The Benefits of Water Sports

FITNESS AND HEALTH DERIVED FROM KAYAKING

by Briana and Robert

These are the health and fitness benefits derived from kayaking; overall body toning, weight loss, strength, flexibility, and stress reduction.

Kayaking fitness is nothing more than taking a good kayak, a good paddle, and applying good techniques. There are few physical activities as relaxing and as rewarding as kayaking.

Kayaking Fitness Benefits

When you are paddling you can expect to do about 500, maybe more, maybe less, forward strokes per mile! This compares to walking. For most people there are about 2000 steps in a mile. Placing the paddle in the water and executing a good forward stroke is going to incorporate just about every muscle in the upper body, and some lower body muscles as well.

This means that in one hour at 3 mph you are going to do about 1500 repetitions of low impact upper body movements while your are kayaking, which no matter what your fitness goals are, you are going to tone up almost every muscle in your body. Hey, you are going to look good! Your HEART will be happy. And you will be healthy.

Kayaking fitness strength and lower body toning

A good paddle stroke starts at the feet! The power then transmits up through your legs, butt, and abdominal region, through your torso, and finally to the paddle shaft. Kayaking is total body fitness.

Kayaking fitness and flexibility

Kayaking is a lot of low impact movement. Movement gives flexibility. Flexibility results from proper strength training. Flexibility results from moving the joint throughout its full range of motion. As the muscles, which surround, control and move a joint are strengthened, circulation is enhanced bringing nutrients to the joint, the fluids which lubricate the joint are flowing again and the joint becomes more flexible.

Kayaking fitness and weight loss

To move the kayak at about 5 mph is going to require about 0.1 hp of effort that is going to use up about 400 calories per hour and so; four hours of paddling is going to burn up about 1600 calories! A weight watcher's dream!

Kayaking fitness and stress reduction

Placing the paddle in the water and performing a good stroke is enjoyable. Watching your boat move through the water by your own effort is enjoyable.

Spending a few hours under the sky, on the water, watching the colors of your surrounding scenery, the blues, the greens, the grays, and the browns is enjoyable.

A couple of times a week for a few hours, getting this kind of exercise is going to make anybody feel better and be happy.

Information from Kayak Lake Mead

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