Unless you’re living in the desert, chances are you have seen someone stand up paddleboarding. At the VERY least you’ve heard of it (I hope).
Stand up paddleboarding (SUP boarding) is a watersport that can be enjoyed by almost anyone at any age. It consists of standing on a very large (read-very stable) board, balancing on the board and paddling on alternating sides to move forward.
You can surf, run whitewater, race, and even do yoga nowadays on a SUP board. Paddleboarding provides an excellent cross-training workout while at the same time allowing you to enjoy the outdoors. All you need is a board, a paddle, a personal floatation device (PFD) and some sort of body of water-lakes, rivers, oceans-are all fully acceptable.
I hate to break it to you, but you’re a bit late on jumping on the SUP bandwagon-this sport has exploded in the outdoor industry scene. If you’ve yet to try it out, here are three reasons to get yourself out on the water and onto a board.
1. It’s so easy your grandmother could do it.
Trying out a new sport can be challenging. I remember when I started rock climbing and was overwhelmed with the gear and (embarrassingly enough) how to get into it. “You want me to tie a what kind of knot and how on earth do I get into this harness?” That was me. Not with stand up paddleboarding. You need to know how to stand and balance on a board. And then paddle. DONE.
2. You can bring your dog.
Or your fishing gear. Or a cooler filled with cold beverages. Point is, you can enjoy yourself even that much more by having your dog with you or fishing off the board in the middle of the lake. The large board not only provides stability but more room to bring more stuff with you. Dog with you or fishing gear in tow = more time out on the water = overall happier person.
3. It’s a whole heck of a lot of FUN.
This is probably the most obvious reason, but it needs to be said; SUP boarding is FUN. Whether you’re going through small ripples on a slow meandering river, or paddling across a calm lake high in the mountains, SUP boarding is a good ol’ time. It enables you to enjoy the outdoors, to breathe in deeply that fresh air, to calm your mind, to focus on your balance, to be present in the here and now. And if you do fall down into the water, you’ll be forced to laugh at yourself, or at your friend who happened to fall down at the same time.
Check out your local outdoor store or surf shop to see if they rent stand up paddleboards. Chances are they do and they might even offer beginner classes (even yoga SUP boarding classes).