Paddleboard fitness classes

With the new beach on Lake Avalon comes new opportunities for recreation and for fitness. A brand-new series of classes begins this week, with at least one session sold out.

Both classes make use of stand up paddleboards that are provided by the instructor who works for NWA SUP Fitness. Instructor Jennifer Yager, who is certified by the American Canoe Association, has been teaching fitness and paddleboarding at several locations around Bentonville.

It began with Yoga, POA recreation director Joan Glubczynski said. Doing Yoga moves on a paddleboard makes balance a little more difficult.

“You use your core a lot and you don’t realize it,” Yager said, describing the class. Many of the moves are the same as a traditional Flow Yoga class.

SUP Yoga is offered on Saturday mornings before the beach is open for business. The second class, SUP Fitness, will be on Tuesday evenings and it makes more use of the paddle, but there’s still a lot of core work included.

For both classes, Yager brings paddleboards that are tethered to a base. There’s plenty of room around each board so, if students do fall, they only hit the water and not another board. Participants should be prepared to be wet since they will have to wade out to get on the boards, she said.

“Anyone can do it,” Yager said. The fitness class will feature a lot of squats. They will also do waves, which means the student stands with the feet wide and leans back and forth to create a wave.

“Kids,” she said, “love that.”

Kids, ages 6 to 17, have their own program, SUP Camp. Camp runs 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, and three sessions are planned. They will learn paddleboard skills, including how to stand, types of strokes and how to size the paddle. They also learn water safety. Camp includes a snack and a craft that will give campers a few minutes out of the water to dry off.

The beach, Glubczynski, is already very popular. One week after opening, there have been no complaints but dozens of positive comments, she said. Stand up paddleboards and kayaks can be rented at the beach, which also features a sand volleyball court, horseshoe pits, a pavilion and a kid’s playground.

To find out more about the paddleboard classes and camp, visit the POA website, bellavistapoa.com.

Keith Bryant/The Weekly Vista Stand-up paddleboard class attendees end their class with a guided meditation session.

Keith Bryant/The Weekly Vista Holly Parlier, who owns property in Bella Vista, sits on a paddleboard during a guided meditation session at the Lake Avalon Beach.