14 Cold Weather Approved Hobbies
From a hobby hunting novice
The Weekly Yap is a bi-weekly newsletter where I dive into a more ‘focused’ topic that can range from clothing consumption to favorite local Chicago bookstores!
I’ll give COVID one thing, and one thing only, it had us all in a hobby hunting chokehold. Puzzles, water colors, and embroidery were a few of the ones I picked up. Five years later and I’ve stuck with some of those hobbies (you will never catch without a book), but I’ve recently been inspired to revive my hobby hunt after discovering sophied_fit’s account. Her content is upbeat, uplifting, and has prompted me to get out of my comfort zone! This post is chockfull of some of my favorite hobbies as well as a few recommendations of what I’ve either tried before (and loved!) or ones that I want to explore myself.
All of these are cold-weather approved hobbies that you can easily take with you through the spring-summertime!
So, go grab your favorite bevvy and let’s dig in to this week’s, Weekly Yap.
Creative Pursuits for the arts and crafts challenged
I’m not giving myself enjoy credit here. I think I have the potential for artistic greatest, but it’s just a little buried.
Pottery painting
This past week I went to a local pottery paint store and spent a lovely afternoon painting a cutie little jug I plan to use for flowers. I haven’t done pottery painting since I was in high school, and boy was it fun! It gave me a sense of childlike freedom to spend an hour in the studio doing nothing but paint stripes while listening to a really good playlist. I cannot wait to go pick back up my baked creation in a week!
Watercolors
For some reason, water colors feels like a lower lift when it comes to dabbling in the painting realm. Maybe because all you really need is a sketch book, a small water color set, and, well, a cup of water. From there you can paint whatever you fancy or find inspiration on Pinterest. If you want further inspiration with some helpful instructions I’d suggest picking up The Joy of Watercolor.
Embroidery
Another relatively low-lift crafty hobby that is a great introduction into sewing or knitting. I picked embroidery up during COVID, and used the following kit from Etsy. It came with a print out of the pattern, needle, thread and loop to hold in place. I actually ended up removing the stitching and embroidering a plain white-tee that makes me smile whenever I put it on.
Charm jewelry making
For my birthday last year, my girlfriends and I made our own charm necklaces at Beadniks. If there isn’t a storefront like Beadnik near you, you can find everything you need to get into charm jewelry making at a local craft store or of course, Amazon. All you need is jewelry pliers, charms, and a chain! You could make bracelets, necklaces, keychains and these would make for a wonderful, thoughtful gift to give! This would be a super fun activity for your next gals night or night in with your kids, partner.
Coloring books
Now, this, this is right up my alley in terms of artistic endeavors. Low stakes kind of turn your brain off fun. All you need is a coloring book, or printed out pages really, and your preferred coloring tool. This one and this are just soo cute! Another wonderful way to get off your phone and really disengage with the world for an thirty minutes or more.
Endorphin boosting
"I am a synchronized swimming, yoga doing, um, horseback-riding, wall climbing type girl. My hand eye coordination is zero." - Mia, The Princess Diaries
When it comes to moving my body Princess Mia and I are on the same wavelength.
Tennis or pickle ball or badminton
Okay, there is obviously hand eye coordination when it comes to racket sports of any kind. However, I find that, pickleball or badminton tend to be lower impact and are more my speed. Tennis, definitely requires a bit more technique but is a sport I really enjoy. I’ve taken lessons through tennis on the lake in Chicago twice now and would love to get back into lessons this spring. A way to add more cardio to my workout routine that doesn’t involve the dreaded monotony spinning or distance running.
Pilates
Oh how I dream of being a pilates-girlie. Specifically a reformer pilates-girlie. It’s a hobby that is pretty pricey. Beside tennis, if you’re going the lesson route, it has the highest barrier of entry. BUT! I love a good reformers class. It kicks my butt. Has me working muscles I don’t normally do, and I enjoy a smaller group class. I find that reformers classes (at least by me) tend to only have ten machines max so the smaller class size means I get more support from an instructor. If you’re looking to get into reformers, I highly recommend trying ClassPass to get a sampling of studios near you!
Yoga
Seeing as I am a yoga instructor, I’d be remiss if I didn’t include yoga on this list. Yoga has so many health benefits: from lessening the effects of sitting at your desk all day to relieving anxiety to increasing your mobility. If getting into yoga feels daunting, might I suggest, a simple under thirty minute flow or even a quick ten-minute stretch to get used to the postures. There are so many wonderful (free!) yoga sources on YouTube to explore. And hundreds of studios to try, again I’d recommend ClassPass.
Rock climbing
The thing I love about rock climbing is it’s a physical activity that is more challenging than it looks. Google search climbing gyms near you and just show up! All the climbing facilitates I’ve been to offer rentals on gear. If you’ve never climbed before you might want to book in a tutorial if your gym offers to show you the basics. Keep showing up and you’ll get stronger and have the satisfaction of trying out harder more challenging climbs. My favorite in Chicago is the First Ascent Avondale location.
Swimming
Out of all the hobbies I’ve listed, this is the one I really want to get into. Although, the idea of getting into a cold-a** pool sounds extremely unappealing with the current cold-snap, it’s an activity that I’ve always loved. I find being in water or near water has a calming affect on me. I think I’ve just gotta order a swim cap and suit and take the plunge (heheh pun intended!) And maybe find somewhere with a sauna to warm up in after.
Homebody approved low-effort hobbies
Try new recipes in the kitchen
Whether you are the chef of your household or you just want to get better at perfecting an at home latte, there is so much that can be done in this category. I recently started making simple syrup at home to up my coffee game and am always on the hunt for easy week night recipes to add to my rotating favorite lists. I cook out of necessity but I also enjoy my time in the kitchen to unwind after a busy day. I throw on an audiobook or a podcast and get lost in the motion for thirty minutes to an hour.
Get (back) into reading
Many of you already know that I’m a huge bookworm, and some of you might follow me on my bookstagram account: @bennetandthebookworm. Reading has been a constant in my life for as long as I can remember. If you’re looking to read more or get back into reading, I recommend anything by SJM (the hype is real) or trying an audiobook if you haven’t (I swear they’re a game changer. And yes, they count as reading). If you want an audiobook rec, I’d suggest starting here, and if you want even more books recs, well I am a wealth of knowledge. Drop me a note in the comments and I’ll sort out a good rec for you.
Puzzle + audiobook
A perfect pairing if you ask me. If you notice you get distracted while listening to audiobooks, might I suggest puzzling with an audiobook on in the background. I find it extremely relaxing and in fact spent the week leading up to my wedding working on puzzles while Schitts Creek played in the background to destress. And, did you know that when you puzzle, your brain enters a state of flow, similar to when you’re meditating? Sign me up.
Learn a new language
Growing up I dabbled in French (the only language my grade school offered) and then promptly switched to Italian when I started high school to live out my Lizzie McGuire dreams of going on the school trip to Rome. Flash forward to senior year when I decided to forgo the Rome trip to visit my sister, who was studying abroad in London, because I was 18 and well, really wanted to drink (sigh, to be young)! Anyway, my point is that Italian is the one language I’ve stuck with throughout the years and come back to when I feel the urge to sharpen my skill set ala Duolingo. It’s fun, stops me from scrolling and learning a new language can improve brain health!
And there we have it, fourteen hobbies to (re)explore this winter that you could easily carry into the rest of the year!
I hope you enjoyed this weekly yap! Any hobbies you love that I haven’t mentioned? Tell me in the comments:
Until next time,
MacKenzie
Love all of these ideas! I have been into physical Sudoku (you have a wooden board and little numbered cubes) lately. It is very satisfying to be able to pick up and move the pieces.
Aw you and Rach used to take us to If An Elephant Can Paint in Edison Park all the time