Riding Waves to A Happier Healthier Life
Posted on 30 June 2010
Editors Note: This is a guest post from Srinivas Rao of The Skool of Life...
A little over a year ago, I started a spiritual and emotional journey that I now realize will last a lifetime. For many this journey is one that will forever change who they are and the journey isn’t something they do, it’s who they are. The first wave is a rite of passage for every surfer who commits to the journey and in that moment we’re often hooked for life.
To say that my life has changed, since I started this journey would be an understatement. The health and mental benefits of surfing are so vast that the pursuit of waves can do wonders for the quality of your life. Today I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my entire life and I can honestly attribute the largest part of that to riding waves.
Health Benefits
Cardio: Surfing is a phenomenal cardiovascular workout. Water sports in general tend to be. You are continually paddling to catch waves and even after riding a wave you are paddling back out to what is known as the take off point. Unlike most cardiovascular workouts however, you will not feel winded because of the opportunity to rest between waves. Despite that, at the end of the work out you will be extremely hungry and sleep like a baby.
Weight Loss: I’ve never been overweight, so I may not be the authority on this. But, I have shed over 15 lbs in the course of a summer because of the amount of time I’ve spent surfing. I’ve known other surfers to shed much more significant amounts of weight.
Muscle Tone: I hate going to the gym and I hate lifting weights. For some reason I just never could get myself to do it. Amazingly, the same benefits I would get from those types of workouts I get from surfing. For me it is the right activity. If you look at any surf magazine, you’ll notice surfers tend to have really great bodies. Since it’s a low resistance work out, it’s phenomenal. Even when you fall you’re falling in water.
Mental Benefits
What might seem bizarre to many of you is that the mental benefits of surfing outweigh many of the physical benefits. I consider it one of the greatest forms of self help in my life. In fact my mood is significantly impacted by surf conditions.
Peace: The pursuit of waves is just a small part of the surfing. What most surfers are after is the what they feel like afterwards, known in our world as being “stoked.” Time in the ocean puts you in an unbelievably peaceful state of mind. I’ve found myself stuck in the worst imaginable traffic after a few hours in the water and I don’t have a care or a worry in the world and the traffic doesn’t phase me one bit. I live in Los Angeles, so that should give you some perspective in terms how much peace this brings to my life.
Presence: Eckhart Tolle said “make the now the primary focus of your life and will be completely free of pain and suffering.” In the moment of riding a wave you are more present than you are at any other moment in your life. There’s absolutely no way your mind can be anywhere else because it would be extremely dangerous for you and everybody around you. To top it off you are in such a state of bliss that there really is no place that you’d rather be.
Meditation: Surfers are often stereo-typed as potheads and stoners, but that’s not always accurate. Surfing is an incredible form of meditation because it frees you from ego and thought. You really can not think about another thing when you are in the water, which might explain why you feel the way you do when you get out of the water.
Confidence: This might be a stretch for some, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that it also can do wonders for your self-confidence. You are more or less taming and riding a wild horse, and often you have no idea what the ocean will throw at you. You are in an environment that is terrifying to the average person. So you learn to keep cool and calm no matter what it throws at you. That ends up translating into other areas of your life and as a result you become more confident.
Happiness: As I mentioned above, I can’t recall a time in my life when I’ve been as happy as I have since I started this journey. In a year, I hope to travel the world and spend a full year exploring the planet in pursuit of waves.
If you live near a coastline, want to get in shape, and find pure bliss all at the same time, I encourage you to take a surf lesson. It won’t be easy at first, and you might even hate it. Go at least 10 times before you give up and it’s likely you’ll be hooked for life.
Srinivas Rao is a personal development blogger at The Skool of Life where obsesses over riding waves and finding life lessons in the ocean. He’s also the host and co-founder of BlogcastFM, a podcast for bloggers.Thanks
To Srinivas for this awesome post, It really is bang in line withe Zen to Fitness philosophy and shows the power of finding a sport or activity you love…..
Comment by Luke M-Davies
30 June 2010
Love this guest post Chris – thank Srinivas.
I always aim for functional fitness and support people finding fitness through somethings they are passionate about. Exercise is most enjoyable when you don’t even see the activity as exercise because you are having too much fun!
There are some good breaks around the UK coast but not as many as I’d like.
Comment by Srinivas Rao
30 June 2010
Chris,
Thanks so much for the opportunity to guest post here. I’d been looking for a blog to write this post for and when I came across yours, I knew this was the right home for it
.
Comment by Srinivas Rao
30 June 2010
@Luke: I agree completely. I don’t really even see surfing as exercise anymore. To me that’s just an added bonus. It’s more a form of entertainment.I can imagine that the UK must have some really cold frigid waters
. If you ever visit Southern California, look me up.
Comment by Robin
30 June 2010
This makes me wish I lived by the ocean. Sigh.
Comment by Elizabeth
30 June 2010
Ditto, Robin. Sounds pretty phenominal. But I imagine most outdoor activities can share some of these benefits, even for those of us who aren’t seaside. Hiking, kayaking and rock climbing may be option for us inland folks.
I guess the important thing is to find some activity that brings this kind of fulfillment to your life, which surfing certainly seems to have brought to you, Chris.
Comment by Dan
1 July 2010
such a great post, i surf about 5 times a week and can’t turn away from it because of the happiness that it brings to me….if lets you look inward and learn more about yourself and makes you focus on the present moment…this site is great, and thanks to guest postings like this, it continues to be one of my favorites!
Comment by suhail
1 July 2010
Hi Srinivas,
its truly a great post. i am not a surfer, but always to learn and become one, you gave me a good motivation
Thank you
suhail
Comment by Srinivas Rao
1 July 2010
@Dan: I’m completely with you on that. Conditions permitting, I’m in the water every single day. It truly is amazing what it does for the quality of your life.,
@Suhail: It’s definitely one of those things that will get you hooked for life if you catch the bug and it’s truly amazing.
@ Srnivas: That is awesome, I find that doing a sport regularly is definitely the best way to get in shape and stay that way. You are so lucky to have access to the beach and surf all year round. And thanks again for the post as chiming in on all the comments! Chris
Comment by Paloma
1 July 2010
Wow! Surfing sounds like an amazing way to have fun but still get a great work out. I need to try this!
Comment by Markus
2 July 2010
So, you were never overweight and then lost 15 pounds. As a slim person myself, I’m thinking that might not be a good thing. You clearly had some fat to lose since paddling should be increasing muscle in your upper body.
Nice report, Markus
@ Markus: I think surfing or doing a sport everyday will serve to regulate your bodyweight, so long as you eat clean. I am assuming that Srinivas’s body composition just changed for the better when he took up surfing properly. I would be interested to know the answer to the question as well though, maybe he will chime in. So thanks for asking Markus.
Comment by Damon
12 July 2010
Good post.
But there is one little thing, this:
“Even when you fall you’re falling in water.”
On a big day I had pulled back on a pretty steep wave and someone said to me, “Brah, it’s only sand and water.”
It’s a good way of looking at it, but sometimes sand and water can leave a mark.
Comment by lowedown
6 August 2010
I gotta tell you, this article is dead on. Moved to the beach three years ago and finally learned how to surf last weekend. There is something about it. Not just the sport, but the culture is amazing too.
I felt the same way after surfing as I did after skydiving. Something very freeing about.
Comment by Liuba Mamonova
19 August 2010
This is so true! I just got into surfing randomly this year when I visited Ireland, France and Spain and then proceeded to surf in all 3. What an amazing activity! I definitely want to get back into it and am planning to do so on my next big trip overseas (currently live on the great lakes, which don’t do much for surfing).