Hang Ten to Lose Five

So, I’m on the way back from a week long business retreat at Turtle Bay resort in Hawaii (I know, I’m not complaining about the meeting space). While there, I experienced a bunch of “firsts.” First trip to Hawaii, first helicopter ride, um…first trip through the largest maze in the world shaped like a pineapple at the Dole Plantation, and FIRST TIME SURFING.

Now, I titled this “Hang Ten to Lose Five” because with proper diet and surfing 3-4 times a week, you could definitely drop 5 or even 10 lbs. It is an amazing workout! However, I need to preface that I, in no way, lost five pounds on a trip filled with Monalui chocolate mud pies, Mai Tais, and creamy Thai-inspired cuisine. Yes, I cannot even believe what I ate on this trip, but I treated it like vacation and I am totally inspired to eat clean when I land.

Back to Surfing…

Here are some quick tips on surfing based on my experience. You may want to give it a try next time you are in the Aloha State or in Cali…

Great upper-body and core workout: In order to be near my instructor and get the good waves, I needed to paddle out into the deep—laying on my stomach and trying not to jack-knife the board sideways. Hello obliques!

It is so so so much like yoga. Our instructor taught us in 4 motions:

The first is the cobra pose. Lay on the board and raise your upper body, keeping your elbows slightly bent.

The second is to kneel (I kept skipping this step and falling off).

Third is to lunge the leg to be in front forward (in my case, my left).

Fourth is to take it to Warrior Pose and then turn your front foot out.

After these steps, I would like to be able to write that I “caught a Swell” every time. Most of the time, I was catapulted forward and drank my fill of salt water (through nose and mouth). It’s all about balance and not trying to lunge forward too quickly. SO… I had to use my arms to paddle around the other surfers and come back to my instructor.

I highly recommend surfing. Like I said, from an exercise perspective—it kicks your ass. Not only that, but it is humbling to see a five year old child get up on the board while I just landed face first in the water. Have you tried surfing? Any tips? Wow, would I love to hear them. And as always, keep counting!