I love fitness which is probably a good thing because I also really like to eat. For me, doing exercise has always been a pastime or a form of therapy rather than just a way to lose weight. It's precisely why I love sport and challenging myself in different fields whether that be running, climbing, dancing or yes surfing.
Surfing for me is the ultimate challenge combining cardio, core strength & coordination and stamina in a medium which is constantly changing. Its why I take my fitness out of the water very seriously, everything land based is done to improve my efforts in the sea. Not too long ago the attitude for surfers to improve surfing was...to go surfing. A new wave of thinking however is seeing the benefits of training like an athlete on land to compliment activities in the water.
There is no average week in my books due to my rotating shift patterns at work but the one constant I do keep is what exercise I do and when. I workout around 4-5 times a week depending on what I have going on which can include anything from outdoor running, using the green gym in my local park, climbing, strength/weight training, spin class, swimming and then general day to day fitness like walking, taking my dog out and skateboarding.
Whilst I love doing exercise and the way it makes me feel, I'm not going to sit here and say I genuinely get excited about celery and spring out of bed to do 2 hour work outs at 4am in the morning. That's a load of croc, anyone who does that is probably an actual athlete and even then are paid to behave like that. Therefore on the days when all I want to do is eat buckets of hummus, make cakes and watch surf films under a duvet here's a few things that get me motivated.
1. The Playlist.
This is not inconclusive and I'm sure there will be songs people disagree with, but if you want me to get up off my ass a combination of these tunes will suffice.
N*E*R*D Anti matter
Diplo vs DJ Fresh - Earthquake
Pearl Jam - Evolution
Apollo 440 - Stop the Rock
Dee-lite - Groove is in the heart
Ice Cube - You can do it
DJ Fresh - Gold Dust
Flo Rida - Good feeling
Skrillex & Damien Jr. gong Marley - Make it bun dem
Shakira - She Wolf
World Tribe - Mullion
Aswad- Shine
Bob Sinclair - Fireball
Vampire Weekend - A Punk
INXS - Unbelievable
ZZ top - Gimmie all your lovin
Moby - The Beach (for cool down)!
2. Watch Woman vs Workout
Lauren Berlingeri is awesome, not just because she's a successful model from South Africa but because she takes on the most grueling male dominated fitness crazes and represents! I love her ethos of inspiring girls to challenge their bodies and minds, you go girl!
3. Get stoked about fueling your body the right way.
After a 14 hour shift the last thing I want to do is come in and prepare a healthy meal which is why I research new interesting recipes and cook in bulk on my days off. My diet is mostly vegan (no meat or dairy) but I do have the occasional slip ups (I'm no Saint), so as much as possible I try to cook healthy vegan alternatives to stop me grabbing the bad stuff!
The best way to eat healthy is to approach it like its a life style, find stuff you actually enjoy which also happens to be healthy. See it as a way of fuelling all the fun stuff you do in your life rather than a deprivation or chore. There's more to life than food but it should be a priority! Eat well, be well.
Until next time stay strong, surf well :)
Love Sophia
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