Life Style

Why Paddleboarding Is Popular These Days

Paddleboarding is a watersport where people use their arms to paddle forward while kneeling, standing, or resting on the surfboard or paddleboard. These boards can either be hardboard or inflatable for proper movement on the beach water. Gaining popularity over the past ten years, stand-up paddleboarding (SUP), another form of paddleboarding, is still a less explored sport. SUP is like a blend of surfing and kayaking, without needing waves like surfing. However, the unique aspect is that stand-up paddleboarding is a sport performed on rivers, lakes, or oceans, unlike surfing, which can only work in wavy ocean conditions. Read on to discover why paddleboarding has become a popular beach sport, from offering a full-body workout to making fishing easier; here are the reasons.

It offers a full-body workout and therapeutic benefits

Paddleboarding exercises your muscles as you have fun cruising through the water. This sport, particularly SUP, trains you on balance and flexibility. With the board, you can get rid of body rigidity while enjoying the cool breeze of the sea. In addition, exposure to the sun in the evening and morning bolsters your body’s resistance to infections from increased vitamin D intake. Paddling exercises your quads, abs, glutes, and stabilizer muscles. Your biceps, triceps, shoulder, hip, and back muscles help you paddle and stand as you move. When you paddle for an hour, 300 to over 400 calories get burned; however, taking part in a race can help you burn more than 1000 calories for a healthy body.

Getting injured is unlikely because falling into the water will only cost you a splash. Stand-up paddleboarding helps relieve pain and joint pressure. Athletes also consider paddleboarding for injury rehabilitation and keeping fit during injuries. 

On the other hand, you also get mental therapy and relaxation from seeing and hearing the water move. Nature and beautiful surroundings increase endorphin and serotonin production, which are responsible for keeping you happy. Recently, people have incorporated yoga with paddleboarding, which offers better relaxation and fitness. 

Easier fishing

Paddleboarding boards offer a unique aerial view of the ocean, lake, or river fish. The board also allows its user to move quickly to the fish concentrated areas while making minimal noise. The board silently glides over the fish with no motor to give its user a chance to catch the fish swiftly with his rod. With boards designed to accommodate the angler, catching fighting fish becomes easier because the risk of board shaking is reduced. 

Recently, boards have been made to accommodate freezers and rod holders to assist fishers catch as much as they can carry. Although these accommodations are quite helpful, they compromise on the maximum speed you can reach because of the increased weight of the board. 

Paddleboard Racing

With rising popularity worldwide, stand-up paddleboarding is famous because it is not complex to learn. Paddleboard racing usually takes place on inland rivers or lakes and the ocean. Racers can participate in different races, relay, sprint, and long-distance competitions, as long as they have proper watersport apparel. The growing interest in paddleboarding made several kayak and canoe competitions incorporate SUP races as part of the event. 

Seeking a new challenge

People are always on the lookout for new challenges to overcome. Paddleboarding, particularly SUP, is still new to people and has become a popular endeavor with the masses wanting to know how to do it. When a professional paddleboarder moves with his board, you might think it is an easy task to do so too. Paddling requires some technical skill and utmost coordination to control your paddling while balancing. With perfected skills and coordination, SUP can easily be good addiction since you can choose to visit the beach or just a nearby lake or river to have a paddle as you enjoy various other benefits away from having fun.

Final thoughts

Whether physical or mental health, paddleboarding offers immense benefits in relieving physical pain or any stress caused by depression or work. Fishing has also become more accessible because of the quietness offered by paddleboarding and its mobility allowing the user to shift from one fish hotspot to another for a catch. Those in pursuit of new challenges, like paddleboarding races, whether you are an amateur or a professional, can also register for races worldwide. 

If you are going for recreational paddleboarding, you can get your ordinary beach wear and your desired board from Cotswold Outdoor. Paddleboarding’s benefits, paired with its ease in getting the hang of it, make it grow as it is accessible to many. 

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