If you like to play horseshoes then you’re in luck! This popular backyard past time has plenty of practical benefits that make it a worthwhile leisure activity. Read our list to learn more about the health benefits of horseshoes.
Social Activity
Horseshoes requires you to grab a few of your close friends or family to play. Celebrate with your teammate when you hear the sweet ring of metal on metal, or just chat over a little friendly competition on a nice summer day. Social engagement and activity is shown to increase quality of life and even to prolong lifespan.
Improved Coordination
Not everyone is gifted with the nimble reflexes and split-second decision-making required for more intense team sports. But even the clumsiest out there can still have a good time playing horseshoes. Calculate the pendulum-like rhythm of your arm and try to focus as much on possible on the angle and moment of your relief. With mindfulness you will see your game and coordination improve.
The Virtue of Patience
Unless you are an athletic prodigy you probably won’t be super successful at horseshoes your first few tries. Pitching takes a lot more finesse than most people imagine, and there are all kinds of little tricks you need to discover. But if you stick with it you will find your game improving, a result of patience.
Improved Cell Health
Whether you are playing on a sandy beach or a grassy backyard, horseshoes is almost always played out side. As such, you are spending time in nature and soaking up the sun, which provides the vitamin D you need for cell growth and improved immune function.
Light Cardio
Horseshoes is not going to replace your regular cardio routine. But just because it’s a leisurely game doesn’t mean it can’t get your heart pumping. It requires you to stand, walk back and forth down the court, and toss the horseshoes. Therefore, it’s the perfect leisure sport for multiple generations to play together.
Mindfulness
In order to get any good at horseshoes, you will need to learn how to focus. It’s easy to get lost in anxious thoughts and forget about the present moment, which is why games like horseshoes can actually help you live in the present. Focus intensely on the throw and your release, making tiny adjustments based on previous tosses. Doing so will improve your horseshoes game, but it will also help you stay present elsewhere in life.
Limber Up – Flexibility
Low-impact sports like horseshoes can help seniors maintain mobility as they age. You aren’t going to contort into any crazy yoga poses, but you will be bending down to pick up the horseshoe, as well as using your hips and should to release the target.
More Cheerful Mood
Exercise, sociability, and sunlight are all proven to improve mood and make you live a happy and more satisfied life. Horseshoes deliver on all of those, which is why it is a common game at many senior living communities across the country.
Relieves Stress
Exercise also produces endorphins, which are your brains pleasure neurotransmitters. Increased endorphin production reduces stress levels.
Strategic Planning
You can’t just chuck a horseshoe at the metal rod and hope for much success. To really get better, you need to practice with different grips on different sections of the shoe. Learn which weight works best for you, think critically about the game!
