Ask HN: What useful physical hobbies there are?

Interestingly I was thinking just the other day that I wish I had a wood-burning fireplace and somewhere to chop the wood for it, because that seems both cathartic in its simplicity and repetition as well as something physical.

Aside from carpentry, simply look into other trade skills. Roofing, concrete, siding, bricklaying etc. Or combine all of them and build yourself a shed or something.

Before I had a full time job in tech I did both roofing and concrete. Absolutely exhausting work, but I slept like a baby every single night.

Growing fruit and vegetables from a small orchard, and selling them (fresh, canned, made into jam, etc).

Gardening, especially of fruit trees. Can be done anywhere, even if you live in an apartment (cities have tons of streetside space that's unplanted -- I've done lots of streetside planting and never had a problem).

I'm seeing a lot of people mention gardening, and I'd like to add that it only takes a few feet/meters of indoor space to grow enough vegetables for an entire family.

And all of the supplies/equipment only cost $100-$400.

Grow food indoors!

Snow shoveling, gutter cleaning, seasonal work.

Not really 'exercising', but I take three hour walks with blind people every Friday. It makes them really happy, and it's good for my health (mental and physical).

What about working at a community garden? There's lots of physical work that needs to be done and there's a direct visible result to your work, food. Usually that food goes to people in the community and/or is sold in the community to be self supporting.

Another option is coaching/assistant coaching/officiating youth sports -each has a different level of commitment and it's a real positive thing you can do for kids. If you have patience consider looking into the Special Olympics programs.

Carving is very satisfying, but not very useful. If you stick to softer materials, a set of chisels or a pocketknife for whittling can be bought or made cheaply, and you can make a bunch of ugly (or maybe not) gifts to foist on friends and family. It's an often very repetitive and physical activity that is easy to get into but hard to master, perfect for tired brain/woke body days.

Car repair is unexpectedly physically draining. Start doing your own car work.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu won’t give you any extra income, in fact it’ll cost you some income. But you’d be hard pressed to find a more rewarding physical pursuit, in my completely unquantifiable opinion.

Basically, replace anything that uses an electric or gas motor with your own labor:

* Rake leaves * Shovel snow * Cut grass using push mower * Construction projects around the house * Gardening: tilling, pulling weeds, etc. * Transportation: transport things by bike or on foot (a cart or bike trailer might be helpful here)

Walking.

Honestly. Even if you were doing it strictly for health benefits, the way it decreases all-cause mortality is simply astonishing.

Plus it's a great time to help you get through complex emotional issues and have occasional breakthroughs about stuff that may have been bugging you for a while.

Home-brewing. It's not too physical, but there is a lot of carrying around of malt and carboys and gear and of course, the cleaning.

Metal detecting

In the summer, I use my bicycle to go everywhere. It feels fantastic.

Learn to use and maintain a scythe.

Walking, sprints uphill/sand dunes, reverse walks in sand, golf, coachbuilding, dogwalking, gardening