13 Effective Ways To Stay Safe And Healthy At The Start Of Paddling Season

13 Effective Ways To Stay Safe And Healthy At The Start Of Paddling Season

After months spent indoors, it’s safe to assume you and every other paddling lover in cold climates is eager to get back in the water. Returning to your paddling routine might feel easy, but early-season paddling comes with some added challenges. These unique difficulties make it all the more important to do all you can to stay safe and healthy at the start of paddling season.

To keep your body feeling great and healthy when paddling season begins, practice yoga and exercise leading up to your first paddle. Focus on good posture and a modest and consistent paddling stroke. Choose routes close to shore, and scope out your paddling route before you launch your boat. Test waterproof gear and always bring an extra set of warm clothes with you in your dry bag.

Once you’ve taken your paddling vessel out of its storage location and dusted off your paddle, you may think you are ready to launch yourself into the water. Before you venture out, however, ensure you read all the tips below to help stay both safe and healthy in these crucial first months of the season.

13 Tips To Keep You Safe And Healthy When Paddling Season Starts

1. Test Your Waterproof Gear

Waterproof gear is pretty essential when you paddle. When the water temperature is just above freezing, as it is when paddling season starts, it can be a matter of life or death.

Remember just because something was waterproof when you bought it, it doesn’t mean it will stay waterproof forever. To ensure your waterproof and rain gear will keep you dry and safe this spring, test and repair it as needed.

This means testing your waterproof dry bags, jackets, and pants and patching up any holes. You can also add a layer of waterproofing to some items to keep them working like new.

2. Pack Plenty Of Extra Layers In Your Dry Bag

Just about every paddling adventure requires a dry bag, but you should be extra diligent when packing items in your dry bag at the start of paddling season. Most importantly, you need to pack plenty of additional warm clothing in case you capsize or get wet.

Getting wet in the summer isn’t so serious, but when you are soaked in frigid waters, your body temperature will drop fast. This can cause hypothermia in the short term, and all sorts of colds and sicknesses later on.

Pack a full set of warm clothes, including a fleece jacket, insulating pants, socks, and a quick dry towel to dry yourself off.

3. Practice Yoga Leading Up To Your Paddling Adventure

One of the most common paddling injuries at the start of the season is a muscle strain or other muscle injuries. Pulled and strained muscles are far too common when paddling.

The main reasons people get these injuries at the beginning of a paddling season are because their muscles are tight, the weather is cold, and they are not in peak paddling shape.

Practice yoga and mindful stretching several times a week leading up to your first paddle. It is a fantastic full-body workout that will activate and stretch all your muscles. It will also begin to build your stamina.

4. Hydrate And Load Up With Vitamins Beforehand

It’s surprisingly easy to find yourself dehydrated at the start of paddling season. The cooler weather means you aren’t going to feel as hot and thirsty, but you still need to drink water.

To ensure you don’t get dehydrated on one of your first paddling adventures of the season, remember to hydrate before you paddle, and bring ample water with you.

Find creative ways to stay hydrated, like tasty liquids that are loaded with vitamins. This will keep you hydrated and also keep the spring colds and other illnesses at bay.

5. Get A Restful Night’s Sleep Beforehand

One of the most effective and easy ways to stay healthy before a paddle is to get plenty of rest. A restful night’s sleep will help you fight off everything from the common cold to muscle cramps and headaches.

To ensure you sleep well, try to avoid an unrealistic start time. Your sunrise paddling sessions can wait until late spring, once you are in better physical condition and the water has had time to warm up a bit.

6. Be Extra Mindful Of Your Posture

Bad posture when paddling a canoe, kayak, or SUP board is one of the most common reasons people get injured early in the season. Since you are usually out of practice at the start of the season, it’s particularly easy to adopt an unhealthy paddling position and posture.

To prevent bad paddling posture and the injuries that come with it, stay mindful of your posture.

Set an alarm, write a note, or find another creative way to check in with your body. As soon as you notice yourself slouching, correct it, and keep correcting it until it becomes natural.

7. Bring Healthy Snacks And A Thermos

Filling your body with warmth and nourishment feels great, and it can also go a long way for your health. If it’s still a bit chilly when you start paddling, opt to bring a thermos with wholesome soup or herbal tea with antioxidants.

As far as packing paddling snacks, opt for fruit, nuts, and other fresh items that have vitamins, protein, and other nutrients.

8. Start With Short Routes And Hug The Shore

At the start of spring, rivers, lakes, and bays may not be as tranquil and safe as you remember them in the summer. There are often faster currents, hidden hazards, and less visibility than you are used to.

To avoid the common paddling mistake of running into these early season hazards, stay where it’s shallow and choose routes that don’t venture far from shore. Save your more ambitious routes for later in the season, once you re-familiarize yourself with the water.

9. Keep Your Stroke Modest And Consistent

In addition to bad posture, an overly ambitious stroke is another easy way to hurt yourself early in the season. To keep your muscles happy, try to consciously keep a modest paddling stroke.

Avoid spots where you need to fight hard against the current, constantly correct your position, or paddle with too much intensity. Choose a body of water where you can practice a modest and consistent stroke, and slowly build your stamina.

10. Get A Few Gym Workouts In Beforehand

Staying healthy and safe on the water starts with your body, not your paddling vessel. After all, your boat or board is only as strong as you. If you venture out in the early spring and haven’t exercised in months, then you’re setting yourself up for disaster.

Paddling at the start of the season has enough risk factors involved, don’t add poor physical condition to the mix.

Instead, head to the gym, or go running and do a few home workouts to prepare yourself for paddling season. You’ll feel better on the water, and have a more enjoyable (and safer) time.

11. Always Bring A Buddy On Your First Few Paddling Sessions

With all the extra risks and variables involved with early-season paddling, bringing a buddy is more important than ever. Malfunctions and mishaps are more common with your gear after months in storage, and paddling in cold spring waters can be tricky.

When you have two people with double the supplies it’s easy to help each other out. Having that lifeline makes this riskier paddling season much safer. Plus, paddling with a significant other or friend is often more fun than going solo.

12. Only Venture Out When The Weather Is Perfect

In the spring the weather can change dramatically in a matter of hours. There are always periods of fantastic weather that make spring a lovely time of year. There are also hours and days with ferocious wind and rain.

To ensure you stay safe at the start of paddling season, only head out when the weather looks ideal. Choose days with warmer temperatures, no chance of rain, and minimal wind. As the season progresses you can be less picky, but only choose the best days for your first few sessions.

13. Scope Out Your Route Beforehand Before Launching

If you love paddling then by the time the last of the snow melts you are ready to run out of the door and head to the nearest body of water with your paddle in hand. Excitement is great, but don’t rush the process.

Before you launch your boat, scope out the area. Check the launch location to ensure it's safe. Check the water and note any new hazards, as well as the speed of the current.

Knowing what you’re in for before you get in your paddling vessel makes it easier to decide if paddling in that location is a good idea or not.