Fat Chance
Published April 13, 2011 | 
Sittin’ with the fat man
Tryin’ to get a loan
Talkin’ about horses
And the women that we’ve known – randy newman
We have to be careful about the assumptions we make about people’s sizes. Yeah, I’ve been on about this before. (And will be again I’m sure!) First, let me say it again, as a population we are getting way too fat. We know it. That’s why I so love what Darrin Kimbler is doing with his Canoe Across America Trip. I certainly don’t have the nuts to do the classic belly-side-view shot he did! I’ll never be one to say it’s OK to be obese either. What also is not “OK” is when folks trying to get into shape can’t find clothing or gear in their size, or when they have to put up with sales people simply writing them off as “fat”. Continue reading
One Small Step…
Published April 1, 2011 | 
Wow! Technology sure has come a long way. This fancy new biometric shirt by Under Armour is made of a wicking material & contains electronic sensors to measure heart and breathing rates as well as skin-surface temperature. It also has a triaxial accelerometer to measure force and direction. The little yellow button called the ‘bug’ stores up to 2 gigs of information that can be transmitted and downloaded to a computer for analysis. Cool. The only thing paddlers want to know is.. is it waterproof. Oh, and then there’s this…
As you know, while we’re out there staying fit, be it paddling, running or whatever, we love listening to our music. Now ear bud maker ZippearZ promises “they won’t fall out.” No matter what. Hmmm. After watching this video, (Some repeatedly I might add…) the only thing paddlers want to know is…
JB? Comments?
Active or Die!
Published December 29, 2010 | 
I’ve said it many times before…. It’s hard to stay fit in Wisconsin over the winter months. It’s “ski or die” for the most part. Over the last few years I’ve spent long winter hours on treadmills and stationary bikes. I’m trying to get into skiing but it’s just not my bag. I’ll do it, but I know I’ll never love it the way I love kayaking. So every year it seems I meet spring wearing the inevitable “winter 10″, that 10 extra pounds of winter fat that comes from a much more sedentary winter lifestyle. Of course if you do that a few years in a row and you never really seem to get ahead. Each year I feel fat by spring and fit by fall just in time to slip into fat season again. It’s a cycle as old as time. I still have to find a solution that I can live with. Xbox? I’m kidding.. right!? Continue reading
Robo Paddle
Published July 23, 2010 | 
And I quote, “The Excalibur Kayak paddle is the ultimate coaching tool…….. It’s onboard strain gauge and positional sensors record every aspect of your stroke…… You are are sure to benefit from this cutting edge technology…….”
I’m not even sure what I want to say about this.. other than if I ever wanted to beat Ben Lawry upside the head with it, I’d have a good grasp of how committed I was when I did it… (sorry Ben, you were just the first guy to come to mind… not sure what that says… but, well… 
Run for your Life
Published July 1, 2010 | 
And if I only could / I’d make a deal with God
And I’d get him to swap our places
Be running up that road / Be running up that hill
With no problems…
– kate bush
Let’s go off topic a today just because I feel like it! That’s what’s great about a blog after all, the ability to just sit down and blather about whatever madness comes to mind. Today I’m going to talk about my other bad habit… trail running! Continue reading
Paddling from the Beginning – Fitness
Published February 1, 2010 | 
Paddler on Lake Michigan at the Door County Sea Kayak Symposium. Door County, Wisconsin.
In the last “Paddling From The Beginning” post I gave you just some of the reasons we paddle. Today I want to talk just a bit about paddling for fitness.. for us average non-super athletic types.
I’ll never forget reading an interview with Israeli expedition paddler Hadas Feldman where she said something to the effect that she had to go on a major expedition every so often to simply avoid getting fat. Obviously she wasn’t serious, but that’s athleticism I understand! Certainly there are paddlers who go for the most efficient strokes, amazing speeds and all that. Bless their little souls! But most of us define fitness by simply staying active, alive and not getting too fat! Continue reading
Posted in Fitness, From The Beginning Series, Learning, Outdoor Recreation, Paddling | 
Fitness, hadas feldman
Don’t cry
Don’t raise your eye
It’s only teenage wasteland
– who
I don’t know about you but when it comes to outdoor sports/recreation, I’m not worried about young guys kicking my a** any more. I came to a sort of epiphany. No, I didn’t surrender to being 45 years old and accept that I’m over the hill. I didn’t bow under to the fact that my body is not capable of what it once was. No, I realized that the majority of people, including the “young guys” simply don’t get around much anymore. In fact the majority of humans (in our culture at least) participate in very little physical activity. There’s like a zillion studies to back that up. Heck even the military is getting freaked. While there’s a small minority of us that have truly physical jobs or that participate in any sort of sport, most of us don’t. We’re becoming a sedentary, obese and diabetic society. So for what it’s worth, if you’re active.. kudos.
As far as aging is concerned, I’ve got a theory about that; I think 60 might be the new 40, simply because 30 is the new 50.. Let that sink in for a moment. If you’re “older” and active, don’t worry so much about losing a step. The truth is, you’re still gonna kick a lot of a** out there. On the other hand, maybe that’s something we should all be worried about…