Surfing For Life
In Australia, we are surrounded by beautiful beaches and waves waiting to be surfed. Whether one surfs professionally or recreationally, looking after the body and treating any injuries effectively will allow surfing longevity.
With the World Surfing League CT event just finishing in Newcastle, it seems timely to look at the benefits of Chiropractic care for surfers.
The Art of Breathing
Sounds simple in theory; breathing is on automatic pilot. You will breathe approximately 25,000 times per day. If your breathing strategy is optimal, it will provide the best platform for mental and physical training. The concept is, if one moves and breathes at a sustainable optimal rhythm, you will facilitate more effective fluid movement, balance and endurance. The ability to perform a task for a longer period of time with a minimal amount of load can be achieved.
In top-performing athletes, it is essential to be able to access optimum body awareness, dynamic posture and respiration as it taps into the capacity for change and adaptability, which is essential on a moving wave.
Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilisation (DNS) is a system that is designed to use breathing and developmental postures to evoke motor patterns in the brain in order to activate the human body’s stabilising system, facilitating more effective balanced movements. Using postural exercises with breath control is ideal for a surf warm up set.
Physical Performance & Long Term Care
As we age, enjoying physical activities becomes less about how much of a top performer we are and more about our ability to continue to enjoy our sports, recovering from injuries and preventing causing new ones.
Surfing is both exhilarating and demanding; it is a sport that requires multiple facets of the athletic endeavour, such as mental strength, dynamic stability and agility.
Addressing a few simple issues such as spinal alignment, muscular coordination around the major joints, being able to access your optimal breathing strategies and maintain this throughout all of your physical activities.
Chiropractic care can assist in optimizing performance and preventing injury by achieving functional joint movements and facilitating adaptive neuromusculoskeletal capacity.
And looking after ourselves after the big wave has been conquered? The cooldown is as important as the warm-up.
Learn how to use fundamental breathing strategies to return your body to its restful state of relaxed muscles and a calm mind. Relax – Reset – Restore – Reboot.
If you are interested in learning more about DNS, contact us for an appointment and later perhaps join one of our weekly Breath and Posture classes, held each Tuesday and Thursday.
