Four Ways to Enhance Your Physical Wellbeing While Birding
Birding contributes to many aspects of our whole health and wellbeing. Today, we consider four ways birding can contribute to our physical health.
Get out! It’s been said that having a dog gets people up and moving. Much of that can be contributed to taking the dogs out for a walk. Well, dog owners have nothing on birders; simply getting up and out to walk around a nearby park or along a favorite walking path helps the birder get moving. Knowing that movement is critical to our health we can opt to get out and bird instead of relaxing in front of the TV or personal digital device.
Take a few extra steps. The next time you go to look for birds, walk a little further than you may typically walk. The extra steps will help you build endurance and strengthen your muscles and joints. Some health-conscious birders find it helpful to use a smartwatch to track their steps.
Find opportunities to walk at a brisker pace. The slow pace of birding can be a detriment to our cardio health. However, by taking opportunities to incorporate walking a little faster can help build cardio health as well as strengthen muscles. Consider a brisk walk to the area where you hope to see your target birds or when you are returning to your vehicle.
Don’t avoid the hills. Not only should we not avoid hills, but purposefully incorporating hills into our birding can provide great benefits. Make a list of nearby hotspots that include changes in elevation and include at least one of those spots in your weekly birding excursions.
We are already contributing to our health by getting out and birding. By intentionally taking a few extra steps, finding opportunity to walk faster, or climbing hills while birding we can make birding an even greater beneficial activity for enhancing our physical wellbeing.
Jack Bruce is the founder of WellBirds, an organization dedicated to sharing how birds, birding, and nature contribute to our wellbeing.You are invited to subscribe to the WellBirds blog and follow WellBirds on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.