Stop Ignoring It

Why do we close our eyes, shut off our ears, and ignore things?  Because we don’t want to hear it usually!  When we have goals we are working towards we don’t want to get sidetracked.  However, there are times when we need to have a seat on the bench and take a short break.  

To my grumbling and dismay I sadly have to take a seat on the bench this week.  For the past year I’ve been having some lower back pain.  It started when I was doing a burpee workout move and wasn’t using proper form.  I had some pain the next day and then it slowly dissipated.  I kept working out even though it was sore.  The pain subsided but it comes back quite quickly anytime I do any burpee exercise.  Now the easy response is to say no more burpees.  But they are a great move to do for multiple reasons.  I watched my form like a hawk and my lower back still hurt the next day.  It even got to points where holding a plank caused some pain.  The good news it goes away.  However, this last week the pain has stayed a bit longer than other times.  So what do you do?  You take the bench and make this week a rest week.  Do some basic stretching, and keep the mobility of other joints.  But I’m laying off any lifting, or most physical exercise.  It sucks.  I really want to workout, but know I shouldn’t.  The reason for taking this week off is to let it fully heal.  I’m sick and tired of it hurting so easily.  I’m hoping that if I let it fully heal I’ll be set to rock and roll with all my workouts!

Life likes to throw us curve balls, big and small.  In the big picture, this is a small curve ball.  But it still slows me down from reaching my goal.  What does this mean to you?  It means that you should listen to your body.  Don’t ignore the pain.  Yes, there is some pain you can work through but there are times when you need to just take a break.  That doesn’t mean that you fell off the wagon.  When you’re taking your break, concentrate on eating well and staying active through other means.  That way you’re holding the course and will be set to hit the workouts as soon as you’re able.

The moral of this post: Listen to your body!

Say NO To Sore B's when Paddling

That’s right, you read it correctly!  Say No to sore B’s.  The B’s being your Butt and your Back of course!  Let’s face it, as kayak anglers we love being on the water and chasing our new personal best.  This usually means we are out for a number of hours and usually sitting down for the majority of that time.  While companies have vastly improved the seats to help keep us comfortable as long as possible our butts and back still get sore!  Say NO to the soreness and give this ONE easy stretch you can do while you’re in your kayak.

First, put your rods in their holders or strap them to your kayak.  Also, strap your paddle to your kayak or place it by your feet.  Sit tall in the seat and have your feet flat against the floor of your yak.  To do this you will need to bring your feet closer to the chair.  Then put the calf of your left leg on top of the quad of your right leg.  You may need to help it up with your arms.  Keep your back tall and lean forward over your left calf.  You should feel the stretch in your left butt cheek and lower back.  Exhale and breath deep for a couple breaths.  Then put your left leg down and change legs.  

If you are unable to get your calf on top of the your quads, then keep your feet flat against the floor and lean forward keeping your back tall.  You should feel the stretch in your lower back and buttocks!

Want more? Then as you lean forward twist outward so you head and shoulders turn towards the leg that is planted firmly on the kayak.

Try this move when you start to feel the soreness start to set it!  Where do you get sore when kayak fishing?  Let me know in the comments or tag me on Facebook or Instagram and I can help you (and others) find ways to relieve it!

My 3 Favorite No Equipment Workout Moves

I absolutely love being outside.  I also enjoy lifting weights!  However, putting these two together can be tricky.  That’s one reason why I love doing workout moves that require no equipment.  Just yourself, the earth, and a desire to be awesome!  Plus, if you’re just getting into being healthy and fit, you don’t need to buy anything! :)  So I thought I’d share my 3 favorite moves you can do anywhere, anytime, with NO equipment!  I’d love to see you giving these a try!  Take a pic or video and tag me in it! @jonesintogetfit or @Spencerjones

Push-ups

Yes the basic and sometimes dreaded push-ups.  While a standard push-up can get boring there are so many variations that help make it more enjoyable.  Everything from wide hands, heart to heart, narrow feet, wide feet, to full body plyo push-ups.  This one move works your chest, tri’s, and even some more muscles with different variations!  Mix it up and give them a try.  Even if you just do a 1 inch push-up, it’s better than not doing anything!

Pikes Press

What!?! Another upper body exercise?  You know it!  When I was first introduced to this shoulder press I was told that if you could do 10 you were stellar!  I think I could do 4 before I almost fell on my head.  It’s a hard move but I like the fact that it really challenged me and I could see improvements relatively quickly!  To do this move get into a downward dog.  Keep your legs straight and bring your hands in a little bit.  Now drop your head straight down in-between your hands.  Then push your head back up using your shoulder muscles.  You’ll feel the burn in no time!

Calf Raises

I think it’s because of Tony Horton and P90X but I love working out my calf muscles.  I have two different ways that I like to work them out.  One is a fast positive motion (lifting up on your toes) and a slow and controlled negative (lowering your heel).  Do this controlled and putting the weight by your big toe.  The other way is the three way calf raise.  First you stick your toes out wide, like a duck and do 15 calf raises, then parallel to each other and do 15 raises, then point your toes together, like a pigeon, and do 15 calf raises. Want added intensity, do 15 slow and controlled reps (up and down) and 10 fast before going to the next position!

Now are there other muscles groups, of course!  Do I like working out other muscles, you know it!  I also dread working some other ones out.  But I wanted to give you a glimpse at some of my favorite equipment free workout moves.  I can do these anywhere, anytime, and all I need is myself and the earth.  I’d love to know what your favorite workout moves are, with or without weights.  Let me know in the comments or tag me in a picture of your favorite move.

Pedal Power Stretches

2017 is a huge year for kayak fishing, mainly pedal fishing kayaks.  While there were a two main pedal drives out for a number of years this year almost every major brand has come out their version a pedal drive.  There are a number of advantages to having a pedal driven yak and one is that your legs are your largest muscle group.  This means you have more power and won’t fatigue as early.  Sadly, just like your shoulder and arms your legs can get cramps.  It is even more important to stretch out your legs before and after you kayak to make sure you stay in tip top shape and are ready for you next big adventure.  I suggest doing these 3 stretches right before you launch and as soon as you come back in from your adventure.  

1)Swinging Knees

Feel free to use your paddle to help you balance if needed.  Stand up straight and raise your left knee so it bends at 90 degrees and your quads are parallel to the ground.  Then gently swing your left leg out to the left side.  When it is as far as you can get it to the side, lower your foot back to the ground.  Do this 5 times.  Then switch legs and stretch it out 5 times.

2) Dizzy Toes

It’s just like it sounds sit or stand, whatever you prefer and extend your left leg lifting it off the ground a couple inches.  With your toe draw a circle going clockwise.  Go around the circle 10 times then reverse direction (going counter-clockwise) 10 times.  After completing the 20 circles, put your foot down and lift your right leg and do both sets of circles.

3)Swaying Elephant Trunk

Spread your legs keeping your toes pointed forward.  You’ll want them at least 3 feet apart but can be more if you wish.  Put your hands on your hips and keeping your core engaged bend down keeping a straight back.  Once you get as low as you can go or parallel (whichever happens first) then bend your back and allow yourself to hang.  You can move your hands so they hang down by your head.  Slowly sway left and right.  Your hands can move as well. (Looking like an elephant trunk.) You’ll want to feel the stretch in your hamstrings.  If your muscles are too tight you can bend the knees slightly.  Hold this position for 15 or more seconds.  To come up, breathe deeply and slowly raise yourself back up imagining you are putting a single vertebrae in place at a time.  Keep your head down until the last little bit.  When you back is straight, gently raise your head and roll your shoulders back!

Busting Outta Here

This last weekend was absolutely incredible!  The weather was really giving everyone Spring fever with temps in the 60’s and even 70’s here in Wisconsin.  Now I know for some of you folks, you’re already enjoying these temperatures but here in the frozen tundra it’s our first taste of weather.  Folks were outside cleaning up and prepping their yards for the summer, walking their dogs, running, and getting outside.  I even saw a couple kayaks on top of cars!  What a beautiful sight!  

Sadly I had other commitments that kept me from fishing but I was able to get outside and finally was able to clean up the yard and get some of it set for summer (still more work to do) and ran 4 miles.  I absolutely love this warm weather!  While I didn’t get a chance to workout outside the warmth definitely had me thinking of my park workout I did a couple years ago.  I’m really looking forward to pushing myself to get outside of my comfort zone and push my physical limits outside!  A park is a perfect area to do this, especially if it has hills!  You can spring up the hills, do push-ups, gorilla crawls, pull-ups (if they have monkey bars), bear crawls, and so much more!

Below is the video of the park workout I did two years ago.  How many of you would be interested in doing a park workout?  Would you want a list of exercises and all that you can bust out when you’re outside enjoying the weather?  Let me know in the comments below or email me!  If there’s enough interest, I’ll get some workout routines made up and share them!  Maybe even another video!

Tenkara Hiking

Photo credit: Israel Dunn

I don’t know about you but I love exploring new areas and going places that are off the beaten path.  Maybe that’s why I love learning piano music that isn’t the most popular or why I love kayak fishing so much.  Because I get to share amazing music that isn’t common and search waters that don’t see much of any pressure.  One thing I’m hoping to do a little more this year is hiking.  It’s a fantastic way to get outside and get some exercise!  Plus you can find some really amazing creeks and small waterways.  Most are too small for the kayak but can hold some fun little fish to catch.  Obviously it’s hard for me to just hike on by and not get the urge to see what I can catch.  That’s why I want to try tenkara fishing!

Have you heard of tenkara fishing before?  It’s very similar to fly fishing except even more minimalistic.  There’s no reel and the line is connected to the tip of the rod.  Plus, some of the rods are collapsible.  Perfect for hiking!  One of my friends, Anthony Larson, from Coulee Region Adventures told me about tenkara fishing and suggest taking a look at Badger Tenkara rods.   I really like the features but haven’t pulled the trigger on one yet.  Then last year my buddy Israel Dunn from Shoreboundhero.com was using his Badger Tenkara rod on one of our outings.  He showed me some more of their features I think I found my next rod.  They are collapsible, lightweight, flexible, and perfect for those small streams I’m hoping to find when hiking this year.  Hopefully I’ll be able to show some pics of me hiking and catching some fish with one this summer!

Do you enjoy hiking? What about fishing?  Would you combine the two?  Have you ever tried Tenkara Fishing?  Let me know it the comments, I’d love to hear from you!

Photo credit: Israel Dunn

Yak Throwing

Picture edited by Jess Ott

Yak Throwing 101

First, squat down next to your yak and put your head in between it’s legs.  Wrap one arm around the front two legs and the other around the back two legs.  Then keeping your core tight, lift from your legs…… Oh…. Wait.  Yak as in a kayak, not the animal.  Well now that’s a different beast!

Loading and unloading your kayak on top of your vehicle or on a trailer is one of the common ways kayak anglers hurt their back.  While it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to do it properly it takes a little awareness to have everything go smoothly so you can head out on your favorite body of water.  Follow these 3 tips to help you avoid getting injured when throwing your yak around.

Get Engaged

No need to find the person of your dreams for this you just have to engage your core!

Your core muscles are your abs, obliques and lower back.  When lifting and getting your kayak set to load it’s easy to twist putting a lot of weight on you at weird angles.  To avoid this, keep your core engaged.  Generally most of us need will be at a weird angle at some point while loading or unloading but you can help stop it from injuring you by keeping your core muscles flexed.  Because they are flexed you may realize you can’t twist or bend as far.  That’s ok, it’s protecting you!

Knee Me

You’ve heard it since you were a kid, lift with your knees and not your back.  I hate to tell you but the advice is still good.  When lifting your kayak off the group or putting it back on the group, use your legs.  It may seem easier to just bend over and round out your back but you are killing your back and putting it at huge risk.  Keeping your core engaged, raise or lower your kayak using your legs and work at keeping your back straight.  If you round it out too much when holding weight you can tweak it and cause pain.

Two’s better than one

Having a buddy is great, especially when they are willing to help!  If your friend grabs one end of your kayak and you grab the other, it makes it a lot easier to take it off or put it on our car or trailer.  Remember that you still want to keep your core engage, use your legs, and not to round out your back.

Bonus tips

Boney

When we lift we use our muscles (duh) but when you’re holding onto something you can use your skeletal strength.  This means that your arms are straight and your muscles aren’t flexed while holding onto your yak.

Shoulder Shelf

Loading your kayak on top of your vehicle means you have to lift it higher than a trailer.  There are a few ways to get it at a good height but one way that I found that works great is set the kayak on its side on the ground.  Stand in the center and bend down (using your knees).  Have one hand grab the center handle and the other a scupper hole or other side of the yak.  Hold the kayak firmly and stand up.  As you’re standing up use the momentum and lift the kayak onto your shoulder using your hands to help balance it  Then walk it up to your car and place it on the rack.  Note that you will want to follow the tips above to do this without causing injury.

Strap me down

Now to get cruising….well, almost cruising.  After your kayak is on it’s rack or trailer make sure it’s balanced and doesn’t tilt one way or another.  Then strap it down using cam style straps.  Be sure it’s tight but not bending the plastic of your kayak.  Be sure you add bow and stern straps as well.  The last thing you want happening is it flying off your car and having it hurt other people or damaging other vehicles.

Picture edited by Jess Ott