Pages

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Morning Routine: Just Add Water



My morning routine includes water more often than not. Yep, I'm talking about dawn patrol. You know, surfing as the sun comes up. It's better than coffee to wake you up. I also love the added bonus of the diminished sunlight to save the skin on my face a bit.

For the most part, my breakfast is the same as when I get my morning workout at home. However, I space out my breakfast before and after the surf session so I have energy to go and then refuel a bit after.

Pre-surf I'll eat my two homemade shrimp or fish tacos with avocado and hot sauce. I still make my juice but only take a few sips and bring the rest with me to drink after my surf session. In addition, I'll have a couple of oranges and whatever other produce is in season. Lately that has been blueberries or cherries (yum).

Surf sessions in the morning last between 45 - 90 minutes, depending on a number of factors. Lately it has been really, really cold in the morning so I've been able to hang for about an hour. It's been quite a workout the last week or two as the currents have been pretty strong. In addition, the much colder air and water temperature have made it a bit unfriendly in the morning. It's a good thing the local crowd is awesome.

Weekend surfing is usually different. I'll either travel to a break in another county of go to one of the gentler breaks than the one I go to on weekday mornings. It's more of a shortboard spot but I still ride my 8'. Yesterday I went to one of these easier, longboard breaks and couldn't believe how "lazy" I've become when charging a wave. The spot I hit during the week has quite a bit more power to it so I really have to just barely get in the right spot and I've got it. Yesterday's gentler waves meant that I really had to paddle like crazy to catch a ride. I'm used to paddling like crazy to get out of the way of a big wall or a set that's breaking out farther than the lineup. At any rate, I could use a nice, long session at a place that is more in-between the two.

I'm quite happy with morning routine, water or not although I prefer to be in the water. It's all really paid off and I get some pretty awesome compliments lately.

5 comments:

Lindsay said...

I make a smoothie every morning and usually only take a few sips and then I bring it with me as well. I'm going to try your juice recipe because I'm getting sick of my usual smoothie (orange juice, banana, cup of frozen berries, cup of spinach). I have been trying tons of new smoothie/juice recipes, but the one I mentioned is my default.

Apryl DeLancey said...

Yeah, the one I have listed is my default. Some days I'll do a giant glass of orange/carrot and other days I'll throw celery, pears, or whatever else sounds good in there.

Mike said...

I realize this may be a bit more than you're after, but here's one I used when I was trying to gain weight. (I'm one of those people who has fought being underweight most of my life.) In addition to whatever fruits and bodybuilding powder I was using (just plain whey, no additives), I added either yogurt or low-fat milk... and some quick-cook oatmeal. I didn't cook the oatmeal, however -- I just threw a quarter to three-quarters of a cup into the blender with everything else. The oatmeal/milk combination gives you lots of energy without a huge number of calories. (My smoothies typically had 700 calories, but about 300-400 of that was just whey powder.)

Two caveats: Too much oatmeal makes the smoothie feel a bit gritty in your mouth, and some people don't react well to the oatmeal being uncooked. It's best to do a small test first, to make sure you won't get stomach cramps from it.

Still, if you're going out on a strenuous workout, it's a good pre-workout source of energy. I found that if I waited an hour before starting my workout, I never had any problems at all.

Apryl DeLancey said...

Thanks for the tips, Mike! I don't do dairy at all myself but I know others that are into bodybuilding that do the dairy & oatmeal combo. Oatmeal is great for energy.

Lindsay said...

I might try that in one of my smoothies! Sounds good! I'm not really a fan of oatmeal and we have some that's just waiting to be eaten, so maybe that would be a good way to use it.