Longboarding is a fun sporting activity that is so easy that almost everyone can participate with very little training. Longboarding is also used by many people as a form of exercise to help them remain physically fit and trim. There are actually many health benefits for people who participate in longboarding activities.
7 Health Benefits of Longboarding
- Weight control
- Muscle strengthening
- Cardio health
- Increased flexibility
- Increased energy
- Increased Stamina
- Better Mental Health
Longboarding For Weight Loss & Maintenance
Longboarding is a moderate level aerobic activity that can help you to burn between 3.5 and 7 calories per minute. A person that weighs 125 pounds can burn as many as 300 calories in one hour of longboarding activity. A person weighing 185 pounds can burn as many as 444 calories in one hour of riding their longboard.
If you are trying to lose weight while riding your longboard you should follow a healthy low fat diet to help you lose the weight even faster. Once you have reached an ideal weight then the calories that you burn while riding a longboard will help you to maintain your new healthy weight, and will help you to shape your body and build more lean muscle mass.
Longboarding and Muscle Strengthening
The activity of riding a longboard will start to strengthen your muscles by working your legs and strengthening your leg muscles. You will need a lot of leg strength to be able to stay balanced on the board and push the board, as well as controlling the board during turns, and increasing and decreasing speed.
Once you have mastered balancing on the longboard you can add the paddles and increase the physical workout you get and the muscle strengthening you experience. While you are using the paddles you will work:
- Your triceps
- Your biceps
- Your deltoids
- The rectus abdominis
- The trapezius
- The latissimusdorsi
- The obliques
A lot of people who ride longboards; especially when they use longboards and paddles; say that they feel as if they have been doing crunches after riding. After some time you will notice that the washboard stomach you desire will start to develop due to the muscles used while they ride their boards.
Cardio Health
One of the most important things in your health regimen is a cardio workout that will strengthen your heart muscle, increase your lung capacity, increase your stamina, and staying power.
You will receive more oxygen to your muscles when you are engaging in a cardio exercise like running, longboarding, swimming, and dancing. Your heart is a vital organ and doing exercises that strengthen your heart means that you are more likely to live longer and stay active longer.
Increased Flexibility
The more you use your muscles the more you are able to do with your muscles. If you do not use a muscle it can become weakened, and it can atrophy or become basically incapable of doing what it was designed to do. When you regularly use a muscle then you keep that muscle limbered up and capable of doing the job it was designed to do.
Each of your muscles is designed to move and work a specific area of your body, but when you strengthen one muscle it can also create the support that muscle gives to other muscles in your body. For instance: when you exercise your stomach muscles they become stronger and they give the muscles of your back extra support. This extra support allows you to have better posture and to have fewer back pains.
Longboarding requires you to use your muscles in your legs and in your stomach while you are trying to maintain your balance and propel the longboard forward. The flexibility in your muscles will naturally be increased when you ride on a regular basis.
Increased Energy
At the end of the workday many people can just barely make it home where they collapse on their sofa and feel like they do not have the energy to do anything else. Other people get off of work and they go dancing, shopping, play sports, and do all kinds of physical activity.
The difference between these people is not their age, their diet, or their basic health. The difference is created by the amount of energy the two different kinds of people have.
People who are physically active, like people who ride longboards, build up a tolerance and stamina that allows them to perform the physical activity. This increases the amount of energy they have so they are capable of doing their regular work without feeling drained of energy.
Mental Benefits
Longboarding affects your mental health in a positive way. Physical activity releases endorphins that make us happier and make us feel more content with our lives. People who regularly ride a longboard are able to encourage themselves and set goals for themselves concerning their longboard activity.
The ability to set these goals and to motivate themselves also occurs in other aspects of their lives so the individuals experience fewer mental health issues, and are generally happier and more content.
People who get regular physical exercise from activities like longboarding also do better in their studies, at their jobs, and in their relationships. These active people have more confidence, they have a greater sense of pride in themselves, and they are more independent than people who do not regularly get plenty of physical activity.
Better Internal Organ Function
People who are regularly active at things like longboarding have internal organs that are healthier so they live longer.
- Their lungs receive regular workouts so they develop a greater lung capacity
- Their heart muscles are worked so their hearts pump blood more efficiently
- They have less fatty plaque buildup in their arteries because of their physical activities
- They have healthier kidneys because they sweat out toxins and they drink more water
- They have healthier gall bladders because they generally eat diets that are less fatty
- Their livers are healthier because people who longboard usually eat healthier and refrain from heavy drinking that can damage your liver
Final Notes
Longboarding is a physical activity that will be beneficial to your physical and mental health. Experts suggest that people who get at least one hour each day of physical activity will increase their lifespan by as much as 20 years.