Try rock climbing at an indoor gym.

“I was worried I would chicken out, but I am proud to say that I went climbing for the first time at the gym near me yesterday and today - bouldering only at this gym. And boy do my forearms hurt! I was expecting my hands and biceps to hurt, but my forearms are in so much pain. I loved it though and am looking forward to more after I let my arms rest a bit. A couple other thoughts: - Getting to the top was a little scarier than I thought - it's high! And I'm not afraid of heights. - Man they make it look so much easier on tv than it is.”

“The first time I went to a rock climbing gym as an adult, I felt like a visitor from another planet. As I watched the instructor—who was teaching me and a group of other fitness editors proper rope technique—tie a complicated knot and loop it around their harness in one effortless motion, I was acutely aware that I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. The one thing I assumed I could figure out was how to put on my harness—after all, you step into it like a pair of pants—but it turned out I was wearing it backward, which I didn’t realize until a different instructor noticed and gently pointed out my error. Any excitement I felt about trying a new sport was completely overshadowed by the fact that I was clearly and totally unprepared for a situation that seemed very risky.”

“During my first year, I was so passionate about rock climbing that I would go at the end of every day and try and reach a new goal. Honestly, it scared me. For two weeks straight, I wasn’t able to climb the easiest wall in the gym because I was scared despite the harness and encouragement. I knew I was safe, but I couldn’t get past the heights, even though there were safety pads sitting under me. Eventually, I gave up on that one and I tried a slightly harder wall. I was able to make it all the way up, where I'm pretty sure I cried.”