In this era of 100-year life spans, people in their 60s still have a lot to look forward to! In your 60s, you have more time to spend on yourself, so why not start a new hobby? There are many hobbies that can be done without much cost or effort. Lower the barrier to starting a hobby and try something that catches your eye!
How many people have no hobbies? Actually, more than you might expect!
When you listen to stories from family and friends or see information from the media, you might think that “everyone has a hobbies,” but in reality, there are surprisingly many people who don’t have any hobbies.
According to the results of a survey by the Hakuhodo Institute of Life and Living, 27.2% of people in their 60s said they had no hobbies. By gender, 27.1% of women in their 60s and 27.3% of men had hobbies, suggesting that, although slightly more, women have hobbies.
The benefits of having a hobby in your 60s
There are many benefits to having a hobby in your 60s, including:
- Make friends with common interests
- Activates the brain, relieves stress, and refreshes the mind
- Eliminates lack of exercise and helps build physical strength
- The topic spreads, etc.
Hobbies are not only a way to relieve stress and change your mood, but they also allow you to make new friends through your hobbies. If you have a hobby that gets you moving, it can also help you overcome a lack of exercise and improve your physical strength.
Starting something new will give you more to talk about and lead to a more lively and enjoyable time.
Points to consider when choosing a hobby for people in their 60s
Here are some things people in their 60s should check when choosing a hobby:
- Is it a hobby that interests you?
- Is it physically impossible?
- Is it an easy hobby?
- Can you continue without difficulty?
If you try to force yourself to start a pastime because you feel like you “have to do something,” you may not enjoy it. It is advised that you experiment initially, whether it be by recalling past lessons or emulating the interests of those in your immediate vicinity, in order to identify a hobby that you enjoy.
Engaging in activities that provide you a feeling of direction and that let you socialize with others can also make your everyday life more fulfilling. As they can be enjoyed with family and friends, hobbies that you can undertake with others are also advised.
Recommended for people in their 60s! 17 inexpensive hobbies
From here on, we will introduce some inexpensive hobbies that are recommended for people in their 60s.
Outdoor hobbies
Hobbies that can be done outdoors also get you moving, helping you refresh your mind, relieve stress, and get rid of lack of exercise. You can enjoy your hobbies while feeling the change of seasons.
Home gardening
If you like flowers, plants, and other plants, then home gardening is recommended. If you harvest vegetables and fruits, you can enjoy cooking them afterwards, and you can also save on food costs, so it’s a win-win situation.
Recently, there have been services that allow you to rent nearby fields, making it easy for people who don’t have the space to grow vegetables at home.
Outdoor cooking, barbecue, day camping, balcony camping
In recent years, day-trip camping and glamping have become popular. Glamping is a portmanteau of “glamorous” and “camping,” and refers to a camping experience that can be easily enjoyed without having to prepare camping equipment.
However, glamping accommodation costs tend to be high. On the other hand, outdoor cooking such as barbecues and day camping can be enjoyed on a low budget as long as you bring the minimum equipment.
Recently, “veranda-ping,” which allows you to enjoy the glamping atmosphere from your own balcony, has also become popular. You can enjoy the glamping atmosphere at a low cost on your own balcony, veranda, or garden.
Walking
Walking and strolling are recommended hobbies for health. For those who can’t keep up with jogging or running, or who are concerned about the strain on their hips and knees, walking is an easy way to get started.
Walking while enjoying the scenery around you and the changing seasons can help relieve stress and change your mood. If you carry a pedometer with you, you can see how much you walked in a day, making it easier to see the results.
Radio Exercises
If you are concerned about lack of exercise, radio calisthenics is also recommended. You can do radio calisthenics indoors, but doing it outside in a park or somewhere similar will help you feel refreshed and you can also enjoy interacting with local people.
Radio Calisthenics No. 1 is designed so that people of all ages can do it, so even those who aren’t good at exercise can easily get started.
Hiking and light climbing
Hiking and light mountain climbing are also recommended hobbies for adult women.
The distances you walk will be longer and you will be walking on uneven ground and on slopes, so you need to be careful not to get injured, but it will also help build up your physical strength, and the sense of accomplishment you will feel when you reach the finish line is exceptional.
There are some mountains that are easy to climb and have ropeways or lifts, so you might want to start by trying a hiking trail for beginners.
Visiting hot springs, public baths and saunas
Japan is one of the world’s leading hot spring powerhouses, with countless hot spring resorts across the country. You can still have fun in your own neighborhood, so we recommend visiting nearby hot springs, public baths, and saunas.
If you go for a day trip, you won’t have to pay for lodging, so you can keep costs down. Taking an overnight trip out of town every once in a while can also be a great memory.
photo shoot
Photography is a recommended hobby that can be enjoyed both indoors and outdoors.
You can enjoy a variety of other activities in addition to shooting pictures, such as printing them out and putting them on display, sharing them with loved ones, entering them in competitions, and posting them on blogs.
Developing a passion for photography and increasing your chances of outdoor activities might help you overcome inactivity and reap health advantages. The cost of the camera body and lenses is usually high up front, but if you don’t mind, you can purchase a secondhand camera for a low price.
Volunteer Activities
If you can’t think of a hobby you want to do, we recommend volunteering. Doing something for someone else, rather than doing something for yourself, can give you a sense of purpose in life.
There are volunteer centers all over Japan that connect people who want to volunteer with organizations that need volunteers. We recommend visiting your local volunteer center.
Indoor hobbies
reading
Reading is a hobby that is both enjoyable and educational. Another appeal is that there are books in a wide variety of genres, so it’s easy to find something that interests you.
If you have a pile of unread books (books that you bought but haven’t read and are just piling up on your bookshelf), just keeping them in a visible place can be stimulating.
Write an essay
If you like reading or want to express something, we recommend writing an essay. All you need is paper and a pen, so it doesn’t cost anything and you can start right away. You can also write an essay using the memo pad function on your smartphone.
Movie viewing
Nowadays, it has become easier to enjoy movies at home. There are many video streaming services, so you can enjoy movies and dramas you are interested in at home whenever you want without having to go to a rental shop to rent a DVD.
Video streaming services require a monthly subscription, but many of them offer unlimited viewing for a fixed price, so you can enjoy many movies while keeping costs down.
Muscle training, stretching, sports gym
Muscle training and stretching are two of the hobbies that don’t cost much money. They also help you build up your physical strength and prevent injuries. If you find it hard to keep up on your own or want to train using equipment, we recommend joining a sports gym.
In addition to plans that allow you to go as many times as you like by paying a monthly fee, there are also gyms that offer a visitor system where you don’t have to register as a member and only pay when you use the gym, so choose one that suits your needs.
Handicrafts
Crafts such as knitting and embroidery are also hobbies that can be enjoyed without spending a lot of money. The things you make can be worn, displayed, or sold on flea market apps.
DIY and home remodeling/renovation
If you like making things, DIY or home remodeling/renovation can be a hobby that will improve the comfort of your home. There are also DIY videos by YouTubers and celebrities on YouTube, so if you start DIY while referring to the videos, you can enjoy it while keeping costs down.
DIY is easy for small things, but for larger projects, you can enjoy the process of seeing it completed little by little every day.
Qualifications and language studies
You can also use your hobbies to improve yourself. As an adult woman, you have more free time and can study for qualifications or languages at your own pace.
By taking advantage of free online courses, you can learn a lot without spending a lot of money.
Shogi, Go, Mahjong
Hobbies that you can enjoy with others, such as shogi, go, and mahjong, are also recommended. They use your brain, so you can train your concentration and maintain and improve your brain’s cognitive functions.
When you’re alone, you can practice using apps and online games, and then you can use the results of your practice to enjoy playing against friends.
Other: Start learning new things
We also recommend that you start learning something that interests you.
- Instruments, singing, chorus
- Cooking Classes
- Flower Arrangement
- Haiku, Tanka
- Yoga Classes
- Ballroom dancing class
- Computer Classes
- English conversation, etc.
As mentioned above, there is a wide variety of lessons available, so you will easily be able to find one that suits you.
Also, if you take a class, you can do it with someone, so it is recommended for people who find it difficult to continue on their own. Not only will you find a new hobby, but you may also find new friends to share your hobby with.
First of all, feel free to try out a hobby that interests you!
Some people may think that hobbies cost a lot of money, but there are plenty of hobbies you can enjoy without spending a lot of money.
You won’t know if something suits you or not until you try it, so we recommend that you start with something that catches your eye. It’s also a great way to build up your stamina and relieve stress, so why not try to find a hobby that’s perfect for you?
