Medics, as well as sports enthusiasts, agree that kayaking has a plethora of benefits to the body. Just like other sporting activities, paddling a kayak can improve your mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Generally,kayaking is great for good health.
Upper Body Workout
Paddling a kayak will definitely help in building the upper part of your body. Executing a good stroke involves lifting the paddle out of the water and putting it back then pulling water towards you. This requires the involvement of the muscles of the upper body like the back, shoulder, and arms. You have to this over and over to get the boat moving. This offers you a low-impact exercise that helps to build the upper body.
Toning Legs
When you hear of paddling, you may only think of the upper part of the body, and rarely will you think it can be beneficial for the lower part. This is because the lower parts of the body are never visible during kayaking, but doe not mean that the legs are not in use when kayaking.
The legs play a vital role in kayaking. They are used to secure the body in the kayak and to balance and maneuver it. By applying pressure on the legs when turning or balancing your kayak, you get to tighten and loosen the leg muscles repeatedly. This acts as an exercise and, over time, makes the leg muscles stronger and more toned.
Weight Loss
To get your kayak moving in the desired direction, you have to paddle. When paddling the kayak, you need effort and movement, especially when going against the current. This implies that energy is necessary for paddling. Kayaking can, therefore, help your body burn excess calories. Although kayaking is not as intense as doing laps in a pool and may not burn a lot of calories, the fact that you will paddle for hours means you can burn a reasonable amount of calories.
Core Muscles Strengthening
The core muscles of the body are crucial muscle groups in the body, and their role is to keep the body in an upright position. For one to do tasks like bending and lifting, a strong core is imperative. The paddling session on while kayaking is one of the exercises that can assist in the strengthening of the core muscles.
When paddling, you sit on the boat and turning the upper part of the body from one side to the other. This attacks the abdominal and lower back muscles and exercises them in the process. Kayaking over time, thus, helps to do abs workout.
Kayaking, besides being a fun sport, it can help your body develop in the above ways. It also helps to reduce stress and improve your self-image; therefore, you need to try out kayaking.