The new year is upon us, and we all know what that means – new year’s resolutions!  Many of us will take the opportunity to start the year off fresh, turn over a new leaf and work towards becoming a better version of ourselves. …but as everyone who’s ever tried to get into new good habits will tell you, getting started is easy but maintaining discipline throughout the entire year and beyond is a different story altogether. 

This is why bodysurfing is the most SUSTAINABLE way to get fit and have fun – because dragging yourself to the gym or eating yet another boring salad is simply NOT SUSTAINABLE. You’ll get bored of it, and give up. The thing about bodysurfing is that you’re actually having fun and burning calories while you do it – more often than not, by the time we manage to get ourselves to actually leave the ocean, a lot longer has passed than we imagined! 

It’s no secret that we’re all about environmental sustainability, so this article is here to show you another side to sustainability – sustaining a healthy lifestyle that helps you improve your life in all aspects. 

AN insipratrional bodysurfers fitness journey

Dominick Nicholas Valdivia had his life changed by Bodysurfing – we love his story so much that we even offered him a posistion as an ambassador for WAW! 

When Dom happened upon bodysurfing, it was fun at first sight. As his passion grew, the beautiful art of body bashing soon became a central part of his life.

“I first fell in love with bodysurfing late 2020 after finding a handplane that washed ashore at Sandy Beach here on O’ahu. I didn’t think much about it at first but I figured I'd hang onto it until I would see the owner again, as he usually frequents Sandy’s.”

It wasn’t long before Dom took the plunge. 

“Instead of taking photos in the shorebreak, the next morning I started messing around with the handplane – boy was I hooked! It was super thrilling learning to catch waves instead of capturing them. It was also another reason for me to be in the water. After a month & many sessions, I ran back into the owner of the handplane but ironically, I’d lost it that morning in the heavy shorebreak. I had told him how I had his handplane and was hoping to return it but was having too much fun with it! He chuckled happily with his new handplane and said he was glad I got some use out of it.”

While Dom’s passion for our sport is evident, bodysurfing is also notable for how it’s been a major element in Dom’s fitness journey.

“Throughout my life I've always struggled with my weight and bodysurfing helped change that for me. Being a photographer and someone who captures images primarily in the ocean, bodysurfing gave me another reason to jump back into the water for hours. It became addictive, more flexible & fulfilling than photography. It was also a great form of cardio and I never felt like I was ‘working out’. It was a mix pure fun & survival, I started noticing my body changing right as I got into bodysurfing. Between daily sessions and starting to make healthier choices, the weight started coming right off. The process mainly became routine and the routine turned into a lifestyle. One of the most frustrating things about sports, fun and fitness is that people sometimes assume you’re lazy if you’re not skinny. The fact is, that is simply not true”

There a so many stories likes Doms within the bodysurfing community whether its a weight loss journey, a story of self discovery, rehabilitation from an injury or mental health improvements’s. The common thread amongst all of these is that bodysurfing offers a unique way to improve your life all the while having the most fun possible in the ocean. It only takes one wave to get you hooked so our advice is to get out there and catch it!

Check out Doms

THANK YOU BODYSURFING

story below:

If you’re keen to get started on your bodysurfing fitness journey, our Ambassador Dom has some simple straightforward advice:

5 Tips For Beginner Bodysurfers

1. If you're thinking about getting into bodysurfing & want to maximize your health at the same time, I highly recommend finding a local surf break and – most importantly – creating a healthy routine that works for you. 

2. I would start on smaller waves as you build up your stamina and grow your confidence to surf larger waves. 

3. Try to surround yourself with like-minded individuals and don't be ashamed to ask others for advice. Your style & performance will only get better in time but remember to have fun and don't take bodysurfing too seriously.  

4. Keep an assortment of healthy snacks & drinks with you such as fruits, nuts, protein bars, electrolytes, water, etc so you can refuel for another session.  

5. Lastly, stay away from fast / processed foods and learn to consume with purpose. Processed foods often make you feel sluggish; consuming the wrong foods before your next activity or sleep can have negative effects on your performance & health. 

If you’d like to follow Dom’s journey for more inspiration, his Instagram account is awesome.

Why is Bodysurfing an amazing exercise to burn calories?

According to My Fitness Pal (a popular app for calorie intake management), a person weighing 85kg can burn approximately 204 calories in a 60-minute bodysurfing session. 

So how does it compare to other water sports – and with even more relevance to this article, even if those other water sports help you burn more calories, does it even matter if they’re not sustainable, i.e. fun? 

Combine the endless benefits of swimming with 1-to-2 hours of treading water between waves and you’ve got yourself the ultimate package of fun & fitness. Depending on your weight, fitness level and swimming intensity, you can burn roughly 300 to 450 calories treading water for 30 minutes. 

No need for the latest fad diets (is anyone still on the keto diet or the Rebel Wilson weight loss diet?!) when you have the purest form of surfing the earth: bodysurfing.

Is swimming good for weight loss and how many calories does swimming even burn? 

Swimming is an excellent activity for keeping the body fit and healthy. Whether it be in a swimming pool, swimming hole or even artistic swimming, swimming at an average rate of 50 yards per minute burns about 130 calories during a session of 15 minutes according to the experts.

Research also indicates that swimming can shred excess fat on the thighs, abdomen, and hips while regulating the endocrine glands. Swimming is also a great solution if you’ve been searching for how to lose weight on your arms. 

The beneficial effects on the body are further provided by natural environmental factors such as air, water and sun. The same research has found that activity performed in water with a temperature of 17 to 21 degrees Celsius can burn approximately ten calories per minute.

Unlike running, swimming consistently throughout your life won’t give you shin splints, bowed knees, or common knee injuries that frequently occur in runners. We’re not saying don’t run, as there are ways to mitigate these issues; however, swimming has been proven to be the easier-on-the-body alternative.

The mechanics of swimming and the effects it has on the body make it one of the best exercises for those who struggle with weight issues and for physical therapy.

How many calories can you burn stand-up paddleboarding and surfing?

If you surf, then hats off to you, my friend – it’s a rad sport. Whether you’re surfing Rainbow Beach, Bondi Beach, or surfing California, shredding waves is one of the most challenging yet satisfying thrills out there. Surfing is also an excellent way to shred some calories. On average, it’s possible to burn between 215 and 300 calories in a one-hour session. 

Stand-up paddle boarding, or SUP as they call it, is a uniquely effective alternative to traditional cardiovascular endurance sports such as jogging, biking, and swimming. It still achieves an intense workout. Results from this study demonstrated serious results over 12 months, with a weight loss of up to 6.8 kg, a decrease in body fat by 6.6%, a reduction in BMI by 7.34% and muscle endurance improved by 70%

But let’s not miss the point here: surfing and other water sports are not simply about fitness, losing weight and burning calories. Anyone out in the water, whether it be surfing, bodysurfing, or chilling out on a stand-up paddle board, should be having fun! 

That is why bodysurfing is the best bang-for-buck, giving you pure joy wave after wave.

Wait, so HOW many calories does Bodysurfing actually burn? 

While the various studies and fitness trackers out there are useful in terms of getting a baseline benchmark for how many calories you’ll burn by bodysurfing, it’s actually pretty different when you get out there in the water. Why? Well, that’s simple – because bodysurfing combines many of the calorie-burning activities mentioned. A typical bodysurfing session can be broken down into: 

• 60% swimming

• 20% treading water

• 20% surfing

Therefore, we thought it would be useful to have a combined table in order to represent this potentially more accurately

Are you up to the bodysurfing challenge?

To help give you a little boost with your new year goals, we’ve set up a simple challenge program.

If you were to follow this program, according to the conventional expertise that 1kg of body fat = 7700 calories, you could achieve the following weight loss results:

Health professionals suggest about 45-60 minutes daily to effectively reduce weight. While that will definitely do the trick, we’re confident that you will have so much fun bodysurfing that 30 to 45 minutes might not be enough to satisfy the urge to surf those waves!

Nick Brbot, one of WAW’s bodysurfing ambassadors has an average session of 2 hours, although this may be a stretch for a beginner.

To get himself in shape for whomping (that’s slang for bodysurfing) Nick does two types of swimming techniques: endurance and short burst. This is referred to as hypoxic training. 

You don’t need to start with an elite swimming routine either. According to Healthline, a swimming schedule can start with 15 to 20-minutes of freestyle swimming every other day and then slowly increase your swim workout to 30 minutes sessions to 4 to 5 times a week as your body adjusts. Easily applicable to your bodysurfing schedule! 

So – are you with us? Ready to whomp & shred? Let’s go! 

WAW Whomp & Shred Challenge

Are ready to join the most fun fitness challenge of 2023? We are set to kick off on New Year’s Day January 31st and carry on until May 31st, so even if you don’t start until February, you’re still in the game. 

Participating is easy. All you have to do is bodysurf at least one day a week (ideally three days a week) for 3 months, using the above schedule. 

At the end of the challenge, publish a post on your socials containing an image from day 1, an image from day 45, and an image from day 90 along with the hashtag #whompandshred. Don’t forget to tag us @wawhandplanes! 

The winner gets a unique prize pack from WAW valued at $200 featuring a Ltd Ed WAW Handplane plus fins & a hat, and will be chosen for their consistency and passion for the beautiful art that is bodysurfing. This is not a “biggest loser” style competition, as having fun is far more important than the losing weight part. 

If you build the fun, the weight loss will come! See you out there!