Health Benefits of Canoeing and Kayaking; Friday in Coon Gulf

Billy, Ellie and I had an awesome day exploring Coon Gulf in Jackson County, Alabama. We packed our lunch, loaded our canoe and our wonder dog Dexter.
It was our first time in the Gulf, we paddled back about 3 miles into Coon Creek before we decided to turn around to search for some caves which we have been hearing about. We discovered a small cave opening, so we decided to check it out. Oh boy, did the air coming that was blowing out feel great! We relaxed in the canoe enjoyed our lunch. Beautiful green and blue dragonflies would land on us while we were eating, we really got a kick out of it! One even brought along a small bee and decided to dine with us. When we finished eating, we started paddling back along the bank, keeping our eyes open for a cave people said you could row into. We were lucky, Billy noticed steam coming off the warm water and was sure of it being a cave. You really would never know it was there if not for that. What a treat!! Wow! There, around a small bend, the most awesome site, it made our day seeing the opening of that cave. We canoed inside and it was truly breathtaking. 
I have such an appreciation for Gods natural beauty. Nature is where I feel most comfortable. I would challenge people to  give up one day going to Wal-Mart or the Mall or wherever they spend money for one day, replace it with a day being completely in nature, somewhere quite in nature and tell me which is more rewarding to the soul. Most of my days are not in the stores bit in the great outdoors, it doesn't have a barcode, counting how many berries you pick off it's blackberry bush or discounts on trail usage. Explore, Embrace, Enjoy.  
Oh yeah, it's awesome for your body! Canoeing and kayaking are low impact activities that can improve your aerobic fitness, strength and flexibility.

Specific health benefits include:

• Improved cardiovascular fitness
• Increased muscle strength, particularly in the back, arms, shoulders and chest, from moving the paddle
• Increased torso and leg strength, as the strength to power a canoe or kayak comes mainly from rotating the torso and applying pressure with your legs
• Reduced risk of wear-and-tear on joints and tissues, since paddling is a low impact activity.

Some other good reasons to paddle include:

• Kayaking and canoeing can be peaceful and meditative or can be exhilarating – depending on where and how you do it.
• Paddling is a great way to enjoy our waterways.