Looking for a new hobby that doesn’t involve sitting in front of Netflix? Enter stand up paddle boarding, or SUP. This fast-growing water sport is the ideal activity for anyone who wants to spend an afternoon in the great outdoors with their friends. It’s easy to learn how to paddle board, and once you learn the ropes, SUP can be adapted to all kinds of hobbies and preferences. From SUP yoga to SUP touring to SUP surfing, there’s a paddle boarding activity for just about everyone. Here are a few reasons to give SUP a try.
SUP is great exercise.
Stand up paddle boarding offers some of the most fun you’ll ever have during a workout. SUP provides a low-impact cardio session that’s easy on the joints, and it works muscles all over the body. Because of your outdoor surroundings, you’ll likely feel relaxed through your whole workout. There are many ways to get a great SUP workout, depending on what kind of exercise you most enjoy. If you love group fitness classes, try SUP yoga or SUP pilates to improve your balance. If you have a competitive side, you can dive into SUP surfing and race your friends among the waves. SUP touring is great for anyone who likes to explore, and whitewater SUP is the workout of choice for paddlers with an inner daredevil.
SUP is a calorie-burning powerhouse. During a session of general SUP, you can burn
an average of 330-460 calories an hour. SUP surfing can burn anywhere from 620-735 calories an hour, and SUP yoga fans can expect to burn betwneen 415 and 540 calories per hour. Talk about some epic cardio!
SUP is a world traveler’s dream come true.
Good news: your SUP hobby is extremely portable. If you get yourself an inflatable SUP (also called an iSUP), you can take your board with you on adventures around the world. Inflatable SUPs can deflate and fold conveniently into a backpack or other luggage, and take just a few minutes to re-inflate when you reach your destination. If you use a hard SUP that is too big to transport, you can still rent a board in just about any SUP-loving locale.
When you hop on your SUP instead of a tour bus, you can get to know your surroundings in a much more personal way – and stay active in the process. SUP touring such as the ones Everyday California (see https://www.everydaycalifornia.com/products/paddleboard-rentals for more details) offers has become a popular activity for paddlers who want to take a guided tour of their new destination. Did we mention that SUP tours burn a heck of a lot more calories than that tour bus would? We never liked the hotel gym anyway.
You can SUP with your pets and your friends.
When it comes to SUP, the more, the merrier. You can invite your friends, family, or partner to join you for a day on the water, and you can even have one of them share a board with you if you want. SUP is even pet friendly! Plenty of paddlers take their dogs (and even cats) on SUP adventures with them. If you’re looking to meet new friends to paddle with, keep in mind that cities around the world regularly host energizing SUP group activities. Everything from glow-in-the-dark SUP to SUP fitness classes to group SUP tours have become the norm. It’s a great way to make new friends and create lasting memories with the buddies you already have. Adventure awaits!