How should I eat during a surfing course?
As in all sports, nutrition plays a truly important role in the performance of athletes and, when we talk about surfing and its long periods of continuous physical activity, this becomes vitally important.
Most surfing courses last approximately 2 continuous hours, during which high intensity exercises are performed, which is why we must pay attention to how we organize ourselves when it comes to eating.
Do you want to know what foods will improve your performance in long surfing sessions?
As we have said, surfing is a sport where training, competitions and the practice of this sport in any of its forms, are usually of considerable duration of activity on the board.
That is why a good diet will help us maintain the correct energy levels so as not to suffer fatigue during the session or even feel more vital.
What to eat before surfing
For aerobic activities in any sport, it is recommended to consume slow-absorbing foods that allow us to ingest them before practicing exercise and maintain a high reserve of the different components of the body necessary for the realization of explosive movements, for example.
What to eat before training
Carbohydrates: the surfer’s allies
This is why it is highly recommended to consume slow-absorbing carbohydrates, such as cereals of different types such as rice or pasta, which take 2 or 3 hours to be absorbed by the body. We can also eat potatoes in any way, except fried, they can be boiled, steamed, roasted… they will also be a good source of carbohydrates that we will absorb slowly.
On the other hand, we find the food group of legumes, in which we will highlight lentils, although any of them will be beneficial for our system.
Lentils are a rich source of protein that will prevent fatigue and strengthen our immune system over water, not to mention that it is also a good option for consuming slow-absorbing carbohydrates.
Speaking about nutrition during training, we should first highlight something that, despite being obvious and having a certain irony in our sport, we tend not to give it the importance it has: hydration.
As it is difficult to drink water while surfing, it is important to hydrate well before a session. To do this, we must make sure to drink between 700 ml and 1 litre for every hour of exercise, which would be around 250-300 ml every 20 minutes.
When is it recommended to hydrate during a surfing course?
For sessions lasting more than 60 minutes, it would be ideal to go out every 30-45 minutes to drink water. It may be a good idea to combine it with isotonic drinks, which provide us with glucose and minerals to replenish our energy. Also, you have to take into account the weather and increase your water intake during the hottest days.
So if the next time you surf you want to avoid dehydration that can cause cramps, you know what you should do.
Also, if you add sugar to your drink, you can quickly recover those glycogens that we lose when we practice sports and that will prevent fatigue in the short term to a certain extent.
What to eat after a surf class?
Last but not least, although we rarely give it the value it deserves, the post-workout diet.
After physical activity of any kind, a consumption of carbohydrates and proteins is recommended, with which to recover all those lost during the session.
That is why, despite its bad reputation, the Milk is a good option to recover energy after a class or surf course. Of course, as long as it is skimmed, this way we will avoid the animal fats in milk that could have some negative effect. If it is skimmed, we will have a good supply of both carbohydrates and proteins.
We also recommend the consumption of any type of fruit and vegetables after surfing, which allow us to recover vitamins and natural sugars that we have consumed during our enjoyment on the board.
During our surf camps, we will offer you complete breakfasts so that you can arrive at the surf courses full of energy. In addition, both in our surf hostel and in our agroturismo you will have an equipped kitchen so you can cook and store the best food for your surfing days.
In the following entry you will learn interesting information about what gifts you can give a surfer.
