Now we’ve said goodbye to 2023 and are saying hello to 2024, many of us have some new year’s resolutions we’d like to achieve. Some of us may want to drink less, quit smoking, or drop a few pounds. What’s commonly similar with new year’s resolutions is the fitness aspect.
I know I want to drop a few pounds and improve my health this year, and I’m sure many of you do as well.
There are several ways that you can achieve your new year’s resolutions. You can lose weight, improve your fitness, and become more healthy by developing an exercise routine, eating better, and becoming more physically active.
Of course, you can do what most people do and sign up to the gym but that may not be the best option for you. Did you know that 80% of people that sign up to the gym in January cancel their memberships after 5 months? We don’t know exactly why this is, but I would assume that people lose faith and interest and start failing to turn up.
The gym isn’t for everyone and it can quite easily become mundane and boring. If you want to truly stick to your new year’s resolutions and hit your goals then you need to make reaching them exciting.
For me, when I want to drop the pounds I set targets that I can achieve through things that I love. Activities such as walking, hiking, and ice skating in the winter are things that I enjoy that also help burn calories and keep me fit. But, the number one way that I keep fit and work out consistently is kayaking.
Rowing is a fantastic form of cardio that helps burn calories, build muscle, and keep you fit and healthy. But jumping on the rowing machine at the gym isn’t the best way to approach this form of exercise. Kayaking gets you out breathing fresh air in nature and allows you to exercise while exploring new areas.
Having a form of exercise that’s enjoyable to you will allow you to work out more consistently ensuring you keep hitting your targets and in the long term hit all of your goals. So, how exactly can kayaking help you lose weight, stay fit, and achieve your new year’s resolutions? Let’s take a look…
Can Kayaking Help You Lose Weight?
Kayaking is an excellent way to lose weight. It’s an excellent form of cardio that works out several muscles in the body.
These factors combined make kayaking a fantastic way to lose weight, get lean, and build more muscle. You can definitely improve your physic if you kayak regularly and if you enjoy being outside in nature it won’t feel like working out at all.
One of the reasons kayaking is so fantastic for losing weight is because it burns a significant amount of calories. providing you stay in a calorie deficit — meaning you’re consuming less than your burning, you’ll lose weight and burn fat fast
So, how many calories are burned by kayaking?
How Many Calories Are Burned While Kayaking?
How many calories you burn while kayaking will depend on a few factors such as your size, weight, and how intense your kayaking session is.
Larger and heavier people will burn more calories when working out therefore if you’re overweight, you’ll burn more calories when you first start kayaking. As you begin to lose weight and become lighter your body won’t have to work as hard so the number of calories you burn will reduce.
The number of calories burned while kayaking will also depend on the environment you’re rowing in and the amount of effort you put in. If you’re kayaking upstream against the flow of a river or paddling fast to beat times around the circumference of a lake, you’re going to burn a whole lot more calories than if you head out for a gentle relaxing paddle downstream or on stillwater.
As a general gauge, an average-weight person will burn 375 to 475 calories per hour when kayaking at a moderate pace. A 200 lb (90 kg) person will burn a higher amount of calories (roughly 475 per hour) and a 150 lb (70 kg) person will burn a lower amount of calories (roughly 375 per hour).
Is Kayaking Good for Fitness?
Kayaking is fantastic for fitness. As we’ve discussed, it’s a great way to burn calories and excess weight but it’s also an excellent way to improve your physique and build muscle.
When you head out on a kayak you engage several muscles throughout the body. Your arms, shoulders, and back are some obvious areas of the body to receive a workout through paddling, but other areas also receive a good workout.
The core is another area of the body that receives a good workout while kayaking. You use your core to stay upright in the vessel and engage it when rowing and turning in the kayak.
Your chest is also engaged while you’re kayaking. Each stroke of the paddle works out your pecs and can build excellent lean muscle in the upper body.
Kayaking is also an excellent form of cardio which is brilliant for heart health and blood pressure. Regularly kayaking will improve the flow of oxygen throughout your body, lower your blood pressure, strengthen your heart, and decrease bad cholesterol.
Why is Kayaking Better Than Getting a Rowing Machine?
Hoping in a kayak and heading out on the water is far better than simply getting on a rowing machine at the gym. This is for the same reasons that we mentioned in the last section — kayaking works out a variety of muscles in the body.
Rowing machines are great for targeting certain muscles and they will help work out your back, shoulders, and core. However, when you go out on the water in an actual kayak you have a whole bunch of other forces at play. For one, you must balance to stay upright in the kayak which requires the use of other muscles in the body.
Think of a rowing machine as a targeting way of building mass in specific muscle groups and kayaking as a healthy way to work out your whole body in a more even way.
When you head out on a kayak you also get the benefits of the great outdoors as well as the fresh air. Being outside in nature is extremely good for your mental and physical health. Spending time in nature can calm you down, relieve stress, and help elevate your mood.
How Can You Achieve Your New Year Goals Through Kayaking?
Now you know how kayaking can improve your health, fitness, well-being you can start to use it for your benefit.
You can achieve your new year goals, whether that’s weight loss, improving fitness, or becoming more healthy by first getting yourself a kayak. Once you’re able to get out on the water, you can create a routine revolving around your kayak.
Getting out on the water for an hour or two around three times a week is a fantastic start and it’s usually enough to start shedding the pounds, improving your health, and building muscle.
Would you consider kayaking to achieve your new year goals? Let us know down below!
