So, you’re looking to lose some pounds (or kilos) by trying out skimboarding, eh? If that’s so, you’ll be happy to know that idea ain’t such a bad one. To back up that statement, today we’ll show you just how many calories you can burn skimboarding! Stay tuned.
Okay, so what’s skimboarding anyway? How does it differ from other surf-like watersports? Also, why’s skimboarding a good thing for your overall health? Don’t worry, you’ll find a thorough answer to all of these questions. If you’re just starting out, it’s better you’re equipped with some neat beginner’s info!
Skimboarding is one of the most exciting ways you can lose weight. Here are the facts: if a person that weighs around 180 lbs (or 80 kg) chooses to skimboard for somewhere between half an hour and a full hour, they’d burn up to 160 calories, depending on the intensity of the session in question.
Getting up on that skimboard for the first time will be a whole lot easier if you read the whole thing and not just the preview. Therefore, you know what you’ve got to do!
Table of Contents
What is skimboarding?
Before we venture deeper into the hallways of our today’s topic, it’s best we take a look at some basic skimboarding beginner’s info. It’s basically a tradition, here at Go Extreme Sports. That being said, it’s completely natural to pose the following question first: what is skimboarding?
Okay, here’s the standard definition: skimboarding is an all-ages sport in which folks use a specially designed board to ride on shallow water. They, of course, perform tricks while trying to balance and avoid falling off the board. The sport was founded in the third decade of the 20th century by a guy called George Griffeth, a 1920s Calfornia lifeguard. He and his best pal Jimmy made rounded redwood disks which they utilized to slide across the blue.
Today, skimboarding is one of the most popular watersports out there, despite being something folks like to call a “small sport”. More tips about this amazing sport you’ll find on this page. Now let’s see how skimboarding differs from its older brother – surfing!
What is the difference between skimboarding and surfing?
There are many things we can point out as differences between these two activities. Here we’ll count some of them!
#1 Surfers go deeper
As we’ve already said, skimboarders enjoy shallow water. Unlike them, surfers like to go into deeper water and tackle the wave in order to ride it back to the shore. Also, unlike surfers, skimboarders catch waves that break near the shore.
#2 You can skimboard even if there are no waves
You really don’t need big waves in order to skimboard. For all we care, you don’t need any waves at all for skimboarding. You can simply skim parallel to the shore and do some fantastic tricks while you’re there. Also, if you’re wondering which foot goes where on your skimboard while you’re trying to catch a wave, simply follow the highlighted link.
#3 Difference in the board itself
The last thing we’ll mention in this segment is the difference in the board itself. So, yeah, if you were to take a closer look, you’d see that skimboards and surfboards slightly differ from one another. Slightly? Well, not so slightly, and here’s why:
- Surfboards are usually twice the length of surfboards. They’re also two times thicker than their skimboarding counterparts. Additionally, skimboards don’t possess any fins. Therefore, they’re a bit more difficult to control & balance. Lastly, they’re narrower than boards surfers use to ride the waves.
If you’re not so sure whether to trust us on this one, check out this collection of skimboards. You’ll notice the difference right away!
Aside from their differences, both sports offer many thrills to the folks that practice them. Also, they’re both favorites among watersport enthusiasts worldwide. Okay, so that’s that when it comes to beginner’s skimboarding info. Without further ado, let’s check out just how many calories can you burn skimboarding!
How many calories do you burn skimboarding?
They say that skimboarding is one of the best ways to have fun & lose some weight at the same time. Let’s see whether that’s the truth or just a casual thing folks say without really giving it some thought!
Here’s our answer: the folks that say the words we’ve cited above are completely right. Practicing skimboarding is actually a great way to lose weight. So, can we back that up with some calorie-related facts? Let’s say a person trying out skimboarding weighs about 180 pounds (around 80 kilos). If that person was to skimboard for around a 1/2 hour to a full hour, they’d burn up to 160 calories depending, of course, on the intensity of the session in question.
Basically, how many calories you’ll burn depends on the way you’re practicing this amazing watersport. Tackling more challenging waves will certainly help you burn more calories. However, that doesn’t mean that “doing your thing” in shallow water is to be somehow excluded from the whole skimboarding-will-help-burn-some-calories talk. Quite the contrary!
Now that we’ve seen how many calories can one burn skimboarding, let’s find out the other health benefits that come with this amazing sport!
Other health benefits of skimboarding
So, besides being a great calorie-burning activity, what else can we say about skimboarding in terms of keeping your body & mind healthy? Let’s take a closer look!
#1 Skimboarding improves your cardiovascular health
If someone told you skimboarding’s easy, that person doesn’t have a clue about it. However, we’re not trying to say that it’s hard to master or anything similar. It’s just that you’ll need to invest a lot of effort into the activity, just as if you were to try anything else. Needless to say, it takes a lot of work to master sweeping through the waves, especially the strong ones. Anyway, your body will be in motion constantly, and your heart muscles will begin to pump using more force than usual while engaging other muscles skimboarding will require you to use: muscles in the shoulders, arms, and back.
Skimboarding will, therefore, assist in lowering your blood pressure. Once you get into the hang of things with skimboarding, you’ll easily notice that your cardiovascular health has much improved. That will, of course, greatly lessen the chances of you suffering a stroke, or any other heart-related issue.
#2 Skimboarding’s a proven mood booster
The rumor has it that nobody’s ever seen a sad skimboarder, without cool stickers on their board. There’s nothing stopping you from believing that’s true. Anyway, each time we engage in some sort of physical activity, our minds benefit. Skimboarding’s no different, plus you get to enjoy the open water instead of sweating inside the gym. Not only that but you’ll also meet fellow skimboarders and they’re quite known to be great company.
#3 Skimboarding helps you sleep like a baby
Studies have shown that physical exercise boosts your melatonin levels. In other words: skimboarding will help you if you’re having any trouble going into sleep mode or being asleep for longer periods of time. With an active lifestyle, you’ll enjoy a good night’s sleep without much hassle. Here’s why that’s happening:
- Once you’re finished with a good workout session during the day, your body will require your to replenish that muscle energy. Therefore, once the time comes to say good night, you’ll have no trouble falling asleep.
Undisturbed, normal good night’s sleep is something we all deserve. Without it, we can’t say our mental picture’s stable.
#4 Skimboarding does wonders for your leg & core strength
As you might’ve assumed, skimboarding includes plenty of maneuvering with various balancing techniques and styles. That’s because you’ll need to stay put on your skimboard while riding across the waves. That will, of course, require you to utilize most of the muscles you’ve got in your body, with an emphasis on your legs and core. Did you know that one hour of skimboarding on a daily level will enable you to strengthen your core & leg muscles in no time? Well, now you do.
#5 Skimboarding will enhance your self-confidence
This one’s pretty self-evident, right? Any form of physical activity will do wonders for the way that you look at yourself, and your body. Skimboarding’s no exception to the rule. As you get better & better at it, you’ll notice that your self-confidence doesn’t have anything else to do but to rise.
#6 Skimboarding will provide you with the necessary dose of Vitamin D
There’s probably no need to emphasize that Vitamin D is very important for the way our bodies function, it helps regulate calcium and phosphorus levels. Also, the best way to “get it” is directly from the sun. How do you know when you’re in desperate need of Vitamin D? Well, you’re feeling like you’re pretty low on energy, in a bad mood, or simply – fatigued.
Needless to say, you’ll probably skimboard in the sun. Just don’t forget to put some sunscreen on.
#7 Skimboarding in cold water is good for your body’s health
And for the last bit, let’s talk about how cold water in which you’ll presumably skimboard affects our precious bodies. Here’s the thing: while we’re inside cold water, our bodies tend to heat up faster than regular. Therefore, our body’s metabolism will enhance, improving our overall health.
Of course, some of the benefits might’ve gone unmentioned, but we’ll say that this is more than enough to satisfy anyone’s curiosity. All that’s left now is to say goodbye! Oh, and if you’re wondering just how long skimboards last, click right here.
Final thoughts on the matter
Okay, so that’s about it when it comes to the calorie-burning traits of the amazing watersport known as skimboarding. Now you’re well aware of just how many calories skimboarding burns. If you’re on the lookout for more interesting info and tips concerning extreme sports, pay a visit to our blog page.
