Two focuses of my blog are Athletics and Sports and Health/Wellness. Water sports can be a fun way to pursue your physical fitness and really enjoy yourself. The following contributed post is entitled, Love Sports? Here’s Why Should Try the Water!
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There is nothing more exciting than choosing to start a new sport. With the new year looming, most people are starting their New Year’s resolutions. So have you ever considered putting your minds to doing a new sport that you’ve never tried before? Did you know that most people think that a sport is something that they should do by obligation? In fact, the opposite is true. You should never feel obligated to participate in a sport, but you should feel inspired to. You should feel like participating in a sport is going to be the best thing that you do with your week.
Whether you choose to Play tennis or play football’s completely up to you, but engaging in sport is going to be one of the best things that you can do for your mental and physical health. If you love sport already, and you already take part in a couple of teams, have you ever considered expanding your reach to the water? If you’re fortunate enough to live near a body of water in any way, or one is close enough for you to get to regularly, then engaging in a water sport is going to be life changing. Some people love to paddle board and other people love to learn to surf. But before you can decide which sport you want to do, you need to decide to get on the water in the first place. Did you know that only around 80% of Americans say that they can swim?
The thing is, only over 50% of swimmers know how to do the basics to be able to save a life in the water or to save their own life. It doesn’t matter how old you are learning to swim, it can save your life and it can also be a great way to exercise and push out any of the adrenaline you’ve been pent up in your body. So if you love sports we’ve put together a list of very compelling reasons why you try water sports and not just stay on land.
● It’s not limited to just you. Water sports are fun for the entire family, and the reason is that you can get your kids as involved as you want to be. Of course, you can decide to go ahead and engage in a new spot on the water by yourself, but where’s the fun in that? After you’ve had a stressful day at work or a stressful week at work, getting out onto the water could be the only thing that makes you feel good about yourself on the inside. Whether you are recreationally swimming or you decide to learn to surf, you can get the kids involved too. Not only will they be excited to get involved in a new sport, but they have something to do that isn’t just staring at screens all day. The fact that you can do it together as a family also helps to enhance your togetherness.
● It’s excellent exercise. Water prevents your body from moving as freely, which means that there is a resistance for you to move through every time you want to exercise. Certain water sports are fantastic to work your core muscles with and you can really burn off some calories. Stand up paddle boarding is a good way to exercise your entire core, and swimming is a great workout because it’s an easy way to get a full body workout in. Because there’s no impact on your joints, it’s a very safe cardio workout as well. Most people who suffer injury like to get into the water, to continue exercising because there’s a support with the water. They can still enjoy endurance when they are swimming as well because it is a low impact activity that engages everything in your body.
● You have sore joints. If you are advancing in age and you are dealing with achy joints, then water sports including swimming are fantastic for you. You’ll be able to use your joints while you swim without making your symptoms worse, which is why hydrotherapy is a good option if there is rheumatoid arthritis on your medical sheet. If you are feeling stiff or you’re having knee troubles, swimming is going to help you to exercise your body and exercise the joint without putting any additional pressure on it. This level of support isn’t something you can find in traditional sports.
● It’s excellent for your mental health. Is there anything more fun than learning how to surf and being crushed over by waves? Is it more of a challenge to stand up on a paddle board? Yes, it is. If you can manage to exceed yourself and meet that challenge head on, you’re going to be excited by that and it’s going to make you feel good about yourself. You deserve to reduce any depression or anxiety that you may be feeling, and you’re going to improve mental health as you get onto the water and learn how to do something new.
● It’s fun all year round. Water sports generally tend to be fun no matter the time of year, because swimming especially is something that you can do in an indoor pool as well as an outdoor pool. You can still paddle board in the winter if you want to, but just make sure that you are suiting up the right way so that you are warm while you are on the water. If you are heading off on a vacation to a warm location, you can show off those water sport skills of yours anytime of the year.
● There is freedom in it. A lot of people who enjoy watersports feel liberated while they do it. It doesn’t matter the sport option, they feel free when they’re in the water and they feel supported by weightlessness because of the water’s experience. You can sail or kayak into untouched areas, and you can explore different islands by learning how to paddle, board or kayak between them. This level of freedom cannot be received in any other sporting type because water allows you to feel free.
● It’s a great way to escape the heat. If you are living in a hot place or you are holidaying in a hot place, you’re going to feel very encouraged by the fact that water sports allow you to escape that. You’re going to strengthen your body while keeping yourself cool and comfortable while you exercise. That movement is going to make you feel good about yourself, so you should lean into that as much as you can.
● Your body type doesn’t matter. Anybody who’s dealt with obesity before understands how difficult it can feel to run compared to if you are feeling the pull of swimming. Your body isn’t limited in water in the same way that it is on land, and the water allows you to push yourself further physically than it is possible if you were just running through the park.
● Opportunity to learn something new. Whether you want to just learn how to swim or you want to get into a more of an extreme sport, you can fall in love with water sports in a way that you can’t do anything else. Kite surfing, for example, is a safe extreme sport that allows you to get into the air as well as the water. So why not learn something new while you can?
