Go With the Flo

Have fun in the sun while also getting a work out? Um, yes, please! “The sport of stand-up paddleboarding is on fire,” says fitness enthusiast Jessie Benson, above. Benson, who quit her day job last year to focus on teaching fitness full time has created a program called FloYo. “FloYo is basically a fusion of yoga and Pilates taught on a stand-up paddleboard, focusing on core stability,” she explains. While her main headquarters is located at Capital SUP in Annapolis, Benson hopes to grow FloYo internationally through her teaching and training program. “I branded my class that I teach on the paddleboard so that it can be replicated in any body of water.” Whether taking regular FloYo (more yoga-like) or FloYo Fit (more athletically based), the actual sport of paddleboarding is a focus, too. “Something that differentiates FloYo from other stand-up paddleboard classes is that we really focus on paddling, making sure that every student leaves feeling confident in their paddling skills.” And, yes, while in tree pose you may slip into the water, but Benson assures us that it’s not so bad. “People have a fear of falling into the water, but once they fall in, they are more willing to try different poses. Something flips in their head: ‘Now that I’ve fallen in, I can be more daring.’”