Looking For A New Water Activity? It's Time for Paddleboarding

There’s a lot of great things you can do on the water. Many of them are also wonderful cardio workouts. Being able to get a workout while having fun is really the best of both worlds. Paddleboarding is a great choice that fits into both of these categories easily. 

Paddleboarding is often confused with surfing since they both use big boards. With paddleboarding, you are looking at flat water, rather than dealing with waves. You stand up on the paddle board and use a paddle to move yourself around. This helps work out your core as you paddle and gets you around. Traversing the waters on a paddleboard can let you get a lot of different places that you might not otherwise get to since you float over obstacles easily. In the end, it’s just fun! Isn’t that what we really wanted out of a watersport? 

How to Get Involved in Paddleboarding

If you want to get into paddleboarding, it’s not that hard. There’s one requirement however. You need to live reasonably close to water! Paddleboarding isn’t a lot of fun in a pool. It needs lakes or oceans to be enjoyed correctly. Assuming you have that, the bar to entry is low. 

Many beaches will actually have paddleboard rentals where you can try it out for the first time to see if it’s something you like. Paddleboarding rewards people with balance. Getting to stand up for the first time is a good milestone and leads to fun. 

Equipment will be covered in the next section, but you don’t need that much. One thing to consider is that paddleboarding is a serious workout for the core. Some minor core training beforehand can keep you from feeling sore if you aren’t using your core muscles regularly. 

Equipment Needed

The good news is that paddleboarding doesn’t need a ton of equipment. Obviously the most important piece is the paddleboard itself. It should feel comfortable to stand on and allow for good balance. Standing up on the board can be a challenge to many at first. There’s actually many different types of paddle boards now. The basic one is a hardboard made of fiberglass around a foam core. There are actually inflatable paddle boards that have become popular. If you are familiar with surfing, paddleboards are much thicker than surfboards as they are intended to provide extra stability and the ability to stand without motion. 

The second item is the paddle itself. It needs to be the correct length so that it will reach the watch while you are standing comfortably. Typically paddles should be between a half foot to 10 inches longer than a person’s height. The paddles themselves are made of different materials. Wood is common, but so is plastic, carbon fiber and aluminum. 

Beyond the big two, there’s other items you need. A proper leash is important. This will keep the paddle board leashed to your foot for the inevitable falls. You don’t want the board to get away and be forced to swim to shore. A personal floatation device is important too. There’s no need to buy one of those old bulky orange things. There’s plenty of better options available now. 

Popular Paddleboards

There’s many different types of paddleboards that people can buy. The inflatable boards have become incredibly popular and have many uses. People use paddleboards for things like fishing, yoga, tours and play. Therefore you want to have a paddleboard which fits your needs and your ideas of what paddleboarding is all about. Some of the best paddleboards out there include: 

• Streakboard Inflatable Stand-Up Paddleboard - This is a solid budget option to people who are just beginning. This version retails around $350. 
• Boardworks Flow Stand-Up Paddleboard - This is one of the premier hard surface paddleboards on the market. It’s a touch more expensive than inflatable versions and costs around $1,300. 
• Goplus Expedition Inflatable Stand-Up Paddleboard - This is a great paddleboard if you are looking to take longer trips and use your paddleboard as transport. The shape is conducive to more speed, though that can reduce stability a little bit. 
• Bote Floating Yoga Mat - A special mention to this paddleboard which is used for yoga at the same time. Yoga is all about balance, so adding some waves to the mix really ensures you have to tape into your inner yogi.