8 Paddleboarding New Year’s Resolutions You’ll Actually Keep

Setting goals for the New Year always feels like something we have to do, but let’s be honest: how many New Year’s Resolutions do we actually stick to? Even with the best intentions, it’s easy to let the day-to-day get in the way of your grand plans to better yourself or find that you were a little unrealistic when you set your objectives for the year ahead. 

The trick to making New Year’s Resolutions is basing them around something that you love -  like paddleboarding! With that natural desire to do more of a hobby you’ve already got a vested interest in, it suddenly becomes much more motivating to set (and achieve) realistic goals and ambitions. Need a little inspiration? These 8 SUP-themed New Year’s Resolutions are certainly ones you’ll want to keep.

Take A Paddleboarding Lesson

Perhaps you gave paddleboarding a go for the first time over the summer or didn’t quite manage to get out and practice as much as you would’ve liked this year. Setting the goal of taking a paddleboarding lesson can be the perfect way to really solidify paddleboarding as a hobby and ensure that you’ve got the perfect SUP technique under your belt. Even experienced paddleboarders can benefit from committing to taking a paddleboarding lesson or two as part of a New Year’s resolution and embracing the chance to develop existing skills or try out new specialisms under the guidance of an expert. 

Enter A Race

The best-kept New Year’s Resolutions are those with a clear date to work towards. Traditionally, marathons and triathlons spring to mind, but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t attempt to take on a SUP-specific challenge and enter a paddleboarding race as your 2025 New Year’s resolution. Whether you’re seeking out a multi-day event or something closer to home, entering a race is a great way to really put your skills to the test and embrace your competitive spirit with a designated end goal. 

Upgrade Your Inflatable Paddle Board

The start of the year also offers the perfect natural opportunity to finally upgrade your stand-up paddle board. There are loads of reasons why it might be time to consider making an upgrade. Maybe you purchased cheaply, or have simply been paddling with the same starter board for some time. Whichever camp you do fall into, committing to a more rigid or more specialised board as your New Year’s resolution can be the gateway to a bigger and better year on the water and give you confidence knowing that the quality of your gear matches the size of your paddleboarding ambitions. 

Introduce A Friend

While there’s a unique charm in the tranquil aspects of paddleboarding, certain SUP experiences are always enhanced when shared with friends. If you’re hoping to make a sociable but easy-to-achieve New Year’s resolution, commit to introducing one of your nearest and dearest to paddleboarding this year. Whether it’s your non-adventurous colleague or a family member who has been itching to have a go for some time, extending an invitation will be a rewarding experience for both of you. Your buddy will get the chance to try something new, and you’ll have the opportunity to spend some quality time together while also playing teacher and testing your own technique. 

Try A New Specialism

For those confident with the basic paddling techniques, trying a more specialised way of paddleboarding is always a natural progression. If there’s a specialism you’ve always thought looked exciting, why not make the New Year the time you try it? This commitment could be tied in with working towards a race or upgrading your SUP to a racing paddle board, or you could be even more daring and give white water paddleboarding a go. Whatever you choose, this New Year’s resolution idea is a surefire way to keep your time on the water fresh and exciting and push your skills to new levels. 

Go For A Post-Paddle Dip

Your paddleboarding New Year’s resolutions need not always be grand plans and ideas - you could commit to small changes in your habits and routines to freshen things up. With this in mind, you might like to make a conscious effort to incorporate other outdoor activities like open water swimming into your paddleboarding routine. Just being on top of the water brings countless mindfulness benefits and these can be amplified by taking the plunge and getting into the water after your SUP session. Just dress appropriately for the conditions, with your Red swim parka ready and waiting afterwards. 

Travel With Your Paddle Board

One of the major benefits of inflatable paddleboards becoming mainstream is that they are exceptionally easy to travel with. With this in mind, you could set the goal of packing up and heading off on a serious SUP adventure as part of your New Year’s resolutions. Our paddleboards are designed to be exceptionally portable, so you should have no trouble jetting off or using public transport. Just think - this time next year, you’ll be looking back with amazement at all of the places you’ve been and things that you’ve seen. 

Visit New SUP Spots

If packing up and putting in the miles isn’t compatible with your lifestyle, there’s still no reason why committing to visiting new places needs to lose its spot on your list of New Year’s resolutions. Resolve to step out of your comfort zone and discover new SUP spots over the course of the year, whether that’s by visiting a hidden gem close to home or tying exploration into trips to see family and friends.  

Whichever New Year’s resolution you do set, good luck! If you need any advice or guidance when it comes to your paddleboarding goals, we’re always on hand to help.