American’s love outdoor pursuits and one of the fastest growing of those is water sports – and it isn’t hard to see why taking part in activities either in or on the open water is becoming more and more popular.
Watersports can give you an adrenaline rush as you hurtle downstream at a rate of knots. They can leave you tanned from being out on the sunshine all day and toned from the effort that your core muscles put into paddling yourself around. Best of all though, they are a cheap and efficient way to get a lot of good exercise in.
Still not sold on the benefits of watersports? Here are five reasons why they are brilliant for your health.
Watersports offer a full body workout
There aren’t many sports out there that can give you a full body workout in one hit, but watersports certainly do. If you want to work both your arms and legs in a gym situation, you are looking at different exercises on different machines which can be time-consuming and energy sapping. Compare that to swimming, which will work your entire body in one session. You don’t need to be Michael Phelps either – just a gentle number of lengths up and down your local pool is enough to get a thorough workout into you in less than half an hour.
They improve bone density
If you want to improve your bone destiny – particularly if you are an older person who may struggle with the pounding your body takes from the treadmill – then water sports such as paddling, water bikes, canoeing and kayaking in an Intex Explorer K2 Kayak offer the perfect way to do so.
They are good for the mind
Science has long suggested that a day at the beach can be good for the mind. The tranquillity that comes with the open sea, the fact it is the colour blue which has been found to be associated with calmness and peace by an overwhelming number of people and the constant ebbing and flowing make being out on the water great for clearing the head. That can also translate into watersports, with swimming, for example, having been proven to improve the mood of both men and women.
They can benefit those with arthritis
If you are one of the nearly 40 million people in the United States who suffers with some form of arthritis, then watersports could help in your treatment. The fluidity of water is gentle and naturally soothing to those with aching joints. Activities like snorkeling and swimming can help facilitate the use of the affected joint without making the condition worse, while many medical experts already recommend hydrotherapy for those suffering with rheumatoid arthritis.
They decrease the risk of heart disease and diabetes
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America for both men and women. While a lot of us may think it requires incredible effort and lifestyle change to shed weight and put ourselves less at risk of suffering from the condition or other obesity-linked problems such as diabetes, watersports offer a relatively easy way to start on the road to weight loss. Doing some light exercise in water or even just floating will lower stress levels to help you relax which is good for the body, while you’ll also be burning off calories without even noticing.