We all know that exercising helps you burn calories. So whether it’s cycling, weight lifting, playing softball, or any other physical activity, it does help in burning calories and eventually assisting in weight loss. And surfing is no different!
In a study published this past May, the researchers had split people into two groups, both of which had to go on a walk. The situation for both of them was similar. But at the end of their activity, one of the two groups was filled with an unhealthier calorie-filled diet than the other.
The reason itself was because of the names researchers had given to the walks; the group that was told it was a scenic walk made better and healthier choices when consuming food than those led to believe that it was an exercise walk.
Not only is surfing fun, but it also has other benefits, and it also helps you lose weight as you have to be quick and efficient to ride the towering waves successfully.
That’s not it; there are many other reasons why surfing helps you lose weight. Read on to find out!
1. Surfing engages all of your main muscle groups.
Surfing can often be considered a complete sport, as it engages all of your essential muscle groups. Like how simply just paddling out to catch a wave can engage your:
- Triceps
- Delts
- Biceps
- Traps
- Lats
- Obliques
- Stomach muscle
And that’s before you’re even standing on your feet!
Getting in a standing position or ‘popping up’ also requires the use of your pecs, delts, triceps, and biceps, followed by the use of your legs as well as your lower back once standing. Staying upright while riding the waves also brings out your core muscles like the stomach and the lower and mid-back.
2. It’s great as a cardio workout.
To maintain good fitness and a healthy heart, at least two and half hours of aerobic activity is recommended per week. As a naturally energetic and intensive sport, surfing can significantly contribute to good cardiovascular health.
And since surfing is enjoyable, if you do have a surfing break nearby, you might find yourself surfing for longer than just 2.5 hours a week, as when you’re having fun, time flies by quicker than you would expect.
3. Surfing can boost your immune system.
Stress is often associated with many harmful and unhealthy health issues, including physical ailments like brain tumors, depression, and other mental problems.
It is also true that short bursts of stress are not harmful to your health. On the contrary, they can promote your long-term health and wellbeing. For example, a study from the University of Stanford suggests that acute stress, something that you feel after carrying out a healthy activity like surfing, can be good for your health.
It may actually be able to strengthen your immune system, improve your time of recovery and even help your body protect itself from ailments like skin cancer.
4. Surfing improves balance and flexibility.
The sport of surfing can strengthen your muscles and further improve your flexibility and make you nimbler.
Many surfers also often practice things like yoga or Pilates to improve their balance and flexibility further, thereby enabling them to surf better. Stretching is also naturally a post-warm-up and post-surf activity that is required to do to avoid injuries and improve overall performance.
5. You can lose weight by surfing.
If your initial goal is losing weight, then that’s no problem as well. Intense physical activity, strength training, and vascular exercise all lead to overall weight loss, as they keep you fit and trim. Since surfing helps you burn calories and get rid of excess fat, this activity can help you lose weight – and the healthy way!
It has been established that an average surfer burns about 400 calories an hour while pursuing this activity. In addition, since surfing is enjoyable, you’re more likely to spend your time surfing than doing any other grueling and incredibly dull form of exercising.
6. It will help you experience better mental health.
Exercising, spending some time outside, having active interests, being social, and simply relaxing are all aspects of surfing that help improve one’s general mental help in various ways.
Simply being outdoors and appreciating the natural beauty can encourage wellbeing. Being engaged in a self-liked hobby can also improve your focus in life and provide you with a sense of purpose. Surfing can also be a type of social activity that allows you to meet many different types of individuals through the walks of life.
Just being out in the ocean is a relaxing yet still invigorating experience.
7. Surfing broadens your horizons.
The search for newer and better breaks can lead you to places all over the whole wide world. As the challenge requires it, surfing encourages you to experience new cultures and the natural environments of places like Bali, California, South Africa, Portugal, Brazil, Australia, Hawaii, Morocco, and Costa Rica.
It allows you to meet fellow travelers, friendly locals of all different corners of the earth, and their opinions on things in their country.
Nothing compares to broadening the mind like traveling and getting to know new people. You may even meet a new work colleague or perhaps a future spouse.
8. Surfing can help with perspective.
Nothing can ground you like being finished and pushed under the sea by a humongous wave. There’s absolutely no point for anyone to be angry, as the size was not something you could have escaped when pushed around, but you still decided to ride it.
Instead, when surfing, you can feel influential in how you ride something so incredible and very vast, or you can realize just how small you are compared to the enormous size of the earth.
When surfing, waves aren’t something that you can fight, instead, try to harmonize with them, and shouldn’t people be like that with other aspects of the world.
So, are you ready to take the big leap?
