Dubai: A group of mums and career ladies on Wednesday morning ditched their excuses and braved the water to paddle board in Jumeirah as a way to prioritise their health and spice up their fitness activities.
Some 15 ladies descended on NessNass beach in Jumeirah, armed with paddle boards to try out stand-up paddle boarding for the first time with Kite N Surf as part of the Dubai Fitness Challenge free offerings this month.
The fastest growing water sport in the world, stand-up paddle boarding is done by standing on a paddle board, which is much thicker than an average surfboard, and paddling your way out into the sea.
It is a low-impact, full-body workout that involves a combination of balance, strength, and endurance.
Taghred Chandab, an award-winning Australian author and advocate of adults learning how to swim, led the group as they took a training session before they headed off to sea.
“With paddle boarding, your entire body is getting a workout because you’re learning to balance on a board. It’s not very easy. The entire core is getting a workout. Our legs were shaking so much,” Chandab told Gulf News.
Two mums fell off the boards while trying to paddle but it was all part of the experience. The idea, Chandab said, was to do something “different” as they get fit during the 30-day fitness challenge.
“We’ve been doing a lot of walks with the mums here. So this time I thought to change it up a bit. Paddle boarding is a fun event and something that many of the mums have not tried yet,” Chandab said.
One of those who fell off the board but took it like a champ was Lucy Holmes, a mother of two.
“I’ve always wanted to do it. We were all so nervous but we felt really good,” the British expatriate said.
Holmes said she lost 20kg exactly two years ago but had gained back the weight after getting pregnant with her second child. Now eight months on, she’s still trying get rid of her excess weight and the fitness challenge is proving to be helpful.
“I love the Dubai 30x30 but I wish it was for 365 days, I wish it was all-year round. It’s given me the initiative that I really need to get back on track now. It’s gonna happen now! It has to happen!”
For Nadine Benchaffai, mother of three, the activity did not feel like a workout.
“I didn’t feel that I was exercising. It’s more of a workout than you think but it’s not like your typical boring gym session where you kind of have to force yourself to go,” she said. “It’s a nice activity to do as you spend time with the kids as well.”
Getting mums to devote time for themselves to get out of their busy schedules and stay fit is crucial, Chandab said.
“If mums are always tired and lethargic it translates in the household. Sometimes we snap at our kids unnecessarily. Our health as mothers is critical ’cause we don’t look after ourselves first. We look after everyone else and we put ourselves last. I’m a mother of four and I don’t believe in excuses. We have to make time for ourselves,” she said.
