Kayaking 101

Interest in kayaking is kicking up in the local area with the river restoration project. Needless to say, TOM and I are not immune to the hype, so we decided to give it a try. 

I did some preliminary research about lessons, local spots that are good for beginners, equipment rental fees, and the kind of kayak to rent...sit-on or sit-in.  

We opted for recreational, sit-on kayaks. They are slower and less responsive, but we figured it would be easier with my weak knee to get on and off, rather than in and out. I really did not want to end up the water, soaked from head-to-toe, before even getting started. 

We also purchased a disposable, waterproof camera. I guess we were expecting to get wet at some point :) I really did not want my Nikon to end up on the bottom of the lake. 

Lessons: I found a website, Smart Kayaking for Beginners, that was very helpful. That saved us about $50 for a lesson that would have taken place on the Chattahoochee River. You can watch the education video clips in the comfort of you home and hopefully, you will remember what they said when you have to put it into practice.

Buy vs. Rent: The obvious solution was to rent equipment. You don't want to buy expensive equipment and then discover that you don't like the activity. The local outfitters charge $40 a day per kayak, x2. $80, for a couple of hours (at most) of fun. Then I remembered that TOM is retired military and we can rent equipment from MWR at Fort Benning for $10 a day.

We headed out to Chewacla State Park in Auburn, AL for our first expedition; a small stream-fed lake. Because of the drought, the stream was low so we were only able to paddle up a short distance, but this is a good location for beginners to get the hang of things. The only disadvantage to this location was the hill that we had to carry/drag the kayaks down and up.

The waterproof camera had an 800 ISO so many of the shots are overexposed. Because of this, I tweaked the shots to give a warmer, aged look. Also, what you see is what you get, no zooming in our out. For the most part, I am happy with how they turned out. 

We spent 90 minutes at Chewacla. We got comfortable with the equipment and the paddling. The trickiest part was getting into the kayak. It would be easy to overcompensate and flip into the water. 

Interesting perspective...shooting from the water toward the land. Additionally, framing a shot could be challenging because the kayak would drift.

We saw some turtles and TOM saw a deer. He also brought his fishing rod and he appeared to be very comfortable with casting, and even did some 'trolling'. I am not sure what he would of done had he actually caught a fish : )

At the end of the day, we concluded that this is an activity that we would like to continue. It was quiet and peaceful on the lake. The activity was not overly strenuous, unless you to pick up your pace. In that case, it would be a very good cardio workout. 

We will continue to rent equipment for the time being. 

I did get a blister on one hand, so next time I will wear some gloves.  

Happy Paddling!

I CAN

About18 months ago I decided to make some lifestyle changes. After a trip to the doc, I discovered that my blood sugar was elevated, I had high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. A family history of heart disease did not help matters. The results of these blood tests were the impetus to a healthier lifestyle. My first line of attack, looking for the easy way out, was to research gastric bypass surgery. Having gained alot of weight over the previous 10 years, I selected the Lap Band (I didn't want to disconnect anything and I wanted it to be reversable. Go figure.) My thinking was why diet and exercise when I can have surgery. I met with the bariatric surgeon and had the psycholigical testing. I was a good candidate for the surgery. I met all the surgical criteria with the exception of a 6 month supervised diet. Because of my elevated blood sugar, my insurance would pay for visits to a nutritionist in the form of diabetic diet counseling. I had quite an attitude on my first visit with her. This was just a formality for me, right? I planned to fail and have the surgery. What I didn't count on was my competivie nature. It would not let me fail. Somewhere along the line I figured out that I CAN LOSE WEIGHT ON MY OWN (with a little support from family and friends : )) I never had the surgery. I joined Weight Watchers for about 6 months. This particular program was not for me. I hated getting on the scale each week. It was very stressful. I felt like I was being lectured. And forced to buy the food. And the other products. I do like the WW website tho. It comes with an online food diary and oodles of really great recipes. And another thing, I discovered the JOY OF COOKING! Me, 48 years old, two sons and a husband and I never really cooked. I don't know how we all survived. There were times when I did not work and cooked more regularly, but for the most part everything we ate CAME OUT OF A BOX. Good food really is wonderful. And is good for you too. And good food doesn't need all day to cook. Some of my favorites can be whipped up in less than 30 minutes. Today, I am 40 lbs lighter. I eat right and exercise regularly. The weight loss has been relatively slow, but slow and steady wins the race, right? Which brings me to this treatise today. My weight loss has stalled. Negligible results for about 4 months now. I have a hard time motiviating myself to exercise. I am eating more junk food. I am slipping back into hold habits, and old habits die hard. I wanted to lose 50 lbs by my 50th b-day and I don't think I am going to make it. Now you might be thinking, "Hey, you've lost 40 pounds, that's great. Think where you would be if you hadn't started this journey". And you would be right. But each slip makes it harder and harder to get back on track. If you have ever struggled with your weight, you know what I am talking about. The ultimate goal of this post today is to pull me out of this slump. Take a look at the positive changes I have made in the last 18 months. This post is intended as positive reinforcement for ME! To remind myself that yes "I CAN DO THIS". I AM HEALTHIER. I LOOK BETTER. I FEEL BETTER. MY CONFIDENCE HAS SOARED. I AM LIVING MY BEST LIFE (to quote Oprah). And isn't that the point of all this? Where would I be if I hadn't made these changes? Heavier? Yes. Depressed? Yes. On medication? Yes. (Note: due to heredity, I have to control my cholesterol with meds, but my blood sugar is back to normal. At least I dodged that bullet.)

So, having laid it all on the line today, I will:

Exercise

Eat smart

Remember the dollop method for the holidays

Remember how far I've come, not how far I have to go

Not beat myself up if I cheat a little

Like myself, whatever the package, because I am worth it