Top Reasons Why Fishing Makes You a Better and Healthier Person
Fishing is a sport. Don’t let anyone try to tell you otherwise. And while fishing may not seem like a body-straining, high-intensity workout, there are certainly times when interval training comes into play. Just ask anyone who has gone deep-sea fishing. Either way, if an ideal fishing outing involves a day at the lake under leafy trees and waiting for the perfect catch, this is precisely what sets fishing apart from its contenders. I love fishing, and that’s why I learned exactly why fishing makes you a healthier, and a better person overall.
So, let’s start with a few ways fishing not only improves your health, but also makes life a bit more zen-like (insert deep relaxing exhale).
Fishing Reduces Stress
We live in a world filled with stress. The minute we wake up in the morning most of us are already stressed about something, and triggering the release of cortisol through their blood. In fact, a study by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) demonstrated that simply being near water, and/or engaging in water activities such as fishing, can help decrease anxiety, and lead to a healthier more relaxed lifestyle. The study also showed that getting out on the water gives our bodies time to unwind. So, next time you go fishing, go ahead and breathe in that fresh water air! Notice as the stress literally melts away from every molecule of your body.
Fishing Helps You Meditate
It’s hard to incorporate meditation in everyday life. Finding even five minutes to yourself can be a challenge. Maybe in the shower? But if not there, where? Go fish. It’s as easy as that!
Fishing is a form of standing mediation simply because you are in the present moment at all times. Fishing gently drives you to take notice of your environment. When you are fishing, you connect deeply to nature. Even more, using the fisherman’s phrase, “Catch and Release” can help you to catch and release your thoughts without too much judgment. Which is exactly what Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, a widely celebrated Buddhist teacher, explains in his article how to use this simple meditation to ease a busy mind. So, if you want to practice meditating more, just go fishing. It’s as simple as that.
Fishing Burns Calories
As I said before, fishing is a sport, and a workout, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. In fact, fishing is awesome because it helps you burn calories in a low impact way. While more leisurely fishing may only burn around 250 calories an hour, fly-fishing may burn up to 350 an hour! Most adults don’t get an appropriate amount of physical activity a week. Fishing is the perfect excuse to get out on the water and get moving .. in a very low-impact, and healthy way.
There are many other ways fishing makes you a healthier, happier person such as increased concentration, lowered blood pressure and even a way to significantly reduce PTSD symptoms.
At the end of the day, fishing may just hold the key to a calmer more stress-free lifestyle. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and cast away all your worries aside … what was that it phrase again? Oh yes, catch and release … catch and release. Keep on fishin’
Cheers,
Captain Gino
