Not only is stand up paddleboarding lots of fun, but it is also great exercise for health!

Where did stand up paddleboarding get going?

The introductory stand up paddleboards were essentially long, low profile canoes. Hawaiians utilized them for transport and fishing. Several historians point to the Hawaiian surfing community of the 1930s as the original SUP existence as a leisure pursuit, with stand up paddling as a sport not developing a real international presence till as fairly recently as 2005.

Is stand up paddling a beneficial physical activity?

Stand up paddleboarding is very good for your cardiovascular system, your shape and your entire body. While you stand on land you burn between 150 and 175 calories per hour. The act of balancing on your board means that basically standing on your SUP will consume around 250 calories per hour. The more than that you paddle, the higher that number goes. Downwind and surf paddlers can torch as many as 800 or 1,000 calories per hour. In fact, just cruising along at an easygoing clip on flat water will burn 400 or 500 calories per hour or higher.

You can learn the golden rules of paddleboarding in this short video.

Exactly where can I paddle a SUP?

Practically any place you find water, apart from your bathtub, you can get out and get paddling. A rough rule of thumb prescribes that anywhere you can kayak or canoe you can also paddle a SUP.

Just how much does a SUP cost?

You can expect to shell out $400 or $500 on a low-end, recreational, flat water board. Dedicated sporting or downwind boards can sell for as high as $5,000. A good deal of the cost has to do with your SUP's material and fabrication. A blow up SUP will naturally cost a lot less than a handcrafted wood board.

Do I undoubtedly have to have a personal flotation device?

This video outlines some balance tips for SUP beginners.

Perhaps. A number of towns and authorities insist upon a personal life preserver (PFD) if you are not sticking around alongside the shore. Some communities have no prerequisites whatsoever. Even so, it is a smart idea to try to keep one handy, just in case you are heading cruising or touring in an area where you are not familiar with the water.

Is it very hard to get the hang of?

Not at all. You basically just have to have a SUP and a paddle, and of course a body of water, and you are good to go. Explore a handful of YouTube videos that coach you about the best ways to paddle properly if you have to have some guidelines. But in all honesty, once you hop on the board and take hold of your paddle, the method comes naturally and quickly.

Can I rent a board and give it a try first even before I buy?

You certainly can. There are rental services that turn up every summer and spring around any sizable body of water. This holds true in the United States, the UK and in other places around the globe. Certain sporting goods stores also rent out SUPs. This is an ideal way to identify which type of board you prefer to buy even before you purchase.

So, if you would like to take up a new fun sport to have lots of fun and also get some really good exercise, then take a look at stand up paddleboarding as a great choice.