The 5 most instagrammed water sports
• Surfing • Kitesurfing • Stand up paddle boarding • Windsurfing • Wakeboarding
Now that we have our top 5, we wanted to discover just what makes them so loved. We teamed up with sports scientist and Sport Relief celebrity trainer Professor Greg Whyte OBE to find out exactly why water sports are continuing to increase in popularity and what makes them so good for you. Greg said:
“You will benefit both physically and mentally whatever environment you’re being active within. However, these benefits are significantly heightened when you are placed in a more extreme environment, such as the ocean.
The viscosity of water means you naturally end up working harder in the ocean, as water resists your movement so much more. However, even if you’re doing a water sport where you spend more time on the water rather than in it, research demonstrates that you are still significantly more likely to work harder. This is because green exercise (or blue exercise in this case!) alters the perception of effort, resulting in a greater intensity of exercise.
Learning a new water sport is a great example of the psychological term ‘mastering’. When you ‘master’ a new sport or new technique, the feel-good pay-out is extraordinary and is a huge factor in keeping you motivated to progress. There is plenty to learn when mastering a water sport and this motivation could be a reason why people who do activities in the outdoors are more likely to work out for longer, more frequently and maintain an exercise programme in the long-term.”
So, with that ringing endorsement in mind, here’s some further inspiration on the five most Instagrammed water sports to get you on the water and keep you there.
