I have a lot of hobbies that I am passionate about. However, Surfing played such a significant role in my life that the passion I have for it can never be replicated amongst any of the hobbies I will do in the future. I surfed every day for many years so, the question is, is surfing every day good for you?
Surfing every day can be good for you, and it can also be bad for you, depending on how hard you surf every day. In my experience, it is best to take at least one or two days where you surf small waves in a more relaxed way. Other than that, surfing every day is good for you, mentally and physically.
I actually want to go in-depth into this topic, and that is what we are going to do in this article. We are going to take a look at what benefits you will receive from surfing every day. We will look at whether or not it is actually possible to surf every day, and finally, as a bonus section, we will talk about how surfing every day can make you feel. Let’s get into it.
Why Surfing Everyday Is Good For You
Surfing every day can be good for you, as we have already established, and there are several reasons why I can confidently make this brave statement. In this section, we will list a few reasons why surfing every day is actually good for you. First, we will make a list, and then we will detail each of these points.
Before we start, It is important to remember that when surfing every day, you shouldn’t go too hard every day. You should at least have a few days where you surf smaller waves or just have more relaxed sessions. That is just my opinion and to be honest, coming from somebody who surfed almost every day for 10 years.
Here is a list of reasons why surfing every day is good for you.
- Cardio and fitness
- Muscle building and toning
- Stress relief
- Weight loss
- Sleep better
- Become more self-aware
Cardio and Fitness
The first and pretty much the most obvious factor is that surfing is a cardio workout. You are not only increasing your heart rate, but you are, in the long run, increasing the capacity of your lungs, which adds to your overall fitness and health.
This is also a factor that comes to mind when I say that surfing every day is great, but there should be at least one day a week where you don’t serve too hard. Doing cardio everyday is ok when it is through something like surfing.
Muscle Building And Toning
When we talk about muscle building and toning as a benefit of surfing every day, we can actually specifically say what muscles you will be working on. When you go surfing, you don’t just work for one muscle group, and it isn’t just about fitness.
While surfing will not turn you into a shredded monster of a bodybuilder, it will definitely build lean muscle and give you an aesthetic look. For each thing you do while surfing, you work different muscle groups. Let’s take a look at that list now.
- Paddling: Back, lats, arms.
- Duck-diving: Full body workout
- Riding waves: It is a full-body workout specifically for your lower body.
Stress Relief
Let me be honest with you for a second, surfers are generally laidback people, and as much as we would like to attribute it to their personality traits, I think it is a little bit deeper than that. I remember even though I had work, school, and girlfriends when I surfed every day before or after school or work, I could basically go through my day stress-free.
In fact, I barely remember having any stress at all, even if there was something that should have bothered me. When you surf often, surfing can take out a lot of stress without you even knowing that you are busy doing so and before the stress gets to you.
Weight Loss
Look, surfers that do have a little bit of excess weight generally have that weight because they work most of the time, and they only get to surf every now and then. That would be much different if that same person were to surf for at least 45 minutes to an hour a day.
Swimming is one of the best exercises that you can do for weight loss, and when you add surfing to that, you are burning a lot of calories every session.
Obviously, if you surf for an hour, get out of the water, and go eat two double cheeseburgers, you will not lose weight. At the end of the day, if you just have a normal diet and surf every day you will definitely shed the weight faster than what you would with most other exercises.
Surfing Will Help You Sleep Better
Now that you have been taking your stress out while you are out surfing and due to a few other factors, you will actually sleep better after a surfing session. This is so weird, but it’s true, and if you think about it, it all boils down to clearing your mind and making your body tired enough.
When you surf, you spend quite a bit of time waiting for waves, hopefully, not too much time. This waiting and being out in the beauty of the ocean will help you think about situations in your life a lot clearer. We will get into this a little bit more later on in an article.
When you surf, you also make your body tired. Surfing is basically a full-body workout, and it increases your heart rate. You are tiring yourself out, so when you eventually go to bed, you can sleep through the night without waking up.
Become Self Aware
This is probably my favorite benefit, and it actually can come across as being a little bit arrogant, but if something is true, then you have to say it, right?
To avoid coming off as being arrogant, I will actually talk about people that I personally know. After surfing for a year, I know people who had almost completely changed, and there are few things that happen to you when you start surfing and especially when you start surfing regularly.
You become more self-aware. You start to understand who you are, and you have a better understanding of your abilities and limitations. Allow me to just list a few things that you will start to notice about yourself, and it will also include things about you that will start to change when surfing regularly.
- Surfing will build your self-esteem and confidence.
- It will help you think about your recent actions and reflect on them.
- Surfing will teach you more about what your abilities and limitations are.
- Finally, surfing can help change your perspective on things because you will be thinking differently about things when in the water.
Is It Possible To Surf Every Day?
This is another subjective question. There are a lot of factors that come into play. Here is a list of factors you need to consider when asking whether it is possible to surf every day?
- Will the weather make it possible?
- Will you encounter work problems?
- Will your personal life get in the way?
- What injuries might you sustain that will inhibit your ability to go out in the water?
All of those questions and factors play a huge role. Here is a short example: If you don’t have much experience as a surfer, you probably can’t go and surf 9ft waves. Also, not just that, but the sea conditions alone might not even allow you to get out there in the first place.
So, is it possible to surf every day? Yes, the problem is that this goal is an audacious goal to set for yourself. Most of the problems you will encounter are factors that might not be in your hands or control.
Is Surfing Everyday Enough Excercise?
Unfortunately, this question has more than one answer. This is because whether or not you are getting enough exercise is subjective to the person. What are your goals, and what are your fitness goals?
Surfing will help you build lean muscle, so if you are trying to bulk up, then no, you need to go to the gym. If you are trying to run a marathon, then no, surfing is not enough exercise, you need to run, and you need to run a lot.
If you are just looking to be healthy, fit, lean, and have an aesthetic body, then yes, surfing is enough exercise, especially when you do it every day, especially if you do it for at least an hour every day.
How Does Surfing Make You Feel?
In general, surfing makes you feel happy, content, relaxed, and it is just something that I can boil down to the feeling of being stoked. You become excited in life, and you find a sense of happiness. I know it sounds corny. Just ask any surfer; this is the best way to describe it. Obviously, there is a difference between a free surfer and a competitive one.
Conclusion
As I said, no hobby that I do will give me the same feeling that I got from surfing. This is because surfing is a passion that will live on inside of me for the rest of my life, and while I am away from the ocean right now, I know that eventually I will go back, and I will probably surf every day again.
