There are a number of themes that we talk a lot about here at Athleisure Mag and hydration is one of those as it’s essential and we are always looking at optimizing it as well!
We caught up with World Surf League #7 Lakey Peterson who is in the thick of her WSL Women’s Championship Tour! We talked about her love for surfing, how she stays in shape, self-care, and optimized hydration as well as her partnership with Hydrate by Celtic Sea Salt!
ATHLEISURE MAG: We love surfing and the vibe that surrounds this sport as well as the culture at large. We have enjoyed watching you during your competitions and everything you do on the waves. It’s great to connect with you today!
LAKEY PETERSON: I know this will be super fun. I’m a huge fan of Athleisure Mag.
AM: Oh, thank you!
What is your first memory of your first time surfing and what drew you to this sport?
LP: My first memory. My first time surfing was probably actually in Australia, my family, we went over there and rented a house for about a month.
AM: Oh!
LP: I was 6 years old and I learned to surf at the local surf school. I was getting pushed into the waves and I had sunscreen all over my face, right? It was the best time ever and I can just remember gliding into waves. That’s probably my first ever memory of doing it, and I just had so much fun.
AM: When did you realize because you can love something, but to do it as your career -what was that moment when you realized that you couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
LP: You know, it’s funny, I grew up playing a whole bunch of different sports, definitely a natural athlete. I played a fair bit of tennis when I was young, but I really loved that.
Then I remember I signed up for a few local surf contests in the Santa Barbara area, where I grew up, and I just had so much fun. It was so natural and honestly, it just didn’t feel forced. I was naturally good at it, but also just naturally liked it and wanted to try. And I just feel like the whole process of me going from an amateur into a professional was really organic for me. It just felt good, and it felt like the right fit, and I just love surfing. I love competing. I love that it’s my job, but I also love it as a place for me just to go and clear my head and clear my mind. So I think that’s just the best thing ever that I get to do that work.
AM: Obviously, it is a total body workout. Just surfing in and of itself, but are there 3 workouts that you like to do that optimize your efforts in the best way possible for you to do what you do as a surfer?
LP: Definitely. It is very full body. I think for a surfer, you know, it’s taken me some time to figure out what works best for my body? Our year is so busy. We travel so much, so much of it is just like recovering, feeling honestly, good, and at your best the whole year. If it’s a long year, it’s huge!
AM: Yeah
LP: The number 1 thing is a Pilates Reformer. I absolutely love it. It’s been a game changer just for my lower back and all those little intrinsic muscles, and so I usually do that at least twice a week. And then I’ll do kind of not super heavy weight training, but more like biometric and weights - functional strength training.
I guess you’d say a bit of power and pop. You want to be fast, and you want to have kind of that explosiveness.
So, a lot of the stuff I’m doing in the gym with weights, I would say, is that, and then just your tried and true kind of more Sprint-based cardio, I would say. I also do a lot of Hill Sprints, a lot of skiers, and those are the things that I rotate between.
AM: How has the season been so far? We had Caroline Marks as our MAR ISSUE #123 cover this year and the season was just starting. It feels like the season’s a little longer this time around and started later.
LP: Yeah, it’s been good. You’re right, we started back in March, and this is the first time we’ve had a break, so I’m really happy to have a little break. It’s been 6 events in a row and for me, it’s been great. It’s been a really great start, you know.
We start our year over in Australia. You’re right, they changed the schedule this year, so. It goes a little longer which is good and bad, right?
AM: Yeah.
LP: I started off really well. In Australia, our first 3 competitions there were gray, and then the last couple, you know, we just kind of did our South America leg we were in, Brazil, and El Salvador. These have all been great for me, but it’s such a long year. You just like ride the highs!
AM: Exactly.
LP: I feel like it ends and flows, so it’s been great, and we’re just getting ready. I leave this weekend, for Fiji. We’re gonna start up our back half of the year.
AM: A few years ago we had Carissa Moore and we didn’t realize the whole concept of when your matched are called on/off. Even though you know the competition is coming, you are still waiting for call times. To prep for something and then have a bit of an oscillating schedule seems so crazy to navigate!
LP: I hear you! Can you imagine a tennis player who doesn’t know when their match is? It’s definitely what makes surfing unique and hard because you’re just always on. We always say it’s a hurry up and wait game because you just wait and see if the waves are gonna be good that day.
You just learn to roll with it, because it’s part of the game, and it’s part of what we do, but it can be really frustrating at times, especially if you’re on a roll!
AM: We didn’t know that until we started trying to set times to interview her and it was around Super Bowl Weekend and it just felt like this perpetual limbo waiting on the waves ha! It couldn’t be us, we have a lot of Type A people here and we couldn’t do it, but there’s such a respect that that is what the sport involves.
LP: I’m type A too! Trust me and it’s hard, but it’s fun. We love it.
AM: So, what’s a typical week like in terms of training. How do you approach all of that?
LP: I mean, it changes depending if it’s a competition week or if it’s like a preseason week or just an off-season week. I’ll just say that I will pick a week that is in between events when I am home in California. Everything is surf dependent, but maybe I will surf a couple times a day, depending on the waves and the conditions. I’m usually in the gym, whether that’s reformer or in the gym weight training. I speak to my Sports Psychologist once a week, usually every Wednesday. I also do visualization journaling, you know, it’s such a fun lifestyle.
I get to live, and I love that I’m so active and I love getting to do this work, but that’s my sort of typical week. Being able to surf 1 to 2 times a day and then just eating yummy food, good meals feeling good. I try and prioritize catching up with friends.
AM: It’s great that you flow through different elements.
What’s the recovery process like for you since you are navigating training and exercising. We really enjoy pilates on the reformer and do it multiple times a week, but we also say that it is the most diabolical work out as well! But we love it and being able to do recovery for that is essential – as you get older having this in your practice is only going to maintain your body’s longevity.
LP: I almost think recovery is more important at times than the actual training and work you put in because, as an athlete, you know you’re constantly pushing yourself to do better. And honestly, it’s a big reason I’ve partnered with Hydrate by Celtic Sea Salt! Half of that is just putting good nutrients back into your body and when you’re working out as much as I am, and a lot of athletes are, you know you’re constantly depleted. What I put in my body and what I use is really important to me and the ingredient list is really important.
I try to take 1 day a whole day off a week - completely. I just do what I want. If I want to go hike or do something fun, I’ll do that. Just allowing myself the space to do that and then, of course, you could say enjoying s sauna and stretching, but I feel like just recovering your mind, sleeping in, reading a good book – these are important. Making sure that I have good nutrition – these are all things that fill up my cup and I have found that that is what works for me.
AM: How did that partnership come about between, you and Hydrate by Celtic Sea Salt? What will your work with them look like for this partnership and how will consumers see it? We have been sampling it this week, and you can see why it is beneficial for your body.
LP: It’s actually so cool. So I bought the regular Celtic Sea Salt for forever. Actually, my mom just used to buy their sea salt for years. The partnership was just super organic, you know. I found out they were going to be coming out with Hydrate as more of an electrolyte combo to it. Obviously, salt is the number 1 thing in an electrolyte. A lot of people, I mean, I’ve done a time where you just put some salt.
So the fact that it was a product that I already used every single day and I care about what’s in the ingredient list! Having something that I know is actually good for me and gives my body the right nutrition that helps me recover better and perform better, that’s just the best ever.
They wanted to partner up and I thought it was perfect as I loved the product. It’s a very organic fit, and it fits in so well in my lifestyle.
AM: Clearly you travel all around the world. Where are your favorite spots that you like to surf in?
LP: Oh that’s a great question. There’s so many! My favorite spot probably in the world is Fiji - it’s gorgeous. Obviously, Fiji is beautiful, and everyone kind of sees photos of that. I just love the people there and I love the culture there as well. The waves are incredible.
AM: We were talking about how you’re very mindful of the fact that you know when you’re not in competition mode or training and that you do love to step away and hang out with friends to stay connected. Why is it so important to also prioritize that element as well?
LP: Because you know, I just think as an athlete, and as you know, I’m Type A, like you. You can get so into working, working, working, working, and I, I love what I do, right? This is a normal thing, too, even in our regular culture. If you had an office job, no matter what it is like, we’re in such a go go mode!
I have just learned after doing this for a few years, what really fills me back up and actually gives me rest. I think just allowing myself when the time is right to just have that me day to go see a friend, you know? To go just get coffee, To sleep in to lay by the pool and read a book and just sit in the sun and sort of the beautifulness of doing nothing.
For that a moment, I just feel like that’s so restorative. And as humans, we need that because we are so productive every day. It allows me to just be so much better when I show up the next day for work because I’m, like, “okay, I actually feel rejuvenated.” It’s not just constantly going. I just think relationships are so, so important. I love having people over my house and making a big dinner and watching a movie. And I just feel like that sometimes is lost, but that’s what really fulfills me. So it’s important.
AM: Are there any upcoming events that we should be aware of? Are there projects that you’re a part of or philanthropic endeavors that we should know about?
LP: For sure. I mean, I’m head down, going to the back half of this season. I will be doing a lot more with Celtic Sea Salt. I do participate in One Ocean Initiative – WILDCOAST. Every event we go to it’s volunteering. You can do it or not, but they do cleanups in Tahiti and Fiji. We have those coming up. They’ll usually do reef restoration, which is nice. So I’m looking forward to doing a couple of those initiatives and working with them. I always love trying to give back to wherever we are. Of course, trying to get some more wins is another one to keep an eye out for!
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT | Hydrate by Celtic Sea Salt
Read the AUG ISSUE #128 of Athleisure Mag and see HITTING THE SURF | Lakey Peterson in mag.
