I coughed up an enormous gulp of salt water and desperately reached for my surfboard. One other missed wave. At this level I used to be so removed from shore and too exhausted to maintain making an attempt. My finest pal Jasmine stayed out within the water with our browsing teacher, whereas I paddled again to shore, out of breath and defeated. I’d heard Costa Rica was among the finest locations for browsing, however to date, the ocean was getting the most effective of me.
I don’t draw back from the label “health fanatic.” I’ve been a gaggle health teacher for a decade, run eight marathons, and constructed most of my grownup identification round train. All of that is to say: I’m no stranger to shifting my physique.
So once I determined to choose up browsing final 12 months, I assumed it will be humbling—however manageable. What I didn’t count on was how international I’d really feel in my very own pores and skin. Standing on a surfboard for the primary time compelled me to maneuver in ways in which felt unfamiliar and awkward. Stability didn’t come simply. My timing felt off. And wiping out (repeatedly) required a degree of humility I hadn’t practiced in a very long time.
Browsing began as a facet quest—an excuse to attempt one thing new and take a warm-weather journey with my finest pal of 30 years. Once we landed in Costa Rica, we settled into Lamangata Luxurious Surf Resort, a comfortable but adventurous off-the-grid retreat made for individuals who really need to learn to surf—not simply pose with a board. This was a legit browsing bootcamp.
Our days shortly grew to become structured round early-morning paddles, approach drills, and various belly-flop wipeouts. I seen shortly that browsing requires a variety of technical talent and has a excessive studying curve, so whereas I’m an skilled athlete in lots of actions, this was a brand new sport, and I used to be again to being a newbie.
I like a bodily problem, however what stunned me most was how mentally challenged I felt. Studying the way to learn waves, pop up shortly, and keep calm whereas being tossed round by the ocean required intense focus. My mind felt lit up in a approach I hadn’t skilled in years. And as I suspected, there’s science behind that.
“Beginning something new prompts reward methods within the mind,” Hilary Cauthen, PsyD, CMPC, a scientific sport psychologist and authorized psychological efficiency marketing consultant, tells SELF. “You get endorphin releases, dopamine hits, and elevated synaptic progress. Studying a brand new talent slightly than repeating a well-known one engages a number of areas of the mind directly—the motor cortex, the prefrontal cortex, and the hippocampus. There’s a variety of mind exercise occurring, and it feels thrilling.”