Visiting the beach is refreshing as it allows you to step away from the stresses of everyday life. Some people love to relax and bask under the sun or spend time with their family or even partake in some beach activities or hobbies during vacation. Surfing is one popular water sport that is not just a weekend pastime but it offers several health benefits.
Today, there are over 1 million people who visit the beach to surf at least once a year. Surfing a wave is one of the most euphoric experiences that has many positive effects on your physical and mental health.
By now surfing must have got your attention so before we dive into the health benefits, let us first understand a bit more about this exciting sport.
What is Surfing?
Surfing originated over 200 years ago in the Hawaiian Islands. It all began when the first local beach boys of Hawaii began riding surf wave experiences for tourists. This sport has many interpretations, one of which was created by Duke Kahanamoku, who is known as the father of modern surfing.
He learned and taught people how to surf with the right equipment, skills, and techniques. This beach activity gave birth to a variety of other sports such as windsurfing, kitesurfing, skateboarding, and so on.
Surfing involves standing on a surfboard that is designed to ride a breaking wave. When you catch a wave, you can harness the speed and power of that wave.
Experienced surfers have trained themselves to maneuver and navigate these waves efficiently and smoothly. Ombe is an excellent surf school that teaches several tricks and techniques such as Surfers Exercises that help in improving your surfing experience and enable you to ride big beautiful waves easily.
5 Health Benefit When You Surf
Keeps you Fit
Looking for ways to stay fit and healthy? Surfing is the best solution. When you surf, it uses a bunch of muscles to catch and ride a wave. It gives you a great workout without going to the gym. When you start surfing regularly, it will help you be fit and even strengthen your muscles.
When you are on the water, there is a constant need for paddling as waves keep shifting. To stay in shape, consider these Surfers Exercises that will help control your board and build muscles accordingly.
Mental Health
Having a work-life balance is important as it encourages relaxation and calmness of the body. When you are paddling over the waters or catching a wave, it allows you to free your mind and enjoy the sheer force of the waves.
Being outdoors also allows you to respect and appreciate nature. The release of cortisol, the anti-stress hormone, improves your mind and ensures you unwind all the stresses of work or life.
Improves Heart Health
Exercise, in general, is known to improve your heart muscles that reduce the risk of heart-related diseases. However, not everyone is motivated to go to the gym. Surfing offers great cardiovascular exercise as it uses your upper body muscles while paddling out to the waters.
The workout during surfing ensures that your heart stays active and also helps those suffering from shortness of breath. A healthy heart will also give you the ability to take on other strenuous activities in your day-to-day life.
Coordination and Balance
One of the first things you learn when surfing is balance and coordination so you donāt fall off your surfboard. While initially, it can be quite tricky but once you perfect this skill, it enhances your sense of alertness, and coordination even when you are on land.
Another important benefit is flexibility because you need to twist and turn your body to the different wave breaks. These yoga-like poses boost your flexibility and stay with you even when you get older.
Improve Sleep Patterns
Another great benefit about surfing is that it improves your sleep patterns and ensures you get a goodnightās sleep. Exercise and sleep are closely associated with each other as they help release melatonin hormones in your body that are responsible for good sleep.
Since surfing is a strenuous sport that is physically demanding, it helps you sleep faster and longer. A well-rested sleep will repair your body muscles that increase your daily productivity, focus, and strength.
Final Thoughts
These are just some of the reasons why surfing can be a good beach activity for you and your family as well. Now that you have made up your mind to try surfing, here are a few surfing essentials before you ride your very first wave.
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