ARLINGTON, Va. - Standing up in a boat on water doesn't seem like a very smart thing to do…. But if you make that boat a board and give a guy a paddle, well now you've created a genius way to work on physical and mental issues that could've kept a good guy down!
The 3-85 Warrior Transition Battalion Fort Drum N. Y. Adaptive Reconditioning Program team took three recovering service members to Onondaga Lake in Willow Bay, N. Y. on August 23 for some paddling therapy. Don't let the name fool you, it doesn't hurt and it does build character, plus confidence, balance skills and more.
1st Lt. Carlos Diaz; "I had never done this before. It wasn't painful at all, it was enjoyable and relaxing."
Stand - Up Paddle boarding is an effective and very popular way to work on balance issues, anxiety, core strengthening and calorie burning. How does 400 calories an hour sound? Plus it's fun too.
Therapists insist that it is a great form of therapy if it is done on a regular basis. The significant aerobic exercise actually trains your muscles to work together. The big and the small with the work being shared throughout the muscle groups.
Author Gray Cook in his book Movement discusses self- limiting exercises and how they can maintain the quality of our movement perceptions and behaviors and preserve our unique adaptability that modern conveniences erode.
The reconditioning of the mind and the body together in this adaptive sport is definitely moving in the right direction for a Soldier or anyone with a physical or mental setback.
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