Written by Menswear Style in Sports on the 25th March 2021

Especially in the warmer months, you can never go wrong by engaging in water sports and related recreational outdoor activities at least a few times a month. They are so beneficial to your health and wellness, physically, emotionally, and mentally. This means that if you live near a large water body, you can consider yourself among the luckiest people on the planet – it broadens your list of options for water activities you can engage in. Speaking of water activities, kayaking is one of the most exciting options. It involves paddling through the waters while seated in a canoe-like watercraft. The kayaker uses a double-bladed paddle to manoeuvre their way through the water. Especially when paddling against waves and rapids, it gets extremely adventurous, thrilling, and fun. It can be competitive or just social, and you can even do it alone or with friends and loved ones. Without further ado, below are some of the health benefits of kayaking that you might not have known.

1. It Helps You Keep Fit 

Although it is commonly referred to as a low-impact form of exercise, kayaking is quite effective in helping you maintain the ideal weight. If you are looking for an activity that burns calories as you have fun, kayaking could be your best bet. According to research, kayaking can be a great way to lose weight without hitting the gym or engaging in intense exercises. Depending on your weight and the intensity of your kayaking sessions, you can burn somewhere from 280 to 1790 calories an hour as shown by several studies. Any kayaking session you undertake will engage different sets of muscles in your body, especially the upper body and core. Over time, these muscles develop and start building stamina. As your stamina increases so does the amount of weight you shed off. This improves your general body fitness, allowing you to live a healthy and active lifestyle. If you are looking for something that is fun and will help you lose weight, kayaking should be top of your list.

2. Improved Cardiovascular Fitness 

If you have ever exercised or participated in any strenuous activity, then you for sure know that your heart rate increases with the amount of activity you are subjected to. This is the same for kayaking. As you paddle your kayak smoothly and safely through the waters, your heart rate is usually low-key. Try increasing the pace, and you will realise the same happens with your heartbeat. Kayaking isn't so different from other exercises you involve yourself in – only that it is more enjoyable than lifting weights, running on a treadmill, or riding a cycling machine. It is ideal for cardio fitness. 

3. Improves Your General Body Strength 

When one is kayaking and you take a close look at them, you realise that the muscles in their arms, shoulders, and chest work hard. This leads to the expectation that these are the only parts that will improve in terms of strength and muscle. While this is true, kayaking does more than just toning these body parts. For one to manoeuvre and control the kayak, they need a considerable amount of strength, which means that all body parts are engaged. Other than the arms and shoulders, kayaking promotes strength in the abs, buttock, and thighs. In the long run, you develop overall body strength and stamina.

4. Emotional Benefits 

Exercising helps calm your mind and relieve stress from different situations in life. It does so by increasing the production of the feel-good hormones and neurotransmitters in your brain and body while curbing the stress hormone ­­– cortisol. Well, the major difference is that most types of exercises are tedious, and may not do much for your emotional wellbeing. However, kayaking is a low-impact exercise that engages your entire body. This means that your mind focuses on coordinating your entire body on the exercise, relieving you from the thoughts that trouble your inner peace and wellness. The subsequent mental benefits are literally uncountable. 

5. Great for Abs 

Kayaking essentially involves paddling from side to side. While this uses the arms and shoulders at large, it also utilises torso movements. This means that the abs and the waist are well exercised. In the long run, the abs become well-toned, increasing your abdominal fitness and back strength. If you have been yearning for those adorable abs, you have more than enough reasons to become a regular kayaker. 

In a nutshell, kayaking is an amazing outdoor activity. It is suitable for all ages, including kids and pets with supervision. The above are just a few of the many health benefits you can get from kayaking regularly. To see more benefits of kayaking, check out Kayak Addicts.

Helps You Keep Fit, Improved Cardiovascular Fitness, and Improves General Body Strength are just some of The Health Benefits of Kayaking You Didn't Know.