Extreme sports are becoming increasingly popular. In fact, activities such as mountain biking, snowboarding and skateboarding continue to attract larger numbers every year. At the same time, a decline has been noted in other outside activities that are considered to be more traditional, including basketball. This is most likely linked to several factors, ranging from the increased adrenaline rush all the way to the positive mental and physical health aspects of participating in an extreme sport.
1. Gain the Ability to Stay Centered
Extreme sports can push you to your physical and mental limits. When this happens, it’s easy to lose your cool, but that can lead to potentially dangerous mistakes. Individuals who regularly perform feats such as jumping out of an airplane actually change the chemical makeup of their mind. When this happens, you become more capable of staying calm and centered during stressful situations. In other words, extreme sports can make the rest of your life easy to manage.
2. Learn the Importance of Stretching
As with every other form of physical exercise, it is imperative to utilize proper stretching techniques to keep your muscles in good shape. Stretches do vary based on the type of exercise that you’re doing, which makes it wise to take a close look at the techniques that are used by the pros. For example, fitness and stretching routines of pro surfers incorporate dynamic stretches and place an emphasis on relaxing the upper body and tight muscles. Doing these stretches on a regular basis makes it easier to surf without suffering from an injury.
3. Enhance Your Fear Management Skills
Do you find yourself becoming practically debilitated by fear? This is something that everyone struggles with from time to time, but those who participate in extreme sports are able to turn their fear into a positive experience. There probably aren’t too many people in the world who won’t feel fearful the first time they jump out of an airplane or go bungee jumping. But doing these things and seeing that you safely make it to the other side will help you reduce your fear response. You will also learn how to use coping mechanisms such as meditation to your advantage.
4. Work Different Muscles
We all do certain movements during the day, and this gives the applicable muscles a workout. However, you’ve probably noticed feeling sore after doing something that isn’t on your typical daily schedule. This is because you are working out a different set of muscles or have asked your muscles to move in an unusual way. Although this can cause soreness, it can also be good for your overall physical fitness. When you embrace an extreme sport, you will begin working different muscles, and this will be a positive thing for your health.
5. Gain a Sense of Humility
Getting ahead in the business world, and life, in general, may seem like a ruthless proposition. The truth, though, is that having a sense of humility is actually extremely important. This makes us feel more relatable to others, and it can help avoid the development of a negative reputation. With extreme sports, you have to embrace the fact that you are not perfect or immortal. Instead, to survive the experience, you must look at your own mortality, learn how to use safety equipment properly and be willing to listen to your instructor’s directions. This was all linked to increased humility in a 2009 study.
6. Boost Your Self-Confidence
Extreme sports task you with overcoming difficult physical challenges. After all, it’s not easy to climb a mountain. But if you can complete these challenges, your rewards will be much more than merely physical. Studies have found a strong link between extreme sports and a higher level of self-confidence. This makes sense when you consider the fact that accomplishing a task so physically daunting is something that you should feel proud of. The self-confidence boost can have a positive impact on every aspect of your life, which makes extreme sports a good idea for everyone who is physically capable of meeting the applicable challenges.
7. High Caloric Burn
If you want to get in the best possible physical shape, extreme sports are often the wisest choice. As an added bonus, they can also be a lot more fun than a standard exercise routine. Skateboarding offers a prime example because the average person burns as much as 500 calories per hour while riding their board. Of course, you will get the best results if you work on complicated surfaces and do skateboarding tricks during this time period instead of merely riding on flat land.
8. Increased Balance
Even individuals who have a good sense of balance can benefit from improving it, and this is exactly what most extreme sports will help you do. Keep in mind that if you are naturally clumsy or have any medical conditions that inhibit your sense of balance, it may not be wise to start with one of the more dangerous extreme sports. However, something as simple as riding a skateboard on flat land will force your body to become more balanced. Otherwise, you will remain wobbly the entire time and may have several accidents. This process will be similar to learning to ride a bike in that you may fall off a few times, but your body should eventually adjust to the new balance requirements.
9. Offers Social Interaction
Humans are social creatures by nature. Even those of us who are introverted still need some level of socialization to remain well-adjusted emotionally. Studies have even discovered that socialization is critical for cognitive functionality. This is another area where extreme sports receive high marks because most of these activities are done with other people. For example, you’re more likely to go skateboarding or jump out of a plane with a friend. This will help increase the bond between the two of you, and it will also give you the many benefits of socialization.
Before you begin any extreme sport, make sure that you are physically and mentally capable of performing the necessary tasks. Once you are ready to begin, you will be able to choose from a long list of adventurous sports that are certain to get your adrenaline flowing!
Featured photo credit: Viktor Hanacek via picjumbo.com
