Teaching Fitness On and Off the Water

Jacqui Venstrom has a perfectly toned fitness-instructor body. But she wasn’t always in great shape. “When I was in high school I was about 30 pounds overweight. I made a change. One of the most rewarding parts of my job now is seeing people change their bodies,” said Venstrom.

As the instructor of SUP Girly Fitness at she teaches an hour class that involves 30-minutes of stand up paddling on the lagoon followed by 30 minutes of toning drills on the sand.

SUP Girly Fitness is the result of a brainstorm between Venstrom and Carlsbad SUP Club owner Amy Hendricks. Both their children attend in Carlsbad.

SUP Girly Fitness is for all skill levels including first-time paddlers. Venstrom herself is relatively new to the sport. “I started paddling in February and teaching classes in April. I’m not a real water person but the minute I got on the board and felt it work my abs, I could see it was low impact but a great workout,” explains Venstrom.

Stand up paddling works the core, obliques, deltoids, shoulders, upper back and legs. As people in the class get better at paddling, they are given more challenging boards to try.

After a 30-minute paddle on the lagoon, Venstrom leads the class in 30-minutes of toning on the sand using props including bands, paddles and exercise balls. “We work every major muscle group,” states Venstrom.

The class meets every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 9 a.m at 4509 Adams St., Carlsbad, CA 92008. Classes are $20, or $15 if you have your own board. Six classes can be purchased for $100.

For more on SUP Girly Fitness, click here to visit the Facebook page.