Are you a man in your forties and you noticed that your life has been boring lately? It’s nothing to be too worried about as many have experienced the same emotions just like you. Perhaps you are in the middle of a mid-life crisis, not knowing where to turn or what to do to bring the excitement of youth back.
You definitely need new hobbies, and not just any hobby but cool hobbies to bring the shine back into your life. As we evolve and mature, we tend to lose interest in old hobbies, and that is not a bad thing. But to give our lives meaning, we need to replace the old hobbies with new ones.
In this article, we review five cool hobbies for 40+ men. None of them is age-specific, so people of any age can engage in them, but they are mentally stimulating, and men your age will love them. Here they are.
Master Barbecue Grilling
Unless you are a recluse with little to no friends and family around, it is not too late to improve your grilling skills. Cooking may not have been a skill all these years, but it doesn’t matter; you can learn to grill barbecue to perfection as master grillers do. If you perfect this skill, your weekends all not be spent alone all the time because your friends and family will come around to enjoy your burger, steak and chicken. If you have time on your hands, try out new sauces and get creative. The more you practice it, the better you will become at it.
Learn Shoemaking
Do you love shoes, and your wardrobe has always been loaded with footwear? Why not learn how to make them yourself. Learning shoemaking skills is financially rewarding should you decide to turn it into a business. Even if you don’t plan to open a mini shoe factory, you can make your own shoes and never have to pay for an already made one again. Custom-made shoes tend to last longer and will fit your sense of style. Learning to smoothen and polish leather is another part of shoemaking; you can learn to extend the lifespan of your leather shoes. It may not seek like much but know that most people on the planet don’t make the shoes they wear, so if you can, you’re special.
Learn Photography
Another skill you can learn at 40+ is photography. The world has gone digital, and pictures play a prominent role in almost everything we do, especially advertising. Pictures speak a thousand words making them very strong message conveyors. Learning photography is a fun activity that will not take too much of your time. You can do a crash course on photography; your skills will improve as you take pictures.
Get a good camera and learn angle positioning and how to control ambient light. If you don’t have a camera, you can make do with a smartphone. Modern smartphones have very sharp cameras these days. Today, there are many 40+ men who take nature photography as a cool hobby. You can do the same.
Run A Marathon
Running a marathon is perhaps the most challenging hobby on our list but also by far the most adventurous. While the marathon may take you a few hours to run, the engagement is the weeks, and even months you spend preparing for it. The good news is that you don’t even have to run the full marathon. If all you can cover is a half marathon, all well and good. Marathons are exciting festivals. You get to travel to the host city, mix with the locals and enjoy the city’s culture while you are there.
The beauty of running in a marathon is not really about winning but doing something new and pushing yourself to the limit. You can also make friends with other runners and bind on your trips.
Railroading
This one is especially for those who love model trains and railroad building; they move on. Railroad modeling has been around for a long time and has been a go-to hobby for men of all ages.
Prdominantely, middle-aged men who have a passion for recreating famous railroad layouts in their homes. If you have a passion for railway modeling and you have the space for it, you can create your own railroads using toy trains, scale buildings and tracks.
Building a railroad model takes time, but you get to play the role of a visionary engineer. The feeling of satisfaction that will overwhelm you when you are done is second to none. If you decide to take up this hobby, ensure that you build the model in a private place where the tracks will run freely and not be disturbed. Your garage or basement is a good place.
These five cool hobbies for 40+ men don’t require massive investment, but they take time. If you have enough time to burn, consider one or more of them.
