What is Stand up paddle boarding?
A sport with origins from Hawaii, it has surfing as its main root. The surfers stand on the boards that are floating on the water surface and use paddle to propel through it. While being done for quite some time, it was documented in the year 2013 as a proper outdoor sporting activity.
What are types of Standup paddle boarding?
With few variations, it can be characterized as;
- Flat water paddling
- Racing
- Surfing
- Whitewater SUP
- Yoga
- Fishing
The last two listed are quite fascinating. Yoga is a way to work out, often done on hard land. It works all of you and gets much more tough when done on a stand up board on the water. Another use is fishing which involves fishing while on top of a stand up paddle board.
Let’s check out the good things about stand up paddle boarding. When you add them all up, it turns into one of the top things a person can do.
How is stand up paddle board good for physical fitness?
As stated earlier it can be classified as workout. While exercise at the gym can require lots of intensity with the person possibly getting exhausted within a few minutes, there are no such issues with this exercise as it is of low intensity and soothing to the body. Only a few activities other than paddle boarding provide such an extensive range from upper body training to leg work and core strength building at the same time. The variation “SUP” requires every part of the body to cooperate and pull its weight. To propel through water, one requires the use of one’s quadriceps, shoulders, arms, and knees to work together making it a better exercise than many other sports.
Benefits of Standup paddle boarding:
Cardio exercise
A big plus of this is that it gets your heart going and aids in making you last longer and be stronger. It cuts down on worry and lets a person feel tied to the wild. Since many heart issues link to stress and feeling bad, it really helps cut down their danger.
Improving balance
This sport is all about balance. You have to maintain balance specially when paddle boarding in the sea. In order to successfully paddle board one requires to stand up straight. This exercise will improve your strength in the middle and leg. It will help you stay balanced and make you think better.
Providing strength
It is not only a cardio exercise, but also helps building strength in your upper body, core, and legs. While propelling through water, it mainly requires your upper body muscles to thrust force and your legs and core are kept stiff to maintain posture.
Weight loss
Paddle boarding can help in weight loss by burning more calories than any sport because it is a full body exercise. You can end up burning more calories than any other sport in one hour and get strength, balance, core strength, and endurance.
Benefits for mental health
It is good for mental health as it immerses you in nature. It’s about running away from it all to feel near the green, calm earth. It makes your head and your body feel good all at once. It lets you look at the world as slow as you want. It hits on the joy of taking your time when you move.
Improves sleep
It helps people with sleeping disorders as it reduces our stress levels and helps us feel relaxed which in turn helps them have better sleep at night.
How to it can fight depression and mental stress?
It is scientifically proven that simply being near bodies of water can reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression. There is science behind its restorative qualities as studies have shown that even thinking about water triggers a response in your mind and makes you feel calmer immediately. Also, it is a fact that being near water helps with being happy for a long time. When we are surrounded by water there is a decrease in cortisol which is the stress hormone in our body. More over, there is an increase in the levels of relaxing hormones such as serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin. Even looking at the images of the water reduces the level of stress from your body and has an immediate calming effect. Even land athletes are coming to realize that training in water is good for their overall physical performance. Great athletes spend lots of free time at water places. Water makes them calm and strong. This helps them do their best in games.
General Benefits:
Flexible Sport
It can be done anywhere there is water. You don’t need to visit the sea or river for enjoying this sport. It can help you explore places which are not possible to be visited by boat. Although weather conditions can influence your trip, you can stand up paddle board on any body of water. Most of the people like paddling on the calmer waters while few are trying adventurous locations like river rapids, breaking waves of the ocean, wetlands, and harbors. Calmer water is ideal for beginners and it can be tried on whitewater when you become an expert.
Economically beneficial Sport
It is by far economical sport than many others. You don’t need to visit a gym if you are doing this sport as it is a full body exercise done with low intensity. In other words, it is beneficial for your wallet as it helps in maintaining your fitness without spending much. All the remedies and medicine taken for weight loss can be avoided as it burns lot of calories and at the same time helps in maintaining body posture. It helps your mind and saves money too.
Expenses involved in Stand up paddle boarding
The expense in general is upfront for buying a board. After that there is not much to be spent at all. A good inflatable board from a reputed brand generally costs you less a thousand dollars which is not that big a spending in front of its benefits. For getting advanced features such as configurable fin setups, specialty setups you have to spend a little more than the mentioned amount. There are a lot of boards which are available in lower prices but due to realities of production and distribution, manufacturers generally need to cut a lot of corners to sell their product at lower price.
Enjoy Sunlight while Stand up paddle boarding
As stated earlier stand up paddle boarding is soothening for your mind and body, it can be more relaxing if done in the sunlight. You can enjoy yourself buzzing through the water surface while enjoying sunlight and warmer weather at the same time. It is completely fine wearing a swim suit while it’s sunny. Applying sunscreen and wearing a hat is recommended as well in such conditions.
Conclusion
Stand up paddle boarding is a sport and an exercise at the same time. It can be tried anywhere there is water which makes it stand out from other water sports. It is a complete therapy for the human body. As it is a low intensity exercise, it can be done by anybody irrespective of age group. It started in the 1930s and got recognized in 2013 and is now done frequently in different parts of America and Australia and getting famous with time as well. So, it is strongly recommended if you want to feel healthy and fresh and keeping yourself fit at the same time. Stand up paddle boarding is truly is one of the best!
