Here I am, surfing in Cabarete, Dominican Republic. We’ve been dreaming about going to surf camp for years, and we decided to finally go for it! We found the most amazing place to stay in the Dominican Republic, right in Cabarete, the heart of surfing and kite boarding on the island. Swell Surf Camp was our home away from home. We surfed, made friends, hung out in hammocks, had lazy afternoons walking around town, and generally had an amazing time just taking it easy.

People wonder how I surf if I live in NYC. Well, there are a few places to surf around here, though I have to admit that I haven’t been doing a whole lot of surfing in NY over the past couple of years. So it was wonderful to be able to take a vacation where we really got to learn how to surf and spend a number of days doing it so that we could get somewhat proficient. Before this trip, I hadn’t taken many lessons, and since we weren’t that good, we didn’t get to enjoy it much at home.

We had five days of lessons, each day getting progressively harder, followed by 4 days of board rentals to keep mastering what we learned. After ten days in surfing paradise, I could easily get back on my surfboard and actually know what I’m doing this time.

Five things I learned surfing are also true for what you need to do to get healthy:

Visualize your goal

See your ride and you’ll likely catch it. When you can visualize how you’ll catch the wave, pop up, and ride it in, you’re much more likely to actually get it. This is half of surfing – just gazing out at the sea to watch what’s coming up at you.

If you’re trying to shed pounds, or get more energy, you need to visualizing yourself feeling strong, confident, and looking great in your clothes. This will help you stay focused and taking action to get there.

Preparation is key

A little physical preparation goes a long way when you start surfing. You’ll do better if you have some upper body strength to paddle out and to catch waves.

Preparation is also important when you’re getting healthy. Planning out your meals and when you will exercise will help you stay on track.

Learn faster with expert advice

My surfing improved quickly when I had Brock and Luciano, our surfing instructors, watching me from the shore and then offering critiques on land. I learned how to adjust my stance and shift my weight on my feet to balance better and turn the board.

If you have someone show you how what they did to shed pounds, it is easier and faster for you to follow what they did than to try and figure it out on your own.

Face your fears and go for it anyway

If you’re sitting on your board nervous and tense about getting tumbled by a wave, you won’t see the good waves when they show up.  Know that it might happen, but go for the ride anyway.  Stay relaxed so that you can catch a good one when it shows up.

You may be afraid of failure or success, or of leaving people behind if you change. If you’re nervous about change, because it’s unknown, repeat to yourself, “I am safe, it’s only change.” Then boldly step out and do it.

Have fun no matter what

The whole goal of surfing is fun. Some days will be perfect, and you’ll catch many waves. And then some days you won’t catch anything because the waves are too flat, or too inconsistent. You might sit there for an hour waiting for the perfect wave. It comes along, you catch it, and that’s it for that session.

As you go on your health journey, you’ll have good and bad days. It’s totally normal to eat really healthfully and then have one “bad” day where you overeat or have cake. Know that it’s a journey and that you can start again as soon as your next meal. And have fun – you’re making yourself healthier and happier each day.

Want to get started? Join one of my Spring Forward June Cleanses!