What are some good hobbies/interests for someone in their mid thirties to pick up?
What are some good hobbies/interests for someone in their mid thirties to pick up?
When someone asked me recently what I'm into I didn't have answers. Existential crisis aside, what are some good hobbies/interests for someone in their mid thirties to pick up?
Play an instrument.
I had zero musical talent, I'm not coordinated, and I don't even listen to music much to be honest. Yet one day I decided to try playing guitar and totally fell in love, it's like a new part of my brain came online.
I'll never be playing Wembley stadium or whatever but just practicing is so rewarding. It's not about getting good, it's about getting better.
I learned a bit of woodworking recently. You can go totally stupid on it like I did and drop a thousand dollars on tools you'll only sometimes use, or you can grab a hammer and a saw and start making stuff the long way around. It's kind of a trade-off of convenience versus expense in that way, but I enjoy making stuff.
Came in handy this spring when my front stairs collapsed. I probably saved ten grand at least for being able to DIY that.
I'm also a mid-30s dude and I can honestly say cooking and baking has probably been the best skill I have. I bake stuff for my coworkers every now and then and it's always a good time. And cooking a nice meal from scratch for a girl always impresses.
It's a good time to pick up a martial art or yoga. The strength and flexibility training will help stave off age very effectively, and they're good at helping deal with stress too.
I agree with many here about finding some sort of exercise, it's especially beneficial as we age. Cooking is another great one that was mentioned, and it goes hand in hand with staying healthy along with exercising.
One I didn't see mentioned was Lego. Fair warning, it can get very expensive, but I found it very relaxing to build something with my hands. Plus, you can just turn off your brain for a bit and it feels great to admire a build after you've completed it.
I started building sets for things I was interested in, like Star Wars, and would watch the movies while building or put on an audiobook.
Gardening is always a safe "goto"
Rock climbing. Hit up a gym or hire a guide if outdoor climbing sounds interesting
If you’re looking for a physical activity, consider indoor rowing. I picked it up at 35. It was getting harder to find regular exercise that didn’t kill my joints. This one fits the bill. Gives me a great workout without leaving aches and pains.
Probably some of these mentioned already:
- Cooking more instead of buying pre-made
- Learning some basic home maintenance like plumbing, keeping appliances cleaned, simple electrical stuff, etc
- Growing some small veggies
- Prepping for disaster - different time frames and scenarios like: fire, no power, poor air quality, floods, data loss, having to leave in a hurry
- Simple exercise and stretching routine
I've tried my hands at home brewing and lock picking. Not great at either, but I've learned a lot and had fun. You can get started in either for under $100. And if you enjoy them you can sink much much more into them!
Running. You can do it everywhere, and almost every time.
Pick up an instrument. Start writing. Gardening. I'm just naming what I like to do. My s.o. does leather work and gardening.
Music is my most fulfilling thing. Bit I love writing so much. Gardening just keeps me busy and I work out while I do it usually. The gardening I just started in my 30s.
I'm sort of still figuring out how to be a real person, yknow.
"Maker" stuff is fun. I picked up woodworking/furniture making, 3d printing, and electronics.
If you have time and enjoy being active / outside - running.
If you prefer learning and/or experiencing something other than your daily life - reading.
Both can be tailored to your own availability/interest (fast or long running, solo or group, non-fiction or fiction, specific interests or genre.
Motorcycling. You’re old enough to not do the stupid shit that gets young riders killed.
Take the MSF’s beginner course (or your country’s equivalent), spend more on your helmet, jacket and gloves than you do your first bike, and have fun. Spend as much on your helmet as you think your brain is worth.
Remember, you’ll drop your bike, so start with a cheap used one. After a year (or less) with it you’ll have a better idea of what kind of riding you like, and that will inform your choice of second bike.
You’ll drop that one too, by the way. Don’t sweat it. Maybe buy spare brake and clutch levers.
Find a local moto community. Maybe get an intro to the Denizens of Doom. Heck, even a Facebook group can do the trick. You’ll meet new people and make new friends, while learning from people who’ve been riding for decades.
If you survive your first year (you will), you’ll also have become a far better car driver. Riding without a safety cage around you does wonders for situational awareness and risk awareness.
Last note: the car drivers are trying to kill you. They may not realize this, but you should. You’re invisible to them. Ride with a healthy dose of paranoia. But smile. You’re having fun.
Depends on whether you'd prefer outdoorsy or indoorsy, and also what things you already are into to balance things out a little, maybe? But have not seen gardening mentioned yet, whether you attack an allotment, or plant some discarded salads/spring onions on a window sill. Always rewarding to munch on something home-grown!
Do you have any creative outlets in your life? Doesn't have to be for anyone but yourself.
Meanwhile I'm trying to tell my ADHD brain to pick fewer hobbies so I can actually stop and enjoy one and stop buying things to start new ones.....
That said, hobby electronics and soldering is a fun one. Also if your city allows it (or if you live rural) you can get into a little bit of farming and get some chickens. Ill also suggest coffee roasting.
I recommend trying some new sports. Check out community centre drop ins or beginner leagues. It is a great way to get some exercise and meet people.
I just started playing volleyball in my late 30s. I never played a lot of sports as a kid, and being short, this was a weird choice. I was really intimidated at first because it has a fairly high skill point of entry, so I just started passing to myself and serving a wall in a park during covid to get some exercise. Eventually I found a drop in at a local community centre and despite being the worst one there by far, the community was really welcoming and I kept at it. I've made a bunch of new friends in the community and l absolutely love sports now.
Photography is a good one. There's so many directions to take with it. It's easy to share with other people digitally these days, and has never been more accessible since practically everyone has a pretty good camera on their phone. You can do landscapes, animals, macro nature, miniature scenes, food, old signs, buildings, all sorts of specialties within those and more.
Cooking, Painting, Woodworking, learn an instrument, read more, write more.
Play a lifetime sport like golf or disc golf or softball.
Hike and learn more about nature.Fish, Forage, Hunt or just take up shooting in general.
Craft stuff. Knit, Crochet, Sew.
Build a computer or a virtual pinball machine and play all the amazing games made over the last 30 something years.
Run, Bike, Skate, Row, Swim, move!
Gunpla or Plamo! It's a somewhat easy hobby to get into and there's plenty of cool kits out there if you're into Mecha or anything really.
https://gundamit.com/products/?&Narrow=4+1 has general Chinese knock off just to give you an idea what is out there besides Gundam.
Adding to others: Mountain biking, camping, hiking, rc planes, model rocketry, travel, fishing
Or get into a niche intellectual or academic endeavor: finance, investing, philosophy, what is truth, of course light-heartedly (/s)
Pinball, unless you want a cheap one.
Do you like beer? Is is legal to home brew in your country? If both are yes, brew beer.
It's easy, it's delicious, it gets cheap quickly especially compared to most microbreweries, you'll always have a brew to share with friends without having to run to the store.
Always brew with friends. You can drink beer and have fun on brew days. It's much easier when there are 2-3 people around to lift stuff. You can delegate responsibilities. Share the cost of ingredients and the resulting beer. You can even "associate" and buy the hardware together. Trust me, you will never run out of volunteers.
Go all grain from the start instead of going extract. Start with something simple with as few ingredients as possible like a stout or a pale ale to get the feel for it. Then brew more complicated but tried and true recipes. Then you can start and go crazy with your own recipes.
And if anything goes off plan, RDWHAHB. Relax, don't worry, have a home brew. It's hard to make a truly exceptional beer, but if you follow most basic principles it's even harder to fuck up so badly that you brew something truly undrinkable.
I subconsciously separate hobbies into two categories, inside the comfort zone and outside the comfort zone. Do you want to fill your hours doing something you enjoy with people you like (or alone is good, too)? Or do you want to expand your horizons, meet new people (or learn to be content alone), and try something new?
That's a critical first question to answer, because any hobby can expand to fill the available time and budget.
And those are the next two questions, both important. Do you have long stretches of continuous time and an unlimited budget? Traveling is a great hobby that will also help you find new hobbies.
Do you have zero budget and unpredictable pockets of time? Crafting can be fun and an inexpensive creative outlet.
Think about what you like, who you like to be around, and when it makes sense to be doing it. Do you want to play Warhammer in a comic book shop with people who are way into it? Would you enjoy playing golf every weekend at the local club? Hobbies are a great way to challenge yourself and meet new people, or it's a great way to get all introspective and grow as a person in your spare time.
Give golf a try. I am personally addicted. It's a nice activity that gets you outside.
I've gotten into restoring motorcycles, cycling, sim racing, exercise, and tons of cooking.
Guitar has been great for me the last few years!
Custom keyboards, hifi, vinyl, lightweight mice if you like collecting stuff and optimising setups and whatnot. I took up stenography lately too, some people can type upwards of 300 wpm with it.
Okay, so you've got a load of ideas from other comments, but what I'm asking you is:
What does anything of that have to do with you being in your mid thirties?
I'm sorry, but I didn't get the memo about age or gender related hobbies.
You don't need to be an 83y old hag to crotchet tea warmers, you don't need to be Tyler Durden to pick up boxing.
Just do whatever you fucking want to do, okay? You're okay. And if anyone tells you you're not okay, kindly tell them to fuck off.
Edit: Also, do not compare yourself to others. Ever. It's a hobby, not a career, you're not gonna get paid, so don't bother. Nobody says you need to be good at it.
Edit 2: Remind me again why I’m being downvoted for saying this, lol? 🤡
I might as well toss out Amateur Radio Operator (aka Ham Radio). You can be as technical or non technical as you'd like. There is most likely a radio club near where you live so you can be social and learn about the hobby from others.
You can talk to people in town, across the country or around the world. You can work from your home or you can setup at a local park. There are contests where you try and make as many contacts as possible in a day, or sit around and chat about whatever you enjoy.
There are radio systems you connect to the internet if you dont have a desire to setup big antenna. If you don't like talking there are ways to hook up a computer and chat with people that way.
If you like to get outdoors there are clubs where you work from local parks, islands, mountains, boats and lighthouses and with a whole point system if you're competitive. With a simple handheld radio you can talk to people hundreds of miles away by bouncing your signal off of satellites.
Then there is the whole diy approach where you can build radios and antennas all from scratch or from kits of you're into the tech side. If you want to get into RC and drones you get a whole set of radio frequency that allows you more distance and functionally in that hobby if you use your Amateur Radio license along with it.
Seriously they're is a ton of stuff to try in the hobby.
Really anything can be a hobby, but I’ll be a shill for my own hobbies real fast: playing guitar, hiking, writing, reptiles/snakes, tea, and tabletop games.
anything active. it'll help keep your body and mind healthy for the long run