Let the adventure begin: a case to include adventure sports in your life

The more people adopt a sedentary lifestyle that keeps them at their desk and away from nature and adventure, the more they fall victims to lifestyle diseases. Those who maintain an active lifestyle have saved themselves from the clutches of cardiovascular and other health ailments. On the other hand, those with long work hours and unhealthy eating habits are easy targets for physical, as well as mental fatigue, with depression, anxiety a negative emotional spectrum being rather common.

What is a life without adventure? Our modern lives may be luxurious and comfortable, but they’re also unhealthy and quite mundane.

Most of the things we do each day are largely indistinguishable from what we have done on days before, or are likely to do tomorrow. This makes it a monotonous routine. All of our days, weeks, months, and even years blend into one as we grow in our careers and improve our standing in the ‘society’.

Yet along the way to material riches, we pick up habits that are pernicious. Habits like smoking and consuming alcohol to take the edge off are becoming common among business executives and professionals. Junk food is leading to weight gain and lethargy. All these circumstances lead to deterioration of mental and physical health. Luckily, there are other healthy ways to unwind, relax and stay fit, which are now being explored by more and more Indians.

Let the adventure begin

The modern day humans live in fancy houses, wear high-quality clothes and eat processed foods. However, at our core, we are still a part of the animal kingdom. Given the chance, we love playing and exercising over the drudgery of office work. Physical exercise and activities make us feel really good and we love it when the muscles we have are stretched and strained, tingling with the familiar sensation that comes from hours of exercising. Thankfully, this rush is made possible today through adventure sports. Adventure sports have come up as a great way of experiencing the excitement of a strong adrenaline rush.

Adventure sports allow people to push themselves to their limits and explore the highest levels of excitement. The breathtaking experience and the thrilling journey of Adventure Sports, be it bungee jumping or flying fox bring the revelation of being a daredevil. Throughout history, the lives people lived were filled with adventure. Whether that meant hunting large game for food or voyaging on a sea or river in boats or canoes, our ancestor’s lives were filled with more action than are our lives are today.

Taking part in adventure sports, outdoors, amidst nature, brings us back to our roots: to the natural human state. Whether it is rafting down a raging river, parasailing across a breathtaking landscape or surfing a wave, we experience a heightened sense of fear mixed with excitement. The blood gushing through veins and the spike in hormones give them out of the world feel of being a true adventurer.

Healthier, thanks to adventure

Extreme Adventure Sports like giant swings and bungee jumping, and activities like trekking are a great way to feel in tune with nature. Whether it is a high bungee with friends and challenging one’s own fear, or walking through thick foliage over rocks and crossing streams away from the nearest busy town, these are true modern adventures. What makes such an adventure especially enjoyable is the sense of camaraderie that develops among others participating in the adventure. The shared experience and the proximity to thrill and excitement brings people closer allowing each to benefit from the experiences and strengths of one another while letting others borrow one’s own strengths.

When someone takes any of the extreme adventure sports the human body may often be pushed harder than it has been for years, especially if the person is over the age of 30 with a laid back physical regime for a number of years. The feeling of muscles that have been dormant for a decade or longer contracting is a primal feeling that is only truly enjoyed once the person goes through a thrilling adventure sport.  One can’t have an adventure like this in the city.

You are only as old as you feel

A 30-year-old city dweller who gorges on food and gets little exercise may feel like he’s 50, while a 50-year-old active adventure sports enthusiast may go through life with the energy and vigor of a 30-year-old. You’re really only as old as you feel, and age is just a number when one takes good physical care of their body. This teaches a simple yet important lesson that excitement and adventure must be taken as an integral part of life to stay fit and healthy.

Being young is as much about age as it is about biology and the mind. People who remain physically active throughout their life feel young even as those with an unhealthy and laid back lifestyle feel old. The heart of participating in adventure sports is the desire to rekindle the feeling of being a child again. Imagine how unafraid babies are; when they’re learning to walk they fall but get back again and keep on trying. Then when they grow they can run longer and faster than the adults around them. Money can’t buy the feeling of exhilaration that children possess, an adult can only come close to feeling this way again by doing and participating in adventure sports

Conquer Your Fears

An adult who’s afraid of bungee jumping has much more to gain by going for it. This is because when someone who’s afraid of jumping from a height (as one is required to do when bungee jumping) actually jumps, they realize that they have it in them to overcome acrophobia, gaining strong willpower to inspire them further in the life. So anyone who’s afraid of heights should welcome the challenge of participating in activities like bungee jumping and flying fox as these activities will help them overcome one of their primal fears and also awaken their child within.

Adventure Sports are not just for the experience of thrill, excitement and fun but they help in the making of a better person with a strong mind, fearless attitude, and positive outlook, while pushing them a step closer to good health.


Niharika Nigam is director of business development at Jumpin Heights.
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