Surf Contest Warm Up

My friend Amy Murphee and I both flew here to Florida to compete in the Kona Pro Surf Contest in New Smyrna Beach. We have been surfing the contest site for the past 2 days and doing some light training at night. Throughout all this we have been drinking lots of water and eating energy foods like lean cuts of meat, eggs, soy, and nuts. These are great sources of protein which help maintain your muscle mass. Whole grains, oatmeal, bananas, apples, grapes, and yogurt are a couple of my favorite things to eat on contest days. Some good herbs that give you energy are ginseng and ginkgo. I am a huge fan of green tea with ginseng. Some foods to avoid eating are; cookies, baked goods, candy bars, sodas, and fruit drinks. These foods are loaded with sugar and cause a quick energy boost due to rising insulin levels. You will feel an energy decline just as quickly as you felt the energy boost. You are often left feeling more drained then you did before you ate them. Another thing I try and do all the time, but especially before contests is stretching. I like to have my muscles feeling loose and flexible. You are also less prone to injuring yourself when your muscles are well stretched. Here are two of my favorite stretches/poses.

                   Maria Kuzmovich - The Bow pose

                         Amy Murphee - Swaying Palm pose

In flight to Florida

On my flight from Puerto Rico to Florida I had 3 hours to sit and think about lots of things, starting a blog was one of them. I want to share all the cool things I have learned about surfing. I feel like I am consistently learning new things from new people and really want to share them with others. Just the other day I met a longboarder girl named Lisa. She is a nurse in Santa Barbara and is a wealth of knowledge. In the short time we spoke she told me some really helpful things. The main thing I want to share with other girls who surf is, the harmful ingredients that are in lots of sunscreens. Unfortunately, I just purchased what I thought was a top of the line, super great, sunscreen that cost $50.00! I know, I know, for a tube of sunscreen. Anyhow, I learned that these harmful ingredients in sunscreen are absorbed through our skin and into our bodies. No bueno! She also told me that there are a bunch of sunscreens that clam to be organic and sometimes are not. So the only way to really know is to be aware of the harmful ingredients and check the sunscreens ourselves. Here are some ingredients found in sunscreens that are not good for our skin.

• Benzophenones (dixoybenzone, oxybenzone)
• PABA and PABA esters (ethyl dihydroxy propyl PAB, glyceryl PABA,
• p-aminobenzoic acid padimate O or Octyl dimethyl PABA)
• Cinnamates (cinoxate, ethylhexyl, p-methoxycinnamate)
• Salicylates (ethylhexyl salicylate, homosalate, octyl salicylate)
• Avobenzone (butyl-methyoxydibenzoylmethane; Parsol 1789)
• Digalloyl trioleate
• Menthyl anthranilate
• Propylene Glycol: Called a humectant in cosmetics, it is industrial antifreeze, and the major ingredient in brake and hydraulic fluid. Material Data Sheets on Propylene Glycol warn to avoid skin contact as it is systemic and can cause liver abnormalities and kidney damage.