My SUP down the Venetian Canal

Up the Lake Without a Paddle:

As the fog began to rise over the trees, I headed out, eager to embark on my next SUP (stand up paddleboard) adventure.

~ wait ~ I forgot my paddle…turn my steed around and head back to the homestead.  Paddle now on board, off to the refreshing ambiance of the lake.

Traveling to the Canal:

When I pushed off from shore the wind was fairly calm.  I decided to go for my longest paddle thus far, 3 miles round trip.  I passed a few paddlers and a fisherman along the way.  A beautiful morning, a fabulous workout.  There were a couple of homes for sale along the way so I stopped and put in bids.

Florida’s Venetian Canal:

The canal is a beautiful, long and narrow passageway between lakes.  It was used by loggers a looong time ago.  The canal insists that you are in the moment.  It has twists and turns that you you hope to not find a boat behind.  I only had to pass one boat and, luckily, we met in an area that only required him to back up a few feet into a a small recess.  It was a boat that gives tours of the lakes and canals in the area.  Hopefully, the clients did not hear my colorful declaration when I realized we were headed for each other.

The Long Journey Home:

I had decided to see how fast I could make it back to the launch site.  It took me about 40 minutes to get out there at a leisurely, take pictures, figure out where I am going, kind of pace.  When I came out of the canal, I was blown back by the wind.  I discovered that I make a pretty good sail.  This prompted a decision to sit and paddle kayak style.  That lasted about 15 minutes.  By then my arms were crying and I had made it to the other side of that lake.  There, the houses and trees provided a bit of a wind break.  Two ladies were emerging from the short canal leading home and asked where something was.  I did not know but told them where the Venetian canal could be found.  I was thinking, “good luck with that in this wind.”  As I made my way through the mini-canal, I heard them coming up behind me.  They turned around fast…Am I going that slow?  Ugh…I paddled and paddled but they still passed me with ease after we exited the canal.  I blamed it on being tired at the end of a long paddle.  Once we made it to shore (with a 30 minute time) I discovered that they run a SUP tour business in another town.  I suppose it is okay for professionals to pass me with faster boards. 8)

How many dogs can you find? (Click photo for a slide show)

Lunch?

Fisherdog

Canal Entrance

Shoot the canal

Can trees swim?

Fetch!

Tire Swing

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Take a Hike

Lil’ Red has a cold.  Let’s leave him to take a nap and go for a hike.

We arrive at the park and head out on the trail.  We were warned by park staff to be out by 6, so let’s get to moving.  The first half mile has some traffic.  Once we get past all of the ruckus, I am sure we will see some wild life.

We cross over an access road and things begin to quiet down. Oh, wait there is some activity over to our left.  Just some campers, but after one shot turns out like a surveillance photo, we move on.

Weekend Wonders

My New River Friend

This weekend was especially restful, productive and refreshing. “Productive” does not usually fit with the other two. Maybe it was more a matter of having time to clean instead off logging on to work.

The paddle was fun. I went out with a small group to the river I go to often. The wind was a little high to relax on a lake. The skies were overcast and it was a little cool for Florida folk. That is probably why a few people backed out at the last minute. Somehow, I picked the coolest day of my short SUP career to fall twice. The first time my fin hit a log under the unusually low water level. The second time, I was setting up a wildlife shot and my fin nudged something…I am hoping another tree. I was not really cold until my silliness took me into a grocery store on the way home. I am simply too lazy to go home and change and then drive back to the store. I can confirm that their air conditioner works just fine.

;

Remembering the Weekend

This weekend Lil’ Red and I went out on the river.  I renamed him to Lil’ Red because the board is so maneuverable and fun.  Compared to the longer boards that I had been renting, he is just little.

It is a good thing that he is so responsive and easy to handle.  We had to maneuver around a very enthusiastic Boy Scout troop, a kayak group, a volunteer cleanup group, and many more.  Random fact of the trip:  the cleanup group found a beer can from 1988.  The water was the clearest I have seen there.  A fabulous day that I hope will carry me past any stress of the week.

While I did see some turtles and fish in the water, I was not fast enough to capture them in good light.  Here is what my magic Nikon was able to capture:

Exercise Highlights

This week I am highlighting some of my favorite and most popular posts from the last 6 months.  Today’s focus will be on the exercise posts.

1. Exercise Variety
2. Working Out in My Mom’s Garden
3. How to Pick the Right Shoes
4. Pelvic Floor Exercises
5. Finding Adventure in Workouts
6. Balance Exercises

New Work Out Video

Are you tired of fighting of fighting for machines at the gym?

Is it too hot to go outside?

Do you think a hurricane is an excuse to not workout?

Well think again!

This amazing new workout will keep you groov’n and move’n. For a limited time we are offering this workout for free. That’s right, free to to the first round of motivated clients that are ready to change their lives forever.

Keep Your Balance

From the CDC:  Falling is the leading cause of injury death for those 65 and older.  One out of three adults over 65 fall every year.  Less than half talk to their doctor about it.  (Some studies use 45 and older)

Head injuries, fractures, lacerations and fear, all resulting from falls, can lead to a loss of independence and mobility restriction.  Some people become so afraid about falling that they severely restrict their activities.  They become more dependent on others and lose some quality of life.

What keeps us vertical?

There are three systems that provide the input that keeps us balanced.  Vision is more than being able to read a chart in your doctor’s office.  Depth perception and tracking objects are also important skills.  It is important to have vision tested for all of these, especially if there have been balance changes.  Vestibular (inner ear) problems can become more frequent as we age.  There are tests and treatments for inner ear issues.  Proprioception involves the information your brain gets from the muscles and joints about what position they are in.  This area is the easiest to work on independently before and after seeking advice from your primary care doctor, ENT and/or physical therapist.  Processing the information in the brain and sending signals back out to the body is the last step.

So what can we do?

Chasing the Sun

Inspired by http://forkinmyeye.com/2012/06/26/the-summer-country/.

I grabbed my camera and headed out for a walk tonight.  My legs had a nice hill workout and my arms were lifting weights.  As the sun was setting I felt like I was chasing the sun around the neighborhood.  Hurricane clouds are so very cool.  There are layers of clouds all moving at different speeds and sometimes different directions.  I tried to take a video with my phone, but the speed of the lower clouds was still hard to appreciate.

My PSA for the week:  It is always good to be prepared.  Hurricane, flood, blizzard, earthquake, 2012, nuclear disaster…there are reasons to always have a few days supply of water, food and flashlights.  Do not forget a plan for your family in case something happens when you are scattered out doing various activities (ex: work, school).

140+ Squat Workout

Part of my Mothers’ Day present was moving some landscaping stones.  Each one had to be placed in the wheelbarrel and then back down in another area.  I was concerned that I may strain my back, so I took special care to bend my knees, keep my back in neutral and use my glut and leg muscles to power up.  It was a fabulous workout.  Sure my legs and lower back muscles felt like they had been asked to do more than they were accustomed to, but what I had failed to consider was the 140+ bicep curls that I also did.  Those babies cried for 3 days.  I credit Zumba for the lack of soreness in my legs that I had expected.  I am now motivated to work more on my upper body!

 

My Feet’s Favorite Shoes

I am lucky enough to able to wear any kind of shoes I like to work, well, maybe not flip-flops or

open-toed shoes.  For years, I wore nothing but New Balance cross-trainers.  Over the last couple of years, either my feet have changed or New Balance has changed the last in their shoes.  I have tried various styles and brands with no luck.  I even went to a specialty running shoe store and they videotaped me walking and worked with me for about 2 hours trying to find the perfect pair.  I have also tried several inserts.  Nothing had been working.  Princess and the Pea, shoe style.

I did, eventually find a pair I loved: Asics T154N running shoes. A stability shoe.

Almost every shoe company has 3 basic categories of running shoes: