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Health benefits of paddle boards

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Stand-up paddle boarding is taking the water-sports world by storm.

Stand-up paddle boarding is taking the water-sports world by storm. A reason why it is gradually growing as one of the best water sports is because some aspects of this sport makes it better than other water sports activities. Moreover, it also encompasses a complete range of different activities that you can do, making it a more versatile and fun option for people of all ages.

An Ideal Sport of the Summers!

Sunny season is an instant call for water-activities. As soon as the sun arises, enlightening the people in all its glory and spreading positivity in the form of warmth. When you combine that with the lockdown restrictions, the people are looking for ways to channel their inner peace in the midst of the pandemic panic.

it allows you to connect deeply with the great blue sea

Paddle boarding is one of the few activities that you can practice for both, adventure, and a meditative experience. At hindsight, it is nothing more than a small platform that you use to float on water. In the spiritual realm of things, it allows you to connect deeply with the great blue sea.

When flowing across the tides on top of a paddleboard by yourself, it truly makes for a reflective experience, in which you can be with yourself and unravel your darkest insecurities. The paddleboard is a surface on which you can contemplate in presence of the vastness of the ocean.

Therefore, paddle boarding comprises of benefits that go way beyond just physical exercise, instead, it also has a positive impact on your mind, and soul. Anecdotal experiences of people paddle boarding across rivers and sea have shown that they have come out of paddle boarding as more spiritually in-tune with the natural elements that make up the atmosphere.

Thus, the healing implications of paddleboards are immense. However, most people do not initially opt for paddleboards for this purpose. Curiosity is one of the main driving forces for the majority of people for them to get on a paddleboard. Nevertheless, it does not take long for the people to realize the positives that paddle boarding encompasses.

A person who is interested in water sports is naturally drawn towards paddleboards because it is extremely rewarding, but at the same time, relaxing. Getting from point A to point B requires you to steadily maintain posture, have your feet planted in the perfect positions, and keep distributing your weight in corresponding waves.

Performing all of these multiple actions at once to stand upright on the paddleboard is a difficult task, however, once you correct all the mistakes that keep you from paddle boarding, you can indulge in the everlasting bliss that comes with paddle boarding. Only a few things in the world can match the sweet and serene feeling of being around the vast body of water.

Getting Started with Paddle Boarding

Everyone that loves the idea of paddling, wants to instantly get their hands on a paddle and start rowing away. Even though it looks like a simple thing to do, without practicing proper technique, you will never be able to   paddle effectively, comfortably and safely .

Without proper technique, expect to fall multiple times in lakesides and beaches. Before you race towards the great blue ocean, make sure that you have are wary of some essential rules of paddle boarding.

Abiding by these rules will assist you with good technique, and help you advance in the skill that is Paddle Boarding. Note, it is important that you recognize paddle boarding as a skill before you dive into the deep waters.

You must recognize the dangers and risks that come with paddle boarding. As a beginner, expect to collapse multiple times in the water until you find your balance. Therefore, it is important that you stay close to the shore to avoid complications.

Moreover, when you are standing upright and want to move forward at a direction, make sure that you plant your blade completely in the water, and then pull. Submerging the paddle’s place into the water applies to every stroke that you will take when riding the paddleboard.

The reason why you should fully plant the blade in the water is maximum propulsion forward. You can exert the most amount of force forward when there is a larger surface area pushing you against the water. Dipping the blade inside ultimately increases the surface area.

Furthermore, this technique also provides you with more stability in the water. It acts as a point of contact with the water, bracing you with additional balance. Another crucial step that you must adhere to is your stance. The best position that you can have when standing on a paddleboard is with your feet shoulder width apart and slightly bent.

Additionally, you have to make sure that you are looking ahead into the horizon. Turning your head or your shoulders too much can obstruct your centre of gravity and shift your weight to either side of the board. Keeping your knees bent and springy like shock absorbers helps you maintain balance despite the shaky water tides and uneven water flow.

Moreover, straightening your back when paddling engages your core muscles, this not only helps prevent injury, but also makes your strokes more impactful. Not to mention, it also helps build important core muscles that lead you to have a stronger body and less body fat.

The most important reason why you should not be hunching your back too much when paddle boarding is to prevent back injury. When paddle boarding, use the three major muscle groups when stroking. These include your arms, your abdominal muscles and your leg muscles.  

Using these muscles in conjunction allows you to paddle for more longer and with more power. This is because distributing the kinetic chain of energy will result in a much powerful stroke. This is because you enable a much larger power source by engaging your core muscles and leg muscles into the stroke.

Engaging all of these muscle groups will also help you paddle board for much longer without tiring too fast. This is mainly because most of the effort is distributed. If you only use your arm strength to propel yourself forward, it will eventually tire out and this is why most people find paddle boarding incredibly tiring.

Benefits of Paddle Boarding

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and adopting healthy habits ensures is your best defense against the uncertain times of the pandemic. Statistics have shown that the biggest percentage of people who were struck the hardest by the Coronavirus were either unhealthy or overweight.

This makes paddle boarding one of the best hobbies to take up in the summers. It is healthy, outdoors and fun. Paddle boarding also rids you from the concerns of socially isolating and possibly contracting the virus. Many fitness and health benefits of paddle boarding contribute to a healthy lifestyle.

If your ultimate aim is to get outside into nature, get into better shape, or even spend quality time with your family or loved ones, then stand-up paddling can help you achieve all of it.


It is Accessible

Stand-up paddle boarding is unlike any other water sport that comes with specific requirements in order to perform them. Instead, all you need to stand-up board is any body of water. It can be a river, lakeside, a sea, a pond or even a big enough swimming pool.

Unlike other water sports, it does not limit you to the type of water, and it is not age-restricted. People of all ages can hop on the paddleboard. Nevertheless, keep in mind that a life jacket is important, even if you know how to swim.

A Full Body Workout

If you are a competitive and athletic fitness person, then a standup paddle across a long distance is an emphatic form of endurance training. It works almost all the muscles in your body and forces you to maintain your core and endure pain.

If you find the long endurance method a drag, then you can definitely opt for shorter and more intense paddling sessions. These allow you a great high-intensity, short interval training, in which you can lose plenty of calories in a short amount of time.

Overall, standup paddle boarding will work your core, arms, legs and back. For athletes that are looking to compete at the highest level, you can also take up paddle boarding to qualify in competitive events, such as races. Exercising on the board does not help you gain more strength and lose weight, but also nourishes your balance and flexibility.


Relives Stress

Studies have shown that a lack of exercise can be critical for a person’s health. It is not just essential for your physical health, but also your metal heath. The tiredness and fatigue that you can get from a day of paddle boarding can be a result of major stress-relief.

This is because when you exercise, you body naturally releases “happy chemicals” in your system in the name of endorphins. Paddle boarding is a very rewarding activity, thus, the reward centers of the brain release endorphins that generate a feeling of fulfillment in you. This feeling can ultimately lead to happiness.

Another reason why paddle boarding is amazing for the relaxation of the mind is its outdoor nature. Paddle boarding is an activity that you would normally do in the outdoors alongside natures finest waters. Studies also show how being out in the scenic view of the nature, and breathing in the freshest of air correlates strongly with good mental health.

Therefore, when sitting down on the paddle board and staring onto the never-ending horizon, you will come to realize about the vastness of the universe, and ultimately come in terms with the fact that your troubles and anxieties are unfathomably small in scale to the infinitely large universe.

There perplexing thoughts are difficult to comprehend when sitting down at home surrounded by cemented walls. You must venture out into the distant to truly find yourself, and alleviate your mind from the burdening thoughts that weigh you down each step of the way.

A paddleboard is an access into the beauty of nature. It acts as a wonderful surface that you can use to float yourself above the waiter medium. Along with that, it is also a great form of exercise.

It allows for Fishing

Fishing is one of the most peaceful and calmest activities that you can do, and it involves plenty of health benefits as well. With the possession of a paddleboard, fishermen can combine sport of fishing and the pursuit of fitness together.

Paddleboards are great for fishing since they allow you to get to some difficult places in the lakes that boat cannot access. These places include no-motor zones. For fishing purposes, you can invest in a wide and round ended paddleboard so that it serves as an ideal fishing platform in the middle of the sea.


Exploration

For the adventure junkies and nature enthusiasts out there, a leisurely stand-up paddleboard tour is nothing different from hiking. It requires the same, and even sometimes more amount of effort than climbing uphill, and it is even more eco-friendly. Many state parks and riversides have water trails that you can explore on a paddleboard. This sense of adventure and awe is also instrumental for a person’s mental health.

Brings a Family Closer

You can find paddleboards in all shapes and sizes. This makes them compatible for every member of the family. Some boards are large enough to fit small children in front of the board and dogs to love riding along with their owners too.

Thus, paddle boarding is a healthy activity that brings a family closer and resolves much of the conflicts that a family member may be having with another. Paddle boarding alongside a group of is the best thing you can do for your mental health.

Thus, if you do not have a family to paddle with, this is not a problem. You can always meet up a group of paddle boarders that resides close to your area, that go on regular paddle boarding trails together. You can join them by approaching them head on, but if there is not one that you know, you can always join a Facebook group or an email list.

This will allow you to stay up to date with all the major paddleboard meet-ups that get together and go on paddle trips together. Once you make paddleboard friends, they can push you to test your limits and match up with the fittest of paddle boarders.

This will drastically result in the improvement of your fitness. It is also an emphatic way to find out some different locations to paddle in your surrounding area, and survey the waters for the safest launching areas.

If you cannot find standup paddleboard groups in your area, then this is also a great chance for you to start one yourself. This will be incredibly healthy for you because it will improve your social and leadership qualities.


Burns Calories

Paddle Boarding can be an amazing option for weight loss. It is a better alternative to the monotonous exercises that you normally do at the gym. You may still be questioning whether it can provide you with the same caloric burn that a session at h e gym provides.

Well, many are discovering the muscle toning, fat burning and weight loss benefits of standup paddle boarding. However, how many calories will paddle boarding actually burn? Well, for starters, we can measure this by looking at the simple act of standing, which burns about 206 calories an hour.

When you stand, your back, leg and core muscles work so that you can stand upright without leaning forward. Now when you compare standing on a paddleboard to simply standing on land, the difference in energy expenditure is huge.

Standing on a paddleboard is more physically demanding and requires more energy because of the additional balance required. Your muscles need to fire on all cylinders so that you can maintain the altering posture to keep standing on the paddleboard.

As a result, the caloric requirement to maintain standing in a static position on the paddleboard is significantly higher. Now if you add the act of paddling to the mix, one can easily burn up to 300 and 400 calories in an hours’ worth of paddle boarding. This estimate does not include other water bodies in which you have to struggle harder to stay upright.

More intense paddle boarding is even worse when it comes to calorie requirements. When indulging in competitive paddle boarding such as races and surfing, then burning a thousand calories is also attainable.

Helps with Recovery

For people undergoing an injury, the physiotherapist advices the people to rest at first and slowly allow movement to the injured spot partaking in low impact exercises. These exercises include swimming, cycling and paddle boarding.

Paddle Boarding on stagnant water makes for an amazing low impact exercise, since it does not put too much stress on your body, and if you have the liberty to sit down when you are tired. It also engraves the aspect of balance and motion to people in rehabilitation stage.


Balance and Motion

Balance and motion is incredible important for your spinal health and your mental health and touches all aspects of a person’s health. When you stand on the paddleboard, you need to be constantly correcting yourself all the time because the board does not stop moving.

Therapeutic

Stand up paddleboards help your mind, body and soul. Besides the obvious physical aspect, the activity brings you closer to the ripples and slow of the sea. You feel the water beneath your feet flow into all directions. Moreover, it may also be the closest you can get to walking on water.

For people that are stressing over worldly troubles, once you are paddle boarding, the thoughts of your life dissipates, and it is just you and the ocean. Glancing over the sea, there is no surprise that it washes away your negative thoughts and you experience therapeutic healing effects.

One example of its versatile healthy implications takes shape in the form of paddleboard yoga. Many people get into the paddleboards because of their interest in paddleboard yoga. This involves sitting down on top of the paddleboard in a lotus flower position and practicing breathing exercises.


How to Choose a Stand up Paddle Board?

Remember, a stand up paddleboard is not a one-size-fits-all, thus do not just randomly invest in a board without surveying the different types of boards and choosing one that is best for you. Some things that you must consider before you invest in a board include its current condition.

Secondly, you also have to take into consideration its functions. In addition, what is your specific purpose of buying a paddleboard? Manufacturers design each board with a specific considering certain functionalities for different types of people

For instance, if you are a competitive paddle boarder, then a sharp-ended and hard surface paddleboard can allow you to paddle faster and make sharp turns across the waves. On the other hand, if you want to have leisurely time with your family, then you can always invest in a round ended and big inflatable paddleboard, these boards and family friendly and portable.


To Conclude

The health benefits surrounding paddleboards are immense, and soon, they will revolutionize the paradigm of water sports across the world. Not many sports can beat the health benefits of Stand Up paddle boarding.