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You against yourself: explore your limits through 5 activities.

Challenge yourself: explore your limits through 5 activities.

Source: Healthkicker

There are numerous sports and activities that can be practiced individually. We have chosen five that can lead to a better knowledge of one's self and of one's limits. Or they can help you to overcome your limits.

1. Jump into the void.

It's 100% against our survival instincts. To jump you need to fight against your deepest fears. You can do that with a parachute, alone or with an instructor, or with an elastic rope attached to your feet.

Video - Air diving in Point Break:

A cult movie: Point Break with Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves. In this video skydiving and surf scenes. Surf...actually that's another great idea!

Video - From one plane to another.

In this Discovery Channel video a man jumps from a plane, skydives and climbs on another plane.

Video - Basejumping from the Tour Eiffel.

Base jumping: jumping with a parachute from a fixed structure. It's illegal because it's much more dangerous than jumping from a plane. In this video two guys base-jump from the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Bungee jumping.

Bungee jumping consists in jumping from an elevated place after having been slung with an elastic rope. An extremity of rope is fixed to the body of a person and the other end to a fixed structure, a bridge for example. It used to be an initiation ritual in the Island of Ascension, one of the New Hebrides Islands, the Republic of Vanuatu in the Pacific Ocean. Unlike skydiving bungee jumping can have some side effects for health, mainly due to the sharp tug received at the final part of the jump. These collateral effects are of minor concern if you do not have other pre-existing pathologies, but it is important to be aware of them. The tallest jump in the world is in Switzerland, near Locarno: it's the hydroelectric dike of Verzasca, 220 ms height. This jump is very well known since it appears in the first scene of a 007 movie, Goldeneye.

Video - Amateur jumps from the hydroelectric dike of Verzasca.

Video - Jumping with crocodile.

Is this video a real or fake? Place your bets.

2. Climbing

May it is alpinism in its classical form or free-climbing with bare hands, the philosophy doesn't change: it's a constant challenge for your will and for your fear. Look out for the cult movie Vertical Limit.

Video - Vertical Limit original trailer:

Video - Men or cats?

Impressive free-climbing performance.

Video - Challenging walls: faraway so close.

Safe, handy and most of all ideal for beginners. We are talking about Indoor Climbing. In Indoor Climbing arenas you will challenge artificial walls. Initially created as a gym for climbers, with time it has gained an ever growing success. Today Indoor Climbing enjoys a proper "dignity" and can be considered an autonomous sport not only a step towards alpine climbing. The largest Indoor Climbing arena in the world is The Edinburgh International Climbing Arena, in Scotland.

3. UNDERWATER

Apnea is the most instinctive way to go underwater. And it is a great way to understand our own limits. Somehow, it is like meditation. Another advantage: you don't need a lot of preparation to do it. And with good training, it is possible to stay underwater for more than 2 minutes after only a few lessons. Info on: www.apneamagazine.com

Video - Le gran bleu.

From the movie inspired from life and challenge of two great recordmen: Jacques Mayol and Enzo Maiorca, Le grand bleu: Scuba diving means going under water with special equipment and staying under the surface for long periods of time. Clive Cussler wrote many novels about this theme with the main character of Dirk Pitt.

Video - Open Water. Not to be seen before going under water.

It is a true story of a couple. They have capsized from their boat in the middle of the ocean.

Video - Cats and dogs go scuba diving.

4. RUNNING ON FOOT.

The most famous run is the NY marathon, with more than 100,000 runners every year. Other nice marathons: Paris, Tokyo, Venice, Honolulu. There are also long distance runs: like the 100km. And the Iron Man challenges, with running, biking and swimming long distances. All in the same day.

Video - Top ten things that come to you mind while you are running the NY marathon. From David Letterman.

Video - The first scene from Chariots of Fire.

Video - And the last one.

5. BIKING

Bicycle. Born around 1860. Some former traces are coming from a drawing of Leonardo da Vinci, another one found in Stoke Pages (Buckinghamshire, England): an angel on a hobby horse.

Video - Bad meetings by bicycle.

Stefania Mirani

32 years old from Milano - Italy