Need a new hobby? Try being selfish

When I was a young lad, I was consumed by my love of cars. I spent all of my free time at auto shops, trolling online car forums, and constantly plotting the upgrades I wanted to make to my vehicle (I use the word vehicle because I did so much tinkering that it sounded more like a possessed refrigerator than a car). I spent a lot of time, money and energy on my hobby back in the day but I’ve since outgrown my grease monkey tendencies. I still like cars, but they’re more a way for me to get to work than a passion.

Okay, maybe my car wasn't this bad

Instead of focusing time and energy on hunks of metal, I decided to take up what I believe is the best hobby ever…building a better me. I now spend a significant amount of my free time improving my fitness through exercise.  It may sound selfish, but becoming passionate about fitness is arguably the best thing I’ve ever done and I recommend it as a hobby for everyone. In fact, I would pit it against almost any other hobby. Do your current hobbies:

- Make you physically stronger and faster?

- Build self confidence?
- Increase your life expectancy?
- Improve your physique?
- Decrease stress?
- Make you look totally amazing in spandex?

Pictured: Me and some buds chilling after a tough workout sesh'

Don’t buy into the stereotype that people who love fitness spend all of their hours alone in front of a mirror wearing a unitard. Whether you choose group classes, team sports, or going on a run with your spouse, fitness can be a very social activity. I have met great people participating in various Team in Training events and have developed friendships by playing pickup basketball. On the flip side, exercising alone can be extremely rewarding and meditative as well.

Another benefit of this hobby is that it is extremely dynamic.  You can train to lift heavy things, run marathons, hike up mountains or complete an adventure race. If you get bored with one goal or style of training, it’s easy to mix things up and try something new. For instance, after training to run long distances for several months, I’m now focusing on improving my strength which requires a completely different exercise and nutrition plan.

Building fast (and loud) cars was a lot of fun, but building a stronger and faster body is one hundred times more rewarding. Instead of investing in an inanimate object, I'm investing in myself. Improving my fitness not only made me a more confident and positive person, but helped alleviate some serious health issues as well. So go ahead and be selfish and make building a better you your new hobby.

Need help on where to start? Hit me up in the comments or tweet me @WilldoesWork