Aquatic Adventures Abound: Reasons to Start Sailing
The dawn of a new year and a new decade is the perfect opportunity to take up a new hobby and try something a bit outside your norm. Sailing is one of the best activities to take up in the new year because it marries some of the most common resolutions: fitness, stress relief, and travel. We explore just a few of the many reasons to start sailing and how doing so can help you lead a more meaningful and well-rounded life.
Physical health
One of the most popular reasons to start sailing is to improve physical health and wellness. From an outside perspective, sailing may seem like a very relaxing affair, complete with mimosas and sunbathing on the deck of a beautiful ship. While they would be right about the beautiful ship, sailing offers much more than the ability to simply soak up the sun. Sailing actually provides a great workout that engages multiple muscle groups simultaneously while also improving agility and cardiovascular health. Moving about the ship quickly to ensure the sails are in the right position and the helm stays on the right path will get your heart rate pumping, and you’ll soon start to see an improvement in your physical health.
Mental well-being
Mental health is equally as important as physical health. Luckily, sailing also can help reduce stress, improve concentration, and sharpen mental acuity. Embarking on a journey across the open seas will give you a moment to escape the stresses of daily life and simply enjoy the beauty of nature. You’ll have some much-needed peace and quiet, and you will have the ability to better commune with your own thoughts and feelings. By focusing on the task at hand, you can recognize those things that really matter in life instead of stressing yourself out over the things that don’t. You can also find many organizations for aquatic aficionados that will help you build a support system of individuals who enjoy sailing just as much as you do.
Sense of adventure
For many people, sailing is the key to unlocking the great unknown. Once you step on board a ship, you can journey across the sea and discover lands you’d never thought to explore before. Unlike other modes of transportation restricted by buildings and roads, sailing allows you to experience the world without barriers.
Sailing the San Francisco
Bay, for instance, allows you to view iconic landmarks, such as Alcatraz Island or the Golden Gate Bridge, from an entirely new perspective. As you begin to feel more comfortable with your sailing skills you’ll have the ability to complete longer, more arduous journeys, and you can experience sights unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.