Sounds familiar...?

Even as a little girl, I was into sports. From Swimming, windsurfing and gymnastics to horse back riding, tennis and ballet. I liked all kinds of sports and I still do!

Rest assured… I will not bore you with a full biography. So fast forward to juggling kids, a household and a full-time job. My healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition were often pushed to the background and my health had to pay the price for it.

My husband and I are fortunate to have 2 beautiful healthy children. By the time they became more independent I had become a couch potato and gained appr. 15 kilograms. I never even realized it until someone showed me a photo that was taken while being on a hike. I remember that hike very well! I was huffing and puffing with every step going up the mountain. I had never been in a worse shape than at that time and I realized that I had to make some drastic changes and fast.

I went on a diet and once I changed my eating habit and started losing weight the next step was to start exercising again. I have to admit that after such a long time it is very difficult to get back into a sports routine but you have to make a start, find what works for you and turn it into a daily routine.

The day that changed it all again...

During a trip to Nakiska, a ski hill close to Calgary, I had an accident which resulted in a severe injury. I broke my elbow exactly in the corner. A spot that will never heal properly back together again. I had to have surgery and they were able to rebuild my elbow with metal. After a slow and long healing process of about 2 years I was finally able to use my arm and shoulder again but I lost the majority of muscle strength.

I’ve always been a ‘water’ person. I grew up close to the coast and am always drawn to the water whether it is an ocean or a lake. In order to get my strength back I had to have fysio and I had to start exercising again. Being the water nut I am I looked into water sports. The more I read about paddle boarding the more I knew this was the sport for me.

My new love...

I signed up for a introduction session and was hooked right away. The following spring I bought my first paddle board. After lots of research I chose an inflatable paddleboard from Starboard. A really nice and stable all-round board that I still own. We usually use it to take our little rescue dog with us when we go paddle boarding.

To improve my skills and avoid any injuries or worsen my existing ones, I signed up for some classes to learn paddling the proper way. There was no stopping me anymore. I became a WPA Level I and Level II paddle board instructor.

 

PaddleAway.today is proud to say that we're an affiliate and ambassador of Paddle Into Fitness, WPA certified member and SUPIA member.

 

Astrid Vanderlee

Founder & Owner

I often hear from people my age or older that paddle boarding is not something they can do anymore because they’re too old, in too bad of a shape or because it is a sport only for younger people. Nothing is farther from the truth! I started at a later age to improve my health and be active again. So if I can do it you can do it too! There’s no better time to improve your health then now… today.

So… when you've run out of excuses why not to learn paddleboarding and improve your quality of life, than contact me now and … PaddleAway.Today. 😉

• Affiliate and ambassador of Paddle Into Fitness
• Member of and certified by World Paddle Association
• Member of SUPIA