Surfs Up

"It's like the mafia. Once you're in, you're in. There's no getting out." -Kelly Slater

For my birthday my bf bought me a wetsuit and surf board.
 I never asked for that or even thought I'd like to learn to surf, as I generally don't even go in the water at the beach and am not the best swimmer.

However, once I got out there I found out that surfing is not impossible for a non-water person. The key thing about surfing is being confident and going for it. For me, my discomfort in the water did hold me back from being fully confident but surfing was a lot easier than I expected. For one- your wetsuit helps you float and once you get used to diving under the waves, it really is much nicer than getting smacked in the face with a wall of white wash. Also having a good teacher and a good location to learn make it comfortable.
 

Think about it- if surfing were so hard not many people would do it... and I don't know about where you live, but where I live almost everyone surfs... even kids and old people! 

There are several things that have held me back from trying it in the past:

1) swimming. As I said, I'm not a strong swimmer, and breathing in the water is hard for me. I think that's just something I have to work on. When I was out in the water, I would get very out of breath after exhausting very minimal effort. Maybe it's just that way when you learn something new because you don't have the muscle memory to support you yet, but I think, at least for me, the added element of water was a big challenge. Having a good teacher helped me to overcome that. He kept me calm, helped me when I needed it, and boosted my confidence level.

2) crowded surf. Learning to surf in a place like Santa Cruz, CA, where I live is intimidating because I feel like your always in the way of the real surfers. And surfing in my town is taken pretty seriously. Feeling like your in everyone's way is no fun, and stressful. But down in Mexico where the waves were smaller and the surf was less crowded was perfect. Finding a good location for learning is really important. 

3) my fitness level. Core strength is key. You have to be able to stand up and balance and lean and move your body in ways while keeping your core stable. In a past articleI wrote about getting out of shape in my new relationship. I haven't been feeling at my optimum fitness level for a while now, but since I've picked back up with circuit training and yoga, I was pretty confident about my strength which helped me out a lot.

Once I tried it, I really loved it. Surfing is a fun activity that works you out without feeling like a workout at all. And because it feels like an activity, not a workout there is still room in your day after for a circuit or intense power yoga session.

 

surfing alone is great because it works your arms, back, shoulders, and core. while surfing looks like its all legs, at least for me, as a beginner, it was really far more upper body work.

 

It's also motivating. Now, I'm more motivated to get into swimming and try to build more confidence with that. I have tried swim workouts in the past and always found them to be very difficult for me to get through. It is just such a different kind of workout than I am used to, and I haven't been motivated to stick with it. But now I'm more motivated to build my confidence surfing! 

Cross Training Sets

"Adopt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own." -Bruce Lee

I think one of the biggest benefits to taking workout classes and trying new workouts is that you can take even just one piece of it you love, and adapt it to change the way you work out at home or on your own. If you were a runner, use those workout you love even if you don't run anymore. If you were a gymnast, you can still use pieces of that workout in your gym routine. Our workouts are unique to who we are and where we have been. Cross training in your workout not only gives you a great workout, it lets you express that, and shapes your body to reflect our varying life experiences! Think about that, that's a wonderful thing! So, I just thought I'd share a couple home cross training workout sets I love to do outside my regular circuit training workout. These are three exercise sets of 10 reps each 3 times... I just do these every once in a while. They are a combination of things I've learned from gymnastics as well as boxing, ballet workout, and various fitness classes which I have put together to target my own biggest problem areas with exercises I love.

Push up set: 

Military push ups-my fav!- these are a push up with a body roll up, followed by a push up with a a body roll down.

http://www.athletebychoice.com/totalcircuits/total-circuit-015/

 

 

Sumo push ups-Push up touch each of you shoulders, push up again 

Tricep push ups- push ups with your elbows in to your sides, not out.

Ab set:

Tuck ups-my fav!- lay flat arms up and legs out, tuck legs in and roll up to shoulder stand or as close as you can get) and then roll back down. 

V ups- lay flat arms up keeps arms by ears and lift arms and legs to sky and touch together ( this is more of a lift up than a v)

 

Bicycle- military kicks and hold your head is regular push up position, alternate knees to elbows. 

Butt set:

Frog leg lifts-my fav!- knees bent laying on your side, lift one leg up and alternate just your foot up and down keeping legs open.

 

Donkey kicks- on all fours lift leg at 90 degree angle and pulse (flex your foot, and make sure to keep a flat back).

Straight leg pulse- same as donkey kicks, but straight leg (flex your foot, and make sure to keep a flat back).

I love these little sets and do them every so often as supplemental to my workout. They really give you a boost in those areas like lower belly, fat part of your arm, and that spot right between your butt an thigh, while also strengthening your core! 

You really could do these as a circuit once in a while too, but I'd pick two from each group for that.