Paddle Lessons and Presents with Purpose Offer Serenity and Safety On the Water
Written by Alex Cotluer
Photography by Elizabeth Palace
Living in Jupiter supports a healthy lifestyle by providing the ideal weather and backdrop for paddling all year long! Tracking your paddle activity is a great way to stay motivated and aligned with your goals. From GPS-based tracking apps that log every stroke to online paddling groups that cheer you on from miles away, technology has made it easier than ever to stay consistent and set goals.
A comprehensive paddle tracker provides time, distance, calories, strokes, pace, speed, and heart rate data. There are so many options that choosing one can be daunting. There are countless apps for your phone, GPS tracking devices you place on your equipment, and smart watches. After years of trying many options, I settled on Garmin to track my paddles on my watch using the paddleboard setting. The Garmin Connect app is comprehensive and allows me to add tide and weather conditions in the notes, upload pictures of the route. You can download data from an Apple Watch to the Garmin app using a third-party app like RunGap or Healthfit. Strava is a popular app for your phone that is commonly paired with the Relive app to create a shareable 3D replay of your paddle route. I really enjoy it when other paddlers post these, especially if it is a route I am unfamiliar with. If a personal coach app is more your speed, I recommend Seychelle SUP Training. She’s a Florida resident, mom, nutrition coach, personal trainer, yoga instructor, and multi-title world champion; her platform delivers personal guidance for all levels.
They say a walk after eating helps digestion, a paddle afterward does too. Paddling to local waterfront restaurants is as easy as arriving by boat or car. Pack or wear an above-the-knee length dress made of a polyester and spandex blend with four way stretch for ease of movement. Solid, light-colored dresses tend to show watermarks, I recommend dark colors or a print fabric. You can also just put on a cover-up if it is early in the day and save the dress for happy hour or dinner. Men’s hybrid shorts look put together in or out of water; the fabric is wrinkle-free and the four-way stretch allows ease of movement. Pair it with a dry-fit collared shirt and no one will know you just paddled there until they see you paddle away.
A comprehensive paddle tracker provides time, distance, calories, strokes, pace, speed, and heart rate data. There are so many options that choosing one can be daunting. There are countless apps for your phone, GPS tracking devices you place on your equipment, and smart watches. After years of trying many options, I settled on Garmin to track my paddles on my watch using the paddleboard setting. The Garmin Connect app is comprehensive and allows me to add tide and weather conditions in the notes, upload pictures of the route. You can download data from an Apple Watch to the Garmin app using a third-party app like RunGap or Healthfit. Strava is a popular app for your phone that is commonly paired with the Relive app to create a shareable 3D replay of your paddle route. I really enjoy it when other paddlers post these, especially if it is a route I am unfamiliar with. If a personal coach app is more your speed, I recommend Seychelle SUP Training. She’s a Florida resident, mom, nutrition coach, personal trainer, yoga instructor, and multi-title world champion; her platform delivers personal guidance for all levels.
Community accountability is a fun resource to keep your paddle fitness game on point. Consider the virtual paddle challenges put on by Adventure Sports Florida and Paddle Monster. These challenges come with leaderboards, badges, and group forums, giving you a sense of camaraderie even if you are paddling solo on your home waterway. If in-person connection motivates you best, consider joining South Florida Paddlers, a social paddle group focused on environmental stewardship and safety. You will gain new routes, new friends, and that little nudge of encouragement that gets you on the water when your motivation dips.
We can all use support to maintain a healthy, balanced lifestyle. The blend of technology and community makes it easier by reinforcing your personal intention through accountability and making wellness something you can truly sustain by seeing your progress with real time data. Need help getting started? Reach out, Let’s Paddle!
