How new sports made me look and feel younger

The Wakeboarding, Yoga Handstanding, Pole Dancing Mom

Although I haven’t blogged for a while, I haven’t been wasting time.

I’ve been figuring out how to make wakeboarding, yoga handstands and pole dancing part of my daily life as a Mom. These three new sports have not only benefitted my fitness, they have also made me look and feel younger than the date of birth on my passport would have you believe.

You might ask, how could I possibly find the time to do all that? The answer is to hesitate less and plan more, whilst nurturing a burning desire to be better version of yourself.

Let me tell you how I, as a 40 year old mother of two, brought wakebarding, yoga and pole dancing into my life.

Why Wakeboarding?

It’s an extreme sport and I need extremes in my life to make me feel complete. Wakeboarding gives me the satisfaction of facing up to my fears and overcoming them, whilst being outdoors, on the open water, which I love. When I learn a new trick or turn on the water, the endorphin rush triggers a sense of bliss and lightness, which is seldom found in daily life. It always leaves me wanting more.

Wakeboarding has also become our family sport. My husband and I ride in waterparks and book our time slots in advance so that we can plan our time according to the needs of our family. We usually ride one after the other so that one of us can be with our three year old, whilst our eleven year old swims or tests out his own wake boarding skills. If I am riding alone, my little one plays nearby or sits in the stroller, watching. I can get out of the water at any moment, if he needs me.

In addition to the fantastic fitness benefits, the sport strengthens the emotional bonds between myself and my husband by refreshing our daily agenda with new (ie. non kid related!) topics of conversation.

Although wakeboarding is an extreme sport, as long as I follow the rules and don’t go crazy, it’s also a safe sport. Unlike kitesurfing or windsurfing I’m not dependent on the wind and shore conditions. I’m not in dangerous waters trying to figure out how to get back to land. I’m riding in a specially built water park, under the supervision of experts and I’m always in control.

Finding time in my life for extreme but controlled fun is an excellent example to set for my kids.

How Much Does It Cost? What Is the Commitment Like?

Renting equipment costs about 30-35 USD a time, for a complete set of gear (board, boots, helmet and vest). Buying your own is a bigger investment, starting at about 600 USD. If you plan to ride on cold waters, I would also recommend buying a wetsuit.

In terms of time, when I go with the whole family at the weekend I’m in no hurry. We all enjoy spending half a day outdoors. If I go alone to ride after work, I need 15-30 minutes of pure riding time, plus another hour for set up and rest afterwards.

What are the fitness benefits?

• Wakeboarding works muscles which are underused in everyday life and in most of the standard sports.
• It’s a highly efficient form of exercise. Those 15 minutes on the board are as demanding as an hour of running or two hours in a gym.
• It has a truly mind refreshing effect. After only 7 minutes of riding I feel a pleasant sense of calmness and mental relaxation that lasts all day.

Why do I look and feel younger?

• Wakeboarding tricks, such as fast hand switches, rotations and jumps, demand balance, core strength and coordination, all of which tend to decrease with age.
• It brings back lost lightness and flexibility.
• It combats the stress arising from my everyday life as a busy Mom
• I need a good sense of humour, in order to keep picking myself up after falling. Laughter refreshes the soul.
• I don’t need that “glass of wine at the end of the day / weekend” because I get my endophins, relaxation and sense of uplift from the board. Less alcohol equals younger look!

Wakeboarding has made me feel younger. Just by feeling younger, I look younger too.

From Wakeboarding to the Yoga Handstand

In order to master the wakeboarding tricks I noticed that I needed more strength and tone in my arms than even my Strollnetics system had been able to give me. In addition, I needed to lose a bit of weight to really wakeboard with ease.

I’m not a fan of gyms so I found another way to achieve these goals: the yoga handstand.

How Much Does It Cost? What Is the Commitment Like?

A handstand is an exercise that costs nothing and requires no special equipment. All you need is a bit of the space and a wall. 
I began to stand for 3 seconds a day, against a wall, not a free stand. Day by day, I increased the time until I was hand-standing for one minute. It took me one year. One year to get from 3 seconds to 1  minute!

Well, one minute  a day…..we all can afford that.

Caution: make sure your kids aren’t around

My little one is aware that he can’t approach me when I’m in the middle of yoga handstand. If you’re not sure your kid will remember that, I’d strongly suggest you put your child in another room while you attempt this form of exercise.

What are the fitness benefits?

• Handstands strengthen and stabilise the arms and the rest of the upper body.
• They increase the mobility of the back muscles and shoulder joints, thus reducing the risk of injuries when doing other sports.
• During the stand, blood flows to the head, triggering the production and assimilation of hormones necessary for fat burning and weight loss.
• The influx of blood to the brain has a fatigue relieving and calming effect.

I lost 5kg in one year and my arms became strong and beautifully shaped

Why do I look and feel younger?

• Handstands fight stress and improve mood because, in the upside down position, the stress hormone, cortisol, is produced in smaller quantities.
• It’s lots of fun! My inner child gets to play, which means there are more smiles in my life.
• The extra blood flow to the head and neck leads to fewer wrinkles and better looking hair.
• Handstands saturate body tissues with calcium, leading to stronger bones and a lower risk of osteoporosis

And the pole dancing?

Do you think you’re too old to pole? Haha. I’ve heard many women saying “No, no, it’s not for me” and then, the moment they see the pole, they just can’t resist trying some of the movements.

Why Pole Dancing?

Pole dancing is a combination of dance, fitness and acrobatics. It gives me a  feeling of flying. Quite simply, it feels fantastic to raise my body up and try new movements, such as spinning and bending.

And yes, it’s difficult. As with the wake boarding, I need to get out of my comfort zone in order to be happy. The pole gives me that opportunity.

How Much Does It Cost? What Is the Commitment Like?

A beginner’s pole dancing class costs about 20 USD per session. You will also need a short, tight-fitting outfit to wear. Pole dancing classes, however, are too dangerous for small kids so you will need to leave your little ones at home.

If you want to buy a pylon for your home, you will need a room with enough free space (1,5 ft radius around the pole),  a mirror on one of the walls and a mat around the pylon. Pylon prices start from 70 USD.

I installed a pylon in my home and now my kids love to move around it, climbing and spinning. It’s great exercise for them, and it’s fun.

What Are the Fitness Benefits?

• Poling is an incredible workout for the arms, shoulders and the whole upper body.
• Exercises which use your own body weight (eg. pull-ups on the pylon) are a great substitute for the gym, as they provide an equivalent cardio load to running, jumping or power walking.
• It’s a challenging gymnastic and acrobatic workout, which increases suppleness and flexibility.
• The acrobatic elements and the exercises on the pylon help to develop spatial thinking, because of the need to perform unequal movements with different parts of the body.

Pole dancing is not only a workout, it also looks beautiful

Why do I look and feel younger?

• The pole develops my awareness of my own body and my ability to control it. I have become strong, flexible, gracious and well coordinated.
• When I dance, I open my inner woman, my potential for femininity which leads to an increase in self-esteem,
• Pole dancing is a very unusual sport. It has boosted my self-confidence because “I can do things that others can not”.
• Constantly learning new things (for example, hanging upside down clutching only my feet) is a refreshing and renewing experience.
• And there’s the extra romance that the pole brings to my private life! When guests visit our home and see the pylon, they all make friendly jokes about how happy my husband must be. It’s a stereotype, but it really does help to bring some romance into our life. Even a simple walk around the pylon can make great difference and refresh the routine.

Wakeboarding, yoga handstands and pole dancing: are they for you?

Despite those thin lines around my eyes, I feel more daring and more energetic than I used to. I laugh more often. My reaction times are faster and, most importantly, I have a sense of openness and optimism. Day to day tasks are less stressful and overwhelming because now I have three hiding places to escape to: wakeboarding, yoga and pole dancing. I’ve broken out of the usual routine of a busy mom, for which I’m immensely grateful.

Of course, there are also disadvantages to being such an active, sporty Mom. I have less income, because sport takes time away from earning. I also spend money on sporting equipment and classes so I don’t have much left for shopping or expensive restaurants. I cook simple, homely food and buy only the necessities for myself and the kids. Sometimes I’m physically very tired at the end of the day, but it’s a pleasant tiredness, not the exhaustion brought on by stress. I don’t always have enough energy leftover to clean so my joyful face sparkles more than my house. But I am so happy that I get the chance to do all these sports and to have my kids near me whilst I do them. When Mom is happy then the kids are too.

Good mother have sticky floors,  messy kitchens, piles of laundry and happy kids”

I perfectly understand that this lifestyle is not for every Mom. But I firmly believe that Moms have right to get back in shape and stay fit, for free, without being separated from their babies. If my rather unusual sport choices are not for you, then please check out my posts on power walking with the stroller and strollnetics, or yoga stretches, and try them out instead.