How Does Kayaking Benefit You?
Getting a nice doze of outdoor freshness and interacting with nature can be calming. That is why doctors often advise some patients to take time off to enjoy some outdoor activities.
Besides, paddling is a great way to exercise and stay fit while having fun at the same time. That being said, let’s delve into the many other kayaking benefits.
1. Can Kayaking Help Lose Weight?
Since you will be doing a lot of physical activity while kayaking, it would help you burn lots of calories and shed excess fats. So, how many calories can you burn from kayaking? Experts estimate that if you paddle at 5mph, you should be burning up to 400 calories per hour. So, if you are kayaking for a whole afternoon, you would be burning an estimated 1,600 calories.
Although the number of calories burned through kayaking is low when compared with other forms of exercise, kayakers are often paddling for a lengthy period. The number of calories burned adds up eventually. Few people can run or swim for more than an hour, but kayakers can be paddling on the water for several hours.
2. Upper Body Workout – Does Kayaking Train your Abs?
When you are paddling on a kayak, the arms, back, and shoulders would be moving consistently. So, the muscles in those regions are the ones that are trained most. However, every stroke of the paddle has an impact on the entire body.
It takes about 500 strokes of the paddle to move your boat through a mile distance. So, if you are cover three miles per hour on your kayak, you would have stroked the paddle 1,500 times.
3. Stress Reduction
Getting engaged in outdoor activities and interacting with nature is an excellent way to retrospect and meditate. If you are passing through stress, you will get ample relief by paddling through the water and watching, touching, and feeling nature.
Such outdoor activity can provide respite for all types of stress, from your hectic job to family hassles and everything in-between. If you can paddle for a few hours every week, you will experience substantial relief from stress.
4. A Clear and Happy Mind
Kayaking does not only reduce stress, but it also enhances your overall mental health. Several types of research have proved that aerobic exercises, which include paddling, release dopamine into the bloodstream. This is a chemical substance responsible for elevating mood and confidence.
Exercise routines such as kayaking would also free your mind from negative thoughts. Water and the aquatic environment, in general, has an unique way of calming stress. As you paddle through the water, all your burdens seem to fizzle away. You will experience a new surge of vigor, happiness, and mental wellbeing.
5. Social Glue
Almost everyone can start kayaking in a day. It does not require an extensive learning curve or any special fitness prerequisite. Since kayaking is open to everyone, it’s a great avenue to meet new people, make friends and socialize.
Social interaction plays a crucial role in enhancing mental health, and kayaking provides a good avenue for you to interact with others and socialize. You can consider adding kayaking to your next vacation itinerary, it would help you meet new people.
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6. Cardiovascular Health Improvement
Kayaking is an aerobic sport that plays a crucial role in improving the health of the heart and the entire cardiovascular system. The heart is the only muscle in the body that works both day and night. Therefore, it needs exercise to strengthen it to perform its functions.
When you are paddling on the kayak consistently, it increases your heart rate, which strengthens the heart. This helps reduce blood pressure and the levels of bad cholesterol in the blood. All these factors lead to an improvement in your cardiovascular health.
7. Tone your Legs
Although most people see kayaking as an exercise exclusive to the upper section of the body, it is also beneficial to the entire body as well, including the legs. The legs play a crucial role in the paddling procedure.
With your legs you apply pressure to the chassis of the kayak to self-secure your position in the boat and to maneuver your way while paddling. This procedure involves tightening and loosening the leg muscles intermittently which will tone the muscles of the legs over time.
8. Better Self Image
Kayaking plays a vital role in improving your self-image. The psychology works just like any other sporting activity you do. You feel good about yourself each time you reach a new personal milestone such as covering distance, overcoming rapids, attaching speed records, and much more.
When you go paddling consistently, you’ll be able to elevate your self-image, boost your social confidence and your sense of self-worth.
9. Source of Vitamin D
Most people only consider the risks of sunburn when exposed to the sun during outdoor activities. However, the body synthesizes one of the essential vitamins called vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. The body needs vitamin D for proper development of the bones and teeth and helps prevent diseases, among many other benefits.
A recent scientific publication claimed that deficiency of vitamin D is common. An estimated 1 billion people across the world have low levels of vitamin D in their blood. Fortunately, you can get an ample amount of vitamin D when you go kayaking outdoors.
Final Words
The benefits of kayaking go way beyond recreation. Kayaking helps you live a healthier and happier life. Those who find it hard to keep up with torturous exercise routines will find kayaking an easier way to exercise and live a healthier lifestyle.
Kayaking has a very short learning curve; you can get up and running with this sport within a day.
