This past weekend I got to go kayaking and stand up paddle boarding with my sister and brother-in-law. Stand up paddle boarding is something I've always wanted to do so I was super excited. We went to Independence Grove Forest Preserve, in Libertyville, IL. This place is awesome for outdoor activities, many water rentals like kayaking, stand up paddle boards and even row boats, you can bike the beautiful paths, fish, swim at the beach, or just walk the preserve and enjoy the nature!

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Stand up paddle boarding came over from Hawaii and originated from surfing, except you have a paddle to help move you through the water. The key to the sport is balance. So this water activity is great for working those core muscles and abs! Other muscles that are being utilized are the back muscles (latissimus Dorsi), shoulders (deltoids), and arms (triceps and biceps). This is pretty much a full body workout! To be honest my arms and upper back were sore for two days straight! Kayaking as well worked those same arm and back muscles, which is probably why I felt extra tired.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So a little about my experience, I'm happy to say that I have some pretty awesome balancing skills, it must be all the yoga I've been doing to help build up my core strength, because I didn't fall once. Now it did take a while for me to get off the shore into the open water, actually that was quite comical. Once you get the paddling motion down, steering does become easier, and in my defense I had never been kayaking either so all of this was new to me. Once I got away from the shore and farther out I felt really confident in myself. Side note, I made my brother-in-law play the song "We Know the Way" from the movie Moana, yes I am a huge dork but those were my feelings at the moment. Anyways the most challenging part of the whole experience was getting back to the shore. The wind was going against me, and the water became very choppy from other boats that were heading towards us. This made steering quite difficult and at times I wasn't moving anywhere just getting farther away from where I needed to be. My sister and I switched and I got in the kayak, but this was no help because she had the same issue. Luckily brother-in-law was there to save the day and lead us back to the shore. Stand up paddle boarding is something I most definitely will be doing again. I love that the whole time you are out in the water you are having so much fun that you don't even realize how much of a full body workout you are getting! By the end though I was feeling the soreness kick in. Trying a new sport or activity is a great way to experience different forms of exercise. It's also great when you find something that you enjoy and would partake in again! This week go out there and try something new that you've always been wanting to, take the plunge!