Although they've been around for awhile now, stand up paddle boards are now starting to get much more popular. If you've seen one, you'll know that they look like a surf board, but they're much thicker and wider, and a lot easier to stand on than a regular surfboard is. They are now one of the fastest growing water sports in the world according to the latest statistics. Many people also call them SUPs, short for "stand up paddling". They were originally derived from Polynesian boards that had been used for centuries to fish from, and to get from island to island.
SUP's Are Great For Fishing
These boards are easier to carry on a car, compared to a boat, and just as easy to get into the water as a regular surfboard. You don't have to have a launch facility, a trailer, a motor, or even a paddle, you could use your hands. If your main desire is fishing, you'll want to get a board that is about 35" wide, that's wider than normal, and it should have a square tail with excellent buoyancy as well.
When fishing it's important to have most of your gear in front of you on the board, and it should be in a buoyant box or crate that will stay afloat if knocked overboard. You can have a rod holder fastened to the box so you can use both hands on the paddle when needed. In order to keep your box from slipping off the board, bungee cords work nicely. Most boards come with some cleats to tie things onto, if not, you can buy them and use high grade epoxy to put them where you need them.
Then all you need to do is paddle out to your favorite spot, or even troll using the paddle, while getting great exercise while you fish. Boards are easier to paddle than a boat because they are smaller, lighter and have less water resistance so you won't wear yourself out like you would rowing a boat.
When Choosing A Board Take Weight Into Account
Basically the wider the board the more stable it's going to be, however, the wider boards are more difficult to maneuver, especially in tight places, or make sharp turns. When choosing the right length, the more you weigh the longer the board will have to be. If you weigh 130 lbs, you should get a board about 9' 4", at 180 lbs you'll need a board at least 10' 4" instead. For 30 more lbs add another foot in length.
There Are Inflatable Stand Up Paddle Boards Too
If you think you're going to have a problem being able to transport and carry your board, you can buy an inflatable one instead. The inflatable SUP is much lighter to carry and when deflated with fit into nearly any trunk or hatchback car. Definitely consider a good inflatable stand up paddle board for fishing. By keeping things easier to carry and take to the water, you'll most likely use your board much more often.
Getting into paddle boarding is a fun and exciting sport, they can be used to fish, surf, sunbathe and several can be connected together in the middle of a lake to make a party platform too. Check online for images and you'll note that they come in many different styles, colors and types depending on how you're most likely to use them.
Big Island Will Gets Fit
Monday, October 26, 2015
Saturday, March 14, 2015
All About CrossFit Workouts
With
all the fitness training programs becoming popular nowadays, it’s
worth taking a closer look into each of them. One of the programs
that’s been gaining popularity recently is CrossFit. If you’ve
seen YouTube videos of CrossFit buffs, you probably noticed one
thing--supreme intensity. Needless to say, it’s not for everyone.
CrossFit
doesn’t involve gym equipment. You won’t see free weights. No
machines. But you will experience a serious training that will
condition your body to eventually be able to do anything. It’s all
about functional strength.
Is
it good for you?
Although
the public has an impression of CrossFit as a wildly intense workout
that is impossible for beginners, the truth is it’s great for
different types of people. You won’t start at the high intensity
stage of the program. That’s designed for advanced individuals.
Your fitness level will be assessed and the right scale is set for
you. The thing about CrossFit is it’s a single type of workout, but
it’s scalable. If you can’t hold 140 lbs in a squat position, you
can start with lighter weights. You start with the number of reps you
can do. Eventually, this will become a high intensity program, but
it’s one that doesn’t and shouldn’t sacrifice your health.
In
the end, you will have to decide whether you want to progress or
switch to other types of workout. Fitness fanatics tend to stick to
the program and see best results.
What
are the risks?
For
people who are asking whether CrossFit training is dangerous. It can
be. Just like any type of fitness program, there are risks involved.
Doing
exercises in bad form
The
main feature of CrossFit training is doing as many reps as possible
within a specified span of time. This can be daunting, even
troublesome for beginners, who have yet to master doing certain
exercises in the right form. You can crank out high reps of push-ups,
but in the wrong form, you could injure your rotator cuffs or tear
your triceps tendon. The solution is always have someone watch over
your form when you do the exercises. More importantly, once you could
no longer do an exercise in the right form, stop! 10 push-ups done in
proper form is much better than 25 bad ones.
Overtraining
The
tendency of people on CrossFit training program is to push themselves
way beyond their limits until something snaps. This shouldn’t be
the case, as in any type of fitness program. Whether you’re into
running or weight training, if you push yourself too hard, you are
likely to injure something.
The
problem with many CrossFit enthusiasts is they often encourage young
beginners to push themselves too far, too soon. Many beginners and
even intermediate members tend to show off too and do more than they
should, and this behavior is often encouraged, causing many
CrossFitters to have different types of injuries at some point.
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Carb-Loading Strategies for a Marathon
Carb-loading
is essential for runners before a marathon. It allows their body to
store as much fuel as needed days before the big demand. How do they
do it?
Eat
more carbs 3 days before the marathon.
The
goal is to consume about half o three-quarters more carbs than you
used to for three days before the marathon. Supposing you normally
consume 4 cups of rice a day, add two or three cups of rice each day
on the last three days before the big day. You can also add carbs by
eating pasta or potatoes. At the same time, cut down on protein and
fat.
Have
servings of carbs per meal.
Spread
the servings of carbs throughout the day by including them in each
meal. You can add variety by eating a different kind of carbohydrate
each meal. You can have white or brown rice, pasta, and bread.
Forgive
yourself for stuffing more sugar into your body.
The
last three days are the perfect time to forget about managing your
carb intake. You can eat and drink sugary stuff just for this period.
That’s because you need as much glycogen as possible before the
marathon. Snack on cookies, granola bars, and crackers in between
meals. This is the time to enjoy sweet fruit juices and sweetened
coffee.
Minimize
fiber intake.
This has to be pointed out. Fiber is good, but you don’t need the
gastrointestinal bloating it causes. So skip fiber a few days before
running in a marathon.
Don’t
worry about getting fat.
It’s
just for three days. It’s like overeating for three days only to
burn the excess carbs on the day of the marathon. It doesn’t make
you fat. Instead, your body turns the extra carbs into glycogen,
which is stored in the liver and muscles. On the day of the marathon,
your body starts using the available glucose, much of which comes
from the food you ate earlier. When blood glucose runs low, your
muscles will begin to metabolize stored glycogen, and then the liver
breaks down glycogen to further sustain you throughout the course of
the marathon. If you don’t load yourself up on carbs days prior to
the marathon, you won’t have enough reserves and your muscles will
run out of fuel.
Eat
a regular breakfast 2-3 hours the start of the marathon.
You
don’t need a huge meal hours before the ultimate run. You should
have enough stored glycogen from the carbs you stuffed into your body
days before. Also, it’s hard to run at your maximum performance
after a huge meal.
Saturday, February 14, 2015
How to Prepare for a Marathon
True
runners consider the marathon as the ultimate endurance test. Every
runner dreams of competing in a marathon, and most of the time it’s
not for the glory of winning but for the personal challenge. However,
preparing for a marathon can be both exciting and disgusting. When
the weather is fine and you had great sleep, everything is perfect.
But not every day of training is always like that.
Running
for a marathon is a demanding, high-risk sport. You have to be
absolutely fit for this. Even highly trained and experienced runners
get injured on the track. This is why you have to be absolutely
careful and disciplined.
Have
realistic expectations.
Runners
are not made the same. Some just have better genetics than the
others. Some runners are built for competing. Others are just for
recreational marathons. The latter can always work harder to try to
get their goals. Know what you are capable of at the moment. Also,
picture yourself amid different runners you know. Don’t try to
compete with someone who has been around on the tracks for years. Try
to use them as an inspiration to get better.
Know
this is a high-risk sport.
Thousands
of runners get injured each year. Some luckily survive their injuries
and get back on training just fine. Others are not so lucky enough.
Running for a marathon is so much different than the daily jogging
you do in the neighborhood. It is so much more physically demanding.
It puts so much stress on your entire body, not just muscles and
joints. Many runners have collapsed during the competition due to
dehydration or hypothermia.
Check
your health.
People
with heart problems can’t run on a race. You best hope your heart
is in absolutely great shape before training for a marathon. Running
demands so much cardiovascular work. If your heart is not up to par
for the demands of a race, you are probably better off finding a less
strenuous sport. Needless to say, people recovering from injuries may
have to spend months in rehabilitation before getting back to
training.
Build
your endurance.
This is both fun and difficult. No famous runner ever started with
superior endurance. Everyone had to train. Everyone had to start
somewhere. You too have to start where the winners once did. Jogging
may be boring, and you are probably itching to sprint. No! Start
slow. Take it easy. Don’t be carried away by your enthusiasm. Your
muscles, tendons, bones, joints, heart, and lungs all have to adapt
slowly to a step-by-step increase in demand. So you start with
jogging. Then you move to running, and you slowly build mileage and
speed. This takes months and years. Be patient.
Run
3-5 days a week.
Once
you feel that your muscles and joints are strong enough, start
incorporating weekly runs into your training. Mileage and speed are
two important factors. Aim to increase mileage and speed by a max of
10% each week.
Join
in low-key races.
Once
you have built endurance, once you can run 10 miles without feeling
like you’re going to die at the end, then start joining local
marathons. Local marathons are great for amateurs because of the
familiarity of the track. See how you fare against other local
runners.
Continue
with your training.
Challenge
yourself. Increase mileage and speed. Join more competitions.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
How to Get the Most Out of Your Cardio Workout
Cardio
is an important aspect of weight loss programs. If you’re
overweight and trying to lose weight, much of what you do would be
cardio. Cardiovascular workouts are named as such because they mainly
increase your heart rate. When done regularly over a long time, they
improve heart health and build stamina and endurance. However, for
people with extra pounds to lose, the most important effect of
cardiovascular training is weight loss. If you are looking to lose
weight through cardio, here are a few things to maximize the
benefits.
Include
short bursts of high-intensity cardio.
Moderate
cardio is good, but your body adapts to it after a while and your hit
that plateau. One way to overcome this and get more effective with
your weight loss workout is to do interval training, wherein you
alternate between moderate cardio and intense cardio. This method can
be incorporated on any type of cardio training. For instance, those
who like running can alternate between 3 minutes of running at
moderate pace and 2 minutes of sprinting. This is effective for fat
loss.
Go
intense.
If
you only have 15 or 20 minutes, go intense. Studies show that intense
cardio for 15-20 minutes is more effective than moderate cardio for
30-45 minutes. You can do a circuit of different workouts like
squats, mountain climbers, high-knee runs, and burpees. Perform them
with little to no rest in between sets. The thing about high
intensity cardio is you can’t sustain it for long, but it’s more
effective for fat loss.
Do
more than one type of exercise.
If
running is your favorite way to burn fat, you will notice eventually
that your weight loss hits the dreaded plateau. Why? The body adapts
to your routine, and that means it becomes efficient in doing it.
When it becomes efficient in doing something, it needs less energy in
doing it, hence the weight loss plateau. There are many ways to keep
this from happening. One is by switching to different activities so
that you body gets varying stimuli. Also, different activities use
different muscle groups. You can alternate running with swimming or
strength training.
Do
more difficult versions of your exercises.
Another
way to challenge your body aside from switching to a different
exercise is to do harder versions of what you’re doing now. In
other words, make your cardio routine harder. For instance, when you
have been spending weeks jogging, start incorporating running. There
are actually different ways to do this. Runners can supercharge their
routine by picking an uphill track, covering the same distance within
a shorter time, and increasing mileage. If you are doing cardio
circuits, do more reps and challenge yourself to do each circuit
within a shorter period of time with less or no rest period in
between sets.
Time
yourself.
This is a good way to stay on track. For example, do mountain
climbers for 20 seconds. Rest for 10 seconds. Then do as many burpees
as you can for 20 seconds. Rest for 10 seconds. Then crank out as
many squats as you can for another 20 seconds. And so on.
Timing
your workout is also an important way of tracking your progress. For
instance, you start with a 15-second plank. When you get comfortable
with that, you move to a 20-second plank and then 30 and finally a
1-minute plank.
Your
timer should tell you whether you’re workout is too short or too
long. It also tells when to stop.
Saturday, January 10, 2015
No Snow Here!
I love winter in Hawaii. As someone who grew up in Michigan, I certainly do not miss all that cold and all that snow. Sure, when the holidays start up, it does not exactly have the same feel here on the island as it does back home. I mean, you do normally at least think of cold weather, if not snow, when you start thinking about Christmas and New Years. But I tell you, being able to go out in your shorts and flip flops on Christmas Day here is just about the best thing in the world.
And when I get online and see them talking about extreme cold temperatures in the U.S. this winter, I just cannot help but smile. Cause it is definitely not cold here and the temperatures are not extreme.
I used to think that I would be too bored to stay here in Hawaii, but you really get used to the way of life out here. If you have a car, you cannot drive it fast cause the speed limit is so low. So, there is not a lot of stress and road rage like back home. It is just an overall more relaxed pace of life. And I love that.
I also love the lack of snow! Not that I wouldn't have a blast having a snowball fight back home, but I think I'd rather be sipping a cold one here on the beach instead!
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