It seems like there is a new diet fad or way to exercise coming out on the news every week. As well as all the sales pitches about joining a gym this year! However gym memberships and diet foods that offer a quick fix can get quite expensive.
Another option is exercising the natural way and changing your lifestyle like getting outside and walking, running, playing a sport, etc. However you never see birding in that suggestion list....Yes, yes I can almost hear the non-birding readers laughing. The assumption seems to be that only the older generation or anti-social science geeks (not that there is anything wrong with either of those groups) are birders, but the truth is birding has started to grow in popularity among younger generations and can sometimes be quite a social event! There are many birding tours that are around nowadays and most of them are free! Some require signing up beforehand but all that takes is one phone call and you suddenly have weekend plans!
Birding is also a low impact activity because most of the time you are walking slowly and quietly to see these beautiful creatures. It also stimulates the mind because if you really get into birding you will start to learn and remember the different species, what their migrating habits are, the differences between males and females, their mating and nesting rituals. Furthermore, for all that are concerned about eco-friendly activities birding is perfect because it is completely natural and you leave the environment just as it was when you came in.....the only things you might take are some pictures :)
Lastly, with the growing concern of childhood obesity birding is great for the younger generation. With more and more technology coming out it seems that children go outside and play or even are concerned about the outside world less and less. This is extremely sad but there are activities that are not just regular exercise but activities and hobbies like birding that not only can help your weight challenges but engage your mind. This is true for adults and children. Geeze even for the people that are competitive and like sports....The Big Year contests to find the most species in a year can get quite competitive. So go on and get out there! Happy Birding :)
