So, grab your rod and reel and get ready to improve your life. Here are five ways fishing makes you a better person.
#1: Fishing Helps Ease Stress and Tension
Stress is the number one instigating factor to illness and death. But, spend some time out on the water and the gentle lapping of the waves and calmness of nature will melt your stress and tension away better than any medication. Plus, one of the best ways to eliminate stress is to focus on an activity that brings you joy. When you’re fishing, you’re focus is on the task, so you’re not thinking about other, stress-causing things.
#2: Fishing is Good Exercise
It’s not easy fitting exercise into one’s busy day. The fact that it’s not all that enjoyable only makes it that much harder. But, spending the day fishing is an excellent way to get in your daily exercise. Think about it – to get to your fishing destination, there’s usually a bit of walking, hiking, biking, or paddling involved. Then add in the physical movements of casting and reeling and you’re in for a great cardiovascular workout. Plus, being outside is scientifically proven to be good for both your brain and your body because you’re getting the most natural form of Vitamin D there is from the sun. Just be sure you wear a quality sun protectant!
#3: Fishing Helps You Unplug From a Tech-Dependent World
We’re inundated by messages all day long, whether they come from television advertisements, emails, websites, or text. The problem is, all of that information has to be processed by the brain and that can make relaxing extremely challenging. But, when you’re fishing, you’re essentially unplugging yourself from the endless barrage of noise. You’re at one with nature and you finally get a chance to breathe deep. Unplugging from the digital world, even for a few short hours, can help you relax and re-center yourself. And, there’s no more enjoyable way to do it than by fishing in Wilmington NC.
#4: Fishing Helps Reduce PTSD Symptoms
We live in turbulent times and as a result, people are being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder at a rapid pace. For those afflicted, life can be very hard to manage and the symptoms of their disorder can make living a “normal” life even more difficult. But, according to a 2009 study conducted by Rivers of Recovery, fishing can help reduce the severity of PTSD symptoms by as much as 32 percent. Not only that, but feelings of hostility were reduced by 43 percent, fear by 30 percent, and sadness by 36 percent.
#5: Eating Fish is Good For You
Not every angler keeps their catch, but for those that do, they’re getting a natural source of Omega-3 fatty acids with every bite. Omega-3s are essential for keeping blood pressure regulated and they help improve brain function. In fact, eating fish has been shown to be beneficial for everything from your eyesight to your skin. It can even help reduce asthma attacks as well as lower the risk of stroke and heart failure. Japan’s fish-heavy diet is one of the reasons why Japanese men, and women in particular, are among the longest-living people on the planet.