Stand Up Paddle Boarding For Better Health
Paddle boarding has been a very popular and growing sport over the last 10 years. It has been around for a very long as Hawaiians have used it for many years to roam around and assist in training beginner surfers. Needless to say, this is not a new idea or sport. It has merely blown up in popularity due to famous surfers like Laird Hamilton and other big Hawaiian surfers.
Laird took a simple idea and started using it to paddle into monster waves. This brought the whole sport to the attention of many others and the rest is history. You can find paddle boarding or “SUPing” in just about any major town across the US. SUP “stand up paddleboard” is a short acronym people tend to use when talking about the sport.
Having only started off as open water SUPing and SUP surfing, it has grown into much more. Instead of just having solid boards, now they have created inflatable boards so you can haul them around easier and even pack a board up to remote lakes in the mountains easily. They even have paddle board fishing, with specifically made paddle boards to accommodate the everyday fisherman. These boards are typically inflatable as well and have tie down rings so you can strap down all your gear to the board.
Where we get excited is that they created SUP yoga boards. Take your ambitious yoga instructor and put her on a paddle board and watch her go to work. Yoga boards are just slightly wider and have more padding on the top, typically the length of the board so you can maneuver around. Doing yoga on a paddle adds an added element of balance and would probably not be suggested for the beginner unless you feel like getting wet a lot. This is also growing on a large rate and you can find SUP yoga instructors in almost every state.
SUP Fitness
If you stop and look at the health benefits that paddle boarding gives you, you will be amazed.
Let’s take a look at some of the finer points:
- Getting out into the open air. So many times we find ourselves indoors way too much and not getting out into nature with fresh, clean air. The importance of clean air is huge and almost ever health coach will tell you this. SUPing gives us an ample amount out in the elements and having fun at the same time.
- Great cardio. SUPing offers a fantastic full body cardio workout. Tell me this, would you rather be in a stuffy gym on a bike or treadmill, or would you rather be out in the sun and open air with friends paddling around on some beautiful open water? The level of cardio you get is up to you and what pace you set, but it really gets the system working when you put some effort into it.
- Engaging all your muscles. Paddle boarding is pretty much a full body workout. When you paddle, you actually use your entire body in every stroke. You also engage a lot of stabilizing muscles to help keep your balance as you paddle.
- Minimal entry cost. Now I do realize that some new paddle boards can run in excess of $1,500 or even more. There are great starter board packages that start at $350 which isn’t so bad. You can also just go out and rent a board for a day at $20-50 dollars. There are a lot of options and compared to a lot of other sports, a low entry cost as you only have to buy a board once.
- Great for all ages. Anyone can paddle board. I have seen 80 years old ladies out paddle boarding. If balance is hard, just kneel on the board and paddle that way. They also make special board sizes for young kids.
- Great family time. This is a great way to get out with the family for the day. You are not only exercising, but having a great time with family or friends and creating lasting memories.
As you can see, there really are very few downsides to paddle boarding and a whole lot of upsides. If you are curious on pricing, just search for paddle boards for sale online and you will find an array of boards as well as options to choose from. Finding a trusted company is not hard and you are always safe going with anything through Amazon as they sell paddle boards as well.
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