Back in the early 1940s in the beautiful place of Waikiki, Hawaii is where the creation of stand up paddleboarding began. A local legend by the name of John Ah Choy, had been a die hard surfer his entire life, starting from the young age of 6 he was determined to continue surfing till the day he died. However, as he got older and time began to take its toll, popping up on his surf board with his less then youthful knees, hips and back became a difficult task. With a lifetime of skills and balance under his belt standing on his board was no issue. So John Ah Choy decided not to give up, rather than laying flat to paddle out to catch a wave, he would stand atop his board and use a long canoe paddle to propel himself. It was long before other locals began to give this style a try and thus began the stand up paddleboard movement.

In recent years Stand up paddle boarding or SUPing as is commonly referred as, has become an increasingly popular sport. Today’s modern day stand up paddleboarders use their board for variety of different reasons, whether that be surfing like the great ohn Ah Choy himself. Fishing as the art of standing offers a strong and highly accurate cast. Yoga as the added instability improves the core workout. However, what seems to be the most popular option in modern day stand up paddleboarders is using their boards as a simple recreational way to explore river ways, lakes or streams and have some simple quality fun.  

Stand up paddle boards are a great way to enjoy any type of water way. Stand up paddle boarding is a great sport for both beginners and more advanced paddlers alike. They offer a great workout and are perfect for those who want to explore the water or go for a simple fish. Modern day stand up paddle boarding is a perfect way to improve your weekend adventures or become your next favorite hobby.

Not only that but stand up Paddle Boards offer an impressive range of health benefits. This article will help highlight the reasons why stand up Paddle Boarding should truly be your next hobby.

With this increased popularity there has thus become a huge variety of Stand up paddle boards available on the market to choose from. With so many different models to choose from, it’s hard to know which one is best for you. Therefore, this article will also act as a helpful guide for you to find a Stand up paddle board that’s right for you.

How Stand up Paddle Boarding Can Improve Your Health:

Stand up paddle boarding is a sport that is gaining more and more popularity for a variety of reasons, one of those reasons being its benefit to your health. Stand up paddle boarding is often defined as a cross between surfing and kayaking, with both of these sports already offering major health benefits its no wonder SUPing has become the health power house it is today.

The sport of Stand up paddle boarding has been shown to improve your health in many ways. The most predominate way is improved balance, this is a significant plus for anyone looking to help fight the effects of aging. As unfortunately as we age our balance is one of the first things to deteriorate. Thus, proactively improving your balance before hand has been proven to be the best preventive method.

Another health benefit the art of Stand up paddle boarding offers is also increased strength but most importantly increased core strength. Strengthening your core gives you’re body a strong stable foundation and thus makes you less prone to injuries when participating in other sports or activities. At the same time as improving your core strength Stand up paddle boarding can also help you lose weight by burning calories quickly, this is due to the fact it requires the use of so many different muscle groups at the same time.

Not only does Stand up paddle boarding offer a range of physical benefits, but it has also been known to improve mental and spiritual health too. The calming nature of exploring water ways whilst Stand up paddle boarding mixed with the concentration required to stand an paddle upright offers a harmonizing moment of self-reflection. In our modern busy lives is a rarity to have a quiet moment to ourself to collect ones thoughts. Stand up paddle boarding is the perfect sport to help force yourself to do so.

Choosing a Stand up paddle board that’s right for you:

When shopping around for a Stand up paddle board it’s important to know that a shorter board is generally more maneuverable in the water and easy to transport out of the water. Whereas a longer board offers vastly more stability however is difficult to transport off the water.

Luckily with todays modern day Stand up paddle boards this issue has thus been resolved with the invention of inflatable Stand up paddle boards. Back in the era of John Ah Choy the only Sups available were a hard timber or fiberglass construction, which were great for on the water but the nearly 11 foot length were a nightmare to maneuver and transport off the water.  Thus, an inflatable Stand up paddle board or ISUP offers the impressive length and rigidity of a hard SUP but then can be simply deflated and thus transported with ease.  

Conclusion:

As you can see stand up Paddle Boards offer a great way to get in shape and enjoy the beautiful outdoors. With the use of inflatable stand up Paddle Boards they are a versatile, lightweight, and easy to transport. Boasting an array of different uses from surfing, kayaking, fishing, or even just leisurely paddling around on a stunning body of water. But no matter how you use them, stand up Paddle Boards offer a great way to spend quality time with friends and family.