Do you know fishing benefits your health?
Do you know fishing benefits your health?
Fishing is one of the most accessible outdoor sports that nearly everyone, no matter their age, income or fitness can participate in. With women constituting a third of all anglers, and growing, fishing is no longer a boy’s club.
With so many people taking up fishing, what exactly are the benefits? Fishing is an outdoor activity, so your exercise journey begins the moment you leave your car. Whether walking along the beach, climbing over rocks, walking to the end of the pier or hiking to a hidden and far away lake, you are providing your body with the daily physical movement it needs.
Critical thinking, creativity, focus and strategy are needed to choose the correct fly or lure, and finding the fish. This in turn allows a healthy escape from stress, depression and anxiety. Fishing also provides a great source of Vitamin D, a common nutrient lacking in our lives and vitally important for maintaining bone strength.
Once you’ve reached your fishing location and the repetitive movements of casting your line for anglers you can find yourself in a meditative calm. With a closer connection to nature, periods of stillness mixed with moments of intense action, steady focus and usually a distance from any crowd, fishing recharges even the toughest of minds with a relaxed calm.
Children will also benefit greatly from fishing, learning about safety, respect and patience. In our world of instant gratification, fishing puts their patience into practice. It will teach them persistence, learning to accept defeat without quitting. Getting children out and exposed to nature gives them a chance to leave technology behind and embrace what is outside the walls of their home and school. The exposure to fresh air, sun and water will provide them with numerous health benefits.
Those who have grown up fishing alongside parents or grandparents know these experiences well. Others who are trying the sport for the first time are also quick to recognise a direct connection to health and well-being.
The best thing is that you can make your fishing excursions as physical and exciting as you want. You may find yourself traveling to new waters. This will help you expand your mind, learn new fishing techniques and take in new scenery.
Catching your own fish and enjoying the nutritional value also provides many health benefits. However, there are many who are out there just for the sport and enjoy the challenge of tag and release, who enjoy most of the same benefits.
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