When picking up a new hobby or skill it can often be daunting not knowing where to begin. Fortunately, you can dip your toes in by taking a class to get yourself some guidance and trial whether you actually enjoy it. Still not sure where to begin? Don’t worry as we’ve tried a few hobbies and classes ourselves in Vancouver and have shared below some of our favourites and what you can expect. *We are unaffiliated with the businesses shared below.
Boxing
Boxing is a great hobby to pick up if you’re looking to incorporate self-defence with fitness and cardio. While it can look rough from the outside, boxing and the community in general are very welcoming to all people and gyms offer classes catered to beginners and first timers. We’ve tried beginner boxing classes in downtown Vancouver at Eastside Boxing Club and All City Athletics, both which have a free introductory class for first timers. They were both enjoyable, teaching basic techniques and fundamentals of boxing like punches, combos and footwork. The instructors are understanding and go at a reasonable pace, especially as first timers they’ll provide extra assistance on the exercises and help refine your technique. Some boxing gyms will require you to at least have hand wraps while others will lend you some – double check with them. Boxing gloves and pads can usually be borrowed during the class as well. Be prepared to sweat if you’re not used to the intensity of the cardio but we can safely say that it is worth it.
Muay Thai / Kickboxing
Similar to boxing, Muay Thai and Kickboxing are great places to start if you’re looking to learn martial arts. These will teach you self-defence skills while improving your fitness with a dynamic workout. Key difference to boxing is that Muay Thai includes striking with fists, shins, elbows and knees making it slightly more versatile and changing up the stance, style and rhythm of attack.
Yoga
If you’re looking to improve improve your fitness and flexibility as well as reduce stress, Yoga is a great activity to try that is not as demanding as the others above. While it looks calm, Yoga can be quite challenging for first timers, working your core, balance and testing your flexibility with a variety of stretches. Vancouver has many yoga studios which luckily offer a free class for first timers. We went with Oxygen Yoga & Fitness in the West End, although they have many studios across Vancouver. They offer a diverse range of yoga classes and are known for their FAR infrared hot yoga which incorporates heat during classes to encourage sweat, help with weight loss and promote pain relief. All that’s required is a yoga mat and you’re free to take the class at your own pace and always encouraged to listen to your own body. Highly recommend giving yoga a try if you’re looking to improve your physical and mental well being.
Sports
Sports are a great hobby for keeping fit, getting into the competitive spirit and meeting new people. There are a variety of social and competitive leagues across Vancouver but if you’re new to a sport and interested in taking a class, Vancouver Community Centres offer lessons on sports like tennis and they organize weekly pick up games for basketball, volleyball, badminton and more. Check with your closest community centre as each will vary on the sports they offer.
Cooking
As much as we all love eating out, cooking is a great skill to have that will benefit your health and finances in the long run. While it can be overwhelming on where to start, fortunately there are cooking classes you can take to learn the basics, build up your confidence and try new recipes. We’ve taken a cooking class at the Dirty Apron located in downtown Vancouver and really enjoyed our experience. It was a class dedicated to seafood, teaching us new techniques on how to cook fish as well as different ingredients and flavours we can combine to elevate the dishes. The classes are taught by experienced chefs, ours worked at the iconic Blue Water Cafe and throughout the class they’ll provide demonstrations and help guide you if you need assistance when it gets hands-on. Unlike the other classes above, there is no free class here unfortunately and it did cost $200 per person but it was well worth the experience to try it once.
Musical Instrument
For those interested in learning a musical instrument, Vancouver Community Centres offer music lessons that can be fairly affordable. Check your local community centre as the types of lessons will vary you will most likely need to register before spaces fill out. Our local in the West End offers piano, singing, choir and more.
Once you’ve found a hobby or interest you enjoy, it’s time to set a routine and get consistent whether it’s continuing with classes or self-taught. For us, we’re still trying out different boxing and martial arts gyms while still wanting to do the occasional yoga class here and there so we’ve opted to sign up to Class Pass (again no affiliation). This lets us pay a monthly membership which grants us credits that we can spend across a wide variety of classes, gyms and studios all across Vancouver. If you’re interested in signing up and would like a bonus 20 credits, feel free to use our referral link.