I need to get in shape...

[JTS]

Hey Bambino- Quitting smoking is the first step if you want to improve your health and also fitness. I quit twice, the first time in 1997 after 20 years smoking up to 1.5 - 2 packs a day, used the nic gum, patches all that nonsense. That is the hard way keeping that nicotine ,even a small amount in your body keeps the addiction alive. took about 6-8 months for the cravings to stop. After 5 years without a smoke, during a period of intense stress I picked up a cigarette, then another .... Smoked for 2 more years.

New years eve 2004 I quit cold turkey (my wife quit then too) much easier than using the patch/gum, the physical addiction lasts 72 hours, then it is just the mental stuff. A book that really helped me is "The Easyway to quit smoking" by Dr. Allen Carr great explanations.
BTW I figured the money I saved (1500/year) buys me a good surf trip every year - trade the butts for a week in Central america!
Good luck
Jim

[Swellinfo]

best exercise i know of to get fit is to surf... surf as much as you can.

[Bambino]

ill go for long walks with you buddy. wear something nice, not too formal though. underpants are optional.

Its a date!

[Bambino]

Thanks for all the recomendations...I'll look in to all them while I drink a 12 pack and chain smoke....
No...really...Thanks!

[brek]

I wasn't a smoker for very long... a pack a day for 5 years, and I slowly phased it out from there. I think not actually trying to quit is what helped me stop. I saw a lot of people around my try to quit every new year and they just kept failing at it.

So at first I never said "I'm quitting smoking!" I just started smoking less. And less. First it was stop smoking during the day. Then it was only smoke when I'm drinking. Then it was only smoke when I'm drinking on weekends (hey, it was college). Eventually it got to the point where I was only smoking 1-2 times a month and I decided I should just stop it all together. There was no physical addiction at that point, so it wasn't too hard.

When I started really cutting back, I think one thing that helped was that I started rolling my own cigarettes. Making it less convenient to have a cigarette means you'll only have one when you really want one.

Swimming is a good way to work on cardio and paddling muscles if you have access to a pool.

[ripturbo]

dude quit frackn smoking today or youll die. the gum works i quit after 15 years. 10 days of the gum and dealing with the anger and freakiness and it was all over. then get a paddleboard and some good running shoes and have at it.every aspect of life is better without them s h i t s. oh ,and go orioles! 15 years straight!!!!!

[Kuono]

Swim, surf, ...

I grew up playing lacrosse and roller/ice hockey and when I first hit the break I thought I was golden, but after having my butt handed to me a couple times I googled Laird Hamilton's workout and core workouts to help train the upper half of my body, ie shoulders..

I'm not a gym rat, but running, kettle bells and cardio weights can't hurt

[surfdawave]

I agree that cross training is the best workout for a sport like surfing. Weight lifting doesnt quite do it because it only trains your body for the limited motions you are doing when you lift weights which dont really have application outside of the gym for sports like surfing.

for paddling muscles i dont think there is any substitute for old fashioned chin ups which can be done almost anywhere and you dont have to join a gym

[rustysrfr]

Rule no.292 (via surfing mag rule book) strong shoulder, better waves; strong legs, better surfing.

did some research and cross referenced a lot core and full body workouts. One of the best pieces of advice I found, and never consciously realized...surfing makes the body unbalanced, i.e. front leg v. back leg during a session is a completely different workout. Things I found from surfing trainers and endurance athletes is to try and work muscle groups in the way they will be used. Like the rule says shoulders and legs are very important large muscle groups, but core and balance training are equally as important to focus on smaller and important muscle groups.

like i said just researched some surf pros and trainers to create a surfing work out, there's a ton of info out there. I have been doing this routine for about three weeks and with cardio workout mixed in, recently jumping rope (got to tired of running the same route and working the tread mill), but can already fell a difference in my surfing.

good luck hope it helps

[eppeldaa]

2 sessions are a lot after you turn 30ish.
you did fine
keep smoking, don't be a pusssy