Starting a new hobby is good for your health

Hobbies also make you feel good. They help your body release endorphins, which not only make you feel better but can help reduce pain and stress.

“The best hobbies are ones that get you to move, interact and think,” said Harris Stratyner, Ph.D., licensed psychologist at Strainer + Associates.

What’s more, when you participate in a hobby, you get the added bonus of being brought together with people who enjoy the same activities you do. It’s like getting instant friends.

“We need to have people in our lives,” Stratyner said. “That’s the reason why you need hobbies. You can comb in interacting with other people with movement.”

Hobbies topping the charts

According to Rummell, the most popular categories for activities at Roswell’s Adult Recreation Center include health and wellness, cultural and educational and social and volunteer.

“There’s something in every category,” Rummell said.

The list of favorites is quite long, including activities like bocce, drama club, ballroom dancing, chess, theater outings, computer tech classes and much more. If a member of the community is looking for a class not offered, the center works with them to design something new. The wide variety of activities is intentional, providing physical and social opportunities for the senior community.

“We strive to make an impact in everyone’s life,” Rummell said.

Stratyner adds a few other popular activities to the list, citing pickleball, book clubs and even cooking as some excellent hobbies.

“It’s interesting to see the kinds of hobbies different generations take on, even within the senior community,” he said.

Picking your next hobby

There’s no “one size fits all” when it comes to hobbies. They’re personal, and for Rummell, helping someone find a new hobby is an important job. She typically advises people based on interest level, allowing people to observe a class before committing.

“Guiding them toward what they’re interested in is the best way to find the right fit, whether it’s participating in an activity or volunteering to lead one,” Rummell said.

For Stratyner, nothing is off limits. Something that interested you decades ago can easily be something you pick back up — even if it feels scary to start again.

“It’s very important that people not be afraid and continue to challenge themselves,” Stratyner said.

Credit: PHIL SKINNER / PSKINNER@AJC.COM

Credit: PHIL SKINNER / PSKINNER@AJC.COM

You also don’t have to start from scratch. Instead, you can build on existing hobbies, opening yourself up to more advanced skills or even becoming the instructor yourself.

“You’re never too old to take up a hobby. Even if you’re not mobile, you can have a hobby, and it’s so important,” Stratyner added.

Finding the right fit

There’s no rule that you have to stick with a new hobby if it’s simply not for you.

At Roswell Rec, Rummell suggests starting with free classes to have the most flexibility to try something, and then try something else if that first class doesn’t work out. There’s also nothing wrong with participating in multiple activities to take advantage of classes that hit all your interests.

As a psychologist, Statyner asks his patients to stick with new things a little longer.

“If you’re going to take up a new hobby, I like you to stay with it for at least six weeks. When people take up new hobbies and have that ‘stick-to-itness,’ they’re much happier,” he said.

No matter what activity you pick, motivating yourself is the key to seeing the benefits of trying something new.