Killer Kayaks!

Wow! Great job by Discovery as they show us a suspenseful snippet of how dangerous kayak fishing can be in Hawaii.  The guy had to cut off a shark off the line!

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiggggggggght!  Watch these crazy kayakers do something fun & crazy: kayak all the way down a sewage drain…:

There’s a special thrill that is felt when we come into contact with nature. Paddling against the waves while kayaking will definitely get your adrenaline running and leave you yearning for more. If you are looking for a fun way to enjoy the great outdoors, then kayaking is a great place to start. If you are aiming to become a pro, you need to play your part towards getting there.

A kayaking competition is an opportunity to compete against the big sharks and perfect your skills and confidence. These are the top 10 tips that will make you a better kayaker:

1. Be Cautious

Although kayaking can be fun and breathtaking, you should do your best to keep the excitement under control. Colliding with the waves is definitely thrilling, but not as much as approaching and overtaking your opponents. Although the goal is to reach the finish line first, always consider the other competitors. Before you surpass your opponents, study them and employ the best tactics when approaching them. Making the wrong move in the wrong place will bring it all to an end before you can prove yourself to the judges.

2. Be Prepared

Before the big day, ensure that you have everything you need. Have a list with you, checking off the items as you pack them. You don’t want to get to there and realize that you’re missing your life jacket or the main component, your paddle. If you are a pro kayaking champion, you have to be keener than most people. There have been cases of opponents damaging other competitors’ kits in the hopes of sabotaging their chances. If possible, you should store your gear in a secure place where only you have access to it, since you’d rather be safe than sorry.

3. Keep It Healthy

You can have all your gear and other essentials in check, yet have the day ruined by an upset tummy. If this happens, you’d probably never forgive yourself, so take precautions. Bathroom troubles are your worst nightmare when participating in a kayaking competition. Every kayaking competitor should keep away from foods that don’t agree with them a day before the event. It’s understandable that the anticipation, excitement, and anxiety may be nerve-wracking, especially the night before the event, but you should also keep away from beer or any alcoholic drinks. A hangover doesn’t sit well with the rocking motions of the kayak on the water.

4. Adequate Rest

It is necessary to rest your body adequately before the big event. After all, you depend on it to keep you going and hopefully emerge the winner. Eye bags under the eyes is your body’s way of telling you that it hasn’t had enough sleep. Only you understand your body, so you know how much time you need for it to be completely rested. However, the experts advise that you sleep for no less than 8 hours per night.

5. Observe Time

Imagine how frustrating it would be to wake up and realize that the competition started an hour ago. These things happen, especially if you haven’t planned for it very well. Set your alarm an hour or two before you have to walk out the door. Eat your breakfast early enough to give it ample time to digest. Take a shower to freshen up and awaken you fully, pack up your gear and give yourself enough time to get to the site on time.

6. Stick To Your Routine

Panic can be your worst enemy when it comes to kayaking competitions, or ANY competition. It is advisable that you maintain the same routine as the other training days. Keep calm, review all that you’ve learned, and focus on the fun part of the event and how easy it’s going to be now that you’ve had a lot of practice. Focusing on the negatives will only set you up for failure. Remember, sticking to the routine will enable your body to stay calm during the competition.

7. Incorporate Some Music Into It

Music is soothing, hence advisable to compile a relaxing, yet motivating playlist. Listen to it on the way to the competition. This is a vital step so be tactful when compiling the list. Music that dampens your spirit will interfere with your self-esteem so steer clear of that. On the other hand, the music shouldn’t over-energize you into thinking that this is the time to try something new or drastic, as it may spell doom not only for you, but other competitors as well.

8. Warm Up

Before the competition begins, it is advisable to perform a little bit of a warm up. This prepares your body and mind for the task ahead. Take care not to exhaust yourself though. Paddle slowly after doing some nice stretches and drink enough water to stay hydrated if it’s hot outside. Also put on some sunscreen to protect yourself from the sun.

9. Channel Your Mental Focus

Everyone has that one thing that boosts their confidence. Some socialize with other competitors, others spend time with their fans, while others scroll through their previous competition photos to remind them of how amazing they are. Find an activity, memory or view something that gets you in the mood to win.

10. Keep Cool

There is no guarantee that things will run smooth during the competition. Kayaks overturn, paddles break, competitors surpass you, your arm gets a cramp that interferes with your ability to paddle, etc. You should never throw a fit in full view of your fans, judges, and sponsors, as it will taint your image. Keep it cool and work towards overcoming the obstacle. The smile doesn’t have to be genuine, it just has to convince your sponsors that you’ve got this!

Kayaking competitions are fun, so stay focused on that and everything else will flow naturally. Fear and panic will magnify even the smallest challenges, hence interfere with your mental focus and your chance of winning. Get some moral support from your family and friends for some hype and motivation. Remember, you’re only as good as you think you are!

Look, y’all, so being a kayaking enthusiast, I know that kayaking is plain fun for me, but have you stopped to think about how beneficial this activity is for your body and mind, both?  In this article, we broke down 14 health and social benefits of kayaking so if you weren’t aware of how great it can be for you, now you know:

14 Underrated Benefits of Kayaking:

1. Cardio Workout For Weight Loss

One of the most direct and predictable benefits of kayaking is the burning of calories for weight loss. Kayaking might look nice and peaceful in pictures, but rest assured it is a lot more demanding than it appears with the constant paddling, whether it is with or against the current. The constant isotonic movements as you paddle acts as a form of cardio that burns calories and helps you to lose weight.

2. Improves Muscle Tone

In addition to burning calories, paddling during kayaking offers you the benefit of improved muscle tone. The same principle of isotonic movement applies here and the resistance from the water more or less acts in the same way as weights and resistance machines at the gym would. The best part about kayaking for improved muscle tone is the fact that pretty much all of your muscles are engaged. However, it is the arms, legs and the core that benefit most from the toning.

For a great kayak option, check out the Killer Kayak Oru kayak review.

3. Improves Endurance

If you are one of those people who cannot go up a flight of stairs without stopping about a hundred times to catch your breath, then kayaking is probably something that you should try. The slow and steady pace on still waters gives your body time to adapt to the increased metabolism and oxygen demand. This is in contrast with other workouts that do not allow slow and steady buildup of endurance. With kayaking, the slow approach ensures more long lasting endurance and exercise tolerance which is good not only for your muscles, but for the overall health of your heart.

4. Improves Joint Flexibility

One of the best benefits of kayaking: It seems that paddling in your kayak is responsible for all the benefits and improvement of joint flexibility. The constant forward and back movement of the shoulders, wrists and elbows helps to improve joint flexibility gets rid of stiffness. This also applies to a few other joints not involved in the paddling, including the hip joints and the knees. The result is the elimination of stiffness and rigidity which can not only be painful, but also debilitating in severe cases.

5. Exposure To Fresh Air

Whether you live in a leafy suburb or a pollution ridden metropolis, there is no denying the fact that nothing on earth compares to the benefits of clean fresh air. Kayaking is one of the best ways to experience this beautiful gift of nature. The fresh air helps to clear the lungs and detoxify your body by increasing the concentration of oxygen in your blood. Kayaking helps you enjoy this not only by exposing you to nature, but also by forcing you to breath deep through constant physical exertion.

6. Sun Exposure For Vitamin D

Kayaking is an outdoor activity and being outdoors means that you are exposed to the sun directly. This is a major health benefit, as it ensures that your body absorbs one of the most important ingredients in synthesis, vitamin D. This vitamin has several functions in the body, but the promotion of calcium absorption in the gut and bone formation are without a doubt the two most important.

7. Improves Mental Health

Kayaking offers the perfect combination of exertion and relaxation. It’s almost like someone joined yoga and aerobic workouts, threw in a bit of outdoor love and voila! Here, the slow and steady motion is again to thank as it promotes relaxation and contributes a lot to stress relief. Exposure to the beautiful and quiet outdoors also contributes to improved mental health. The release of endorphins during physical exertion is the icing on the cake, making this one of the very best ways to relax and free your mind from all stress.

8. Improves Aerobic Capacity

In simple terms, kayaking improves your body’s ability to adapt to low oxygen conditions without having to turn to anaerobic metabolism. This means that you have less to worry about in terms of muscle cramps and fatigue as a result of lactic acid build-up in the muscles.

9. Adrenaline Boost

Kayaking is usually done on slow moving water. However, it can be done on fast moving streams and rivers, in which case it is referred to as whitewater kayaking. This is every adrenaline junkie’s dream as it is one of the best ways to get an adrenaline boost. It has several health benefits including improved mental clarity, improved heart function and burning calories as a result of increased adrenaline in the system.

10. Improves Reflexes And Hand-Eye Coordination

These benefits also apply with kayaking done on fast moving water. In this case, you have to make fast decisions and act on them with just as much haste and agility. This is how kayaking contributes to improved reflexes, ensuring that you recognize threats and act on them quickly, even in ordinary day to day activities… one of the best benefits of kayaking!

11. Team Building And Bonding

Kayaking is never fun when done alone and is therefore one of the best ways to enjoy the company of friends, family or even colleagues. Whether you are paddling lazily through a still stream or pretty much paddling for your life in whitewater kayaking, it is bound to be a team building activity that everyone will enjoy. If you have a teenager, this is another great benefit of kayaking that will teach him or her how to work with other people in productive manner.

12. Oneness With The Outdoors

A good number of people these days spend very little time interacting with nature. In fact, for most people, the routine is home, car, work, repeat. Kayaking helps eliminate the monotony of this routine by giving you a chance to enjoy the outdoors and get in touch with nature.

13. Productive Pastime Activity

It is said that idle hands are the devil’s playthings. Therefore, instead of wasting your free time with pointless activities, you should give kayaking a try. It is more or less the ideal pastime activity with the perfect combination of health benefits and outdoor exposure that anyone can enjoy.

14. Improves Self-Esteem

Finally, kayaking indirectly contributes to your social life by improving your self-esteem. This is made possible through many different means including weight loss and toning, adrenaline boosts among thrill seekers, and the joy of overcoming different fears as with whitewater kayaking. Most underrated benefit of kayaking… after all, if an individual doesn’t have good self-esteem, they will struggle with being a confident and productive person in the long run.

Benefits of Kayaking Summary!

We listed 14 ways that kayaking can benefit you, your family, and friends! Kayaking can seem intimidating, but as long as you start out nice and easy, everyone involved can have tons of fun.

If you want to browse the best kayaks, feel free to browse our site.