Astounding health benefits of surfing revealed in New York Times feature aimed at inspiring the millions upon millions of recent converts!

Listen to Dr. Newcomer!

Let us be altogether honest with each other. When you picked up surfing, all those years ago, health and wellness were, likely, not your top priorities. Rock n’ roll, boozy nonsense and shredddding, maybe, topped the list but you, sir, are an ugly dinosaur. A relic of a monolithic past that has been shattered by an unprecedented spike in participation amongst those who once felt locked out of the insular life.

But did you know many of these freshies come to both feel and be better?

It’s true and the august New York Times has just revealed how good surfing can be for the mind, body and soul.

Shall we?

Surfing is an outstanding cardiovascular and strength-building sport. It delivers bursts of extreme anaerobic exercise followed by a recovery stage, similar to high-intensity interval training, said Sean C. Newcomer, department chair of kinesiology at California State University San Marcos.

“What most surfers realize, and the general population probably doesn’t realize, is the vast majority of the time in the water is spent either paddling or stationary — a small fraction of the time (between 2 to 5 percent) is spent wave riding,” Dr. Newcomer said.

Surfers spend 40 to 60 percent of their time either endurance paddling to get to the lineup, where waves start breaking and surfers wait to catch them, or sprint paddling to catch waves — both of which strengthen muscles in the back, shoulders, chest and neck, Dr. Newcomer said.

There is some evidence that surfing can lead to better coordination later in life. One small study found that people between the ages of 57 and 64 who had surfed for several years had better balance and stronger posture than non-surfers their age.

Dr. Newcomer.

Hee hee.

0 0 votes
Article Rating

Commented on Disqus? Log out, tap the Disqus button, and your old name and comments come back. The box is ours.

Join the discussion

Your comments are still here. Every one of them.

Twelve years of BeachGrit comments came across from Disqus. Connect and we will show you how many are yours. We get your username, nothing else.

Unclaimed
Handle
Comments
Posting since

Connect Disqus to reveal.

Subscribe
Notify of
38 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Leonardo

Extremely proud to be an ugly dinosaur

Marylee Barnes

How long has the soon to be X Mrs Brady been playing touchy touch with the surfer guy or whatever he is but she had a good thing going with Tom Brady. Goes to show how much class you have you can still be a HO. Look at Kris and her daughters..

7dollarsurfboard

Your lack of punctuation had me gasping for more air than after a sprint paddle.

toaster redux

I have read this post several times and still don’t understand it

ValiantScorn

That legend shredding:
10-10-10-10-10

Tom

sammie only frowns if it “is not for free” and has zero corpo ties!!!

channelbottom

I have previously even considered a paddle board (prone) like Uncle Nick recommends and excels at, for the pure masochistic exercise and fitness. But that’s as much of a time commitment as actual surfing. Time is my poverty. Spare time is wealth.
Always has been.

Chief Hot stuff

Quit weeping about it.

channelbottom

I’m sharing not weeping.

frank

tough love!

Stanislav Franck

Obviously a VAL representative. “Sprint paddling to catch waves”

I watched a guy yesterday on a Joel Tudor log paddle way out the back, about 50 metres outside where the bank was breaking. Decent set came and this bloke, in his 60s, put his head down, chin on the board, and started crazy helicopter paddles. No bend in the arms at the elbow, just giant haymakers into the water. Splash splash splash. Cheeks were puffing in and out, audible “foo, foo, foo” sounds emanating from his gaping maw.

I sat on the peak and watched him thrash away. Set went under him, I swung and took about two strokes. Old mate obvs got his cardiovascular workout and strengthened his back and shoulder muscles.

Me? I just got the wave…

ValiantScorn

The theatrics start all the way back at their house.

Stanislav Franck

You’re not wrong. This bloke’s got the best bike on the beach with brand new board rack, wavy Swayze Point Break hair, and rides round town on a Harley.

Not a fucking hint of exaggeration.

Took up surfing about 5 years ago. Has a three step “pop up” and hoots himself going straight in the whitewash. Then gets on Facebook and tells everyone the waves were “pumping” and he “rode some beauties.”

Makes me want to bend down and bite the nose off my surfboard and spit it at him.

7dollarsurfboard

And you follow him on Facebook???

Stanislav Franck

Nah mate, there aren’t many foreigners in these parts, so it would’ve been a tad awkward if I’d refused his friend request when he first moved to town. Hindsight and all that

tim_nelsen

alternating and gyrating calfs and thighs on the paddle out? serves no purpus, mike!

Justjack

That’s what I was thinking the better the surfer the less effort is expended. I was in no way a good surfer but I would watch people move out to the line up easily duck diving then turning on waves at the best opportune moment with a two stroke catch up paddle to get to their feet. The exercise came in paddling against the current to stay in the better break zone.

tim_nelsen

walked it in the late 60s. but being prone to pier jumping, I was confused as to which route to take at the crossroads…split decision!

https://oceanbeachsandiego….

Greebnurt Hurkurmurgurt

1502. Sandy Eggo

tim_nelsen

? stretched me thin…

tim_nelsen

the troll road!

tim_nelsen

Gotcha! If you don’t surf, don’t start!

disqus_00d1gIXedO

What’s that high performance maneuver depicted in the photo? That thing is technical and hard to define, like a Chippa Wilson air.

Jimmy the Saint

The Coos Bay re-entry

Chas Smith

Essential.

disqus_00d1gIXedO

Imagine being on the wrong side of the priority rule, the clock ticking down, the vaunted cobbled stones beneath you, needing the score, fins screwed in securely backwards,…and you stick that move as easily as Flip sticks an air-reverse. We are talking about greatness, sans asterisks

Matt Warshaw

One-legged Mulheggan, or that’s what it was called back in the earlies

justiceminister

His main consideration is to make sure the plastered down wig doesn’t go anywhere near the water.

Manuka

Like Conner Coffin’s secret turn.

Cannabis-Creativity

New Yorkers say pineapple doesn’t belong on pizza. I say New Yorkers don’t belong in the water.

Sean Connery

This is the typical surfing experience for me- Driving, looking, driving, looking, driving, looking, give up, Mexican food joint, liquor store, home, TV, pass out on couch. Not that healthy.

Skippy

Should there be a comma after Mexican food? As in Mexican food, joint, liquor store…etc.

Sean Connery

I knew I forgot something

Ami Lost

Surfing does cause memory loss such as forgetting to go to work, appointments, and family functions.

Stick man

Web-surfing is 99.9% scrolling…total waste of time.

Lemon Next to the Pie

According to the exercise watch thingy, much of my time on the internet involves some vigorous hand motion. That must be good for some kind of fitness or muscles surely.

Stanislav Franck

Wrist and reward

dan of Romero Crater

Could get a cramp in your index finger. Hand or wrist


38
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x