12 Tips For Those Looking To Lose Weight Through Paddling

Paddling is a hobby so enjoyable that it’s easy to forget what a great workout it is. THis water sport is amazing for strength training and building muscle. It’s also a great cardiovascular workout, which is wonderful for your heart, and assists with weight loss. If you love getting out on the water and want to shed some pounds, there are some tricks to help ensure you lose weight through paddling.

If you want to lose weight while kayaking, canoeing, or SUP boarding, you must paddle consistently for the best results. Try to lengthen your paddling route over time, and increase your intensity and stroke as you gain strength. When paddling, remember to engage your core and stretch before and after each workout. Drink lots of water and adjust your diet to ensure you are operating on a calorie deficit.

Losing weight can feel like a full-time job, and strict diets can be miserable and hard to stick to. Paddling is a fantastic way to lose weight because it burns hundreds of calories, and it’s a lot more fun than spending hours in a gym. If you are serious about losing weight while having fun on the water, then make sure you read all our top tips below to help facilitate weight loss through paddling.

12 Great Ways To Help You Lose Weight Through Paddling

1. Consistency Is Key

The key to weight loss, regardless of the methods you try, is consistency and determination. Paddling once a month has its benefits, but to lose weight, you must paddle moe regularly. Aim to venture out in your vessel at least three times per week, and upwards of five times a week if your schedule allows.

Creating a weekly paddling schedule is a great way to hold yourself accountable and stay consistent. If you can’t paddle due to weather or other logistical challenges, supplement your paddling day with a hike or another form of cardiovascular exercise.

2. Stretch Before And After You Paddle

Stretching is important for all paddlers, regardless of whether you are trying to lose weight or not. When you are using this watersport as a method to shed unwanted fat, then stretching becomes even more important.

For one, paddling regularly and with high intensity is hard on your muscles. Stretching will help prevent injuries and can even help you perform better on the water. Furthermore, stretching will make you feel less sore the next day. The better your body feels, the more likely you are to paddle in a day or two.

If you feel sore for days due to a lack of stretching, you will find it harder to paddle regularly.

3. Increase Your Route Distance Over Time

The amount of calories you burn while paddling depends on your intensity and the length of your workout. At first, you should start with short and manageable routes, as this is safer and will result in fewer injuries.

As you feel more comfortable and find yourself in a comfortable routine, try lengthening your paddling routes. The longer your route, the more calories you burn. These longer routes will help you lose weight at a faster rate, and they will also make you a better paddler.

4. Focus On Your Core

When you are paddling specifically to lose weight, you must paddle with intention. More specifically, you must do your best to engage your core and paddle with a strong posture. Utilizing your core allows you to enjoy a full-body workout without over-stressing one muscle group. Instead, your paddling session will be a low-impact workout that will strengthen muscles over time and burn hundreds of calories.

5. Incorporate Short High-Intensity Intervals

In addition to cardiovascular benefits, you can gain muscle while paddling. Building muscle not only makes you stronger, but it also facilitates weight loss. To help facilitate this strength building, consider incorporating bursts of high-intensity paddling.

Instead of paddling at a slow pace the entire time, try adding bursts of sprinting and strong strokes for 30-second intervals. Paddling with all your effort, resting, and repeating in a cycle is akin to lifting weights. It will help you with your stroke, and also assist in both weight loss and muscle formation.

6. Change Your Diet

While paddling is a great way to burn calories, you won’t lose weight unless you also focus on what you eat. If you paddle regularly, but also increase the amount of food you eat, then you aren't likely to lose weight.

The good news is, since paddling burns between 300 and 500 calories per hour, you don’t need to follow a strict diet. Instead, eat healthy, nutrient-rich, and protein-rich foods, and avoid processed and fried foods.

Keep your caloric intake within the ballpark of what you must consume to maintain your weight, or just a few hundred calories less. Consider meal prepping, counting calories, and cooking more at home to make this goal easier to achieve.

7. Drink Lots Of Water

Hydration and paddling go hand in hand. You must stay hydrated whenever you paddle to avoid dehydration and the negative effects it can have on the body. Furthermore, drinking water can assist in weight loss.

Water naturally suppresses the appetite, albeit temporarily. This can help you curb food cravings before and after each paddling session. Water intake also helps flush your body and boost your metabolism,

8. Increase The Power Of Your Stroke Incrementally

Just as you should increase your paddling distance over time, you should also increase the intensity of your paddling stroke when you want to lose weight. Always listen to your body. As your same stroke becomes easy, slowly ramp up the speed and power of each stroke.

As your stroke becomes stronger, you will begin gliding faster on the water. This increased power translates into more calories burned per hour, which will help you lose weight at a steady pace.

9. Try Different Paddling Vessels To Engage More Muscles

If losing weight and strengthening the body is your main goal when paddling, you should try using a variety of paddling vessels. For one, switching up your vessel from a SUP board to a kayak or canoe is a great way to keep this hobby interesting and new.

Furthermore, each paddling vessel targets different muscles. SUP boarding is a full-body workout and a great core exercise. Canoeing is great for the back, lower body, and core, while kayaking targets mostly the upper body and core.

10. Try Sup Yoga

One fun and effective way to lose weight while paddling is to incorporate yoga into your paddling routine. Not only is yoga a fantastic way to stretch your muscles, but it’s something you can do on your SUP board.

SUP yoga has become wildly popular in the last few years. In addition to being lots of fun, it forces you to engage your core more than normal yoga and improves your balance immensely. It’s also great for those looking to lose weight, and it works different muscles than you would if you only used your paddle.

11. Find A Paddling Buddy With Similar Goals

Whenever you want to establish a new and healthy routine, it’s much easier when you have a partner to hold you accountable. This is where a paddling buddy comes into play. Not only is paddling with a buddy or in a group a great way to stay safe on the water, but a buddy who also wants to lose weight can keep you on track to reaching your fitness goals.

It’s easy to skip a day of paddling or pack unhealthy snacks, but when you paddle with another person, whether it's a significant other or a casual friend, who is also trying to lose weight, you are more likely to stick to a healthy paddling routine.

12. Make Transporting Your Vessel More Convenient

Sometimes, the hardest part about sticking to a workout routine is showing up. If paddling is your workout of choice, the constant transport of your paddling vessel can grow cumbersome and annoying over time.

To help you stick to your regular paddling routine for weight loss, find ways to make transporting your paddling vessel easier. Invest in an electric pump for inflatable vessels, install roof racks, and buy a towing cart to make lugging heavier vessels to launch sites much easier.