People might think that training within the GB paracanoe team produces nothing but the obvious performance gains… getting faster in a boat. And yes, I guess this is the main focus of all our training, but there have been other surprising but none the less 'important' added benefits to my life since I starting kayaking ....
Here’s my top 10:
1) My arms are now so strong that in the through the night battle of “who gets more duvet” I now always win. Not going to lie - I’m slightly smug about this.
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| That smug feeling after 'owning' the duvet all night! |
2) My core is now so strong that I can control a full shopping trolley around the tight turning circle at the end of each supermarket isle at full speed. This cuts down my shopping time and with-out any wayward trolley rage- bargain!
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| core testing the conventional way |
3) I can now identify various exotic superfoods that I hadn't even heard of before such as quinoa, gogi berries and chia seeds. Not only can I pick them out in a line up, I can also pronounce them correctly - "keenwah" for quinoa -who knew!?!? OK - I'm not sure I'm any good at cooking with them yet, but I shall remain optimistic. #prayforSimon
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| K-E-E-N-W-A-H |
4) On the subject of food, I have also learnt to be quite proud rather than embarrassed about producing disgusting looking smoothies. Some say that my smoothies look more like the contents of the Hoover bag mixed in with water than a tasty, ultra healthy mix of greens and berries. Who says food needs to look good to be good?! (I know this is not a completely new skill, but at least I have an excuse for it now…)
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| contents of the hoover bag anyone? |
5) I can now iron striped shirts. My undiagnosed vestibular disorder not only made me really seasick, it also made it impossible for me to look at striped clothing without feeling nauseous. Feeling nauseous is possibly the best excuse ever to get out of shirt ironing, and I may or may not have owned up to the fact that since I've had vestibular treatment I can now do it….
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| Nailed it!! so proud! (shhhh!!) |
6) I can now watch a movie in 3D, again thanks to the vestibular treatment. I used to have to wear home made glasses created by my Son which converted 3D to back to boring 2D to avoid feeling ill when we went as a family to watch 3D films- Its truly mind blowing - I may be about 10 years late to this party but I now get why people duck during 3D films!!
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| Family 3D night.... |
7) I have learnt to navigate … Well, maybe not completely, but driving 100 miles a day round the M25 for training means I have developed a near black cabbie knowledge of all the side routes off the m25/m4 and m3 enabling me to avoid rush hour traffic jams. During these explorations I’ve found myself in some prettying unusual places and found some great local stores. A warning though to never trust the sat nav - if it looks like a bridle path leading nowhere apart from a barn full of cows, it probably is...
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| M25 traffic- groan |
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| Navigating in a boat - hmmm |
8) I can now drive a powerboat. As part of my ongoing education in all things watery I am now the holder of a powerboat driving license. You never know when driving a rib at top speed or doing a 3 point turn in a marina stocked full of expensive boats without scratching any of them will come in useful.
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| vrooooom!!!!! |
9) I can sit on a foam roller length ways and balance a glass of water on my head. Having spent a lot of time learning how to balance better in my boat, my patience and persistence has paid off! While auditions for Cirque du Soleille or Britain’s Got Talent are still a long way off I'm proud of my new skill. Oh, and just to be clear, absolutely no carpets were soaked during practicing for this.... Honest!
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| Now I'm Balancing!! |
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| Now Im not.... |
10) I have become amazing at doing absolutely nothing. This might seem a strange thing to have learnt from becoming an elite athlete, but doing nothing has been one of the hardest yet most beneficial things I have learnt. It's not the training that makes you faster and stronger, but how well you recover between each training session. As a busy working mum sitting doing nothing is not something I ever do and this has seriously pulled on many guilt strings. However learning how to slow down a bit and enjoy the stillness of doing nothing is a skill I am thrilled to have learnt, and watching 5 seasons of Game of Thrones is something I could never have aspired without the help and support of GB training!
Thank you!!
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| Just chilling......:-) |
