Another size question...

[GettingOld]

Heh. Yeah I just typed that in as a little joke to myself because in the moment I was thinking that this sudden and intense desire to get on a short board is sorta like my version of a mid life crisis. Didn't mean for it to sound offensive in any way...

My goal is to follow in my mom's footsteps. She's 74 and trekking in Nepal even as I type this....

[FW - Fan]

Hey man, not offensive at all...like I said maybe i am getting sensitive about it but I just dont accept 41 is old...however I reserve the right to change that opinion, lol.

[buzzy]

I was typing on an iphone before so my thoughts were a little constrained by a two thumb type!

I guess what I was trying to say is yes, your mind is super important but the reality is we do age. That doesn't mean we should get "old" between the ears but you also need to set realistic expectations. So even though Slater isn't that much younger than me I look instead at guys like Occy or Sunny or MR or Rabbit or BL or Tom Curren or the other TC for my inspiration of a realistic performance standard. Even then I'm setting the bar way out of reach but when I look for inspiration about what to do on a wave at my age those are my role models, not medina or Wilson or JJF. I don;t want to risk my knees on a big air into the flats for a start.

[Slowman]

I'll be happy with just a little air anywhere...one good thing about age, I can afford and appreciate a fine red far better than I used to when I was young drinking straight from the foil sack!! You know, I reckon it was the quality not the quantity that made me spew!

[Bumper]

I'm 41 and feel as good as I did in my 30's but as I surf more and more I do notice stiffness in new areas creeping in. I surfed and swam a ton this summer and early fall and struggled with a hip flexer pull. Such a pain in the A#$ when you try to pop up in small, crappy waves. I think my wider, good volumed boards from FW have certainly helped me surf better I felt like I had to find some kind of work out to help me loosen up. I did yoga all summer and early fall and it was good but the boredom factor kicked in and my schedule picked up this fall. By mid Oct my body felt as stiff and old as I've ever felt. Cardio wise I was still biking and swimming well but I just wasn't moving very well. My solution has been to pick up Aikido. Did taekwondo for 20 years and developed some great flexibility and quickness but in the last two years I have totally slacked off. This may be one reason why that looseness has fallen off. I'm not into a fighting/grappling style anymore so I went with a "softer" style. (think Steven Seagal movies). I love it and wish I had done this 20 years ago instead. In just one month my body feels so much looser and quicker. I can get up off the floor so much easier (should help my pop-ups I would hope). Even bending to tie my shoes or move side to side chasing my step son is easier. I highly recommend it for anyone over 40. Some of the higher ranks are in the 60's and blow me up every day. Their fluid movement up and down the floor is really amazing to watch. They don't look 60, that's for sure.

[jynxz]

Do not under estimate the effect that a good diet and some vitamin supplements/antioxidants can have on your performance at our age too. I get a regular thorough check up with a Naturopath who balances what my body is generally low on (for example Vitamin B12) with changes to what I eat to increase those Vitamins, or If that wont boost it enough then maybe a supplement for that. Ive just had a Vitamin B 12 injection which had noticably increased my day to day energy levels and concentration. I also take Vit C & E which are good antioxidants for getting rid of Free Radicals (the damaging toxins left over when muscles burn Oxygen) and also Good quality fish oil, which, amongst other benefits is very good at reducing inflammation in the joints. Also I find Glucosamine really helps in speeding up any shoulder or knee injurys.

I used to think it was all aload of crap, and alot of people take heaps of stuff they dont even need and are actually getting no benefit from because they are drawn in by clever marketing and sold things by shop assistants who have very little understanding of what they are recommending.

But since I found someone that just tells me what I do actually need, and how to balance my diet, the difference in my fitness, and probably even more noticable my recovery over the last 12 months has improved 10 fold. Last week we had 6 consecutive Days of good swell, which I managed to surf 5 of those, sometimes for up to 4 hours until my arms and neck were just completely burnt out, Next day no aches or pains and fully recovered for another session.

[aurfalien]

Well I like getting old. Being young suked a$%.

I believe the quality of muscle increases with age. Take for example the speed skaters, all older and amazing muscle.

Plus my mind is better, more calm, much less flippant, etc...

The only thing is that I heal a bit slower and injure a bit easier. Other than that, I like old.

[Bumper]

Jynxz,

I've heard the fish oil helps with joint stiffness. Any specific oils? Any other supplement advice for joint and muscle stiffness that's not advil or aleeve? Finally, I'm about 185-190 lbs, I guess that's 86KG. I have the 6'4 HF and the 6'0 PN. Trying to downsize the PN to a 5'10. I know the PN is 2.5 thick and the HF is 2.6 thick? I think volume wise the PN is the same as the 6'4 HF. Do you find the PN to still work well in smaller, weaker waves for your weight despite it still having the same volume as the HF. I always figured it was better to increase the volume on your smaller wave board compared to your performance wave board? I know I should be on a 6'2 HF but the 6'4 has worked well and doesn't seem to floaty at all. I thought The 6'0 PN at 2.6 thickness would be the perfect size but it is just to thick, especially when its onshore and choppy. I bounce and shift all over the place on the 6'0 in junky surf. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

[aurfalien]

Yo Bumper, if you have joint issues as I used to as a result of many gnarly snow board trips and what appears to be our foods being some what depleted of proper nutrients these days, I highly recommend 2 supplements;

1) Gluco-Gel
2) Osteo FX

Both by Youngevity. Google around on were to buy.

Anyways, not meaning to get off topic here.

[jynxz]

Yeh I just use a good quality fish oil as it does help with any stiffness but its also very good at reducing any inflamation in the joints too. Plus it has all sorts of other benefits too. I also found that increasing my protein intake helped significantly with aches and pains too (eat more lean meat or take protein powder), as I wasnt having enough initially my body was struggling to repair muscle and tissue damage caused by strenuous exercise and thats why sometimes I used to ache so much next day. If your still getting joint and muscle stiffness after trying these then you may need a specific supplement like condruiton/glucosamine type supplements. There are some good ones out there but they are quite expensive.

As far as the PN gos, Ill let you know in a week when it gets here. I love my 6'4 HF and feel that although I could drop to a 6'2 Im probably going to stay with the 6'4 for now. So thats why I chosed a 5'10 PN to keep the volume around the 36L mark, I could go a size lower but will probably appreciate the volume when Im competing with guys on Longboards and Mals.