Wondering what new hobbies you can start in 2024? In the beginning, don’t worry about how productive your new hobby makes you. Think instead about what can give you pleasure. Do you want a hobby that helps you to relax and unwind after a long day? Or are you more interested in doing something that’s more physically demanding?
Maybe you want to explore your creative side or learn a new skill. There are plenty of hobbies that you can easily pick up at home. Depending on the hobbies you choose, you may need to engage in structured learning, like learning a new language. Here are some hobbies that you can consider picking up this year.
1. Cold Water Swimming
There are a lot of benefits to spending time in cold water. It can help you to boost your mood, and can also help you kickstart your immune system. You can improve your metabolism as well. To pursue this activity, all you need is a body of water near your home. Whether you have a pool at home or a lake nearby, taking a dip when the water is cold is great not just for your body, but also for your mind.
Swimming is also a great workout for the body, where you get to exercise major muscle groups in your body. However, cold water swimming isn’t a hobby that you can start overnight. It’s something that you’ll need to ease yourself into. Start cold water swimming during the summer months, when the water is a little warmer. Over the months, get your body acclimatized to the colder temperatures.
You’ll also need the right equipment. You’ll need a wetsuit that’s of good quality, neoprene gloves, as well as boots. You’ll also need a wooly hat. There are lots of support groups for cold water swimming across the world. Make new friends and improve your mind and body by pursuing this hobby.
2. Reading
For a hobby that’s more relaxed, why not consider reading? It’s well known that successful people tend to read a lot. Millionaires often talk about how reading helped them achieve their goals. When it comes to reading, you have innumerable books waiting for you. You can choose to read fiction books or nonfiction books.
Learn about financial management, self-improvement, building new habits, and more, through reading. You can also choose to read fiction books instead. From historical fiction to horror, romance to fantasy, the options available to you are endless. Consider setting a goal for yourself, to inspire yourself to read more. Tell yourself that you want to read twelve books in a year. That means you have a full month to finish reading each book.
Don’t overwhelm yourself at the beginning, by saying you’ll read fifty books in a year, if not more. Like other hobbies, you’ll need to ease yourself into reading. Take some time out of your day to devote yourself to reading. You could choose to read at least ten pages of your book before you go to bed, each night.
3. Gardening
If you want to start a hobby that involves light physical work, why not consider gardening? You can build a small kitchen garden for yourself, or you can grow flowers and shrubs. Gardening is a great way to relax, while also beautifying your environment. You can start your gardening journey by growing herbs. Next time you buy herbs, keep a little aside to add to your kitchen garden.
Aside from herbs, you can grow microgreens, leafy vegetables, and even root vegetables. If you don’t have space for a garden in front of your home, then you can grow plants in pots as well. Remember though that you’ll need to follow a watering schedule for your plants. You’ll also need to fertilize them from time to time. You may also need to keep bug repellant handy, to get rid of bugs that might harm your plants. You can also take pictures of your beautiful garden and share them with other gardening enthusiasts online.
4. Plogging
The word plogging is a combination of the words ‘jogging’ and ‘plocka upp’, which is a Swedish term meaning to pick up. Plogging generally involves going on jogs, while picking up litter along the way. Consider looking for a local group of ploggers, to turn your daily runs into social events. Together with others, you’ll be making the streets of your town a cleaner place. At the same time, you’ll get all the benefits that a jogger gets – both physical and mental health benefits.
Conclusion
There are several hobbies that you can start in 2024. You can choose a hobby that’s more physically intensive or a hobby that allows you to relax. This guide introduces you to four new hobbies that you can start today, that will help you make the most of the new year.
Thanks to Dreamstime for the featured stock photos.
