Top 15 Paddle Board Benefits To Fall In Love With SUP

Find out 15 Paddle Board Benefits that will make you want to try it now!

Someone once said that if you want to stay motivated to exercise, it’s way better to find a sport you love practicing instead of suffering in a gym workout after a workout.

For many people, paddleboarding is an enjoyable sport with many benefits!

There are so many paddle board benefits that you’ll be joining the hundreds of people that love practicing this sport, in no time.

So keep on reading, because we’ll show the top 15 benefits of paddle boarding that will blow your mind.

Top 15 Stand-up Paddleboarding Benefits

Cardio workout
Burns calories
Low impact exercise
Exercises the whole body
Reduces stress
Helps with balance
Increase vitamin D
Great for cardiovascular health
Increases core muscles strength
Enhances joint stability
Increases arms and legs strength
Perfect for meditation
You’ll be part of a Community
Low Cost
Improves your Navigation Skills
Improves your Flexibility
It’s Versatile

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DISCLOSURE

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What Is Stand-Up Paddle Boarding?

SUP stands for Stand-up paddleboarding, a trending water sport that has its roots in Hawaii. The paddleboarders stand up on boards that float and use a paddle to propel themselves.

Granted, you should know how to swim because practicing stand-up paddle boarding means you might fall into the water numerous times.

There are many activities you can do on a paddleboard, such as racing, cruising, surfing, yoga, among many others.

It is an activity that involves putting your whole body to work, so the health benefits of paddle boarding are many, as you’ll find out below.

Top 15 Stand-Up Paddle Boarding Benefits

1. Excellent Cardio Workout

Paddleboarding is quite an intense workout, no matter how peaceful paddleboarders floating around seem from the shore.

Since using a paddle in itself requires a lot of work, imagine also trying to maintain balance, especially if you practice SUP racing or surfing, which let’s say take this to a whole new level.

It helps to burn a lot of calories, reducing the chances of developing diabetes.

The number of calories you’ll lose is closely related to the activity you choose to practice on a paddleboard.

For example, doing yoga on a SUP board will help you burn between 416-540, while during a SUP race (which is very intense) you can lose between 713-1,125 calories. All this in an hour.

The best part? You’re not likely to suffer an injury, because it’s a low-impact exercise.

It goes easier on your body than most other sports, so your ligaments and tendons should be safe.

It’s not a surprise then that injured athletes doing rehabilitation are told to give paddleboarding a try, as part of their routine for healing muscles and tendons without further damage.

2. It Exercises The Whole Body

When you are paddleboarding, your whole body gets involved. Most of your muscles will get a workout.

Whatever you want to do on a paddleboard will demand balance, strength, and skills you simply can’t put through without the work of all of your muscles.

3. Reduces Stress

Stress is a well-known enemy, especially during these times.

Many mental disorders find their root in stress, such as anxiety and PTSD. So we have to be careful to keep our stress levels under control.

Another stand-up paddleboard exercise benefit is helping to reduce stress levels.

Just watching and listening to the water, working your muscles to float through it, being aware of peaceful surroundings, are all very soothing.

Breathing the clean air and having time to yourself will help lose negative energy and keep your mind quiet. Your brain will release serotonin and endorphins, the two hormones involved in feeling happy, so relaxing is one of the true stand-up paddle board exercise benefits.

4. Improves Your Balance

Standing on a floating board will test your balance, to say the least.

Unless you want to spend more time inside the water than on it, you need to practice your movements, using your core strength, as well as your legs and arms strength and coordination.

As a consequence, you’ll notice an improvement in your balance both on and off the water, which is one of the amazing stand-up paddle benefits.

5. Increases Vitamin D

Standing on a paddleboard means you’ll be under the sun for potentially a long time.

This means three things: you’ll get a free tan, you’ll need to use some sunscreen, because of burns, and you’ll get an increase in vitamin D production, another of the paddleboard exercise benefits.

This vitamin (that´s obtained thanks to a chemical reaction involving UV rays) plays an important role in calcium absorption, which will prevent bone diseases such as osteoporosis.

So one more score for paddleboarding, people!

6. Great For Cardiovascular Health

As you have read, paddleboarding comes with a lot of muscular activity and calorie burning.

Your circulatory system will appreciate a cardio fitness session like this, which eventually will reduce the chances of suffering heart attacks, strokes among other diseases.

The truth, low impact exercises are great for heart health, so no wonder paddleboarding is recommendable for having good health.

7. Increases Core Muscles Strength

Yes, we have mentioned here and there, that your core muscles are greatly responsible for your balance and actually, they’re who’s doing most of the work when paddling, if done correctly, that is.

If you do a paddle boarding before and after routine, you will see changes in your body. Especially those abdominal muscles.

If you were wondering what does paddle boarding tone, now you know the answer is: all of your muscles.

8. Enhances Joint Stability

As we have mentioned, this sport is quite gentle on your muscles and joints, since it´s a low-impact sport.

Spending time on your feet will impact your knees and ankles, and paddling will involve your shoulders and wrists.

All of your joints will benefit from the strength and stability this sport provides.

9. Increases Arms And Legs Strength

All of your upper body strength will grow considerably when paddle boarding.

But since your arms and shoulders play an important role when paddling (aside from your core), you´ll get to see those muscles increase their tone and strength, the more you practice.

With time, you´ll be able to paddle long distances without feeling muscle fatigue.

Your legs, of course, will be involved as well. They’re responsible for adjusting your position to become one with the board.

The stability they provide, the bending and straightening to prevent you from falling, will ensure your legs muscles get a lot of strength.

10. Amazing For Your Mental Health

Being focused on the nature surrounding you, the soft sound of the water, and the movements of your body when paddling, will help your mind get much-needed clarity.

Between the day-by-day stress, screen addictions, and social media bombarding us, sometimes we need time to disconnect from everything.

And paddle boarding can be a great provider of the relaxation you crave.

The mindfulness you experience will offer you a better mood, more focus, and empathic abilities that will give you peace from your stressful daily life.

Additionally, it will bring you closer to Mother Nature, no matter where you decide to do it.

Either in your town’s lake, your country’s most famous river or beach, or overseas as part of an ecotourism adventure, paddle boarding is an incredible opportunity to watch another side of the places you visit.

You’ll get to see the wildlife, enjoy a serene environment and amazing landscapes that will provide you with a rich experience.

11. You’´ll Be Part Of A Cool Community

There’s an increasing number of people that love paddle boarding, and the fact that you can get to share this sport with your friends or family is the icing on the cake.

You can get to experience beautiful sceneries, get a group workout, and have that sense of adventure, with people you care about by your side.

Plus, think of all the people you can get to bond with over a common love for paddleboarding!

There are many websites and clubs where you can go out on paddle boarding excursions with people that share your passion.

12. It Is Low Cost

Compared to other sports, paddleboarding is quite affordable.

Nowadays, boards are cheaper than decades ago, and you can even find paddle boards accessories.

You can find paddles for under $80 and good-quality boards for $400-$500, which are very competitive prices.

With time, paddle boarding will make you a skilled navigator, and you might even get to explore rivers, and coastlines on your own.

Touring is something experienced paddleboarders love to do, and maybe will become your thing after paddle boarding for a while.

14. Improves Your Flexibility

Paddling means you need to adapt to different water conditions, which will help you to improve your flexibility. Your body becomes one with the paddle, especially in more difficult activities like SUP surfing.

Going from the water to hop onto your paddle, or paddling on a prone (laying on your stomach) position, will most definitely increase your flexibility.

15. It’s Versatile

Few sports are versatile. Paddleboarding is one of them,

The variations within the sport and the number of activities you can do on a SUP board guarantee that.

You could try surfing, fishing, or doing yoga on a paddle board. You can try paddle boarding in a lake, a river, or the ocean.

You could try different size SUP boards, different distances, going as slow or fast as you want, etc. The possibilities are endless.

You´ll never get bored of it.

Paddle Board Benefits FAQs

Can You Lose Weight Paddle Boarding?

Absolutely! As we have mentioned, paddleboarding brings to the table a lot of calorie loss.

Even if you choose to take a gentler approach to it, you´ll still lose weight. No wonder why many people call this sport “paddle board fitness”.

Even better? You´ll not only lose weight, but you´ll get your muscles toned, so it’s a win-win.

What Muscles Do Paddle Boarding Work?

All of them. Yes, you read correctly.

Inevitably, you’ll have to put all your muscles to work when paddleboarding.

Paddling while standing and maintaining balance at the same time means muscles from your toes to your neck will be working. How cool is that?

Your back, hips, and shoulders muscles will be working full time when paddling, as will be your arms and legs.

The muscles responsible for maintaining a good posture will also be involved, so your posture benefitting from this sport is another one of those paddle boarding facts.

And even if you choose to sit for a while, your abdominal, back, and core muscles will work to provide balance and help you maintain your center of gravity.

This sounds like a great way to get abs of steel to me and is probably one of the best paddle board benefits!

Is Paddle Boarding A Good Workout?

After reading all the muscles you get to work when paddleboarding, you can rest assured that a paddle board workout is a superb one.

It’s a relatively simple sport that will assure you train your upper body and your legs, and at the same time, it will strengthen your core muscles.

Since it’s a low-impact exercise you won’t have to worry too much about suffering serious injuries.

Putting together that it involves most of your muscles and that it´ll make you lose a lot of calories, we can safely say that paddleboarding is one of the few sports that can help you be in shape in a relatively short time.

Another great incentive to give it a try

Final Thoughts

After reading all of these paddle board benefits, we hope you get to venture and try out this sport.

You´ll see an overall improvement in your health and will be practicing a hobby that will make you part of a community and enjoy some peace of mind at the same time.

Plus, abs of steel, let’s not forget that.

What other paddle boarding benefits do you have in mind? Let us know in the comment box below!

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