Forget the Weights and Try a Canoe

Dr. Angela Seabright
Devin Burks

| 3 min read

Work out with a canoe
When you think of exercise equipment, what do you think of? Probably weights, a treadmill, maybe even a stationary bike. But it’s very unlikely that you would think of a canoe.
Well, it turns out that something as random as a canoe provides a great work out. Don’t believe me? Just ask this Future of Fitness duo, Micah and Saul Falter.
Meet the Millennials
2016-07-28 16.05.04
Micah (right) and Saul (left) Falter.
Micah, 25, and Saul, 28, have had a passion for exercise since they were young. The brothers grew up on a farm in Wisconsin, where manual labor and healthy home cooked meals was an everyday affair. For them, eating healthy and staying active has always been a way of life.
Why a Canoe?
DCIM100GOPROGOPR0637.
“To live life to the fullest, staying healthy and fit is a must because most the leisure activities we enjoy doing require a high level of strength and endurance,” shares the Falters.
Micah and Saul worked for a canoe and kayak rental business for several summers.
“It sparked an interest in getting a workout while working,” Micah shares. It only took one summer for the two to realize how much stronger they had gotten just from handling the boats.
A few years later in Lansing, Mich., the gym the two visited caught on fire.
“So we went back to our roots and decided to create our own workout routine with the equipment we had…a canoe, and our will to be awesome,” they share.
IMG_0544
“The hill climb that we do with our 100lb canoe is in preparation for our annual trip to the Boundary Waters where we spend weeks at a time canoeing and portaging the endless wilderness.”-Micah
A few of their favorite canoe-based exercises include the stair/hill climb, the shoulder press, and lunges. However, the two often come up with new exercises to keep the workout fresh.
The Importance of Health and Fitness
The Falters believe that not maintaining a healthy lifestyle limits your possibilities. Staying fit and healthy, on the other hand, opens an endless sea of opportunities to what you can do.
Due to their investment in healthy living, the two are able to go mountain climbing, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, biking and play a variety of sports. It allows them to excel at all of these activities and strengthens the odds of them living longer.
Tip for Fellow Millennials
Both Micah and Saul believe that everyone should find a way to be active that is enjoyable to them. It not only serves as motivation to exercise more often, but also helps to accomplish major fitness goals.
IMG_0573
If you don’t like running on a treadmill try cycling classes for cardio. If you like to dance, try Zumba. There are numerous opportunities to find a workout perfect for you. If they did it with a canoe, we can all find something we like.
What is your favorite non-traditional workout? Let us know in the comments below.
If you liked this post, you may also like:

A Healthier Michigan is sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit, independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.
No Personal Healthcare Advice or Other Advice
This Web site provides general educational information on health-related issues and provides access to health-related resources for the convenience of our users. This site and its health-related information and resources are not a substitute for professional medical advice or for the care that patients receive from their physicians or other health care providers.
This site and its health-related information resources are not meant to be the practice of medicine, the practice of nursing, or to carry out any professional health care advice or service in the state where you live. Nothing in this Web site is to be used for medical or nursing diagnosis or professional treatment.
Always seek the advice of your physician or other licensed health care provider. Always consult your health care provider before beginning any new treatment, or if you have any questions regarding a health condition. You should not disregard medical advice, or delay seeking medical advice, because of something you read in this site.