Student Molly Curls paddleboarding at the USFSP waterfront.
Paddleboarding makes waves on the fitness scene as a low impact way to stay healthy and improve balance.
Stand-up paddleboarding is one of the fastest growing sports in the world. According to an Outdoor Industry Association report, the sport increased in public participation by 29 percent in 2014.
Tampa Bay Buccaneer placekicker Connor Barth, 29, uses paddleboarding as a full body workout to increase his kicking game.
In recent years, paddleboards have become increasingly popular in the area and are used for entertainment, exercise and physical healing. Yoga instructors, entrepreneurs and the St. Petersburg community are changing their routines to be part of the new trend.
“Forty percent of the income for most watersports stores now come from the usage and rental of paddleboards,” said Luis Perez, founder and CEO of CaribeSup, a local company that sells inflatable paddleboards with original designs that are lightweight and easily portable.
After working in sales for 12 years, Perez used his savings to open a paddleboard business. Perez said he had no idea how popular his sudden decision was going to be.
To increase awareness of marine life conservation, CaribeSup specially designs each paddle board to support charities with a common interest – water. One is the Sea Turtle Conservancy with a sea turtle design and another is the Manatee Club.
As the paddleboard trend grows, yoga enthusiasts thought the combination of the two disciplines would challenge and create new ways to strengthen the body while relaxing on the water.
Molly Curls, a recent transfer student, got involved at USFSP by renting out paddleboards at the waterfront from the Haney Landing Sailing Center. Curls, who works part time at a yoga studio, wants her yoga practice to branch out to stand-up paddleboarding offered in St. Petersburg.
“I think it’s awesome that yoga has this power to reach so many people, and now people have that chance to experience it on the water, which makes it an even more unique experience,” Curls said.
Yoga instructor Dani Mae from Body Electric Yoga Company said she was looking for a more challenging practice when she discovered stand-up paddleboard yoga (SUP yoga). During her yoga instructor training, Mae thought about mixing the practice with paddleboards and decided to pursue the idea when training was complete.
The practice of yoga on a paddleboard forces every muscle in the body to work and teaches how to find balance in a serene way.
“You have to lose the balance to find it,” Mae said, referring to the several difficulties and benefits of SUP yoga. “This type of practice is perfect for people who have had knee or hip replacements because it has no high impact.”
Mae explained that doing yoga on solid ground only works between five to 10 muscles in the body – but maintaining balance is a different story. The body has to use more muscles to keep the position, activating the nervous system to help recover the injuries.
“This type of practice is static but you still are using all the muscles, strengthening and building the compression back to the joints to stabilize it,” Mae said.
Five years ago, Andrea Natera suffered from an ACL knee ligament injury.
“I’ve been doing CrossFit for two years now and I’ve noticed when I do SUP yoga I don’t experience high impact on my knees,” Natera said.
SUP yoga is also beneficial for the connection of mind and nature. While practicing yoga on the water, people are surrounded by the openness of the sea and marine life.
Other sports, such as CrossFit and professional football are using the technique of paddle boarding to create new exercises, build strength and add harder challenges.
The Reebok CrossFit Games 2015 incorporated paddleboards to test the abilities of the contestants in a totally different way.
According to Reebok’s CrossFit Games website, director Dave Castro said they had performed different tests in water but never involving boards. The idea of incorporating the boards in the 2014 games was in mind but a variety of situations prevented the activity from happening.
The race involved a 500-meter swim, followed by a two-mile knee paddle and another 500-meter swim. The competitors, individually or groups, strived to maintain their balance and stay on the board through surf waters. The point of this test was to show the strength of the contestants and their abilities on the water.
According to Scott Smith, senior writer of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers website, NFL athletes are also including the sport into their training to gain resistance and full body strength.
Placekicker Connor Barth added the activity to his routine to improve his kicking game.
“It’s great for your flexibility and your balance, and leg strength as well,” Barth said on the Buccaneers website. “It’s kind of a total-body workout that’s not going to have the effects that running does, the pounding on your body.”
As the paddleboard industry grows, communities are starting to incorporate the new trend into their daily routines, while experiencing the benefits the sport provides to the body, as well as the connection with nature.
“Some people don’t like working out, so if you can make it fun – and being out on the water is one of the ways to make it fun – it’s a great time,” Barth said.
Information:
Paddleboards can be rented at the USFSP Waterfront with a student I.D.
Sign up paddleboarding trip to Little Manatee River Oct. 17 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for $20
