Kayaking is my meditation. It is the most peaceful, in-touch-with-nature, thrilling active sport that I know, at least on our calm local waters. I would take a humble kayak over a fancy yacht any day. I would add that it’s pretty budget-friendly as well. You only pay the initial cost of the boats (around $300 for ours) and minimal equipment for endless summer entertainment. I sometimes forget to chalk up my time in the boat as fitness minutes, because it never feels like working out. It’s blissful, it’s family time, it’s an adventure, and it’s a whole experience as opposed to being just another workout.

I love how you can get into tiny nooks that are inaccessible to other boats. We’ve been down some extremely shallow channels (like 2 inches deep!) that are completely secluded. You can literally drop a kayak in any waters–and by yourself, I might add. I think my kayak only weighs like 35lbs, so I can carry it alone.

On this particular trip, we got to see a lot of wildlife: frogs, red wing blackbirds, turtles, ducks and of course fish. Our love of the sport has carried over to our Peanut, since he came along this time and loved it too. Can you tell?

We went at dusk. Boat traffic was light, the weather was golden, the sun was starting to set. If that isn’t meditative, I don’t know what is. Ohm-ing on a cushion is no match for the steady rhythm of the paddles, the caress of the air, the smell of nature and the peaceful surroundings that kayaking offer.

When they tell you to find an exercise you love, this is what they mean. Kayaking is an “exercise” that I truly love love. What’s yours?