The countdown has started. In two months, I’m leaving on an overseas trip bring your mobile for a surf contest. How exciting. It’s going to be almost ten days of nothing but surfing, eating, and sleeping. My daily surf quota will rapidly ramp up from about an hour a day to about five hours a day, at least. I’m generally pretty fit, but five hours a day of surfing and not my usual diet usually takes a bit of getting used to. So, I’ll start my training regime to get myself surf trip fit before heading overseas. Here’s how you can get your office bones into top shape before your impending overseas surf trip:

1. SURF SURF SURF.
It’s a bit of a no brainer, but the best training for surfing is surfing. Even if it’s not the best of surf and it means getting up earlier, try to get into the water most days before you head off.

2. Hit the Pool.
Is the surf terrible? It’s no excuse to stay out of the water. Hit your local pool instead and swim a few laps. It keeps those paddle arms fit and gets your cardio fitness up, which will come in handy on those long paddles.

3. Work out your legs.
Soft sand laps. I’m not a big fan of running, so instead of going for a long run, I run a couple of soft sand laps. That means less running, but still excellent for cardio–and of course, it’s an excellent workout for your legs. And, because you’ll spend more time standing on your board on a quality overseas surfbreak than on your average local session, you’ll be grateful for that extra strength in your pins.

4. Surfercise.
I could pretend I’m going to the gym for some extra surf workout, but I’m not a gym person at all, so I won’t. Having said that, if you don’t mind the gym, you would definitely benefit from some surf workout.

5. Stretchy Time.
I personally probably prefer some yoga sessions for extra strength. Stretching will do wonders for you after all the surfing, swimming and running.

6. Prep the Belly.
Going overseas also means getting used to a different diet. The best tip I’ve ever been given before going to Indo is building up your digestive system with probiotics six weeks before you go overseas. I don’t have any scientific proof, but it certainly helped my belly to stay happy, even in Indo.

7. Chub Up.
While we’re on the subject of diet, now is the time to put on some extra pounds. You are very likely to drop quite a bit of weight on a surf trip with lots of daily surfing. So ditch the super foods and head to Maccas. Just kidding. I personally will indulge on those extra carbs, which is good news for pasta lovers.

8. Up the Stoke.
No doubt you’ll be super excited if you are planning on going on an overseas surf trip, so you might not need the extra stoke. Having said that, I love watching surf movies before I go overseas. You’ll soon be in the land of perfect waves where you can practice everything you’ve always wanted to try on long perfect waves, so you may as well get some inspiration from the pros.