By Kerry Ann Lukas
At a very young age I started playing sports; soccer and softball I played the most. I played both sports up into my fourth decade. Then, due to a shoulder injury and knee injury, I made the decision to call it quits. That was a very tough decision to make and stick to. Now what? Being such a competitive and active individual, becoming a bench warmer was not an option. The new tough decision to make was, now what? Exercise is imperative to overall optimal well-being of the mind, body, and soul. Exercise is part of the equation to living peacefully within your body, mind, and soul.
Every mind and every body needs to be challenged somehow, some way; it refreshes our soul. It could be tennis, golf, walking, rowing, biking, surfing, weight lifting, swimming, yoga—us folk down here in South Florida have way too many options to even think about throwing an excuse out. My mind needs to be refreshed, my body needs something to challenge it’s strength and endurance, going to the gym was holding me over for the time being until I figured out what the “new challenge” would be.
Wait for it, Stand Up Paddleboarding! I was no longer a bench warmer! My buddy, John, had opened a new SUP shop; I had to check it out. You can demo boards behind the shop, so I jumped right onto a couple of the different race boards and recreational/leisure boards to check them out. I was already getting “refreshed” just trying out the different types of boards. The rest is history! Whether I am out on the Big Drink racing, doing fitness/yoga, or for leisure, the “renewance” of my optimal well-being is being saturated. I am a personal trainer and SUP has been an incredible addition for my clients. It has been a very welcomed option for them as a training session. From what I understand, people move to South Florida because of the warm weather and water. Here is YOUR opportunity to get SUP with the times!
Kerry has 20 years experience and has been educated and certified by ACSM, the American College of Sports Medicine; ACE, the American Council on Exercise and Florida State University. Kerry holds degrees in Exercise Science and Philology and has a back ground in nutrition. Kerry is a Certified Paddle Fit Coach and Kerry is also certified by WPA in Water Safety /SUP Education.