Paddle boarding has become an increasingly popular sport and recreational activity in recent years. As a low-impact exercise that works various muscle groups, many have turned to paddle boarding as a way to get fit and lose weight. But is paddle boarding actually an effective method of weight loss? Let’s take a closer look.
Calorie Burn
One of the main appeals of paddle boarding for weight loss is the amount of calories you can burn while doing it. Here is how paddle boarding stacks up against other popular cardio exercises:
| Exercise | Calories burned per hour (for 150 lb person) |
|---|---|
| Paddle boarding (moderate effort) | 364 |
| Kayaking | 412 |
| Swimming laps | 523 |
| Running (6 mph) | 555 |
| Biking (12-14 mph) | 590 |
As you can see, paddle boarding burns a significant amount of calories per hour, comparable to other popular cardio workouts. And this is for moderate effort paddle boarding. If you paddle at a faster pace or incorporate harder strokes, you can burn even more calories.
Full Body Workout
Another appealing aspect of paddle boarding for weight loss is that it works your entire body, engaging both your upper and lower muscle groups. To maintain balance and propel yourself on a paddle board, you use your abdominal and back muscles. Your legs, glutes, and hips are also constantly engaged. And of course, you get an upper body workout from the actual paddling motion.
This full-body workout recruits more muscle groups than something like biking or running, where your legs are doing most of the work. And engaging more muscles means you burn more calories per hour. It also helps build functional strength and stability throughout your entire body.
Low Impact
Unlike higher impact exercises like running, paddle boarding is relatively gentle on your joints. This makes it appealing to a wide range of ages and fitness levels. Those with prior injuries or conditions like arthritis may be unable to do high impact workouts. But the low impact nature of paddle boarding makes it accessible.
The gentle nature of paddle boarding means you can do it consistently, day after day, without the same injury risks or post-workout muscle soreness you might experience with running. Consistency is key for long term weight loss success.
Works Core and Balance
In addition to working various muscle groups, paddle boarding is also great for improving your balance and core strength. To stay upright on a paddle board, especially in open water, you constantly have to engage your core and focus on balance. Over time, this leads to noticeable improvements in core strength, stability, and balance.
A strong core is vital for overall fitness and weight loss. Your core resides at the center of your body and helps transfer power from your upper and lower body. And solid balance minimizes your risk of injury from falls and impacts.
Accessibility
One of the great things about paddle boarding is its accessibility to diverse groups of people. Paddle boarding can be enjoyed recreationally by individuals of all ages and fitness levels. With a little practice, it’s something almost anyone can learn to do safely. Lakes, ponds, bays and oceans provide endless opportunities for paddle boarding.
And unlike other sports that require specific training facilities or equipment, all you need to paddle board is access to a body of water. This makes it something you can do while traveling or on vacation as well. Paddle boarding’s simplicity and accessibility makes it easy to incorporate into an active lifestyle.
Fun Way to Exercise
Let’s face it, traditional gym workouts or cardio exercises can get monotonous over time. But paddle boarding offers a fun way to get active and break out of the repetition. Simply being outdoors on the water provides a boost to your mental health as well.
Because paddle boarding is an enjoyable activity, you’re more likely to do it consistently. And choosing exercise you actually look forward to is key to long term weight loss success. The fun, outdoors nature of paddle boarding makes it something you’ll want to keep coming back to.
Works Multiple Muscle Groups
As discussed earlier, paddle boarding engages your entire body, from your legs and glutes to your core, back, shoulders and arms. This total body workout recruits more muscle groups compared to something like cycling or running where your lower body is doing most of the work.
By engaging multiple major muscle groups, you increase the number of calories burned per hour of exercise. This helps maximize your weight loss potential from the time invested. The ability to work your upper AND lower body simultaneously is a major advantage of paddle boarding for fitness.
Incorporates Interval Training
One great way to enhance a paddle boarding workout is to incorporate intervals. Interval training simply means alternating between higher and lower intensity efforts. For example, you might paddle at an aggressive pace for 2-3 minutes followed by 1-2 minutes at a recovery pace.
Interval training helps you burn more calories by spiking your heart rate. And switching up your paddling intensity keeps things interesting mentally and physically. Incorporating regular interval sessions helps prevent plateaus as your fitness improves.
Better Toning Results
Due to the simultaneous upper and lower body workout, paddle boarding may provide enhanced muscle toning results compared to single-plane activities like cycling and running. Paddling works your chest, shoulders, arms, upper back and core while balancing and maneuvering works your lower body and engages your stabilizing muscles.
Many who paddle board recreationally report improved muscle tone in their legs, buttocks, chest and arms. And enhancing your muscle tone helps reveal fat loss results. Just be sure to combine it with proper nutrition to shed excess body fat.
Promotes Weight Loss Mindset
Succeeding with long term weight loss is just as much mental as it is physical. Being out on the water paddle boarding promotes a mindset that can facilitate your weight loss efforts. The peacefulness out on the water clears your mind, reduces stress, and reconnects you with nature.
Paddle boarding requires focus and presence of mind to maintain balance and awareness. This can pull you away from digital distractions and put you more in touch with your body. Developing this mind-body awareness supports a weight loss mindset.
Enhances Aerobic Capacity
Any form of cardio exercise will help improve your aerobic fitness, also known as VO2 max. And increasing your aerobic capacity has been linked with lower body fat percentage and easier weight control.
Paddle boarding enhances your aerobic fitness by raising your heart rate for sustained periods. Over time, this leads to positive cardiovascular adaptations that increase delivery and utilization of oxygen. A higher VO2 max means your body can burn fat more efficiently during exercise.
Builds Endurance
In addition to aerobic improvements, paddle boarding also builds your muscular endurance. This refers to the ability of your muscles to work continuously for prolonged periods. Paddle boarding sessions tend to be longer duration at moderate intensity, which enhances endurance.
Greater endurance allows you to workout longer and burn more calories during each session. It also carries over to daily life, giving you more energy for physical activities and recreational pursuits. Improving endurance facilitates an active lifestyle.
Conclusion
Based on the analysis above, paddle boarding does appear to be an effective exercise for weight loss for a variety of reasons:
- Burns a high number of calories per hour
- Works multiple major muscle groups simultaneously
- Low-impact and accessible to most ages and fitness levels
- Engages core muscles and improves balance
- Fun way to stay motivated with exercise
- Enhances aerobic capacity and endurance
- Promotes a weight loss mindset
While no single form of exercise is a “silver bullet” for weight loss, paddle boarding can be a highly effective component of a healthy, active lifestyle geared towards shedding excess body weight. To maximize weight loss, be sure to also incorporate strength training for metabolism-boosting muscle and a calorie deficit from your diet.
