Late final 12 months, Laird Hamilton, big-wave surfer and longevity machine, instructed Males’s Well being that “the whole lot I do is about supporting the system.” The system is psychological, emotional; it’s about buttressing relationships and fostering positivity. The system is inner, dietary; it’s about full diets, various meals, wholesome fat, the occasional chocolate chip cookie—however the good shit, those with sea salt on prime, you understand? And bodily. The system is about staying match.
At 58, Hamilton has accomplished simply that, whereas additionally to resisting the riptide of cautiousness that’s led many his age to hold up their boards. (And for good purpose: In browsing, you make a mistake and also you die.) A part of Hamilton’s longevity has to do with browsing’s season. “My platform—my sport, my artwork—will not be restricted by a construction that might make it tougher to remain on the prime,” Hamilton defined. “You see older guys in different sports activities, like Tom Brady or Roger Federer, and your capacity to take part decreases because the youthful guys are available in. With browsing, you don’t should be in a construction like that. You don’t should tour round and be part of a season and all that stuff.”
Nonetheless, one has to experience the waves, and whereas Hamilton might not be competing towards others—he’s lengthy eschewed conventional competitions—he’s all the time competing towards the ocean. Having the ability simply to surf large waves is its personal problem. Mentally. Muscularly. Hamilton’s longevity is as a lot concerning the former because the latter. It is concerning the system.
Males’s Well being caught up with the browsing legend at his California house to see precisely how his system is constructed.
Spoiler—there may be plenty of swimming concerned.
Assistant Editor
Joshua St Clair is an Assistant Editor at Males’s Well being Journal.