As most of you know, SUP or stand up paddling is a big part of my life and I enjoy teaching others and sharing the health benefits of this sport.
Here is an article I wrote for ATHELTA to share my knowledge and enthusiam for how I see the sport shaping the world but more importantly, how it’s getting more people healthy.
Well, by the overwhelming response and stories I read as one of the judges for the most recent ATHLETA and SIREN SUP contest, one can say that any age, any person can “sweep” their way to better health, just about anywhere there is water. People all across the world are “sweeping” their way to better health and having more fun than they ever imagined. “Sweeping” is a slang term used to describe the sport that is going viral faster than any social networking media and changing the world of sports on any body of water — and just about anyone can hop aboard.
Stand up paddling, paddle surfing, or SUP is helping people of all ages and sizes catch the surfer’s glide, and helping people in all walks of life get fit and healthy, faster and safer. People are simply getting addicted. The Wall Street Journal recently reported on the rise in popularity — not just for those, like me, who are fortunate enough to live in Hawaii or California, but anywhere there’s an ocean, lake, bay, or even river rapids, you can find this world phenomenon catching on. There are SUP fitness boot camps and clinics popping up anywhere there is water. You may have noticed more races and events happening in your community too.
Below are some photos of a recent FREE women’s Sup clinic last month, and these gals were wonderful. In the first hour, there were smiles across the ocean and a new found ticket to health. I do these monthly to ensure the health of our community and introduce women and men to a new way to get fit! For “fun” I had the girls attempt a few push ups. They were amazing. On the right is Amy Hampton, the Director of Maui’s American Heart Association, getting her heart pumping!
WHAT’S SUP?
According to Wikipedia:Stand up paddle surfing (SUP), or in the Hawaiian language Hoe he’e nalu, is an emerging global sport with a Hawaiian heritage. The sport is an ancient form of surfing, and began as a way for surfing instructors to manage their large groups of learner surfers, as standing on the board gave them a higher viewpoint, increasing visibility of what was going on around them — such as incoming swell. To begin with, this started with using a one-bladed paddle, whilst standing on a normal length surfboard. The popularity of the modern sport of SUP has its origination in the Hawaiian Islands. In the early 1960s, the Beach Boys of Waikiki would stand on their long boards, and paddle out with outrigger paddles to take pictures of the tourists learning to surf. This is where the term “Beach Boy Surfing”, another name for Stand Up Paddle Surfing, originates.
THE BENEFITS OF SUP
Not only can you lower your blood pressure, improve your cholesterol and feel more energized after a session, but the overall experience of being on the water is often touted as “aqua therapy.” The benefits of having a sport you enjoy and can do on a regular basis can alter many of the morbidity factors that decrease our health and plague our society.
I use this sport as a cross-training tool for almost all my clients who are comfortable in the water and who can swim. It is low impact on all joints and is also being used to improve balance and core strength for people recovering from serious injuries. I used my stand up paddle board to recover from a serious bilateral leg and ankle accident. I have also witnessed this sport transform people’s lives overnight, by instilling a new found level of confidence and achievement, making them feel invincible!
As a sponsored team SUP rider for Naish International, instructor, and SUP clinic organizer, I love to introduce the sport to everyone who visits Maui, and help others perfect their paddling stroke — from flat water fun to waves, and the really popular coastal long distance down winders we do here on the North Shore of Maui.
But, before you hop aboard, I’d like to offer my professional experience and expert resources about water safety, board and paddle selection, and how to maximize your fun to maximize your health so you can glide into your later years with a smile and healthy body!
I had the pleasure of getting to know Kevin and his lovely wife Susan when they came to Maui for their usual windsurfing adventure. I worked out with Susan while she was here and had such a great time.
Kevin and I at the time were helping rehab a dear friend and former US Ski Team member, Chris McCutcheon, an amazing athlete. I have to wonder how his knees are holding up these days Kevin?
Kevin has always been on the cutting edge of superior orthopedic technology and advances. As an athlete himself, he understands how important it is to get his patients back on the water, or on the slopes of Lake Tahoe. Patients arrive to his San Fransisco Clinic from all over the world and all get treated like first class athletes.
Kevin Stone, MD
“Many patients with healthy knees, but who are missing a portion of their meniscus, will benefit from a segmental re-growth,” Dr. Stone said.
Collagen Meniscus Implant Opens New Vista for Knee Repair
SAN FRANCISCO, August 18, 2009 - The Stone Clinic in San Francisco reported it implanted the first commercially available meniscus templates in California this past week, opening up a whole new field of meniscus reconstruction. The implant permits segmental rebuilding of portions damaged or missing meniscus cartilage, the fibrous shock absorber of the knee.To date doctors have only been able to remove, suture repair or replace the whole meniscus with cadaver tissue. There was no method of rebuilding or regenerating missing and torn segments. Torn meniscus cartilage leads to more than 1.4 million knee arthroscopies each year in the U.S. alone. Most commonly, surgeons just remove the damage tissue leaving the knee exposed to wear and tear arthritis. The new medical procedure – collagen meniscus implant – literally allows tissue in the knee to re-grow. Continue reading Repairing the Meniscus of the Knee Just Got Better Read About New Collagen Implant
Eclectic foursome hopes to break record, crossing America nonstop by bike in six days and nights with sponsorship from Odwalla
Half Moon Bay, Calif., June 23, 2009 –– This week, an artfully blended mix of personality and passions is peddling across the country in the world’s longest time trial race known as the Race Across America (RAAM). Odwalla is sponsoring an eclectic group of individuals – led by big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton and appropriately named “Team Surfing USA” – and providing race enthusiasts with video and online updates throughout the nearly week-long event.
Hamilton, widely acknowledged as the world’s greatest big-wave surfer, is joined by the following teammates in hopes to set a new record for the cross-continent cycling marathon:
• Don Wildman, the 76-year-old founder of Bally Total Fitness and an avid paddle boarder, biker, swimmer and runner
• Tim Commerford, bassist and founding member of the music group “Rage Against the Machine” and an obsessive mountain biker (he even thanks his bikes in his liner notes)
• Jason Winn, a fitness enthusiast, businessman and former college football player who completed his first “Ironman” triathlon at age 23
“I’m so grateful for Odwalla’s support of our team, which is riding to raise money for autism research, autism, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and Cystic Fibrosis,” Hamilton said. “But beyond the causes we’re riding for, we also want to call attention to Odwalla’s longstanding – more – support of activities that contribute to a healthier lifestyle and a more beautiful environment for millions of people every day.”
Reflective of its name, the team began and will end its journey with stand-up paddle surfing events on each coast to help raise additional awareness and funds for the team’s charities. RAAM kicked off in Oceanside, Calif. and concludes in Annapolis, Md., where the team will stay on their bikes and pedal to Liberty Park, NJ. From there, they will hop back on their boards and paddle to the Statue of Liberty. Odwalla juices, smoothies and nourishing food bars are fueling the team along its way as they cover nearly 3,500 miles by land and sea.
“Team Surfing USA comprises four incredible athletes – a big-wave surfer, a musician, a fitness business pioneer, and a triathlete – all interested in making a difference,” said Chris Brandt, Odwalla Vice President of Marketing. “The fact that they’re mixing in a stand-up paddle surfing element at the beginning and end of the race is pretty impressive and Odwalla is proud to be fueling their coast-to-coast adventure.”
The Race Across America, known as the “world’s toughest bicycle race,” will set over 250 competitors on a 3,000-mile route stretching from Oceanside, California to Annapolis, Maryland. Athletes race continuously day and night, on their own power or sharing the challenge with a team, and a crew of 8 -15 people following in support cars with food and supplies for the race. These courageous adventurers brave heat, wind, thunderstorms, altitude, the dark of night, fatigue, and sleep deprivation, cross two major mountain ranges, and raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity. For additional information, see http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/.
About Odwalla
Odwalla, Inc., the nation‘s leading natural health beverage company, delivers nourishment coast
Enjoy and get inspired from our local Ironman, Phil McGain; a true picture of health.
A count down to an Ironman.
Three weeks out and the adrenalin is already building. I go to sleep at night thinking about my nutrition on the bike, the experts say this is one of the key areas, so I want to get it right. How many gels, where am I going to put them all (18)? I figure I’m on the bike for at least 6.5 hours, that’s 300 calories an hour I need to put into my body, 3 gels every 20 minutes. Ok, I’ll use powerbars because each of those holds 300 calories each. There must be aid stations which will carry most of this? So you see the questions keep flowing into the mind. This is the adventure, the challenge of it all. It becomes a science of survival.
“How am I going to run 26 miles after biking 112miles, in my training my longest run has been 16 miles and that was the day after a 7 hour bike ride, maybe I’ll make it, but how fast will I be able to run, how will I feel after mile 18 on the run? What will my finish time be, will I finish at night or in the day? I can run a stand alone Marathon in 4 hours, so I might be able to run the marathon in 4.45, or maybe not?
It’s the week after I just finished my hardest weekend of training. Last Saturday it was 117 miles on the bike, which took 7 hours. I started in Paia at 6am, headed to Kihie to meet up some friends who were doing a 3 hour road bike session. They always go faster than me so I managed to stay with them for 45 minutes, then my heart rate was too high so I dropped back into my HR zone, from Maalaea I headed back to town (Kahului) to kill some miles, then over to Wailea. It was starting to get hot around 9am, I could see the sweat pouring out of my arms and dripping off my nose while down on the aerobars. I had to keep up my fluid intake or I would pay the price later. From Wailea it was time to head over to the West side, I was only 3 hours into my ride, I had 4 hours to go, the legs were starting to get hot and a little tied. Up over the Pali, now that wasn’t too bad and down the other side on the long stretch to Lahaina. I went out for another hour then turned around (at Kapalua hill) and headed back to Paia. I quickly changed into my shoes and headed out for a 45 minute run. I actually felt pretty good on the run, which always surprises me because at times on the bike it gets so hard. So a long day, 8 hour workout. Thanks goodness that is done.
On Sunday morning I was up early again and headed out on the road from my house in Haiku to get in a 3 hour run. Take it easy I always tell myself for the first hour, then I get into a steady pace and try to keep it that way til I get home. I got in 16 miles and managed to stay strong most of the way. Got home and got straight into an ice bath to soak the legs, had a huge breakfast and then picked up Madi (my daughter) for the day.
Monday is no exercise day, so it’s a good day to catch up rest, sleep and some extra work. Also got a massage in the afternoon, a short walk on the beach before sunset and a jump in the ocean. Now that’s a good day for the body.
Tuesday is swim day and I tried out my new wetsuit because that is what I’m swimming in over in Germany. I got in a 1.5 hour swim, did 4200 yards, a good session and felt good. Also a little windsurfing today which was nice. Late afternoon when the sun was low I got in a run workout. 20 minutes warm up, then 3 x 12 minute at faster than race pace, for me that’s about 8min/mile pace. I felt great, breathing was easy, which was encouraging after the weekend of long workouts, then a 15 minute cool down at easy pace.
Wednesday it was back on the bike for a 70 minute turbo workout, ie 20 min. warm up, then 5 x 5 minutes at fast paced, Heart rate zone 3, which is around 135 to 145. 20 min. cool down. Then on with the shoes for a 35 minute transition run at easy pace.
Thursday morning now, just got back from a early morning swim masters session, got in 3500 metres, a good solid workout. Time to eat and work, windsurf later and get in an hour run.
Tune In The Maui Breakfast Club: with Tom & Kellie Health & Fitness Specialist, Suzie Cooney of Suzie Trains Maui KAOI 1110 AM Every Friday morning at 7am Join Tom Blackburn-Rodriguez, Co-Host Kellie Pali-Kanashiro and Maui Weekly Special Correspondent Trisha Smith. “If it’s Friday, it’s the Maui Breakfast Club.”
“It’s an unusual feeling for a personal trainer: to be down with a broken left leg in two places and a torn ligament in the right leg and once again not to be able to walk. It’s a little discouraging-I have to be honest with you. However, I am not giving up on myself to heal nor on my clients that really need me,” Cooney said during an interview in her Upcountry studio.
Enjoy and get inspired by this interview with Tom Blackburn-Rodriguez!
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Category: Articles, Naish Updates, SUP Enthusiasts | 
Tags: American Heart Association, Athleta, Athleta Chi Share Your Chi, energy, family health, health benefits, health benefits of exercise, health beneftis of SUP, healthy lifestyle, hyrdation, Maui, Maui personal trainer, Naish, Naish International, North Face, Rememdy Pack North Face, Simone Reddingius, Stand Up Paddle, Stand Up Paddling, Stand Up Paddling Fitness, staying fit when injured, Sun protection, SUP conditioning, SUP Cross Training, Suzie Cooney, Suzie Trains Maui, Wall Street Journal, water safety SUP, weight loss, Wikipedia, Women's Fitness, Women's Health
