Kathy Hansen

I just returned from a soccer/vacation trip to Fort Lauderdale with two out of three of the Hansen girls. Kayla is gainfully employed and opted to stay in Greensboro. Nikki had a soccer event at Nova Southeastern University and Becca rode along for the beach time.

We stayed at the western end of town in a little village called Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. It reminded me of Myrtle Beach a little with old-timey beachfront motels. In the mornings, I got a few runs in before it was too hot and got a chance to see what South Floridians do for fitness. There were the usual runners and walkers, but I also saw some activities that were unique to the area.

South Florida, like California, has great weather for outdoor fitness all year round. For the most part, people don’t have the excuse of it being too cold or too wet. The area also has designated bike lanes on all the roads, so the cyclists have a safe place to train or just get in a fitness ride. The sidewalks were abundant and wide, allowing walkers and runners to co-exist quite well. There was also an abundance of fitness centers as well as yoga and dance studios all up and down the coast.

Here are a few of the unique fitness activities I witnessed on my working vacation:

— Stand-Up Paddle Boarding: The ocean in South Florida is very calm with few waves, so folks were getting their workouts standing on what looked like a large surf board and utilizing a long paddle to row. You could rent them by the hour or purchase the boards outright.

— Paddle Board Yoga: This one was very interesting. There were actually on-the-water yoga classes on paddle boards. Imagine your best downward dog while keeping your balance in the water. These classes were offered near docks on the intercostal waterway and each class costs about $50.

— Elliptical Cross Training Cycling: Besides the normal beach or racing bikes, I saw tons of people riding what looked like a stationary elliptical machine with three wheels. Riders could stride and pump their arms up and down the streets getting a super workout. The bikes range in price from $400 to $600.

— Fitness Meetups: Another cool thing about the Fort Lauderdale fitness scene is Fitness Meetups. This is an online service where folks can find fitness groups to join based on their fitness as well as social interest. One such site advertised was fitness.meetup.com. It had events and postings from groups such as the Bikini Booty Club, Bollywood Zumba and my favorite, Fit Moms Rock.

This is just a small sampling of what I found in a place where the big city meets the ocean. If Nikki decides to attend Nova, I might just have to find a place and stay — at least during soccer season.