Paddleboards Offer a Full-Body Workout; Know Your Gear for Best Results
Article by Alex Cotleur
Photography by Carri Lager
Start the new year strong with a workout designed by nature! Paddleboarding is a full-body workout engaging your core for balance while your arms, legs and hips propel you forward. There are several types of boards to choose from, all offering unique challenges:
• Race boards: Long and narrow, they demand more effort to balance.
• Touring boards: Shorter and wider, they require
more effort to gain speed.
• Inflatable boards: Convenient for transport but can be trickier to balance and winds make them tougher to maneuver.
• Hard boards: Provide a dual workout - paddling and transporting them.
A workout paddle provides natural interval training, taking you both with and against the wind and tide. Ideally, you paddle against the stronger of the wind and/or tide first, making for an easier paddle on the return. I offer workout paddles in addition to tours and lessons, join me and learn firsthand or use the information below to plan one.
Author Alex Cotleur raises her arms in victory after a fast paddle from Coral Cove to Cato’s Bridge on a recent day.
First, knowing whether the tide is incoming or outgoing as well as the strength of the current, or tidal coefficient, is essential. The tidal coefficient is the difference between the highest high tide and the lowest low tide of the day. The bigger the difference, the greater the volume of water that is moving, providing more resistance. The tidal coefficient ranges from 20-120, the new moon and full moon bring a high tidal coefficient of 80 and above providing a great core workout.
Next, check the wind on an app that provides wind data on the water as well as land.
Nautide is a great app that gives all weather condition information in one app. Windy and WindFinder apps are great for visual maps showing the wind direction and speed as well as a future wind forecast. Wind speeds of 10-20 miles per hour provide a great workout to paddle against; winds higher than that would merit a one-way paddle or a paddle around mangrove islands to find a little reprieve from the wind and keep the workout an enjoyable challenge.
Your body responds better to workouts you enjoy. When you look forward to it, it is more likely you will stay consistent. If an interval training paddle of any distance is not your style, try yoga on the water. Known as SUP
Yoga, it combines a leisurely paddle to a calm location where you float and flow. Classes are geared for all Breathe Salt Yoga, Native Yoga and Jupiter Yoga offer SUP Yoga in collaboration with paddle outfitters.
Whether you use your board for an intense workout or a leisurely float, the mental health benefits of paddling is just as significant as the physical ones. Known as Blue Mind Theory, it is the concept that being on, in or near water can improve mental health and well-being and reconnect people with nature. Backed by scientific research and relatable to all of us that head seaside for solace, it is no wonder this idea has gained widespread popularity.
Paddling our area is especially therapeutic when the high tide brings in the clear blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean. A manatee swimming past you as you glide over a giant cushion sea star below you helps you leave your worries behind.
Whether you are seeking a workout, mental escape or both - let’s paddle!
