In the skin of a surfer: Tomás Valente
Getting into the ocean at six in the morning and watching the sun rise is not a chore for everyone. For surfers, it is true, but not a strict rule. But it can be a habit. There, involved in the water, they are in a second home. It is the place where energies are renewed. It's a piece of calm on an increasingly agitated planet. In the ocean, life is happier.
Tomás Valente goes straight to the point. “Surfing is at the heart of my life”, assumes the athlete. “I feel healthy and happy with the lifestyle that surfing has given me”. “If the sea is good”, Tomás surfs every day. And in a few words he admits: “If I don't do it, I get angry and bad-tempered”. Also for young people, surfing is much more than just taking a board and waiting for the right waves. It is adopting a lifestyle plunged in pleasure - which is transported from the waters of the ocean to home, to work and to other contexts.
The way of living is special. Being in the ocean is also aligning the body with the rhythms of nature. With the wind. With the waves. It goes beyond respecting the sea and the environment: above all, collective well-being is respected. An easy task for Tomás, who learned early from his parents: “I try to be minimalist in the use of plastic and avoid water waste”. Something basic "that everyone should do", he concludes.
For the body, the advantages are also palpable. The concern with maintaining a healthy diet is constant. It has to be, for those who want to face the waves and feel the energy of the sea. Overcoming comes in addition. Each achievement is lived with the greatest intensity and the maximum is applied to everything in life. “The difficulty of trying to do certain maneuvers means that in my day-to-day life I also have the same desire - to propose myself to ever greater goals”, he explains. The persistence to continue to reach them is great - knowing, of course, that the waves are not always going to be good.
“Don't think about anything. Go surf”.
With the practice of surfing, everything happens, therefore, in due time and in the right measure. Between a balanced diet, an exercised body, a well-educated mind, and respect for others and nature, ending the day with a smile on your face is a guarantee. There is focus, balance, courage and determination to navigate against ups and downs. As with the waves of the sea, of course. And the advice comes from Tomás himself. “Don't think about anything. Go surf ”.
