Top 8 Health Benefits of Surfing

Where there’s a wave, there’s a way, right?

Catching waves makes us euphoric…hopefully you know that feeling.

But the question is - is this euphoria actually good for your health? 

Take a deep dive into the science behind this pleasure we get the luxury to call a workout.

1. Physical Health

Paddling out against waves requires a tremendous amount of physical fitness. Overtime, surfing lowers your blood pressure & resting heart rate, which decreases your risk of heart attacks, strokes and other diseases whilst keeping you fit and healthy. Surfing is a great way to add a healthy dose of cardio into your life, focusing on your shoulder, back, leg and core strength. 

2. Quality Time Outdoors

The vitamin D you get from being out in the sun is essential for strong bones, as it regulates the amount of calcium and phosphorus in the blood. Being deficient in Vitamin D can lead to low energy, low mood and fatigue. Breathing in fresh clean air helps to combat stress, low mood and fatigue. D-elightful!

3. Calorie Burner

The exact calorie-burning figure is hard to land on. On average surfing can burn 130 to 260 calories per hour. This depends on your body, waves and the intensity of the session. Battling through dumpy sets is much for taxing on the body, that paddling out at ease and catching smooth, clean, green waves. Regardless of the figure, the benefits of getting out there massively outweigh the alternative of sitting on your bum watching Netflix.

4. Immune System Boost from Cold Water

Without going to ice baths and Tim Hoff-like extreme methods, cold water submersion has an incredible benefit on the body. Cold water pressure is hugely anti-inflammatory and can ease tension, stress, headaches and pain. Hence why we’re always being told to bathe injuries in ice. Cold water is rumoured to heighten your body's predisposed metabolic rate, as the temperature of the water forces the body to heat up at a much faster rate than normal, switching on the fire and burning calories. 

5. Improved Balance & Sleep 

The most appraised benefit of surfing is the quality of your overall body balance. Without balance and agility you would not be able to stand on the surfboard. Enhanced balance is a functional movement that is vital for everyday function. Physical exercise also helps you sleep due to physical exhaustion, helping you fall asleep faster, for longer, and gets you into a deeper sleep. Being outside, colder than usual, and being tumbled by waves requires energy, this will make you feel exhausted by the evening - leading to proper rest.

6. Mental Health 

Surfing with friends has unlimited benefits for your wellness and mental health. And if you don’t have surfing buddies, this is a very social sport - that helps you meet people, know your neighbours and eventually find your tribe. People around you have a significant impact on the choices you make, the energies you give out and your routine. Road trips, surf trips, and camping are all better with friends! 

7. Stress Release

Physical exercise, distinctly an activity as fun as surfing, contributes to the offset of the negative effects of stress, which can lead to low mood, depression and anxiety. Studies have revealed that regular exercise has a more profound effect on the health of the body and the decline in re-production of ‘bad cells’, whilst reducing inflammation, and detoxifying the body. A combination of exercise, being outdoors amongst nature, doing something fun and challenging releases stress hormones like cortisol, and endorphins, the natural painkillers linked to improving mood and easing pain! What’s not to love?

8. Self Gratification

Having a reason to wake up early. A reason to go outside. A reason to socialise. A reason to put on a cold wetsuit makes life infinitely better. Whilst surfing might not be your life purpose – it’s a damn good start. Having a goal gives you unclouded clarity on what is important, and puts seemingly ‘unbeatable’ problems into perspective. Surfing gives you a burst of energy, a pop of adventure, a blowout of tension, and that warm happy feeling when you’re finished. 

These are at least 8 reasons why you should give surfing a chance…

Check out our range of quality sustainable surf wear.

At Blem, our purpose is to stop single-use products and make sustainability easy. To succeed, we create beautifully designed environmentally friendly products that fit into your busy life and you love to use and clean - so you can reuse, reuse and reuse! Because we want to help people around the world to be sustainable. Together, we can help our oceans and wildlife move towards a more sustainable future.