Hawaiian South Shore January 2020 Newsletter (part 1)
A New Approach to New Years Resolutions
Happy New Year 2020! … It’s that time of the year, millions of resolutions that we will all likely be making—and quickly breaking—just like we do every year. But this New Year doesn’t have to be like all the other ones. With some effort and perseverance, maybe this can be the year that we actually stick to our guns and reach the goals that we set for ourselves.
I recently read an article that talked about a bunch of healthy habits we can establish to help us have more energy for projects and goals, such as New Year's resolutions. When I started reading the article, I thought the tips were going to be crazy, eye-opening concepts, but I soon realized that they are pretty common sense things that we all know are good for us. Unfortunately, we are often lazy or distracted, and fail to do them, even though we know we should! So this year, my suggestion is to make these easy, common sense activities your resolutions. Then, with all of the extra energy you have, it will be easy to tackle those bigger goals too!
Sleep more: This one is such a no-brainer there’s almost no sense in listing it. But even though we all know we need good sleep, most of us are way behind in our ZZZZZs. The average American has a huge sleep deficit, which is cumulative and very difficult to pay back to the body. We need between seven and nine hours of sleep per night, and the best sleep happens before midnight. Try to make a goal of going to sleep by 10:30 or set a specific time each night, and see how that affects both your sleep practices and your energy in general.
Exercise more: Every day, if possible! You don’t have to run a marathon each day of the week, but you can at least get 15 minutes of exercise in to keep your body moving and your blood flowing. Exercise and diet are the two biggest health factors affecting people in our country, so on the days when you don’t surf, try to do something active, such as walk, run, or a simple workout at home. I watch a youtube workout, shower and get on with my daily work.
Be productive in the morning: Many of us hate waking up early, but since we will be going to bed at 10:30 pm, it shouldn’t be too hard to rise with the sun. And once you are awake, it’s a good idea to dive straight into your work. We are typically the most productive in the morning, before distractions and exhaustion set in, so do your hardest work early, then enjoy a more leisurely afternoon.
Make plans the night before: If you wake up with no idea what you are going to do during the day, then you probably won’t end up doing very much. On the other hand, if you put together a list the night before of goals and projects you want to accomplish, you will have the motivation to dive in and get started. As the old saying goes, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
Surround yourself with positive influences: It has been said that we are the aggregate of the five people we spend the most time with. So take a moment and think about who those people are. Are the people who are full of energy and positivity, who inspire you to accomplish things and live healthily? Or are they people who drag you down with them, convincing you that it’s okay to be unhealthy and unsuccessful? Surround yourself with the type of people you want to be, and you will be surprised how quickly you grow and succeed.
Read more: And for that matter, read better things too! These days we have become so addicted to social media, TV shows, and online content that we rarely ever sit down and get lost in a book or article. But there are tons of great content out there to read if only we would take the time for it. Establish a reading habit, and you will find that the rest of your life benefits too.
Believe in yourself: We are often our own worst critics, and the negative self-talk that we engage in can persuade us to stop trying and give up on our goals. Instead of getting down on yourself for your shortcomings, believe in your potential. Look at failures at steps towards success. Tell yourself that you can and will do the things you dream of—then get busy making it happen.
Dakine New Leash—The Kaimana
Dakine is a successful international brand that makes equipment for all sorts of sports, such as snowboarding, skateboarding, biking, skiing, and windsurfing. But the company started in Hawaii 40 years ago, with its first product being surfboard leashes.
Dakine recently announced its new team leash called the Kaimana. While this leash won’t be available on the mainland for another couple of months, we received our first batch in Dec 2019!
The Kaimana has a lot of cool new features. It has three patents, including the rail saver, the ankle strap, and the new Duracord, which causes cavitation so that you don’t feel the leash dragging through the water. Although this hasn’t yet been scientifically confirmed, a lab in Italy is currently doing testing to do so. Meanwhile, team riders all report that they can barely feel the leash behind their boards while they are riding waves!
Other exciting developments include only one screw instead of the normal two, which reduces the chance of breakage. The rail saver is also much narrower than normal, which reduces drag. While this might seem like a weak point, since there is less Velcro holding the leash together, the addition of a sleeve that goes over the rail saver ensures that it will never come undone.
The leash comes with a no-tie leash string that has been factory-sewn, which will help to prevent user error from tying too loose of a knot or too long of a string.
Finally, even the packaging the leash comes in has been updated. Most leashes come in narrow packages that help save space on the display case, but these narrow packages often kink leashes, which can be a real annoyance. The new Dakine package is wider so that the leashes come out of the package non-kinked and ready to go!
January Member of the Month
Q&A with Irie Fitzgerald
When and why did you initially get into surfing?
I’ve been in the ocean my whole life, swimming, free diving, and fishing. I didn’t try surfing until I was about 10 years old when some of my classmates were talking about trying surfing and taking lessons and I got interested. When I got home I started bugging my dad to take me out surfing, we didn’t have any surfboards but my dad had his old bodyboards and he started to take me out to small waves in Talafofo Bay to teach me how to respect the ocean. Once my dad bought a used shortboard we started to go out to the reef to learn the basics. My dad introduced me to his friends who became my surf uncles. The rest is history. Since then I’m pretty sure I’ve spent more time in the ocean than on land.
Where in the world have you been surfing?
I’ve lived and surfed on the island of Guam my entire life but I’ve had the opportunity to surf in other places like Australia, Japan, Hawaii, California, New Jersey, and even in the freezing water of Oregon.
What is your favorite thing about surfing?
My favorite thing about surfing is that I’m so connected with the earth’s beauty and nature. Most sports are predictable but surfing is completely unpredictable. Kinda like a snowflake, each wave is a little different from the last… unless you’re at Kelly’s wave pool, which I’ve never been *hint hint*
Where is your favorite place to eat after surfing? What is your favorite item on the menu?
It depends on where I surf of course! In town, I’ll usually grab a matcha green tea smoothie at Jamba Juice. When I’m at the north shore I’ll go grab an avocado sandwich at Cafe Haleiwa. I try not to spend too much money on eating out so I usually make a pb&j at home!
What other hobbies do you have besides surfing?
I’ve been kickboxing on Guam for 3 years and trained with my friend Brogan Sanchez. I do some street skating for fun, nothing crazy. I’m also really into creative art such as editing videos, painting, drawing, and digital art.
Tell us about the board you recently purchased from us. What model and size is it, and how do you like its performance?
I just picked up the JS Air17 X from Hawaiian South Shore Surf Boutique because I was looking for a board that produced a little more speed than my JS Monsta 6. My JS Air17 X is 5’7 x 18 1/2 x 2 3/16 24.2. I wanted something beefier than my Monsta 6 because I wanted to use it in a little bit fuller waves and still be able to execute maneuvers. I’m really happy with the way it’s been responding and I’ve been surfing it in a lot of different conditions. My turns feel really loose but just enough where I’m not sliding out. The board’s weight is perfect for stable bottom turns on waves that have more power.
Do you have any additional comments?
Remember to follow @hwnsouthshore on Instagram and please check out my Instagram @iriefitz! Trying out my new Air17 X video:
http://bit.ly/IRIEFITZ
Si Yu’us Ma’åse’ (thank you in Chamorro)
To Surgery or Not to Surgery?
The Decision That John John Florence and I Both Had to Make
As many of you know, I’ve been struggling with a knee injury for the past few months. I stayed off of it for a month after I first hurt it, but I couldn’t say no to an invite to Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch and ended up re-tweaking my knee there. When I got back from that trip I decided to have it looked at, and ended up getting an MRI on my knee.
The MRI showed that I had an old partial tear of my ACL and a new tear of the meniscus. I also have a new sprain of the ligaments in my knee. Meniscus and ACL injuries are pretty common among athletes. In fact, John John Florence has been dealing with issues such as this for the past two years, and missed half of this season and all of last season because of his bum knee. Lots of people have told me to get arthroscopic surgery from an orthopedic surgeon to fix my meniscus tear, but when I talked to my doctor, she told me that there are actually a couple of different options. She said that I should talk to my orthopedic surgery when I see him in January, but to bear in mind that getting surgery for a torn meniscus doesn’t guarantee that I won’t have arthritis later in life.
My doctor sent me some interesting materials about knee surgery, and according to the research, it appears that arthroscopic surgery is somewhat controversial, particularly in patients who are 40 years old and older. First of all, partial tears of the meniscus are able to heal somewhat on their own. And secondly, even after surgery, many people don’t get enjoy a full recovery. In fact, it appears from the research that there isn’t must statistical evidence that surgical treatment is more effective than conservative treatment in older patients, particularly with degenerative meniscal tears, which are often what older adults suffer from.
This gave me a lot to think about, but also a lot of interesting information to learn about, as I didn’t really know much about the knee and the efficacy of arthroscopic surgery before this experience. Even though I am not stoked to be injured, I’ve really appreciated the opportunity to learn more, and am hoping that conservative treatment can help my knee get back into fighting shape, so I can get back in the water soon!
Here’s hoping that all of you are healthy as this new year begins, and scoring waves wherever you might be!
Hawaiian South Shore January 2020 Newsletter (part 2) --> coming next week
It’s like layaway but you go home with your favorite board today. You pay no interest as long as you make your monthly payments, you can pay it off any time you want with no penalty.
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*Offer applies only to single-receipt qualifying purchases. No interest will be charged on the promo purchase if you pay the promo purchase amount in full within 12 Months. If you do not, interest will be charged on the promo purchase from the purchase date. Depending on purchase amount, promotion length and payment allocation, the required minimum monthly payments may or may not pay off purchase by end of promotional period. Regular account terms apply to non-promotional purchases and, after promotion ends, to promotional balance. For new accounts: Purchase APR is 29.99%; Minimum Interest Charge is $2. Existing cardholders should see their credit card agreement for their applicable terms. Subject to credit approval.