Spring means getting outdoors and working new exercises into your usual fitness routine. You may get the bicycle out of storage and start enjoying some fresh air during your daily or weekly exercise habit. There’s nothing like cycling to work the lower body large muscles, but what have you got planned for your upper body workout?
Ever heard of Kayaking?
Kayaking is a sport that requires both strength and endurance. It does an excellent job of developing the shoulders, chest and back while providing for your requisite cardio needs.
Kayaking can be done on any body of water and most often a lake, river, or in the ocean. It is usually distinguished from canoing by the fact that a kayak body has a closed cockpit while the canoe is open.
Divers and fisherman use kayaks as do adventure sportsman because of the kayak’s adaptability and range of touring. Kayaking as a sport has grown tremendously in popularity which has, unfortunately, driven up the cost of equipment over the last several years.
An entry level kayak of the inflatable variety can be purchased for about $250. This style and quality of kayak is often available from sporting goods stores or at a merchandiser like Costco. You will find less expensive versions, but just as you probably wouldn’t buy the $59 bicycle to get started, neither should you purchase the cheapest boat if you really plan to try and make kayaking part of your fitness regimen. When you get serious, $750 to $999 can get you into a single-man boat suitable for recreational use at all skill levels whether lake or ocean paddling. Prices increase for superior equipment and depending on the classification.
The more expensive models are lighter and easier to maneuver in and out of the water. They also become more stable as the engineering improves. Should you become a serious kayaker and want better equipment, consider purchasing a used kayak to get a better price point.
There are five basic categories for kayaks based upon the end use. General recreation, day trip or light touring models, expedition touring, whitewater and surf models round out the five classifications. Usability in each class affects price.
Though kayaking can be expensive, it doesn’t have to be. Nor does it have to happen in major rapids to be beneficial to your strength and endurance levels. It’s a great upper body workout for anyone. For fitness purposes, kayaking is actually well suited to still water like lakes while rivers provide their own tests. And of course, it requires strength, endurance and the ability to make calculated choices in order to navigate successfully and safely.
So if you enjoy exercise outdoors and more importantly, you enjoy the water, add kayaking to your health and fitness routine this year.

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