Fishing is a great bonding experience that brings together family and friends. You have probably seen fathers teaching their kids to cast their first line. Fishing is also making a comeback as a recreational activity. According to the U.S Department of Interior, over 35 million Americans went fishing in 2016.
Apart from being a recreational activity, fishing can also improve your health. If you’ve never given fishing a try, here are a few reasons for that.
Boosts Your Immune System
Today, most people spend so much time indoors working or glued to screens that they miss a lot of benefits of staying outdoors. In fact, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency estimates that people spend about 90% of the time indoors.
Participating in outdoor activities helps you get the much-needed vitamin D, which is important for regulating the absorption of calcium and phosphorus. These two minerals play a key role in boosting the immune system. Having a weak immunity makes you susceptible to diseases. Since fishing is an outdoor activity, it helps you get vitamin D.
Builds Body Strength
Fishing may not appear like a rigorous weight loss session, but casting a line and reeling it involves a lot of muscles. You engage the arms, back, core, legs, and shoulders, which is a great physical activity.
If you want to build more strength and endurance, consider supplementing your fishing sessions with weight lift exercises. Also, keep in mind that fishing is as good as the equipment you use. A trusted website, such as Focus Fishing has a decent guide that can help you get the right equipment.
Promotes Relaxation
Nature has a way of easing the mind and helping you relax, and fishing brings you closer to such environments. Even thought of having a fishing rod, sitting by a stream on a sunny afternoon can be relaxing.
Apart from getting a stream of fresh air, fishing also gives you an opportunity to reflect. It is a form of meditation because it takes long hours, especially when you do it alone. Sometimes, people need downtime alone to relax and manage stress. That way, you can lower your blood pressure and enhance your creativity. Their are so many thing you can use for the fishing and one of the thing is best red dot sight.
Promotes Self Reliance
Today, most people depend on others to perform many functions. Although that approach has the benefit of promoting teamwork, it encourages dependency. But if you go fishing alone, you will learn to depend on your skills.
And if you’re a newbie, you will learn how to fish, something that remains with you for many years. People who go fish also tend to learn other skills such as boat management and hunting.
Family Bonding
As mentioned before, fishing can be an activity that brings a family together. It creates the perfect environment for the old generation to interact with the younger generation.
Fishing can also be used in physiotherapy clinics. For example, there are many fishing programs designed to help veterans. The programs focus on restoring family bonds through interaction and building positive social interactions.
In addition, the therapy also promotes positive growth and confidence that most veterans may have lost in combat. National groups, such as Heroes on the Water (HOW) use fishing to provide emotional, physical and psychological rehabilitation to soldiers and their families.
Improves Cardiovascular Health
Fishing isn’t just about casting a line and waiting. You have to move around to test several spots, casting and recasting your line each time, and reeling in a fish. That’s a lot of walking and work.
In fact, fishing consumes about 200 calories per hour. This keeps your heart and lungs functioning optimally, something you don’t achieve sitting on a couch and taking a beer or watching.
Instills Patience
A great fisherman or woman must be patient. Catching fish is not a hasty process. You may wait for 5 minutes or even an hour for a fish to bite. There are days when you won’t catch anything. With time, you will realize that patience pays and you will learn to be more patient. Fishing also teaches people to accept defeat without necessarily giving up.
Improves Your Balance
When fishing on a small boat or a canoe, you must learn to center your balance. Your core strength plays a key role in keeping you upright. This promotes balance and stability since you have to stay grounded. Improved balance helps you to avoid falling easily.
Fishing offers more health benefits than meets the eye. If you’ve never considered it, now is the perfect time to do so.