What is the true surfer’s lifestyle like? First of all, a true surfer’s lifestyle is built on good nutrition, regular physical exercise, and breaking bad habits (no cigarettes, alcohol, or drugs, of course). If you prefer to eat junk food with beer for lunch every day, smoke, and party often, then surfing is clearly far from your list of priorities..
And not only surfing, by the way, because unhealthy living affects all the parts of your life – business, family, relations with friends and other people. Only cats have nine lives, but humans have only one so no point to waste it. So if you want to be happy and healthy, if you’re interested in your life and surfing, here are some simple and essential advice on how to go right.
Nutrition
Of course, most of the surfers' daily meals consist of salty water. But when you are out of water, you are able to choose what you actually want. In general, not talking about surfing, having a slim and healthy body, you should remember that it depends on 30% your physical activity and 70% healthy eating.
Some people think that they can eat whatever they want, then go to a gym/fitness center and spend more time there than usual and stay fit. Well, maybe they won’t get fat for now, but their body will remember this stress and pay back later on. More than that, their body will never be up to feeling the right way.
The nutrition part of a surfer's lifestyle is totally formed on the ratio of consumed proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
Why it’s the most important thing:
- Proteins are important for muscles growth and the entire body
- Fats are a source of energy, contains fatty aicids, that are good for your health and help to transport fat soluble vitamins (that won’t work on you without fats)
- Carbs – also is a source of energy and good mood, useful for useful for the cardiovascular system (we are talking about complex carbohydrates – cereals, fruits, etc., not about refined sugar)
The best ratio of consumed proteins, fats and carbohydrates for surfers is roughly 40%-20%-40%. For a more detailed, meal-by-meal breakdown of what this looks like before and after a session, see our guide on surfer’s nutrition.
Besides that you should:
- Eat fruits and vegetables
- Drink enough water
- Consume Omega-3 fish oil – consists of essential nutrients (of course, consulate with your doctor before taking it)
- Try to avoid simple carbohydrates, such as cookies, chips etc.
- Remember, a strong diet (except situations, when you need it due to your health condition) will never help you to be healthy and strong. Spoil yourself sometimes, but remember the limits : )
Physical exercises
For sure, surfing is a good workout itself, but requires a lot of pre-surfing training, so you won’t wipe out as often during your first lessons. For experienced guys, daily surfing can be enough to keep fit, but 90% chances are they want to develop their skills and will surf the same level spots all the time. It’s easy when you can’t live without daily activities and sport, that means that you don’t lose your tonus. But every type of sport, and surfing is not exempt, involves its own groups of muscles, that you should pay attention first when doing exercises.
Fot surfers, first of all, it’s hands, back, upper body, these parts of your body you will use even before you will go to line-up. For standing up on a surfboard, you should start liking burpees, it’s hard but it will absolutely help you in the water. We’ve put together a full surf-specific workout routine covering exactly these movements, paddle power, pop-up strength and the rest.
The next important thing is your balance, so grab a balance board, and book some yoga classes! Our guide to yoga for surfers covers the poses and routine that build exactly this kind of balance and mobility. Jst to understand why exactly these things will help you to learn surfing easier, watch some videos of surfing lessons on Youtube and try to “stand up” on an imaginary surfboard.
Sleep and Recovery: The Habit Nobody Talks About
Of all the habits that quietly separate "surfing okay" from "surfing well", sleep might be the most underrated. Your body repairs muscle, consolidates the small technical adjustments you made that day, and resets your nervous system overnight, all things that directly affect how sharp and strong you feel on your next session. Surfers who skip sleep for late nights often notice their paddling feels heavier and their pop-up feels sluggish the next morning, even if they don’t connect the dots.
A few simple habits go a long way: aim for 7-9 hours, especially the night before an early dawn patrol, keep hydration up throughout the day (not just during your session), and if you’re training as well as surfing, give your body at least one full rest day a week where neither happens.
Mindset: The Lifestyle Factor That Shows Up in the Water
Surfing has a way of mirroring whatever state of mind you bring to it. Paddle out stressed, rushed, or frustrated, and you’ll likely find yourself forcing waves, snapping at other surfers, or giving up after a few wipeouts. Paddle out relaxed and patient, and somehow the same ocean feels far more generous.
Part of the "surfer lifestyle" is building habits that support this mindset off the water too: a few minutes of quiet before a session, not checking your phone the second you hit the beach, and treating a slow session as part of the process rather than a personal failure. This isn’t just feel-good advice, a calmer headspace genuinely improves decision-making in the water, which wave to take, when to bail, when to paddle for the horizon.
Surfers lifestyle vs bad habbits
Have you ever mentioned that sometimes on Saturday and Sunday swell is good, but a line-up is half empty? If you haven't, that means you had a great night out with your friends. But when you drink, you do realise that perhaps the next day you will surf in bed all day. But the devil is in the details. One small cigarette – what can it do to you? And then another one and then one more… Meanwhile this little devil consists of about 4000 chemical elements, 70% of them caused dependence. You destroy yourself for no reason and invest in the well being tobacco industry. It’s stupid, isn’t it?
Being able to hold a breath is one of the most important things for surfers. That means your lungs should be clear and healthy. So if you smoke, it will be way harder for you than for non-smoker. Beside trashed lungs, as a bonus you get fluctuating blood pressure, slower motility and blood circulation. The last is a reason of a hair loss, early arthritis and other diseases. And this is just because of one cigarette, that one you smoke “just a few times a day”. Do you think this gamble is worth taking?
Nutrition, training, mobility, sleep and mindset all feed into each other, and none of them work in isolation. If you want the full picture of how to put these pieces together, our complete guide to surf training and fitness for surfers ties it all into one simple weekly structure. And if you’d rather build these habits in an environment designed around them, daily surf, daily yoga, good food and an early bedtime that actually happens, that’s the whole idea behind Surf Camp in Canggu.
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