Kristina Stanley

Keeping Fit While Cruising: Swimming Laps

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

If you’re getting the feeling there are endless ways to keep fit while sailing around the Bahamas, you’re getting the right feeling. This week’s suggestion: Swimming laps.

It’s hard to take a photo of myself swimming laps, so I thought I’d show you the water I swim in.

Water

Things to consider:

The water temperature is around 73 degrees Fahrenheit, which can cool a body down, so I wear wetsuit shorts and a rash guard. I find a full wet suit too restrictive for swimming laps, and the rash guard prevents sunburn.

Since there are sharks in the area, I don’t swim at dawn, dusk or in murky water, and I don’t splash around as if I were a fish in distress.

I don’t wear anything shiny in case a barracuda is sharing my water space.

I either swim with a buddy or have a partner follow me in a kayak to reduce the risk of a dinghy hitting me.

Salt water is hard on the swim goggles, so I bring several pairs to last me the season.

It’s a great way to keep fit if we’re in an area that doesn’t have a beach good for running.

Thanks for reading . . .

Writing Targets

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 7 Comments

I’ve read some authors write to achieve a specific word count per writing session.  This doesn’t work for me. During the time I allocate for writing, I might write, edit, proof read, research, or read. Setting a word count adds to much stress to the joy of writing. I can write to a deadline, I can write for the fun of it, I can write for creativity, but if I set a word count for a session, I obsess about the number of words and not about the quality of the writing.

While I’m doing other things with my writing time, all related to writing, an idea will often pop into my head. When that happens, I make a note of it. I’ve learned that if I don’t capture an idea, I won’t remember it later. I get right back to whatever activity I’ve been doing.

For me the writing life doesn’t mean writing all the time, but it does mean I shouldn’t get distracted from the task at hand. I believe all these things (editing, proof reading, researching, reading) make me a better writer.

Any thought?

Thanks for reading . . .

Cruising and Keeping Fit

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

Like most things in life, keeping fit is more fun if you have friends to keep fit with. I’m not going to talk about New Year’s resolutions, because I don’t make any, but I often get asked how do you keep fit while sailing. It depends on where we are. I run on the beach, swim laps, windsurf, kayak, walk, and with so many choices, I find yoga is an easy one to add in.

 

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The cost of equipment is low. If you don’t have a yoga mat, a towel is fine.

Yoga can be done almost anywhere, but a shady spot to hide from direct sunlight  is best.

It doesn’t matter what skill level you are at, everyone is welcome to work at their own pace.

Having fun is the most important part.

Thank for reading . . .

Farley’s Friday: A Kayaking Dog

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 8 Comments

Farley here.

So . . . I’m on a beach walk with Kristina when my friends Sue and Debi kayak nearby.

“Over here, over here, over here,” I bark at them.

Humans are too easy to train. The both kayak right to me. I go to Debi first for the mandatory head pet (my head, not hers), and then over to Sue.

I don’t like to go in water above my belly. I bounce and wag my tail, and Sue understands. She kayaks right into a foot of water. Now the opening of Sue’s kayak is big enough for me, so a lower onto my haunches and take one big leap.

“I’m in,” I bark. “Let’s get going.”

Everybody knows I love to kayak, so what are they laughing about? Like it’s a big surprise I jumped in. Maybe I got water and sand all over Sue, but really, it’s not that funny.

Farley Sue Kayaking

 

We take off, leaving Kristina alone on the beach.

“Wait, I didn’t mean to leave my human,” I whine, but Sue says, ”You’re okay,” and keeps paddling away. I rest my head on the top of the kayak looking moon-eyed back at Kristina. How can Sue ignore my cutest expression?

They take me to the mangroves and let me run free. What a blast! When Kristina finally arrives, I run and jump and show her how happy I am to see her. She needs to feel loved, and it’s my duty to make sure she does, even if I was having fun without her.

Woof. Woof.

Thanks for reading . . .