8 Ways Fishing Keeps You Healthy

Fishing is more than just a hobby, it’s a way of life. It has so many health benefits for the human body - both physically and mentally - whether people realize it or not. There is a reason why so many people seek out fishing as their outdoor activity of choice. While some of the impacts of being outdoors seem obvious, it creates more mood-boosting and high energy spikes within a person’s brain than they realize. Those positive, physical feelings create a body to want to come back for more and feel those energy spikes again. 

Some of the Top Benefits Attributed to Fishing

1. Vitamin D and the Immune System

There is an immense amount of research showing how adequate amounts of vitamin D play an important role against cancer, heart disease, fractures, influenza, type-2 diabetes, and depression. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh have found that a deficiency in vitamin D leads to susceptibility to autoimmune diseases. Furthermore, a deficiency in this fat-soluble vitamin can also decrease the body’s ability to fight respiratory infections, so a better chance of fighting infectious diseases such as the Coronavirus disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus is also reduced.

2. Reducing Blood Pressure

Over the years, there have been numerous studies that show a correlation between being in nature and significantly reducing a number of health risks. One recent report specifically identifies the impact that outdoors and greenspace have on a variety of health benefits, including high blood pressure. Being close to nature lowers cortisol and adrenaline, a stress-related hormone. There is no better time to spend more time outdoors than now when people are experiencing a high level of stress and anxiety. 

3. Provides Clean, Fresh Air – Lung Benefits

No surprise that the outdoors brings fresh air. Less pollutive air helps the airways in more ways than one- improving heart health, brain health, and even the health of your immune system. But importantly, breathing fresh air actually cleans your lungs. When you breathe in fresh air, it allows for lungs to dilate more fully and improves the cleansing process lungs follow. Fishing helps get you out in nature with cleaner, crisper air. While you expend energy fishing and battling a tough catch - in a space with clean air surrounded by nature, it increases your energy by 90%. So you essentially get that extra boost of energy just from being out in nature.

4. Increases Brain Health. As we all know, cognitive function declines, which means memory problems and neural process handling slow down. Like everything in our body, we can help train and improve this function with fast, challenging brain activities. Fishing presents countless mental challenges that require fast actions, choices, and creative solutions, triggering multiple stimuli in the brain.

The majority of their key takeaways add up to fishing as a solution- keep learning, use all of your senses, believe in yourself, repetition, and spacing over a longer period of time. 

5. Stress Relief

Fishing has a combination of stress-reducing bases: being out in nature, the effects of the sun and air, the brainpower and mindfulness it takes to focus on actually catching fish, and the physical exertion. It is no surprise that stress hormones, blood pressure, and heart rate all decrease during this time. Fly fishing is repeatedly compared to meditation because of how a fly fisher performs a repeated motion in a quiet environment for many hours, invoking peace. 

6. Burning Calories and Physical Fitness

On average, fishing burns around 200 calories an hour, depending on the fishing type and the amount of movement you do between spots and more. It is even a low-impact workout, meaning it is easy on the joints. Wading in waist-deep water, launching your boat, and long reel-ins on a deep sea catch can help with increasing muscle strength.

7. Association of Decreasing PTSD Symptoms 

Researchers found benefits of treating PTSD for veterans with outdoor activities, particularly fishing. Organizations like Project Healing Waters are dedicated to the psychological and physical benefits fly fishing has for veterans. Dr. Justin Baker is a clinical psychologist who has spent a considerable amount of time studying alternative ways to help patients with PTSD. Mindfulness from fly fishing is one of them because it helps with the healing process. 

8. Sunshine Helps Boost Mood 

Most people don’t spend as much time as they should outside. But the sun brings powerful body reactions that help it with a myriad of benefits. The most obvious is a positive mood. The brain is triggered by sunlight and releases serotonin, a hormone that directly improves mood and reinforces happy thoughts. The bottom line is only good things can come from getting out on the water. Be safe, and enjoy nature. Happy casting, fishheads.