Kayaking is growingly becoming famous among outdoor activities. It is an exercise you can spend time with friends or family, we mean hours to a day without noticing but won’t regret the time you spend together.
While you are kayaking, you may only realize that you are also having a workout while kayaking. But the question we are all asking is, “is kayaking a good form of workout?”
While you enjoy the activity, you burn some calories, build muscles, relieve stress, and much more, with the same result as a normal workout. If you want to know more, we provide you with all you need to know about Kayaking and workout in this article. Read on to learn more about this subject.
Are They a Good Form of Workout?
As earlier mentioned in the introduction, while you are kayaking, you can burn some calories, build your muscles, have some relief from stress, and a lot more.
However, turning Kayaking into a workout depends on your activity. If you decide to make it a workout, it will be a very good workout.
The direction you choose to paddle determines whether you want to have leisure or a workout; paddling downstream has no little or no effect on yourself, but try paddling upstream against the water current, and you will have the most of a workout.
With this background in mind, let us discuss the benefit of using the kayak for a workout.
The benefit to your heart.
Paddling a kayak is a wonderful aerobic workout that you can customize. A leisurely paddle on a slow-moving river or calm lake is ideal for someone who is new to fitness or merely needs mild aerobic activity.
All you need is two hours of physical activity per week to improve your physical health.
If you’re looking for something more challenging, increase your paddling speed to get your heart racing.
You can also add some high-intensity sprints to the mix. For 30 seconds, go as quickly and hard as you can, then rest for 10 seconds. After six repetitions, take a break. Try some ferries or kayaking upriver if you’re on a river.
So, how does all of this paddling benefit your heart and keep you in good shape?
Aerobic exercise strengthens your heart and helps you lose weight by lowering your blood pressure and bad cholesterol.
Heart disease and stroke risk are reduced when the heart and cardiovascular system are stronger and healthier.
Kayaking is one of the few aerobic activities that focus on the upper body, according to Men’s Health, making it one of the finest workouts for heart health.
A solid aerobic workout lowers blood sugar levels, good news for patients with type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance.
A good exercise to improve your endurance.
Do you wish you had more strength and energy during the day? Do you get fatigued just going around your neighborhood?
Kayaking is a great way to improve your endurance because you’re paddling for hours.
You’ll quickly learn that you can kayak for extended periods without becoming exhausted. Not only that, but you’ll notice that your energy levels are higher throughout the day, making daily tasks easier.
A source of vitamin D.
Many people, unfortunately, are vitamin D deficient. This deficiency can cause a variety of health issues, including:
- Osteoporosis
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
- Chronic Fatigue
- Heart Disease Risk
- Dementia in the Elderly
Vitamin D is essential for illness prevention, healthy bones and muscles, and a strong immune system.
Vitamin D is difficult to obtain in sufficient levels from food sources; thankfully, our bodies can create vitamin D when exposed to sunlight.
So, spending the day kayaking can help you produce more of this important vitamin.
Kayaking as a Stress-Relieving Activity.
Everyone is stressed at times, but too much stress can be harmful to one’s health. High blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, depression, anxiety, irritability, and insomnia are all symptoms of chronic stress.
Kayaking may be a very relaxing activity. Consider an early morning paddle on a calm body of water.
While sipping your coffee, you watch the mist rising from the lake. You hear the different sounds of birds and other sounds from nature. Your stress levels begin to decrease, and your worry begins to fade.
Research has shown that being near or in contact with water can help reduce stress. As you glide across the water, just the constant rowing motion can put you in a contemplative mood.
Meditation can help boost focus, reduce anxiety, treat depression, improve memory, and reduce stress.
Benefits of Kayaking for Mental Health.
Kayaking can help you improve your mental health in a variety of ways, in addition to lowering stress levels. When you’re on land, there are some areas you’ll never be able to view.
Kayaking allows you to travel to places that are only accessible by boat. You have the chance to unleash your inner explorer and discover new things.
Kayaking is a Great Way to Meet New People.
When you’re kayaking, you’ll have the chance to meet people who share your enthusiasm for the sport. It’s also an enjoyable way to spend memorable time with family and friends.
Having a stress-relieving pastime and connecting with loved ones might help you maintain a healthy brain.
Being in the company of others boosts memory and may reduce your chances of having dementia later in life.
Kayaking is a weight-loss activity
If you’ve ever wondered if Kayaking may help you lose weight, the answer is a resounding yes.
It is a physical activity that raises your heart rate and burns calories, which, when combined with a healthy diet, contributes to weight loss.
The number of calories you burn is influenced by many factors, including your age, gender, size, and body type. On the other hand, Kayaking can burn up to 400 calories if you put in the effort.
The per-hour rate does not appear to be very spectacular compared to other rigorous kinds of exercise such as swimming or running.
The length of an average paddling session, on the other hand, more than makes up for the discrepancy and results in more calories burned.
Kayaking builds muscle.
It is a low-intensity workout that builds muscles but not body mass. Kayaking is a fast-paced activity where a big percentage of the training is cardio, so you’ll build a decent foundation of strength but won’t bloat up.
Kayaking is wonderful for toning and strengthening muscles from the inside out.
Conclusion.
One may testify that it is better to be in the water than in the gym when it comes to what Kayaking and gym both do to the body.
Kayaking will improve your health, fitness, and others and give you the leisure you so much cherished.
Furthermore, Kayaking only becomes a good exercise for a workout if you decide to make it by paddling in the right direction-against water currents and if you do paddle more rapidly.