Surfing being considered one of the fastest growing sports, where the number of practitioners is estimated to be 23 million, it’s easy to understand the wide variety of benefits of surfing.
Surfing can be done across the world where you have waves and a surfboard and with the surf pools movement also growing, the health benefits of surfing are becoming available to more people around the globe.
There are many physical and mental health benefits that surfing can be associated with. In fact, we have a blog article about the top 7 health benefits of surfing if you want to check it. It has great advantages both for your body and fitness level, while keeping your mind active and stress-free. Although we believe most people surf because of the feeling of freedom, the benefits we will present can also play a crucial role if you are choosing a new sport or if you want to increase the frequency of surfing.
The physical health benefits of surfing
Promotes cardiovascular health
Surfing is a very complete and demanding sport. It requires our bodies to be active at all time in the water. Whether it is paddling, standing up in the board, duck diving or even wiping out, one of the best health benefits of surfing is how it enhances your heart condition. Surfing is a great way to make your blood pump in your body. All the efforts associated with surfing will ensure your heart works faster to provide oxygen to the muscles. This is a great way to improve the blood flow your heart can provide the body, preventing you from heart diseases.
Improves the flexibility and balance of your body
Surfing requires your body to be able to move in certain ways to make the best out of each wave. Being the ocean one of the forces of nature, your body will be taken to the limit sometimes stretching parts you didn’t even know you could stretch (We’ve all been there..). This is why one of the main health benefits of surfing is the improved flexibility a surfer may achieve while surfing on a regular basis.
This is also an easy way to understand why it is so important to stretch before and after surfing. Trust us, you’ll thank us for this advice. Or you muscles will.
Balance is one of the most important elements in surfing, especially while starting. You’ll see a huge increase in your balance if you start surfing regularly. Before you know it, you will be doing slackline like a pro. Sounds good as the first health benefits of surfing?
Allows you to have toned muscles
It is no surprise that surfing will make your body ready for that summer season. Surfing requires the consistent utilization of your arms as you paddle around or the strength of your legs while you are riding a wave. Not only you’ll be facing nature, you’ll do it with most of your muscles. If you go surfing frequently, you’ll notice changes in your muscles and its strength. Have you ever seen the shape of a surfer back? It looks like a V because of the continuous paddling movement. Especially you’ll be working out those shoulders, back and arms a lot. For people looking for a reason, this health benefit of surfing might be the one.
Increases your immune system
Especially if you surf in cold water, one of the health benefits of surfing will be the improvement of your immune system. Studies have demonstrated cold therapy helps activate your body’s natural healing powers to help relieve symptoms of different medical conditions. It also enhances the immune, lymph vessels and circulation of your system. In addition, the cold-water pressure is antimicrobial and can help relieve headaches and pain. Don’t believe us? Check the Iceman himself explaining how to cold water exposure helps to reach a more robust immune system. So, if you want experience this incredible health benefit of surfing and prevent your next flu, maybe you should come surf with us.
The mental health benefits of surfing
Helps you sleep better
Yes, we know this could be in the physical health benefits of surfing but we decided to talk about it here because a lot of people are facing mental issues that prevents them from sleeping in the night. Whether it is stress accumulation or a sleeping disorder, we want to challenge you to have a full day of surfing. Actually..we challenge you to have ‘’just’’ full morning of surfing. If you don’t have a great night of sleep after that, we’ll remove this article from here.
So one of the health benefits of surfing is the improvement of the quality of your sleep. This is because the melatonin in your body increases, and this hormone causes healthy sleep.
You will fall asleep more quickly and remain asleep for longer as surfing will demand a lot of your body. In addition, the wear and tear will help you sleep deeper.
Learn how to manage stress
With such numerous variables adding to pressure in the present occupied world, regardless of whether it’s with regards to cash or connections, stress can have some frightful consequences for the brain and body. Continuously feeling overpowered or restless is no one’s favorite.
One of the health benefits of surfing is the relieve from stress because while surfing your body discharges cortisol and feel-great endorphins (dopamine or L-theanine) which are connected to working on your state of mind.
Picture this: You are having a tough day at work, so you decide to go for a lunch-surf-break. The sun is shining, the waves are pumping and your friends are in the water. You catch the wave of the day with your friends in the front seat getting stocked about that wave. You feel light and smilling from cheek-to-cheek. (Do you really want to go back to work now? Ups..)
There’s also an important aspect to this health benefit of surfing. When you start to surf tougher and riskier conditions you’ll be facing moments of physical stress where it’s very important for you to hold your nerves and process all the information and anxiety running through your body. This will make you readier to deal with day-to-day stress.
Get to know new people
The sea is huge and there are a huge number of surfers out there getting waves, so meeting new individuals is guaranteed. The social aspect of this health benefit of surfing is what makes it so important for the mental health. You will meet people with similar mind-sets. People you can share your love for the ocean with. Most likely you’ll forge friendships that will last a lifetime and we all know the impact our friends can have in our mental health.
Build confidence, gratification, self-love and motivation
It is not easy to learn a new skill or even to improve an existing one. Surfing is a sport that requires a lot of practice and commitment. Setting aside the effort to show yourself another ability, such as surfing, can assist you with the feeling of achievement as you progress in the sport. As you start your training, you will gradually learn new techniques and gain confidence. This will work as an incredible trigger for motivation not only for surfing but in general life. You will understand that our achievements are not restrained to the limits we sometimes impose ourselves.
You know that hippie idea that everyone has of surfers? Well, tell us if the world wouldn’t be a better place if you smiled more, if you trusted your capabilities and were more relaxed? Who wouldn’t want to be like that. This one for us is one the best health benefits of surfing. Start surfing, and you’ll see all of this inner-self-development.
Conclusions of the health benefits of surfing
In the end any sport you can do will have tremendous impact in your health. In the same way, surfing will also demand a lot of your body. You will be facing one of the biggest forces of nature and this is one of reasons associated with all the health benefits of surfing. If you learn to progress in your own rhythm, appreciating the little improvements, you’ll understand that all the health benefits of surfing merge in a true passion you will develop by the sport. Surfing will become the reason you wake up in the morning and the reason you go to sleep in the night. It will put the biggest smile in your face and that, for us, is the best health benefit of surfing.
