints. If you would like to read about the many physical, psychological, and biochemical benefits of yoga, visit the websites in my sources.

Another benefit is that you don't need special clothing or equipment. You might invest in a video, but you can also find free videos online or at your library.

Hiking: Hiking puts me in touch with a world that's bigger than my problems. On a good trail, civilization's whirring traffic and electric buzz are inaudible. It is easy to live in the present moment when it's just me and the ground below my feet and the branches over my head. The usual mental noise, the chaos of worries, is replaced by a quiet conversation with myself about the plants, insects, and terrain: Is that poison ivy? Is that a snake or a branch? There are no other voices because hiking gives the gift of solitude. But that doesn't mean that I hike alone. With the right partner, I can enjoy solitude in gentle company. No commands, no demands.

Journal Writing: Keeping a journal facilitates relaxation in several ways. It is cathartic. The journal is a place where you can "blow off steam" and say everything you wanted to say throughout the day. Once you've had your say, you can put the journal down and return to the world with a sense of renewal.

Writing also enables self-discovery: "How can I know what I think until I see what I say?" Writing allows us to see connections among experiences or ideas that we would not have discovered otherwise. Through writing, we can recall various facets of a problem and discover potential solutions.

Meditation: A 3-15 minute daily meditation session can give you a greater sense of peace and well being. No one is suggesting that you become a Buddhist monk. Anyone can meditate. A number of websites offer free instructional media about meditation.

Knitting: Knitting is an undemanding and soothing activity. You can sit comfortably on the couch, wrapped up in your Snuggie, and knit placidly while watching T.V. or listening to your favorite music. The repetitive motion clears the mind and tranquilizes the spirit.

Gardening: Walls, even of our beloved homes, can be confining, while the sky and sunlight are usually liberating. Being outside awakens the senses and lifts the veil of depression or complacency. Gardening requires moderate physical activity, which increases circulation and provides a sense of well being. Many people appreciate the opportunity to nurture plants and watch them grow. And ultimately, you'll be rewarded with vegetables, flowers, or herbs.

No yard? That's okay. You can garden in containers on your windowsill or in a window-box. Or consider asking your landlord about that little bare patch of ground around back.

Scrapbooking: Photos, concert ticket stubs, letters, and the like tend to pile-up in drawers and boxes until they become unmanageable. Scrapbooking helps eliminate this clutter and provides an outlet for creativity as you develop attractive ways to arrange your artifacts. It is relaxing because it allows you to focus on a finite, accomplishable task (a page, not the whole book) that will result in a pleasing product. It also brings clarity to blurry memories and order to the chaos of the past. Remember, this is supposed to be relaxing, so use this time to focus on good memories.

Reading: Some of you may already be thinking, "Reading? Not for me." But I believe that you just haven't found the right reading material.

Who am I to say that? I'm a teacher to whom many students have just said "no" to reading-a teacher who eventually found reading material that pleased many of those students.

And the Harry Potter phenomenon proves that a good story can hook people who don't like to read.

For me, fiction provides the best escape from stress because it allows me to picture another world and to invest in the lives of people who do not exist.

n.b. If you really want to relax, you might want to avoid newspapers and magazines that deal with current events.

Make the world a little cleaner and greener: Walk around your neighborhood and pick up trash. You'll get some exercise and beautify your neighborhood, while helping to protect wildlife and waterways.

You can also look for new ways to use old stuff. Collect and organize durable objects that you would otherwise throw away: lids, bottle caps, yogurt cups, meat trays, berry baskets, egg cartons, etc.

Coin collecting: Maintaining some collections is not necessarily stress-free. Some collections take up a lot of space or include fragile items that need to be dusted. Coins, however, take up very little space and do not require maintenance. And it's easy to get started: remove the stamps from your mail and the change from your pocket. You can frequently find collectible coins in your pocket change. The Statehood quarters are not yet rare, but their production is limited. According to Spencer Ray on ezinearticles.com, the Wheat penny, the Buffalo nickel, and the winged liberty head dime are collectible coins commonly found in pocket change; their value varies based upon mint, year, and idiosyncrasies (such as double-dies).

No matter which hobby you choose--or how much you enjoy it--setting aside time for yourself shouldn't be a guilty pleasure. Relaxation can improve your health, your relationships, and your ability to meet everyday challenges.