Editor’s Note: A week ago we sat down with Greg Long and talked all things health. The following is an excerpt from our conversation.
Full day of surfing Jaws? All ya need is juice. Photo: NaturalMommie.com
Honestly, on the day of the contest I don’t eat. I just drink juice. That day at Jaws it was just a coconut water, cold brew coffee mix in the morning, then green juice all throughout the day, and then half a banana half way through the day.
It comes down to two things for me. First, your body uses a lot of energy to digest food, so if you’re eating solid food, your metabolism is using energy to break it down and digest it. No matter what I eat, I can always feel my body slow down.
Second, when it comes to holding your breath, if you have anything in your stomach, it’s really taking up space and inhibiting the capacity at which your lungs can expand. Ask anyone in the world. Does it feel comfortable to hold your breath on a full stomach? For those who do say yes, they’re probably not eating full-on meals or full sandwiches.
I can go a whole day of surfing from sun up to sun down and not need to eat anything. I’m staying hydrated, though. I have my fruit juices and vegetable juices in the mix, and I get everything I need from that to carry me through. My surfing game days are probably a lot different than most. Even my average surfing day, it doesn’t really feel good to go surf with anything in my stomach. A banana in the morning at the most, and that’s it.
Dinner the evening before is different. Usually, I’ll have a nice salad and a piece of fish. Something clean and light.
Maybe a banana. That’s it. Photo: Shutterstock
