Wanderlusting: Active in Nantucket

“A simple life is good with me. I don’t need a whole lot. For me, a T-shirt, a pair of shorts, barefoot on a beach and I’m happy.” ~ Yanni

Active on Vacation

Despite being athletic, I tend to have a love hate relationship with working out in my day to day life. Physically and mentally I feel better, especially with early morning workouts which give me a boost of productivity to jumpstart my day. Yet, the motivation isn’t always there. I am a hardcore morning person. If I am not out the door by eight at the LATEST, I feel like my whole day is ruined, and I always have to have my workouts done before that, of course to sound all kinds of basic, getting out of bed that early makes the struggle real.

Vacation is that one exception, when I should be channeling Sloth McGee, I am hopping out of bed, racing for those miles, before I jumpstart my day. I know, I know, WHO am I? Who wants to be active on their vacation? I do apparently. maybe it is because I can justify all the decadent food and booze. Maybe I just have more energy because I am traveling. Whatever the reason, I love being active.

Despite lazying about the beach daily, Nantucket was an active vacation with morning runs, bike rides, evening walks, swimming, and a yoga class. We even rented paddle boards. It was the perfect balance of being active while STILL indulging.

Morning runs to Surfside Beach

Nantucket was built for the athlete in mind. Intricate bike paths and nature trails are built through out the island, making it easy and safe to run and bike. On my first full day in Nantucket, I ended up sleeping in, but that did not stop me from going for a run. Though it WAS a reminder why the early bird catches the worm, and WHY I don’t run past eight AM in the summer. It was hot and ridiculously humid.

I did a four mile run to and fro Surfside Beach. Despite the humidity, it was actually quite invigorating and I repeated this run several times while I was in Nantucket. The early mornings were quiet and foggy with people still sleeping. It was a peaceful run, one I enjoyed the journey just as much as I enjoyed arriving at my destination of Surfside to watch the waves for a few moments reprieve, before I ran back.

Biking

In my last post, I wrote about riding a bike for the first time in fifteen years. (yikes!) In Nantucket biking is just as popular if not more then driving a car. While it was a little circumspect at first, I ended up falling in love with biking. I felt like a queen after relearning to ride and finally getting the hang of it. It had a nostalgic feel as I remembered as a kid, how I would pedal on my purple and pink streamer bike without a care in the world. It was as good for me mentally as it was physically.

Stand-Up Paddle Boarding

Stand-up paddle boarding is something I have always wanted to do. I have taken yoga classes on a simulator, in the safety of a yoga room, where if you fall, you land on the studio floor and my mentor and friends were the only ones to witness my embarrassment. When my friends who had done it on their honeymoon suggested we paddle board, I was game. I mean paddling on a board? What could POSSIBLY be difficult about that?

We decided to rent boards through Paddle Nantucket. It was a great price, but it was difficult to find as it was more of a stand then an actual building. When we got there, the woman explained the ins and outs before we hopped on our boards and began to paddle out into the bay. At first it was relatively easy once I got the concept. Despite the strong current, we didn’t have to do any work, as it pushed us out onto the water and it wasn’t really a work out.

That all changed, when we had to paddle back. It went from being an enjoyable trip to blood sweat and tears as we paddled against the current, at times feeling like we weren’t moving. Despite, the fact we were all sweating by the end, it was so much fun and invigorating. It really was a workout, once we began our brawl with the current, one I wholeheartedly enjoyed.

Yoga Room

We had talked about doing yoga, and on our second to last day in Nantucket we decided to take a yoga class at the Yoga Room, Nantucket’s oldest yoga studio. My only complaint is we should have taken it sooner!

As an instructor, and someone who goes to one of the best yoga studios in New York, as much as I SHOULD have an open mind, being a yogi and all that shizzle, I have a tendency to be a harsh critic and very particular about the classes I go to.

The Yoga Room not only lived up to my expectations, but exceeded them. We got our work out in, even before we actually worked out, with a bike ride to the studio. The whole space is very zen, with a trellis and garden located outside the studio. The space is small, but expertly and zenfully designed, with a fifteen person limit per class, they set the mats out, and provide towels and blocks.

We took the hot power core class, and I loved the instructor, Carrie, who gave precise cues, and had great sequencing. I felt rejuvenated, while still having gotten an awesome sweat sess on.

Ocean Swimming

As a mermaid it makes sense that I would love swimming, and nowhere more do I love it, then in the ocean. I love having the waves crash over me and diving until my hands touch the sand. It is the ultimate workout fighting against the currents and the waves, to reach shore, and feeling victorious when you do.

The beach we went to was relatively calm, making it perfect to swim laps, which I saw numerous people do. There was a sandbar you could swim out too, which I did every day, before going back in and relaxing.

Do you like to be active on vacation? What are your favorite ways to be active?