Three Types of Hobbies You Need In Your Life

You need 3 types of hobbies in your life! 

One that makes you fit.
One that makes you money.
One that makes you smart.

OR you could think of it as one that brings you health, one that brings you wealth, and one that brings you brain stimulation. 

I hope you enjoy this episode!

Love you, thank you!

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Transcript

Speaker 0:40

Hello, hello. Welcome to another episode of the podcast. I'm so glad that you're here today. I have been on a metaphor kick, I feel like, lately. So if you've listened to the last two episodes, I've been really knee-deep into the metaphors that I've been experiencing throughout the last, I don't know, I guess, month of my life. And the last episode were metaphors that I experienced while I was babysitting my eight-month-old niece, Mila Rose. So that was a fun episode. And then the episode before that, I was talking about the concept of volume eating and how we can implement that into other areas of our lives besides just nutrition. And then the episode before that, I was talking about things I've learned from my breastfeeding friends. And so it's just been a whole lot of metaphorical speech lately, here on Rise and Energize. But the thing is that I love topics like that. I love when in life you can be like, "Oh, you know what? The gag reflex of a baby is exactly how it should be when we're consuming too much in our own lives," you know? So those are the kinds of topics that I love because I always think of them as subjects that I would sit down and ponder with a girlfriend over coffee or a happy hour or something like that. So hopefully you enjoy those too. But today, I wanted it to be a little bit more tangible, tactical, practical, and something that you can actually think about in your own life and apply immediately. And I don't even really remember why this was brought back to my attention, 'cause I heard this saying several years back a- specifically about the hobbies that you should keep, and. I am a hobby girly. If you know me, I love my hobbies. I get really into... I just get really into specific things. And so, like right now, I would say my hobbies are book club/reading, sourdough. I'm very into that. You've heard me talk about that on this podcast if you've listened in at all. What other hobbies? I'm really into fitness. We do family 5Ks. I'm really into nutrition. I'm into D&D right now, Dungeons Dragons. Very random hobby, but very fun. So just, I, I just love to cycle through hobbies. Other ones that I've had before is, like puzzling or at one point I was really into specifically, not crafts in general, but specifically coloring, like colored pencils. I had, like, a whole set of colored pencils that were really nice that I bought. And then embossing. If you ever heard of embossing, it's actually the most satisfying thing ever. I haven't done it in years, but I bought an embosser with a Hobby Lobby gift card that I had. And it's where You use this specific, like, powder, and you put it into whatever shape or word or whatever you want, and you use this embosser, and it makes it like that stand up glowy texture. If you can think of a really nice book cover that has some shiny metallic etching on it that kinda stands up above the rest of the cover. Not actually stands up. I hope you guys get what I'm saying. But it stands up a little bit. Above the surface. That is embossing. I was really into that for a while. Very random. But yeah, I've just gone through a lot of hobbies. I love my hobbies. I feel like they keep me healthy and happy and satisfied. And I, actually, when I was thinking about doing an episode about this, I did look to see if there was any research to support it, 'cause I don't like to come on here and just spout nonsense and just be like, "Oh, this is what I experienced, so this could be true for you, too." It could be true for you, too. But I do like to also bring in some research, too. And the National Library of Medicine has a ton of studies on the impact of hobbies on, like, mental health and wellbeing and happiness in life. And engaging in hobbies can contribute to personal growth. It can reduce stress. It can foster social connections through community involvement and participation. And in one specific study, three themes emerged from the data. The first one was depression, anxiety, and stress. The impact of hobbies on depression, anxiety, and stress, it reduced those things. The second one was on the quality of life and wellbeing. Those things were reportedly higher for people who ha- engaged in their hobbies. And then the last one was social interaction and support. Again, social interaction and support, those were things that were reportedly higher for people who engaged in hobbies regularly. So it is a really helpful thing for you to have. But the thing that I would challenge you to do is to specifically identify hobbies in three categories, and this is the quote that I was alluding to earlier that I don't remember how it resurfaced into my brain, but at some point years early on, I heard, like, you only need three hobbies. You need a hobby that makes you smart or, creative or stimulates your brain. You need a hobby that makes you wealthy or just, like, a hobby that m- makes you some money, and you would need a hobby that makes you fit or makes you healthy, right? So another way to phrase this is a hobby to keep you creative, a hobby to keep you in shape, and a hobby to make you money. So I wanted to give you some ideas in each of those categories, and some of them can overlap.. Whenever I think about this concept, I think about when I was first starting Beachbody. I didn't intend actually to start as a coach, which that is just terminology for someone who helps sell the nutrition and fitness programs. But when I first started, I started as just, like, a person working out using the programs, using the nutrition supplements, and all of the things to help me get in shape. It was great. I loved it. It was very feasible for me to do at home, and it's called BODY now, but it was Beachbody back then, but I really, really liked it. And then quickly I was like, I loved it enough to say, "Hey, you should buy this, and when you do, you should buy it from me because I'm the one telling you about it. I'm using it." It, it's a, Beachbody or BODi is a network marketing business, and I know some people have really ick feelings about network marketing businesses, but I actually think they're a really good way to get your foot in the door on entrepreneurship. A lot of entrepreneurs kind of dip their toes into the entrepreneurship ocean per se, by starting in network marketing. And really, there's nothing... To me, there's nothing icky about it if the, if the customer actually is getting something out of it. Like, with Beachbody specifically, my coach who sold me the workout program, she was selling me something that was going to help me, as long as I used it, obviously. But the workout programs I did, and I started doing them at home, and I still do them eight, seven, eight years later. And then same with the nutrition supplements. She was like, "I'm obsessed with this pre-workout." It was... It's called Energize, actually. And she was like, "You should try it, too." And I did, and I loved it, and I became obsessed with it, and I still drink it to this day. I love my Energize, okay? It inspired, partially inspired the name of this podcast. So, I personally don't have any problems with network marketing businesses, but it was a hobby that, for me, it's just like a, a side thing, a fun, n- not a super stressful, high pressure thing. It was just a hobby. And it was one that kinda had a crossover, right? Because it made me fit and it made me money. It was a lot of fun. Once I became a coach, which was very early on, like I started... I think I upgraded to being coach status, so I could get the discounts on the supplements, within like a month of being... of doing the workouts and whatnot and being a part of the community. And then within like six months, I was sharing it with everybody and being like, "You should try this. You should do this program with me. Come on, come on." Like, it's really... It really is an affordable fitness and health solution, in my opinion. But anoth- like another example of a business like this would be my sister does the products there are amazing. They're very clean. I use their skincare. I use their protein. I think that they have so many great options. But any sort of network marketing business like that, if you are someone who you use a product like that, why not let it make you some money, right? That's one of the categories is letting it make you money. Another thing that I think about with this is there can be a crossover for several of these. So, for example, I have a really close friend who was a teacher before, and she's just a really creative, crafty person, and really good, especially at digital Media, I don't know if that makes sense. Like invitations or like she created her wedding invitation on Canva or is really good at... She's making little images for building blocks for her son, and on each of them are gonna be like, "This is Grandpa. This is Grandma. This is Mom. This is Dad." And she's like mod podging them onto the blocks. But it's something that she's doing specifically, like, through Canva. She's creating the digital template and then making them afterward. But because she's so creative and crafty, like, I would say that that doubles as a hobby that keeps her creative or keeps her brain stimulated, keeps her smart. But then also, she can sell a lot of those things on Teachers Pay Teachers, which isn't something I would've known about if I didn't have teacher friends. But it's a website where anything that they've created for the classroom in particular... so she used to create these, like, emoji bingos, I think they were like. But whenever... Like, around Christmas time, she would use emojis to spell out a song. So there might be the Santa emoji and then the baby emoji, and the kids were supposed to guess Santa Baby as the Christmas song. And those are the types of things that after she's created them, she can sell them on Teachers Pay Te- Teachers. Not for a lot or anything like that. Like, they're probably, I don't know, 99 cents per page or... I don't really actually know how that works. But what my point is, is that there is ki- there can be an overlap with these hobbies, But ultimately you do only need three hobbies. You need three hobbies, one that makes you creative or smart, one that makes you money, and then one that makes you fit or healthy. And I wanna help you think of ones for each category. And like I said, they can overlap, they can cross over, but in each category... But each category is important because each category is going to be life-giving and fulfilling. And I think that As I mentioned from the National Library of Medicine, hobbies are a big indicator of adult wellbeing and adult happiness and healthiness. And so I think it is just really important to prioritize these. So maybe right now you're like, "I can't even think of one hobby that I have." Okay, let's start with any of three of these categories. Or maybe you're thinking, "Oh, actually I have some in this category," or, "Oh, actually I don't have a hobby that is centered around like fitness or health. Maybe that's something I need to work on." We can do that right here. So first I'm gonna start with the makes you money one, and I... The only reason I wanna bring this one up is because I think this is probably the one that people don't do. I could be wrong, but some people are just not... Some people, like I said before about the network marketing business, some people just feel icky, when they have a second source of income, I guess. But it could be so many things. Like say that you're really into photography. Is that something that you could offer to do? It doesn't have to be huge amounts, you don't have to become a professional photographer. But if you're really into photography and you know somebody, or you ha- you're my age and a lot of people have been getting married or having babies or things like that, maybe you could offer to them, "Hey, I, haven't established my photography business, but I'd really love to offer you a discounted rate to do your engagement session or do your family photos or whatever the thing may be that is coming up that you're aware of, and you could do it for a fraction of the price because, first of all, it's not your full-time job, and second of all, it's something that you really like and that you enjoy doing, and is inspiring to you. Again, this could be a crossover where it's, like, creative and makes money. But photography is an example. My husband, who's a software developer, so this is a totally different skill set than me, but my husband, who's a software developer, just spent quite a bit of time on a project called Penny Penguin. It's an application. It's a finance app, personal finance app. And this is something that he could make money on. It is something that is, like, a paid app in the Apple store that could help people. It was fun for him to build, and it can make him money. It's a hobby that he has done in his free time that can make him money. One day, maybe this podcast will make me money. Right now, it doesn't. It costs me money for sure. But I always think for me, it was more so, like, the network marketing business. Now, I haven't done that in a while, so this is probably the one that I'm missing. I did have the thought, which this is kinda crazy, but one of my favorite hobbies, or I guess civil duties that I do, is I donate platelets regularly because, fun fact, probably not that fun to those of you that don't like needles, but fun fact, not everybody has a high platelet count. It is a genetic thing, and your platelet count does vary, but there's not anything you can do with your diet to adjust it. So whereas with, like, when you go to donate blood, if your iron is low, that's not the case all the time. It's probably not even the case in an hour after you've eaten lunch. There are things that you can do to increase your iron levels so that you can donate blood. But with platelets, if you go and you have low platelets, it's unlikely you'll ever be able to donate platelets. But I actually have pretty high platelets. My mom gave me that. Thanks, Mom. Mom's always watching on YouTube, so if you're on YouTube and you see my mom comment, then you should interact with her. She's a great person. But anyway, so I have high platelet counts, and I go and donate platelets, and it just so happens that the Community Blood Center, which is the local blood bank here in Kansas City, when I donate with them, if you donate platelets more than once per, I think it's, like, 12 weeks. There's, like, quarterly, I think, ones. I'm not even sure. But if you donate o- once more than once per a certain period of time Then they offer gift card amounts. So I was thinking, like, honestly, all of my random Target ventures recently in the last year or so since I've been donating platelets regularly, all of those have been funded by me donating platelets because I'm constantly getting gift cards with... Like, and that's not why I do it. It's just that I do, and then I get the gift cards for it. Now, when you donate plasma, like at a Bio-Life Plasma or CSL Plasma or something like that, you also get actual paid there. I only know this because when I worked in the blood bank world,... Blood that goes to actual patients in hospitals, you can't pay people for that blood, so that's why it has to be, like, a gift card or a T-shirt or something like that. Versus plasma donors, usually their plasma is going to pharmaceutical research, and so that's why they're able to actually pay you money, and it's a bigger bang for your buck, to be honest with you. But for me, the hobby of donating platelets to the local blood bank is really great, not because it makes me money, but it does make me money, but it also does make me feel, inspired as a citizen, I guess, too.. So those are some ideas that you can do, but there's a vast amount of other things that you could make money as your hobby. Sourdough. Uh, sourdough's one of my hobbies that I just love for no reason, but, like, you can... I see people selling sourdough on Facebook all the time. So there's tons of things that you could make money off of. The second hobby is one that makes you healthy or fit. I mentioned that Beachbody was kind of cross, kind of a crossover for me, but there are so many hobbies that this would work for. Like, if you're really into Pilates or dancing or... My dog, I would count my dog as one of my hobbies because I'm obsessed with him and I love him so much, but I walk him twice a day, and that is a hobby that me and my husband and my dog, we all connect during that time. And that's really good for my physical health. Or I know people that are really into kickboxing or really or really into Bar Or really into CrossFit or really, just really into any, biking would be one, or swimming. I know a lot of people, it's the summer now, people are really into swimming. Just anything that gets your body moving and gets you active is such a good hobby to hold, and I really think that if you are going to have any hobbies, like in the three categories, make one of them being something that is physical and fun and active Hopefully you feel like I gave you enough examples of that, but I think the most basic one I always say is just going on walks. Go on walks. It's so great to just get out of your house and go on walks. But those hobbies, they really go a long way. I have my morning workouts. I love those. I don't know if I count it as a hobby as much as just a routine, but I do love it, and I think that it's a very valuable, important part of my day. We also have our monthly family 5K, so maybe you could start something like that, a regular run club or walk club and then our morning and afternoon walks that we take with our dog. So I feel like once you make something regarding fitness more of a hobby, it, it becomes part of your regular routine. And then the third category, which is so fun, is just something that makes you smart or engaged or creative, just something that stimulates your brain. So right now, I would say the biggest thing for me is probably reading. I do think that back before I started, restarted my reading journey, I was doing puzzles all the time. I haven't done a puzzle in a long time actually, but puzzles are also one of those things that can really stimulate your brain and get it going. I mentioned before that kind of digital creative media thing that my friend does for her teacher, paid teachers curriculum, that could be one. Dungeons Dragons is a really fun one that I've been doing, and it does stimulate your brain. Like the logistics of Dungeons Dragons is pretty intricate, and then also just the creative part of it. My gut instinct, like I am not the type of person that is naturally coming up with hypothetical scenarios and having a really wide imagination, and I don't really love what ifs and all of that. But I'm discovering in Dungeons Dragons that I can be creative and I can think of what might happen next or what this character might do next and that sort of thing. But there are so many different hobbies that you could do. You could get really into... I know right now I have a few friends that are really into cross-stitching or knitting or... Those are just some of those things that they do stimulate your brain, which is interesting because some of those are kinda like mindless, but it's a different kind of brain stimulation. It's like a creative outlet. So something that makes you creative, something that stimulates your brain I guess video gaming could probably count with this because there's probably, I don't know, strategy and whatnot that's involved in that. I'm not a big gamer, but my husband is, so I'm gonna give that the benefit of the doubt as well. But I think there's lots of things that you could do in those categories. And like I said, the categories could cross over, they could overlap, but in your life, the only three hobbies you need is one that makes you money, one that makes you creative, and one that makes you fit. I hope that this is helpful. I'm curious to hear what hobbies you have, and I love you. Thank you