Paddleboarding; how is it so good for you?
Being down in the South Coast is wonderful for many reasons, but paddleboarding and kayaking during the Summer really makes it an amazing place to live. Many of our team members and our patients love water sports, but is it good for your spinal health and wellbeing?
Luckily, the answer in short is - YES!
But why?
When standing, we activate our pelvic and core muscles
When you feel brave enough to stand, you notice that you automatically grip with your feet, tense your legs, and engage your core. Almost without even having to think about it. This is because you’re feeling uneven and your body will respond to changes in the ground beneath you. These core and pelvic muscles are the same ones as needed to support your spine. They also help to maintain good posture through your lower body.
2. When kneeling, you engage your glutes!
When you first start paddleboarding you may feel more comfortable to kneel down on the board instead. As long as you’re still upright and not sitting back on your heels, then you are engaging your glutes! These glutes support your pelvis and sacroiliac joints, and are often underactive in most people.
3. It helps with proprioception and balance
Proprioception is how our body is aware of itself in space, for example when we go for a run we don’t have to watch the ground all the time, this is because our body subconsciously responds to the change in ground. Paddleboarding is much the same - the waves and shifts under the board will cause your feet to grip and loosen continually. Your core will engage and disengage accordingly, especially when you’re turning. Proprioception and balance is hugely important for our general health, but especially in helping to prevent falls as we get older.
4. It’s good for your emotional wellbeing
Here at WWC we are not just about physical pain, as emotional and chemical elements of pain are just as important. Which is why we recommend supplements, discuss medication, and recommend exercises and mindfulness. Paddleboarding is such a brilliant way to incorporate phyiscal exercise, while being surrounded by peace and nature. It helps to release our happy hormones as well as being such a good way to relax. it is truly the best!
So if you’re wondering what to do today, why not go down to your local paddleboard hire shop, and give paddleboarding a try? I promise you won’t regret it!