Hi Everyone!

I hope you are all having a fantastic summer!  I've been away in Florida since July 1st - and let me tell you, it is HOT, HOT, HOT!  I was really hoping I'd still be able to keep up with my half marathon training, but my first attempt at running here told me, there's just no way! 

I headed out for a run a day or so after our arrival, after carefully mapping out a 7km loop that would bring me back to the house on www.mapmyrun.com.  (Great website!)  Let me just say, that I have never sweat so much in my life!  Sorry to gross you out, but honestly, I have just never experienced anything like that before.  I was well-hydrated, but it made no difference, sadly, the heat just did me in.   

After realizing there's just no way to run in this heat (for me, that is), it was on to Plan B! 
I had already scoped out a Pilates studio in Fort Myers, since I knew I wouldn't want to miss it for too long.  I prebooked my sessions before our arrival, to ensure I would stay committed!  Luckily, I found a great studio, and an amazing Pilates instructor, Bridget Kolshak.  http://pilatesfortmyers.web.officelive.com/aboutus.aspx  I've been going there twice a week for classes, Mondays is the Reformer class and Wednesdays is the Tower class.  I'm really enjoying Bridget's classes, and all the fun ladies who come to her classes.  They all are so nice and funny, and just crack me up!  (Which, as you all know, helps when you are sweating your butt off!   :) )

Also, Plan C.  I've joined a gym in Cape Coral, about 15 minutes from the house, where I'm running on the treadmill and taking fitness classes.  Happily, it's nice and air-conditioned in there, and I'm getting lots of great new ideas for my upcoming September and October Bootcamps!

Last week, in Pilates I overheard Bridget talking about needing someone to fill in a spot for a unique new program her and a friend were thinking of introducing.  It turns out that her  friend Lauren owns a paddleboarding business here in Fort Myers, Paddleboard SWFL  https://paddleboardswfl.com/Our_Story.html

You're probably wondering, what's the unique new idea?  Paddleates.  A FUSION of Paddleboarding and Pilates.  Well, I was all over that idea!  Spot filled!!

So, this past Saturday morning, I was up bright and early to drive to Bowditch Beach, very eagerly anticipating what lay ahead!  I love a good adventure and trying new things, so this was right up my alley.  Thank Goodness for my GPS, which got me there right on time - 6.20am!    I met the rest of the ladies, and after a quick lesson from Lauren on how to mount the board, and a few safety items, off we paddled! 

I have to admit, at first I was a little panicked!  I was wondering what on earth I had gotten myself into.  That feeling lasted only about a minute though.  As my legs got used to the slight instability of the board and motion of the ocean (hey, that rhymes!), I looked ahead and saw the sun coming up.  It was just gorgeous.  Gorgeous, and peaceful.  It just felt so cool standing there on the ocean, watching the sun come up!  Very surreal. 

It gets even better!  I paddled to get a little closer to the instructor, Lauren.  As I got the hang of paddling, the easier and more comfortable it felt to be on the board.  We paddled a little more out into the bay, and Lauren pointed about 10 feet ahead of us.  Dolphins!!  I had been told that we may see some, but didn't want to get my hopes up in case I didn't see any.  But, there they were!  I saw two of them.  First, one poked his head out of the water and looked at us.  Then, him and another one kind of swooped out of the water in front of us - in unison.  They were very graceful, and so cute!!  I think they were checking us out to see what we were up to.  And, I'd like to think that maybe they were welcoming us to their ocean!

A few moments later, Lauren brought our attention to some big, flat circles on top of the water, a distinct difference from the usual pattern of the waves.  These, she told us, were manatee "footprints".  It turns out that as the manatee manouvres through the ocean, it presses it's tail down, creating a vortex of some sort, which then creates this flat pattern of circles on the surface.  Very cool!

We continued paddling further into the bay.  When we were all close enough together, Bridget led us through our Pilates/Paddleates moves.  It was awesome.  The moves were more challenging than if we were doing them on a stable surface, but definitely doable.  Shockingly, I didn't fall off even once!!  But, the water was absolutely warm and I wouldn't have minded if I did fall off!  This is something I would love to do again and again. 

Congrats to Bridget and Lauren for coming up with such a unique blend of outdoor fun, and fitness!  And, thank you both for an amazing experience that I will never forget! 

For your amusement, I have attached some photos that Lauren took.  Hope you like the pics.

And, if you ever find yourself in the Southwest Florida/Fort Myers area, I highly recommend you give Paddleboarding, or Paddleates a try!!