Yesterday, on a brisk but sunny weekday afternoon, we packed up the minivan and headed over to the indoor wavepark in nearby Niagara Falls,Ontario. A great way to enjoy time with the kids while they are off from school for the Easter (Spring) holiday.
We had a great time zipping down the three-story waterslides and getting tossed about in the wave pool. I even got to enjoy a little quiet time in the huge hot-tub (when my daughter wasn’t pulling me out to get the next soaking from the giant bucket dump!)
It was there, in this time of quiet reflection, (ha-ha!) that I made an interesting observation leading to why I write about this here today.
As you know, my position is that photography is more than just recording a visual point in time. It’s more than capturing a memory. It’s more than creating a light picture that will hang on the wall somewhere.
While all that is fun, the hidden benefit of photography is that it is good for our bodies. Photography
leads to better physical and mental health.
The proof I discovered today at the waterpark, in a not-so-scientific but very revealing study, is that seniors with cameras in their hands tended to move around while seniors without cameras tended to sit in one place.
Yes, because this is a great place for kids to be active, grandparents with cameras (and parents too) had to get up from their chairs and follow the kids around to snap their picture. They had to get moving. And any fitness professional will tell you that moving beats sitting hands-down for creating a healthier body. And any mental health professional will tell you that being active and doing something is far better for your mind than not doing anything at all.
Do you think at any time those folks with cameras thought, “I better get up and get some exercise by chasing those kids around with my camera?”
No. They did it because it was fun. And they would have something fun to see and share later.
Once again proving my point that photography is one of the best, fun ways to keep your body mentally and physically fit.
When you head out regularly to capture a photo of something you love (children, grandchildren, flowers, landscapes, pets, birds, boats, etc. ) you’re doing something to give your body all that it needs to stay fit.
The camera. The ultimate mind-body fitness machine… that’s fun to use! (and you can’t just hang your clothes on it either!)
Grab your camera now and let’s get fit!
Robert Schwarztrauber is an author, speaker and expert marketing consultant who provides many online resources which help people lead healthier, wealthier lifestyles. For more information on changing your life for the better in these tough economic times, visit
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