“Is Kayaking Healthy for Me?”
6-minute read
Most people would answer that question with a Yes. But why? As we’ll see, kayaking gives you many more health benefits than simply a chance for some exercise.
(Photo courtesy of Five2Nine Media)
One of the best ways to combat our unhealthy societal shifts from active to sedentary and outdoors to indoors is to participate in fun outdoor activities. Kayaking is one of the best! (We may be a titch biased.)
It doesn’t take long to discover the proven health benefits of kayaking and other outdoor activities. An online search will bring up loads of them within a few minutes. These benefits go far beyond simply a good workout though.
Let’s explore why kayaking (and paddling in general) is so healthy for us:
Kayaking Boosts Physical Health
Anytime we move our bodies our physical health benefits. We’re made to move. In contrast, a sedentary lifestyle contributes to all kinds of health risks.
Recreational kayaking is an easy-going, low-impact activity that’s accessible to almost anyone, from young children to seniors. And with so much innovative adaptive gear out there, people with disabilities can enjoy kayaking too.
When you use the proper form, kayaking is a wonderful core strength builder. It also works and stretches your shoulder and arm muscles and joints.
In fact, of the major muscle systems we humans have (chest, back, arms, abs, legs and shoulders), kayaking engages all of them—even legs if your kayak has foot pegs.
Paddling gives you cardio benefits too. The amount depends on your intensity, current speed, wind speed and distance. You can vary your cardio workout as much as you want to, even on the same body of water.
Kayaking is very doable for aging enthusiasts with the right gear.
If getting in and out of a sit-inside model is too hard on your knees, you can use a sit-on-top instead. If you need something lighter than a hardshell boat, tons of quality inflatables are on the market. If you struggle with shoulder or wrist pain, we have feather-light and bent-shaft paddles to help with that.
Best of all, kayaking is FUN so it’s easy to talk yourself into getting out there.
(Photo courtesy of Thrive Visuals)
Paddling Enhances Mental and Emotional Health
For many kayakers, the mental and emotional health benefits they experience even outweigh the physical health benefits they gain.
Aqua Bound Ambassador Nick Ray is one of them. In a guest post on our blog, he wrote:
“Sea kayaking is so much more to me than a pleasant pastime. It is essential to me in my continual journey of recovery, from my sometimes-debilitating clinical depression. My depression may sadly never leave me, but I will not allow it to totally define who I am. Instead, it’s my relationship with myself which is important, the healthy one I nurture through my kayaking life and which determines who I believe myself to be. A sea kayaker who lives for the joy of life.”
He explains how sea kayaking meets innate psychological drives for emotional health: contact, recognition, incident and stimulus.
- Kayaking brings him into the present, easily becoming mindful of what’s around him. “I will avoid agonizing about the past and worrying about the future,” he said.
- Provides contact with other people and the natural world, including wildlife.
- Provides the elements of risk and excitement which are so necessary for personal growth.
- Kayaking immerses us in the natural world, which provides healthy stimuli for our senses.
Researchers have known for a long time now that physical activity like kayaking promotes mental health. Here are some of their key findings:
- Exercise stimulates your brain by promoting neuroplasticity and releasing hormones like endorphins and dopamine. It also pumps more oxygen into your brain, improving executive function.
- Active pursuits like kayaking relieve stress, improve self-confidence, mood and thinking, and promote better sleep (which has its own list of benefits).
- Regular exercise like the kind you get while kayaking helps manage depression, anxiety, bipolar, OCD, PTSD and ADHD symptoms.
Kayaking Can Benefit Relational and Family Health
Kayaking is a super outdoor activity you can do with family and friends. Having fun together builds positive memories and strengthens friendships. Healthy relationships are another key to a healthy life.
(Photo courtesy of Five2Nine Media)
This article from Harvard Medical School says, “Dozens of studies have shown that people who have social support from family, friends, and their community are happier, have fewer health problems, and live longer.”
During the 2020 pandemic, one Canadian family started kayaking together every weekend. They discovered it was a fantastic way to get their kids away from screens, get outside and have fun together. (You can read their story here.)
Young kids can go in the front of a tandem kayak with mom or dad. Kids as young as 6 or 7 can paddle their own boat on small, safe bodies of water. It builds healthy independence and self-confidence that can be a real boost for their young lives.
Kayak fishing, recreational kayaking, kayak tours and trips—all can be done with friends and family members. And it’s a great way to meet new people and develop new friendships.
There are a plethora of Facebook groups, local clubs and other social ways to connect with others who love to kayak.
Being Outdoors in Nature Boosts Overall Health
Finally, research also shows that we receive multiple emotional and mental health benefits from being in nature. And of course, kayaking gets us into nature!
Grand or intimate, nature is good for us (Photo courtesy of Kimberly Wheatley)
It doesn’t matter if it’s the local river, neighborhood lake, ocean or big water like the Great Lakes. It’s all nature and it’s all good for us.
“Contact with nature is associated with increases in happiness, subjective well-being, positive affect, positive social interactions and a sense of meaning and purpose in life, as well as decreases in mental distress,” says this article from the American Psychological Association.
The article goes on to reference a UK study that found:
“People who had spent at least two recreational hours in nature during the previous week reported significantly greater health and well-being. That pattern held true across subgroups including older adults and people with chronic health problems, and the effects were the same whether they got their dose of nature in a single 120-minute session or spread out over the course of the week.”
We hope this encourages you to get out on the water as often as you can!
Kayaking helps you become a healthier you.
What paddling questions can our friendly Customer Service team help you with? Contact us here: 715-755-3405 or [email protected]
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