Over the 4th of July weekend my husband and I got to visit my parents on the west coast of Florida. Fun fact, my parents live on a boat! They sold the house about 5 years ago and bought a 58' Hatteras that they've been living on ever since. They tend to move around Florida but for the last year and a half they have stayed in a small town on the west coast. I love getting to visit them because I get my water and boat fix that I miss out on living in central Florida.
I knew the weekend would be full of drinks and food that maybe weren't the healthiest choices but I also knew it would be fun! I had planned on getting in some swimming, walking on the beach, and had my fingers crossed for a chance to do stand up paddle boarding (SUP). I had tried this once before years ago and really enjoyed it. Again, living in central Florida, I'm not close to the river, gulf or ocean to be able to do it as often as I would like.
You may say, "But Casey, you have a bunch of lakes in central Florida that you can paddle board on." Yes, we have lakes, but you know what lives in lakes? Gators.
NO THANK YOU!
Put me in the gulf or ocean any day and I'm a happy girl. This brings me to today's Workout Wednesday post. I wanted to share a little about my SUP experience since it is a great way to take your exercise outdoors, which I'm always a fan of.
Luckily, my parents meet some pretty cool people in the boating life and their neighbors at the dock happen to own a paddle board. They graciously let me borrow it for the couple of days we were there. Even though I'd only done SUP once before, it came pretty naturally to me. I love that it's a total body workout (arms, legs, core) but it doesn't feel like a workout...meaning I'm having too much FUN to notice how hard my body is working.
How could I focus on what my body was doing when I was too busy navigating my way around boats, other SUP-ers and swimmers. All while enjoying the beautiful scenery and the wildlife swimming below me in the crystal clear water. So many types of fish, sand dollars, sea urchins, dolphins and manatees! You certainly don't get that view plodding away on a treadmill at the gym!
Don Pedro Island - Beautiful shot of the Gulf of Mexico that we swam in. I paddle boarded right on the other side of this island in the Intracoastal Waterway.
There was an area of the Intracoastal that we took a pontoon boat down and dropped anchor. The water was maybe six feet deep and so clear you could see to the bottom. It was also super flat with little to no boat traffic. Any boats that did pass by had to go very slowly due to being in a manatee zone (no wake allowed). I have no idea how long or for how far I paddled but I loved every minute of it and could have gone for hours.
That's my husband in the photo above, hitching a ride on the board. This added to the workout when he sat on the board! I had to work to find my balance and I could feel that in my core but what a fun way to get some fresh air, sunshine and exercise! It was so quiet in this area of water, it almost felt like we were the only ones around.
Don't worry. Ryan took a turn paddling and I was the one enjoying the ride. Look at that water and the mangroves. So peaceful.
We don't make it out to either coast very often, as it's at least an hour drive from the central Florida area, but I would love to try and get out to the coast again soon, just to paddle board. If there were gator free areas in my neighborhood I would go out tomorrow, buy a paddle board and get on the water. I'll just have to wait for my next visit to the beach.
Sunset from the bow of my parent's boat, Evergeen, looking out over the Intracoastal. You can see why I love any time I can get to the coast...west or east, doesn't matter. Just take this mermaid to the water!
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