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surfing at six senses laamu hotel maldives

health benefits of surfing

Surfing offers many health benefits, both mental and physical. You may have noticed that older surfers don’t tend to look their age…

Surfing is a great cardiovascular exercise, using mostly upper body muscles to do the paddling work, and leg muscles to guide the board once you’re up and riding.  Since surfing involves more time paddling, it provides an intense upper body and core workout.  Paddling out against the waves can require a lot of effort.

Here’s a quick  summary of the physical health benefits of surfing:

Cardiovascular and heart health

Helps muscle tone

Endurance development

Increased energy

Increased core strength

Surfing for Exercise

The best part about surfing for exercise is that it’s so enjoyable that by the time you check your watch you’ve already been surfing for an hour or so, and you’re happy to keep going for longer.  Most people wouldn’t say the same thing about going out for a run or a workout in the gym.  Fitness instructors will tell you that it’s not so much about the intensity of your workout, but rather the time spent exercising.  When you’re surfing, you’re constantly moving and working your body, resulting in an excellent extended workout.

 

Surfing for Fun

The health benefits of surfing don’t only apply to your physical health. There are also the mental benefits. The high stress environment that many people experience in today’s busy world is detrimental to our mental health. Physical exercise, especially something as fun as surfing, helps to offset the negative effects of stress.

 

Surfing and Vitamin D

If you’re out in the sunshine your body will be making vitamin D.  This vitamin is essential for strong bones, as it regulates the amount of calcium and phosphorus in the blood. Vitamin D also helps regulate the growth of skin cells.  Your body can actually make all of the vitamin D it needs just by catching some rays outside.

 

Surfing and Sleep

Lastly, numerous studies show that regular exercise, surfing included, increases the positive benefits that sleep brings.  Regular exercise enables you to fall asleep faster and remain in a deep sleep for longer.  Sleep is important because it allows time for your muscles to repair themselves and, let’s face it, there’s nothing quite like the wonderful feeling of waking in the morning feeling refreshed.

Downsides of Surfing

Surfing isn’t the perfect form of exercise, however, since it’s not completely symmetrical. It helps to supplement your surfing with stretching, Yoga, Pilates, or some other form of cross-training so that your muscles don’t become unbalanced.

The experts at The Healthy Holiday Company can not only organise an outstanding surfing holiday for you, but supplement and balance the workout you achieve from surfing with other fitness training options, plus yoga or Pilates classes too. 

Ideas for surfing destinations

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Please provide us with some basic contact details and your message. We will be glad to help. If you would prefer to call us, we’re on 020 8968 0501 or, for international callers: 00 44 20 8968 0501

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Why Choose Us?

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With over 15 years experience, we’re travel experts

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Fully tailored holidays, exactly as you want them.

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All of our holidays are financially protected by the ATOL scheme and Protected Trust Services.

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Our experienced team at your destination will look after you every step of the way.

We have several fabulous surfing destinations to recommend for you.  To review a brief summary of all, please see our surfing destinations

We can create a specific surfing holiday for you or simply include surfing (or learning to surf) as part of your healthy and entertaining activities whilst on holiday.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us by email or call us on 0845 458 0723to chat things through.  We’d love to hear from you.

If you’re interested in discovering more about the health benefits of some of the holiday options we’re recommending, you might also like to review:

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