If we were to head to the beach right now, we would see people swimming, sunbathing, relaxing, and stand up paddleboarding. In fact, stand up paddleboarding, also known as SUP, is a fun recreational activity that many people are doing no matter the body of water, which means you might see some on the lake, in the rivers, or even in the ocean.
While so many people are busy enjoying this SUP adventure, there are people like us that are wondering whether this activity is here to stay. I mean, the equipment is not cheap. It makes sense that many people want to ensure that this isn’t just a fad before they invest hundreds of dollars into an activity.
Luckily, this article has everything you need to know about stand up paddling and whether it is an activity that will last a lifetime. Here are a few facts you should know about before you start buying equipment.
About SUPing
Before we can determine why SUP is an activity for us, we need to first understand what it is all about. SUP, which we know is stand up paddleboarding, is an activity that combines the cool and relaxed version of kayaking with surfing.
Participants start by standing on a paddleboard, using a long paddle to propel them across the surface of the water. Paddleboarding started as a small activity in a remote area of Hawaii, but it soon turned into a national phenomenon. SUP enthusiasts can be found everywhere now.
It was originally brought to the attention of everyone by an ambassador of the SUP movement who brought it to California where it swept the world by storm. SUP has been around since 1996 after a few professional surfers decided to make a variation of surfing. Thus, stand up paddling was born.
Is It a Fad?
When SUP first made its way into the public eye, many people were skeptical about the idea, writing it off as just a new fad that would eventually fade away. Luckily, the concepts of stand up paddling have not faded away, and they continue to be popular in today’s society.
One of the biggest contributions to why SUP has maintained its status is people asking, “what's a SUP” and “How can I use this in my life”. Many athletes asked these same questions, which has lead to other variations of the water activity.
Some use it for CrossFit, giving them a good exercise both in the arms for paddling and in the core for balance. Others have taken the activity and started performing yoga asanas on the paddleboard, giving the practice more of a challenge and more of a workout in the end.
With these ideas in mind, SUP doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. The perspective of the stand up paddling activity has become popular because of celebrities, but it is staying popular because it is truly a fun way to spend your time.
The Benefits of SUP
There are many benefits to stand up paddling that give it a glamorous feel. Paddlesports, in general, have many health benefits like growing muscle groups and more. However, stand up paddleboarding has several benefits besides the ones that paddle sports can offer.
One of the most exciting is that you can purchase multi-person boards that allow several people to stand on the same board and paddle themselves around the water. You can make SUP a family event or a great date idea if out in the water.
Another great benefit of SUP is the muscle benefit. When using a SUP, the core is worked to help maintain balance while on the board. The arms and legs are worked to help propel the board over the water, growing the muscles in various places.
Regular exercise on a stand up paddleboard can help improve the posture as well, which is one reason why people enjoy using this board. Since the SUP is better for long-term fitness, many people choose this to help with their posture and core strength. Plus, getting exercise on the water is fun.
Bodies of Water
One of the best parts about SUPing is getting to choose where you want to go for the activity. It doesn’t matter if you live near the ocean, a river, or a lake, you can enjoy time on your paddleboard in any body of water, even a pond.
The best option for paddleboarding is going to be a location that has limited wind and few waves to give you a safer launch and landing while performing the activity. Calmer days are always ideal when preparing to go paddleboarding.
It should be noted that stand up paddling alone is never a good idea, especially for beginners. Should something happen, you do not want to be alone without any form of help. This means that if you choose remote locations, choose a friend to come along, or choose to paddle in more public locations.