It’s summer and group fitness classes are making a comeback. So what’s better than being physical in a group environment? Doing it outside at the lake – with a twist.
I recently took a Stand-Up Paddleboard (SUP) Pilates class with Tamra and Dig Paddlesports at Quail Creek State Park and they’ll be hosting these and other fitness classes all summer.
While I have a small amount of paddleboard and Pilates experience, I’d never combined the two. It was a fun and unique floating exercise experience.
I was the only student for the evening class and met Tamra on the Quail Creek beach for our class. After getting our paddles and life jackets, we grabbed our boards and headed to a secret part of the lake I didn’t know about.
Though I’d been to the lake before, I didn’t realize there was a creek hidden in the northwest corner. Hence the name “Quail Creek,” I realize now.
The class is 90 minutes long and includes an oversized paddleboard. It’s a little wider than the typical wide paddleboard to ensure (hopefully) that you don’t fall off with the additional movement required in a Pilates class.
We paddled out to the creek, and I was surprised and delighted to find that the creek was a quiet and calm reserve of tranquility despite high winds on the lake. A few minutes into the tree-lined cove, we saw a few interesting rock formations and tied our boards nearby.
There, in the peace and quiet of the trees, Tamra led me through a series of Pilates movements. The Pilates itself was standard leg lifts, scissor kicks, planks and the like. The challenge was doing them on an unstable surface, which gave an extra workout to my abs.
After a little less than an hour, we hadn’t seen anyone else in the creek except some birds. So we began our way out of the creek. But, to my surprise, we kept going deeper into the creek instead of back out the way we came.
Tamra said the wind on the way back would be too difficult to paddle into, so someone was coming with a truck to pick us up. We made our way to the pick-up spot through the low-lying trees, past more red rock formations and found our awaiting ride.
Overall it was an excellent and unique exercise experience on the lake and perfect for a hot summer day. And yes, my abs were sore the next day.
You can book a workout with Tamra for $55 at www.digpaddlesports.com.
Find Quail Creek State Park south of I-15, about 13 miles NE of St. George at 472 N 5300 W Hurricane, UT 84737. The park charges a $20 entry fee for out-of-state visitors and $15 for residents.