Hobbies & Wellness

The host of Shape Up with Keba discusses the connection between healthy habits, hobbies, and well-being. She refers to Dr. Bill Hetler's six dimensions of wellness, including emotional, spiritual, intellectual, occupational, social, and physical. She reveals her favorite hobby, longboarding, and explains how it contributes to physical wellness and intellectual wellness through the learning process. She also emphasizes the importance of mindfulness while longboarding, which positively affects emotional well-being. She encourages listeners to practice consistency and perseverance in all areas of life. Hey there, welcome to another episode of Shape Up with Keba. I'm your host, Nekeba Evans, and in this week's mini-episode, we're going to talk about the connection between healthy habits, hobbies, and how they can help to promote different parts of our well-being. And as always, any additional pieces of information will be added to the show notes. So let's get into it. As some of you may or may not know, I'm an exercise science major on the wellness promotion track at my institution. So not only am I passionate about health and fitness, but I like to promote wellness where I can. And whenever I do, I often like to refer to Dr. Bill Hetler's six dimensions of wellness model developed in 1976, which today still serves as solid guidelines for helping us to balance different areas of well-being in our daily lives. The six dimensions can be understood as the following. Emotional, how we feel. Spiritual, how we connect to our personal values, whether they're religious or non-religious. Intellectual, how we learn and stimulate our minds. Occupational, how we think and feel about our work. Social, how we connect with others and foster healthy relationships. And physical, how we take care of our bodies through things like nutrition and exercise. Now, what if I told you about a hobby that could easily contribute to at least half of the dimensions I just mentioned? I'll even give you a few hints as to what this favorite hobby of mine is. It typically involves being outdoors, standing upright and pushing off one leg or the other while moving quickly on a set of wheels. And most importantly, wearing safety gear like a helmet. Can you guess what it is? If you guessed roller skating, then you were close. If you guessed skateboarding, then you were even closer. And if you guessed longboarding, then you're correct. That's right, folks. I'm a longboarder. And while most skateboards are lightweight and meant for doing tricks like ollies, kickflips, and essentially anything that involves bringing the board up and off the ground, longboards, often being a bit heavier in weight, are usually meant for cruising on smooth, flat surfaces. Except, I usually enjoy going down hills on rougher terrain, feeling the wind in my face as I skate, and pushing myself to move faster and faster on the board. All this moving around naturally forces the rider to be physically active, and thus positively contributes to the dimension of physical wellness. The rules of longboarding are also pretty straightforward, and can be summed up as the following. One, own or buy a longboard. Two, wear safety gear like a proper helmet, as well as knee pads, elbow pads, and wrist guards to help ensure maximum safety and protection. Three, practicing balance and skating. And last, but certainly not least, four, have fun. If you decide to start longboarding, then know that there may be times where you will struggle to keep your balance, fall off the board, and sometimes you'll get so frustrated that you might even want to give up on learning entirely. But speaking from my experience, if you keep practicing, maintain a positive attitude, and learn from your mistakes, you'll likely continue to improve over a period of time. Like with learning any new thing, or trying out a new hobby, it's a process. And as we learn, we help contribute to the dimension of intellectual wellness. This is where I like to parent the element of mindfulness, also known as a state of being fully present in the moment. I've made it a habit of noticing how the board feels beneath my feet, the shift in my breathing as I go from rough to smooth terrain, and noticing how beautiful the trees and animals are as I ride in nature. When I longboard, I could easily go from feeling irritable and stressed to a more easygoing and relaxed state of mind, which positively contributes to my emotional well-being. This is why I love longboarding and practicing mindfulness together, because they're not just about getting better, but mastering the art of consistency and perseverance, so that we may carry these positive attributes into other areas of our lives. That includes this episode of Shape Up with Keba. Don't forget to check the show notes for sources and additional information. Thanks for listening, and I'll hear you in the next one.