My husband and I decided to lose some weight about a year ago, but because I have asthma I have problems doing any vigorous and high impact exercise like walking, running, and jogging. I love the water and I enjoy the outdoors so we decided to try a fairly new sport that we had heard about from my husband’s brother Mike who lives in Southern California. It’s called stand up paddle boarding or SUP for short. Most people like to use their surf boards and just buy a paddle since a SUP is basically a surfboard and a paddle, but a lot of your newer SUP’s have a non slip surface on the top, so you don’t need to use Surfwax on it.
The first time I used a SUP I had borrowed Mike’s, he has this banged up surfboard and a paddle he rigged up by taping a broom handle and a kayak paddle together with some waterproof tape, it’s not very conducive to learning how to SUP, and after a few wet episodes, I think I landed in the water a grand total of three times before I found the “sweet spot” on the board and the proper paddling stance I was cruising along and paddling like a champ. I kept at it the whole week we were in California and lost about an inch and a half around my midsection and my arms felt tighter and well more muscled than they did before, of course that well defined arm feeling could have just been my imagination but it makes me feel good. My husband on the other hand is quite a bit shorter than I am and got the hang of everything a lot quicker though he did jab himself with the longer paddle more often.
My husband and I wanted to continue doing the stand up paddle boarding at home, so I have been checking into buying us our own Stand up Paddle Board and paddle. I have decided that I am going to go with the Sevylor Samoa Inflatable Stand Up Paddle Board, and a Cannon Adjustable Stand Up Paddle. Now we both will be able to use the same SUP and paddle because it will adjust to my taller height, and his shorter height with just a couple of clicks. I am also buying Mike an adjustable paddle for Christmas so the next time we are out in California we can race to see who is the better SUP’er, and because he really needs a proper paddle to compete with me and my hubby. Cannon paddles make a really good Christmas gift idea for him too because he can pack it down into his suitcase to take it back to California instead of us having to foot the bill on the shipping cost.
If you’re interested in buying your own SUP or adjustable paddle, or you just want a great holiday gift for someone. You can check them out at PortableKayaks.com. Stand up paddle boarding is a lot of fun, it’s a great way to get out and enjoy the water from a unique point of view, it is great exercise, and a fun way to spend time with your family.
