“I am pregnant.  Can I stand up paddle?”

We get this question quite a bit from large bellied stand up paddle hopefuls, and the answer is YES!

In fact, stand up paddling is an excellent choice of fitness for women who are expecting.  If you are just looking at coming out for a one-time experience, rest assured that stand up paddling is a low-impact sport, eliiminating the bumps and jostles that could be bothersome to that growing body.  If you do fall (as a low percentage of our paddlers sometimes do) you splash into water, so risk of injury is very slim.

If you are pregnant and thinking of stand up paddling as your long-term sport,  it is an excellent choice.  There are so few choices for tightening those core muscles when you are pregnant (so few, that I can’t even think of any other!), and stand up paddling does the trick — and does it well.  Stand up paddling also strengthens virtually every other muscle in your body, from your feet to your hands, with legs, butt, abs and arms in between!

Rainbow Watersports owner Heidi finishing 7 mile race at 5 months pregnant 7-4-11