Stand up paddle boarding is quickly becoming the water sport of choice for many people. It’s easily accessible, quick to learn, and has lots of health benefits.
But if you’re on a weight loss journey, or are planning on starting one, you may be wondering whether SUP is effective, and if so – is it a good form of exercise for losing weight? After all, it doesn’t hurt to shed a few pounds while doing something fun, so it’s definitely worth looking into paddle boarding as a form of exercise.
So, can you lose weight paddle boarding? This simple answer is yes, you can.
SUP boarding can help you lose weight and get fitter, but only if you do it right. Let me explain in detail below.
How Can I Lose Weight with Stand Up Paddle Boarding?
To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit.
A calorie is a unit of energy and your body needs energy for your cells to function properly.
You get this energy (calories), from the food you eat. The exact number of calories your body needs depends on a number of things, including your age, gender, activity level, and physical fitness, among other factors.
If you eat more calories than you need, the extra calories will be stored as fat, leading to weight gain. This is as complicated as explaining weight gain (and conversely weight loss) needs to be.
The way to lose weight, is to use more calories than you consume – in other words, to create a calorie deficit.
In order to do this, you have to eat fewer calories than your body requires, or burn more calories than you’re consuming. This deficit will result in you losing weight over time.
Say you need 2000 calories a day. If you only eat 1500 calories, you’ll be creating a deficit of 500 calories. Alternatively, you can eat the required 2000 calories a day but burn an extra 500 calories.
Do this daily and you’ll have created a deficit of 3500 calories by the end of the week. This is equal to one pound lost. Keep it up and you’ll easily lose a few extra pounds.
So where does paddle boarding fit in all this?
Stand up paddle boarding is a fun workout that can easily help you burn calories while enjoying the great outdoors.
It may not look intense but SUP burns more calories than most common, strenuous activities.
How Many Calories Can I Burn with Paddle Boarding?
The number of calories you burn with SUP depends on your weight and the kind of SUP activity you’re doing. But on average, you can burn about 400 to 550 in an hour of gentle paddling.
These are more calories than you’d burn walking up a hill or running at about four miles an hour.
Besides, you can paddle harder to burn more calories. Intense SUP activities like SUP surfing and SUP racing use more calories. With surfing, you’ll burn at least 600 calories in an hour and at least 700 calories with racing.
The more intense the activity, the higher the calorie burn. Also, the more you weigh, the more calories you’ll burn. Some people can burn over 1000 calories in a single hour of SUP racing.
Given how many calories SUP burns, even when you’re paddling leisurely, it can be effective in helping you create a calorie deficit.
Does Paddle Boarding Burn Belly Fat?
Yes, paddle boarding can help you burn belly fat. However, it should be noted that there is no specific exercise that can target bely fat alone (unfortunately). Our bodies just don’t work that way.
SUP is a full body workout and is great for burning extra calories, and working your core, so if you paddle consistently, you’ll have success with your overall weight loss journey, burning belly fat in the process.
Is Paddle Boarding Good for Toning?
Yes, paddle boarding is good for toning.
As mentioned, SUP is a great exercise that targets almost every muscle in your body. It works the arm, shoulder, back, chest, core, glutes, and leg muscles, resulting in tremendous fitness benefits.
SUP can help you shed some pounds and give you a leaner, more toned appearance.
Can You Paddle Board If You’re Overweight?
Yes, you can paddle board if you’re overweight. Contrary to what you might think – there’s a paddle board to suit people of every size and weight.
This is one of the great things about SUP; everyone can do it regardless of their fitness levels or size. It’s a fun activity that you can do at your own pace, keeping it as comfortable as you’d like. It also doesn’t put too much pressure on your joints or tendons.
But if you want to use SUP to achieve your fitness goals, you should know that paddle boards have weight limits. Some have a low limit and can’t support more than 200 pounds. Others have a high capacity and they can hold over 500 pounds.
So this is important to note when buying a paddle board. Check the weight limit to make sure it can support you and your stuff.
Wrapping Up
Can you lose weight paddle boarding? Yes, you can.
Weight loss comes as a result of calorie deficit. This means eating fewer calories than your body needs or burning more than you consume.
Stand up paddle boarding is an effective exercise that burns many calories. The average person can lose about 400 to 550 calories paddling leisurely for an hour. If you combine consistent paddling with a healthy diet, you’ll be able to lose weight.
SUP is also a full-body workout that can help you have a more toned and leaner appearance as well as burn belly fat. However, you can’t target a specific body part.
Lastly, remember that anyone can paddle board, even those who are overweight. Stand up paddle boarding doesn’t have a weight limit, but paddle boards do. So be sure to get a paddle board that can support your weight.