Some current and past hobbies of mine. I've been practicing martial arts since I'm 7 (notably judo, and then karate). My favorite one is thai boxing. Some pros

Some current and past hobbies of mine. I've been practicing martial arts since I'm 7 (notably judo, and then karate). My favorite one is thai boxing. Some pros and cons. + a very intense, fun and rewarding workout + makes you fit while having fun + very technical and beautiful sport + social activity, good way to make friends + opportunity to train in Thailand for a few months - hard on the body past a certain age, the competitive and "pushing" atmosphere doesn't help. - can be violent, but doesn't have to be. Other hobby, playing the guitar. I've been playing for 20 years, and I practice about 10 hours a week. Some pros and cons. + it's a lifelong activity. There's always something to learn. I don't think I'll ever get bored of playing music. + It's both a physical and intellectual activity + You get to play the music that you like, very satisfying and rewarding - it can be extremely time-consuming - can be very frustrating, esp. when you don't have innate musical abilities. Progress may be slow. You may struggle all your life for things that other have naturally (like sense of rhythm, a good ear). Snowboarding. I was very passionate (I snowboarded about 40 days a year). But eventually I got bored. Pros and cons: + awesome sensations + quite easy to improve + beautiful sceneries - need to live near a mountain, and drive there. - strain on the body - it can get boring by yourself - it takes pretty much the whole day Swimming: + "soft" sport that you can practice at any age (esp. after your body is used by all the other activities!) + technical, so lot of room for improvement. + 4 different strokes, so many techniques to work on. + relax, but not really "fun". Even boring at times. - not a social activity. I'm in a swimming club, and people barely talk to each other. We just swim and that's it. - can be boring Other activities that I like to a lesser extent. Running, climbing, mountain hiking. Programming, but more a professional activity now than a hobby.