Top Ten Tuesday: Non-Bookish Hobbies

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

For the sake of this post, I’m going to pretend like the Covid-19 pandemic is not happening since some of my hobbies aren’t currently safe or even possible to do. Someday that will change, and for now I’ll enjoy the rest of them.

Visiting museums

I especially enjoy art, science, and history museums, but I’ll happily check out many other types of them as well. This might be teetering on the edge of bookish things, but the rest of my list will veer far from it.

Silhoutte of person pushing an upright bicycle on a hill at duskBicycling

This is one of my favourite forms of exercise, albeit one I haven’t done in a long time.

Swimming

There’s something magical about propelling yourself across a creek, chlorinated pool, or small pond, especially when the water is so deep that my feet can’t touch the bottom.

Nature Walks.and Picnics

Originally, I was going to call this hiking, but my definition of that term is taking a brisk walk in nature for an hour or two, maybe having a nice picnic, and then meandering home at possibly a slower pace than when I started out.

I have relatives whose definition of the term “hike” is walking 12+ hours a day for several days to a week (or longer) while carrying all of the food, water, and gear they need for that trip in a huge backpack.

So it’s important to differentiate between their version of hiking and my own.

Free Festivals and Concerts

In ordinary times, Toronto has a multitude of free festivals, concerts, and other fun community events during the warm half of the year.

The awesome thing about events like these is that you can come and go as you please. You could hang out for half an hour, the afternoon, or even a full weekend in many cases. I love having that sort of freedom to enjoy as much or as little of an event as the weather and my other plans permit.

Trying New Vegan Restaurants 

No, I’m not vegan, but this is one of those types of restaurants that works quite well with my allergies and food intolerances. It feels wonderful to sit down and be able to order just about anything on the menu without a second thought. That basically never happens for me in omnivorous restaurants, so I’m  incredibly grateful for the existence of vegan culture and food in general.

People dancing in a dance studioDancing 

I was just starting to dip my toes into the possibility of taking dance classes when some people in Ontario started getting really sick last winter.

This is something I hope to return to once we have a Covid-19 vaccine and all is well again.

Weight Training

I’m currently taking a break from weightlifting while an injury heals, but this is a hobby I ordinarily really enjoy. It is so cool to see how the human body adjusts to more difficult workouts as well as how muscles grow and change over time.

Meditation

Social anxiety is something I struggle with at times. Getting and staying into a regular meditation practice helps me deal with this by not chasing after every anxious thought that leaps into my mind.

98 Comments

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98 Responses to Top Ten Tuesday: Non-Bookish Hobbies

  1. I haven’t biked in so long either but I’d like to do it more. also I love free festivals and concerts!

    Meditation seems like it would be really calming and good for anxiety.

  2. Lex

    This is uncanny. Visiting museums is one of my top 10 non-bookish hobbies too! So glad to meet you. There’s just something enormously uplifting about human stories living on.

  3. At my gym (which I don’t go to because Covid), they have indoor cycling. I thought I would hate it when I first started, but it quickly became my favorite class. One of the few things I truly miss about going to the gym!

  4. Hi there Lydia! I should be better with visiting museums, I know. I love history. I have visited most of the important museums in South Africa and there are more than a handful international museums I would love to visit!

    I do the dancing thing. Ballet Barre… Not the best at it, but I do love it!

    Here’s my The Collected Works of Elza Reads

  5. I should really bike more, and if our local pool reopens this summer, I’ll definitely be there. They have water walking in the morning, which is just me and all of my retired neighbors, so I enjoy that. Wasn’t open this summer, obviously! You seem like a lot of your activities are very active!

  6. the Storyenthusiast

    OOh, I like your definition for hiking. In that sense I also really enjoy it!

  7. Nature walks are so much fun!

  8. I live about two hours from D.C., and there are so many amazing museums — just the Smithsonian alone! — that I love visiting. I go at least once every summer and I’ve yet to see everything there.

  9. Ooh, I hope you do get to try dancing soon once *gestures to world* all settles down! I’ll bet you could find some youtube videos to teach you about dance as well, if you wanted to start now. 🙂

  10. Great list of pursuits. I could have added visiting museums, concerts and taking hikes. Love these too

  11. We used to do water aerobics at our gym, but that’s out now. Such a shame.

  12. It’s so great that you enjoy biking! I am absolute rubbish on bicycles, and wind up crashing myself into the street more often than not whenever I try to ride one. Not sure why this happens, when I spent so much of my childhood on a bike….. I guess I’m just klutzy?

    Great list!

  13. I love bicycling. I didn’t get to do enough last summer and now I am regretting it. I hope our fall weather subsides and I can back out there. Nice hobbies!

  14. I would love to go to a festival soon. It’s not even something I did often before the ‘Rona, but isn’t it funny how NOT being able to do something make you want it so much more?

  15. Weight training is something I really want to get into. I currently use 5lb weights or just do bodyweight exercises, but I’m excited to kick it up a notch at some point!

    • Good for you! Every little bit helps. I’m sure you’ll be able to kick it up a notch soon. It’s amazing to see how the human body can adapt to stuff like this.

  16. I definitely also prefer your idea of a hike than the other one 🙂 I also can’t wait until it’s okay to go to festivals and concerts again!

  17. My kiddo is unschooled, so we especially enjoy museums! (Art museums have been a big hit recently.) You reminded me that I need to get back to meditation. I agree that it helps keep those anxious thoughts from getting out of control.

  18. I love visiting museums too… I hope we’ll be able to again very soon, I really miss it!

    Dancing is such a fantastic hobby, it’s one of those things I’ve always wanted to take up, I hope you enjoy it if you do decide to take it up again after corona finishes. 🙂

  19. Fabulous list! Nature walks are wonderful. I miss going to parks with great trails and ambling through the woods. I’d love to get back to dancing too! It’s been a long time since I’ve taken a dance class, but I used to be very into folkdancing, and would love to pick it up again.

  20. Nature walks are wonderful. I love breathing in the cool, fresh air. Dancing is a wonderful hobby. Since an ice rink isn’t always accessible, sometimes I dance instead.🥰 Dance/figure skating are wonderful modes of expression and are good for the soul. Great TTT!

  21. I meditate regularly these days and it really is calming! I love the walks in nature that’s calming too!
    Here’s my TTT

  22. Jo

    I really enjoy visiting museums, I’m a big history nerd, so museums are always fun for me.
    My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2020/11/03/top-ten-tuesday-288/

  23. Cool list. I like art museums and swimming too. I can’t say I enjoy many physical activities but I’ve heard when you get in shape they start getting easier. I went on a walk around the park the other day and I tolerated it but I wouldn’t go so far as to say I had fun doing it. 😛

  24. I much prefer your version of hiking! I wish there were more vegan restaurants by me – enjoy them for us all!

  25. Gina @ Randomly Gina

    I love swimming! I miss it! Trying vegan foods is fun, I’ve had vegan coworkers who would bring in deserts or other snacks for us all, it’s always neat to hear about how they substitute stuff

  26. We do have a lot in common. We like to do many of the same things.

  27. I love your list! I deal with social anxiety too and I always tell myself I should get into meditating because I’ve heard it would be helpful but I never get around to it. Do you have any recommendations for a newbie to try to get started?

    • Thank you very much.

      Sorry to hear you also have social anxiety.

      It took me a long time to settle into a meditation practice that worked for me. What helped the most was using guided meditation sessions, especially in the beginning. I really like the Calm app (I swear this isn’t an advertisement for them!). Some of their stuff is behind a paywall, but they always have some free sessions, too.

      Youtube is another good source for meditation videos. I don’t know what type of meditation you’re looking for (body scan? just soothing music? meditation sessions for a specific issue like low self esteem, pain, etc.?) but they have every sort of meditation you can think of.

      Walking meditation is something I also find really helpful for my restless days.

      I hope this helps. Feel free to ask for more information if you want it. I didn’t want to overwhelm you. 🙂

  28. I like swimming too, it’s so relaxing! And hiking, and museums. I think there must be something about bookish people that causes us to also be drawn to intellectual pastimes like museums. I’ve seen learning on a few lists already.

    • That’s so cool! We seem to have a lot in common.

      And, yes, I suspect you’re right about bookish people liking intellectual pastimes like visiting museums. 🙂

  29. Meditation is something I really need to starting doing. I’ve done yoga off and on, but could never create any sort of habit with. I also struggle with anxiety, and I’ve heard it’s great for it. Nature walks and visiting museums are also great activities!

  30. Very healthy hobbies. Good for you. I am motivated to try weight lifting, too.

  31. True. I love museums, especially in small cities. I love farmers markets. Outdoor fall festivals. Live music. Maybe in 2021.

  32. Those are some great hobbies! I hope you’ll be able to do the ones that have been impacted by COVID again soon.

  33. We have a lot in common! I also like bicycling, nature walks and dancing. Montreal like Toronto has a ton of concerts that were unfortunately canceled because of the pandemic.

  34. Kelly @ Lifestyle of Me

    i miss the free concerts. definitely miss taking my kids to museums.

  35. Meditation is something I really want to practice more and have become a part of my everyday routine! Do you have any specific apps or meditations you enjoy?

  36. Ooh weightlifting! So cool! I love doing bodypump lessons in the gym (although they are cancelled for the foreseeable future..), not exactly the same, but I also love seeing how you’re slowly able to lift more and see your body change!

    (www.evelynreads.com)

  37. It’s always fun to visit museums! There’s an awesome science museum close to where I live that I loved going to as a kid.

  38. Visiting museums, cycling, swimming, all those in addition to the ones we already have in common from both our lists, we get to quite a few. I’m not surprised, we tend to share a lot of common likes.

    I totally agree about the vegan restaurants. I’m lactose intolerant. I can always eat anything vegan, so I’m always happy if I find something like that.

    Thanks for visiting my TTT earlier.

  39. Swimming is so calming, isn’t it? I prefer to swim in my backyard pool where I can see the bottom (LOL) and no one who isn’t related to me can see me in a bathing suit. Ha ha. Wouldn’t want to scare anyone!

    Happy TTT (on a Wednesday)!

    Susan
    http://www.blogginboutbooks.com

  40. Weightlifting is such a great hobby! My husband is a personal trainer and power lifter so I may be biased, but there are so many life long benefits.

    I also enjoy many vegan restaurants as they are usually pretty accommodating for a gluten free diet!

    • What a cool job your spouse has!

      It’s awesome that vegan restaurants work with your gluten-free diet, too. I know the ones in my area have little symbols near their dishes that are already gluten-free.

  41. I do love visiting museums too,, and nature walks are always my form of meditation..

  42. Andie @ Books, Coffee and Passion

    I love biking and dancing, too! But swimming is definitely my #1. 🙂
    Great post!

  43. Completely agree about swimming! That was ummm basically the only non-bookish, non-The 100 thing I could really think of but it’s a big one. It was pretty much my life until I graduated from college and then there was nowhere to keep doing it. I miss it! Museums are definitely fun too!

  44. I love (loved?) sightseeing around museums and heritage places.

  45. I really miss visiting museums– what a great list!

  46. It is great to be able to order something without having to worry. I’m glad vegan restaurants are doing that for you. Before covid hit I was planning out some day trips for the next few months with my then not 4 year old yet for more playful museums and all but that obviously never happened 🙁

  47. I enjoy biking, as well. My husband mountain bikes, so he’s been able to keep up with that, since it’s usually a solo adventure. Hopefully we can both get back to the things we’ve missed soon! 🙂

  48. I love that you included a little museum love in this week’s post!

  49. Oh, I love trying new restaurants!! I forgot about that. A friend and I would make a lunch/brunch date at a new place each month… well that was before covid but still! Great list.

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