Nikki Gregg was already a physical trainer and surfer in excellent shape when she starting stand up paddling. It wasn’t long before her clients noticed her new, extra-leaned out frame and wanted to know what the secret was.

“Whether you get into it for fitness or not, you’re going to see changes in your body,” said Gregg, who’s now based in Oregon’s Hood River area and has dedicated herself to all things SUP. “The muscles you haven’t been using are going to wake up and talk to you.”

Gregg said that most SUP newbies will feel the workout in their feet, then ankles, then calves.

The legs burn before you really feel an arm workout, she said, because the real test is in learning to stand on the board.

Then it hits the core muscles, your abdominals and the lower back that help you stabilize — and improve your posture while slimming your waistline.

“A lot of people are surprised, because they think it’s going to be a complete upper body workout,” Gregg said. “It’s a toes-to-nose workout.”

(Photos courtesy of Nikki Gregg/Starboard)