Do you enjoy outdoors? Kayaking is one fun activity that gives you the chance to enjoy the outdoors while at the same time improve your health. Yes, there are definitely more reasons as to why people kayak besides just having fun. Medically, any activity that increases your cardiovascular activity is important in improving the overall health of your body.
Kayaking sets you in motion and workout. You get to enjoy nature as you slide down the stream while at the same time get to benefit from kayaking. We have done an in-depth research that will show you why you should be kayaking more often than you do. Here are nine health benefits that you get to enjoy when you go Kayaking.
1- Weight Loss
Kayaking can help you burn an enormous amount of fats. Moving a Kayak at 5mph, you will require at least o.1hp of effort. If you can provide this amount of effort for about four hours, you will lose approximately 1600 calories. This is an enormous of amount of calories to lose in a single day. Considering the effort people go through to lose weight, kayaking is totally worth the go.
Kayaking helps you lose weight by increasing cardiovascular activity hence the burning down of body fats to produce energy that is used in powering the Kayak. Kayaking is one physical body activity that cannot be compared to the gym or calisthenics. This is because, the exercise is done in open field, with plenty of fresh air to breathe in that helps in improving the body activities.
2-Control Cardiovascular Diseases.
Cardiovascular diseases are a major problem in today’s generation. One of the major causes for increased cardiovascular diseases in this generation is lack of exercise. According to Webmed, regular exercise can help reduce heart diseases. Some of the diseases that arise due to lack of regular exercise include Heart Failure, Hypertension, Cardiac Arrest and High blood pressure, all of which may lead to instant loss of life. One of the key health benefits of kayaking is giving your body enough exercise to ensure that you are not subject to such diseases.
Medics all over the world highly encourage physical activities that increase the heart rate since they are a remedy for the general well-being of the body. One physical activity that works well for the entire body is definitely kayaking.
3-Reduces Stress
Kayaking is an activity that requires the concentration of both the body and the mind. When kayaking, you must be mindful of what you are doing and in the present state of mind. Being mindful is one way of reducing stress according to Harvard Gazette: Wandering mind not a happy mind. The effects of having your mind on the specific activity you are doing in the most present form will help you have total control over the issues that make you anxious. Kayaking is one of the best ways to get relaxed and forget about jobs, deadlines and your past mistakes. This is a time to pay attention to yourself. When one gets their mind focused on one activity, the entire mind gets relaxed. As a result the entire body is at peace.
4-Upper body workout
If you are a workout enthusiast, kayaking is also a good opportunity to get your body in shape. Many people use kayaking to attain lean muscles. Placing the paddle in the water and performing a good stroke means that every aspect of the upper body needs to be in movement. Paddling at 3mph, you can do up to 15000 repetitions of low impact upper body movements in just 1 hour. This will help get your body in shape and you will definitely feel the strain in your muscle after the activity. The muscle benefits of kayaking are extensive as much as a regular workout when done over a considerable period of time.
5-Improves Mental Health.
According to Harvard publication, aerobic exercise triggers the release of brain chemicals that are responsible for improving your mood. People who want to stay happy must find a way to get their physical activity levels high. Kayaking is one activity that you can use to improve your mental health, how you think or just to refresh your mind when you are stressed out. It is beneficial for you to take a kayaking break when you are not having a breakthrough at the office. Most people who want to refresh their mind before resuming their busy schedules find kayaking very helpful.
6-Great Source of Vitamin D
Most of us, rarely give ourselves the chance to go out and enjoy what nature has to offer. Unfortunately, you cannot get everything out of what you eat. One of the benefits of kayaking is exposure to sunlight and hence vitamin D. According to Dr. Michael F. Holick, M.D PhD in HuffPost, vitamin D is one substance that we must look for by going outdoors. Most human beings obtain at least 80% of their Vitamin D from rays of the sun. Kayaking will give you the much-needed exposure when you get out on a sunny day. To ensure that your body stays healthy, a regular outdoor activity such as Kayaking should be on the list of your to-do list.
7-Core Strengthening
Every part of our body is strengthened by exercise. The core, which is made up of the upper and lower abdominal muscles, is no different. One way of strengthening the core is by the act of Kayaking. The turning of the kayak relies mainly on shifting the core area of your body. The tuning of the paddles by each stroke results in straining and movement of the core muscles. The continuous process strengthens the core and makes it more resilient. Strengthening the core is a crucial part of having an overall
healthy body.
8-Strengthening Of Legs
Another great health benefit of kayaking is strengthening the legs. The legs perform an important aspect in balancing the kayak. Every time you apply pressure by tightening the muscles, your legs get strengthened.
The constant squeezing will leave your muscles more strong. This is an important aspect of balancing the body workout. The Kayak helps you perform a lot of upper body workout; therefore the leg workout just helps in balancing the physique for the entire body.
9-Improves heart health
The health of your heart determines the health of your mind and as a result the health of the entire body. Kayaking is a good way to improve your heart health since it leads to improve heart rate. Improved heart rate means that all the parts of the body get sufficient supply of blood and hence the smooth running of body activities. Heart improvement is a crucial health benefit of kayaking to the human body.
Conclusion
Kayaking is an activity that brings both fun and thrill. The activity is also important to your health since it leads to improved overall body health, by causing improved cardiovascular activity, and concentration. It leads to general body workout as well as self-searching moments.
Bio
Tim Fox a co-founder of The Elite. A blog where he and his dear friend share information about outdoor world and activities