From rockspotclimbing.tumblr.com
If you’d like to live longer, it’s entirely possible that the best thing you could do is join a rock climbing gym.
I listened to a lot of TED talks yesterday to get through a 14-hour long drive from Ann Arbor to Boston. In the mix, I heard Jane McGonigal‘s talk on how games can increase your lifespan by roughly ten years.
Take away the game wrapper, and her thesis boiled down to an assertion that people can do four basic things to extend their lives:
- Be active (or, at least, refrain from being inactive).
- Set and achieve small goals.
- Connect with other human beings.
- Experience positive emotions—potentially by seeing cute things.
Listening to the talk, it struck me that my newest physical hobby, rock climbing at a rock gym, is one of the most efficient ways to achieve all four of those things. Here’s the breakdown.
- Be active: Climb the wall.
- Set and achieve small goals: Pick a wall and conquer it.
- Connect with other human beings: Ask the climber next to you how to conquer the wall you’re starting at.
- Experience positive emotions—potentially by seeing cute things: I can’t speak for all gyms, but the one I’ve been going to, Rock Spot in Boston, has a youth program. Have you ever watched a 6-year old rock climbing? It’s cute.
So, want to live longer? Go join your local rock gym.
Related articles
- Tips on what to wear during a climb (climbingequipment.wordpress.com)
- Indoor Rock Climbing As Exercise (goclimbin.wordpress.com)
- Test Your Rock Climbing Limits At Vertical Endeavors (minnesota.cbslocal.com)
- Take a break from your hectic schedule (castlecover.co.uk)
Reblogged this on GOCLIMB.IN.