Stand-up paddle boarding is an activity that can be fun for everyone. With its unique combination of fitness and mediation, stand-up paddle boarding’s popularity is growing. Below are the benefits you may find in SUP.
- Helps with Balance
Paddle boarding requires a lot of balance to stand up on a board. But once you're up on your feet your stabilizer muscles kick in and you’ll be creating new balance in and out of the water.
- Reduces Stress
There is nothing like paddling out with just the sound of the water and the beautiful view surrounding you to reduce stress. I encourage you to always take in a few deep breaths to just connect to nature and your surroundings. With the beautiful view and the stillness of the water, it’s hard to focus on anything else.
- Exercises your Whole Body and Improves Cardio Health
The paddle board uses cardio and strength. The combination of water and board provides an all over body workout. Just maintaining your stance will challenge your legs as you balance in a squat and tone those arms with every reach and pull of the paddle.
Paddle boarding also improves your cardio endurance. SUP can be compared to cross training, running, and aerobics. Adding in endurance workouts like SUP can lower your risk for a heart attack, stroke and other cardio related diseases.
- SUP Yoga and Pilates
As the popularity of paddle board increases, so have SUP fitness classes, including SUP Yoga and Pilates. Yoga provides the stretch and meditation while Pilates focuses more on core and spine health. I say do both! You can’t beat the experience of doing one of these classes out on the water. Balance takes on a whole new meaning and challenge.
- Gets you Outdoors
Now more than ever people are taking to the outdoors. Paddle boarding is a relatively inexpensive sport and gets you out on the water with very little prep time. There are a wide variety of boards including inflatable or hard and rentals are available and affordable. For more information please visit our website.
- It’s Fun!
Don’t forget to have fun! You can even take a cool dip in the water if it gets hot. Climbing back onto your board is easy. Giving yourself time to just have fun plays a big role in mental health.
- Relaxation
Water is calming. Sometimes the water is so calm it looks like a mirror and other times the small ripples feel like being rocked to sleep. The hypnotic motion of paddling and connecting to nature at the same time provides the relaxation we all could use. So if you’re looking to disconnect from technology and see the outdoors like never before, grab a board and get out on the water.
Written by
Tamra Stephenson
Certified Personal Trainer
SUP Pilates Instructor
