Last Updated on July 15, 2022 by admin
Many of us already know that kayaking is fun. You may be thrilled by the testimonies of kayakers, and can’t wait to place an order for your first vessel so you can experience the same bliss. Yet, only a few can put a hand on the fact that kayaking is much more than a recreational activity with much fun. Deep inside lies the yet-to-be-fully-tapped potentiality of kayaking in the medical field.
Yes, kayaking can help you burn some calories. The exciting thing about it is that through consistency and doing things in the right way, and you can be able to shed off those extra pounds of flesh just by doing what you love. Are you already looking at this angle? Then you may want to read further to discover how many calories does kayaking burn.
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Does Kayaking Really Burn Calories?
Understandably, you may have some reasons to doubt the possibility of losing weight by kayaking? If that’s the case, then the subsequent lines would help in reshaping your thoughts.
There’s never a way you can engage in this activity (kayaking) without losing weight. Interestingly, those signs of weakness or fatigue felt at different intervals are a signal that you’re burning calories. The rule of thumb in that regard posits that the time, the pace, and the positioning of the vessel have some roles to play in the number of calories you burn when kayaking.
That said, we would now look at the factors that should be considered for calorie burning. These factors have over the years, been affirmed to be essential in facilitating the loss of extra pounds of flesh when kayaking.
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The Weight
As a paddler, you may have taken note that the type of kayak you choose is often in tandem with your weight. As a rule, you should select a vessel that has over 100 pounds above your weight because that helps in enhancing the balance of the vessel. The same applies to burn calories when kayaking.
According to the outcome of researches by Havard Health, it was posited that the weight of the paddler also plays a vital role in the number of calories that can be burned. For instance, from the postulations of the research mentioned above, a 125-pound paddler can burn up to 300 calories per hour. On the other hand, paddlers that are in the heavyweight category can burn more calories in the long run. What it means is that a 175-pound paddler can burn about 397 calories while a 200 and above pound paddler can 454 calories (and more) in an hour.
The general rule here is that the higher the weight of the paddler, the higher the number of calories that can be burned. Also, the paddler/kayaker should also take note of the upper-body workout because that also contributes to the number of calories that could be lost within a specific timeframe. Above all, the basic principle governing all that is simply that “the more you drag weight across the water, the higher the calories that get burnt in the process.”
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The Intensity of the Paddle
While commendations are given to the first and supreme rule of “the higher the weight, the higher the burned calories,” it should also be noted that the intensity of the paddle also comes into the picture. As a paddler, you don’t just sit on the vessel and hope that your 200-pound weight or more would do the magic. No, you would walk the talk! You have to paddle, and “paddling” here means being serious about it. You should take cognizance that the higher the intensity of the paddle, the higher the chances of losing the extra pounds of flesh.
In that instance, you would be looking at trying your hands on different types of kayaking strokes; as many as possible. Some of these strokes are the backstroke, the forward stroke, and the draw stroke. Trying them all wouldn’t be a bad idea because they help to improve the upper-body workouts at the same time. You may also consider increasing the tempo of each of the strokes over a long period while switching the strokes at intervals to work the different muscle groups in the body.
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The Type of Water
Worthy of mention is that the type of water you’re kayaking on also has a hand in the loss of the extra pounds in the body. The options in the category include but not limited to, whitewater, saltwater, rough water, and flatwater.
You may also want to incorporate other options like the type of kayaking, including surf kayaking and lengthy touring.
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The Areas of the Body
There’s no denying that the movement of the body is one of the primary considerations when it comes to burning calories. Ideally, the target areas of the exercise include but not limited to the chest, the shoulders, the arms, and the abdomen.
For the chest, you’re looking at the countering of movements by your arms, which, in turn, make impacts on the chest. For instance, one arm would be moving forward while the other would be moving backward with a forward push.
The shoulders, undoubted, receive enough impacts to help in burning calories in the region. That is tenable because the paddle of the vessel when in motion moves up and around to the front with each row. That, in turn, helps in the immediate transfer of weight from the lat muscles to the shoulders. Furthermore, that gesture leads to the massive pushing of pressure to the lateral, anterior, and rear deltoids.
The back also receives enough impacts from the paddle — the strokes of the arms help to work the lat. You can also try different kinds of tempo, such as sprints, extended sets, and the narrow grip.
Burn Calories by Kayaking
It’s time to break loose from the conventional dieting and intake of supplements. You can achieve much more when you take to other forms of exercise like kayaking and paddle-boarding. The beauty of kayaking in this instance is that you can spend some time in nature while working out different areas of your body. So, get that vessel and start paddling as much as you can to burn calories!
Do you know someone that wants to burn calories? Sharing this article may help the person to get an idea about the feasibility of burning calories by kayaking. So, share the post!
