PODCAST
TRANSCRIPT
LISA – Well hello everybody, and welcome to yet again another episode of BodyBoarder International Magazine – Live! I’m your host, Lisa Smith, and I have with me Allison Cohen. How’re you doing today Allison?
ALLISON – Hey! I’m doing good
LISA – Hey! You just got back from the beach a little while ago didn’t you?
ALLISON – Yeah!
LISA – How was it?
ALLISON – Ah, it was pretty fun. I guess it’s like the remnants or the last, I don’t know, swell from Danielle. I’m in South Florida so we’re not getting the brunt of it like further north. But yeah, it was pretty fun today at Lake Worth– not that powerful but, it’s fun to get out in the water after a long flat spell.
LISA – Yeah! All day… Any little thing is great – especially when it’s been flat!
ALLISON – Yep!
LISA – I’ve noticed that out in the Atlantic that there’s a couple more depressions or whatever that are making their way up here. So is that going to bring more, better waves over the course of the next few weeks? I mean, are you expecting that?
ALLISON – Yeah, hopefully! Yeah, have to keep an eye on it and see.
LISA – Okay! Well, alright, I want to thank everybody for finding us here on Podcast number 85770.
If anyone’s been following me on Facebook, that’s www.Facebook.com/BIMwebTV – I put a little blurb out there that we finally have been picked up by iTunes. So if you go over to iTunes and you do a search for Bodyboarder International Magazine, you’re actually going to come up with two results. And one is the original BIM hosted by Patti Serrano – and those are our archives, we’re keeping that there. The big distinction there will be that the name will be in all caps – “BODYBOARDER INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE – LIVE! hosted by Patti Serrano” will be all our archives.
And the new location will also come up in iTunes – and that will be “BodyBoarder International Magazine – Live!” with the distinction that it’s actually mixed-case; so capital first letter, lower case, etc…. So that’s how you can distinguish between them when you pull them up in the search.
But we are finally listed on iTunes so you can download us, you can subscribe; you can load us on to your iPod.
Anyway, so today, I know in the past couple of episodes I’ve mentioned that I really want to kind of do a little focus on health; health issues for bodyboarders. I know that’s a pretty important issue – especially to you, Allison. And I really kind of wanted to hand the baton over to you to kind of talk about this a little bit because I know this is sort of your, what would you call it – your specialty, I guess?
ALLISON – Yeah, it kind of goes hand in hand with surfing; you know, you’ve got to keep your body healthy and just active and everything.
LISA – Oh, right! I don’t know if you listened to the interview that we did with Guilherme – and I know Patti and Guilherme I guess they go way back – and I’m talking about GT… I guess that’s one of his big things also; he wants to make sure he stays in good health, going to the gym when he’s not surfing, etc., to make sure that he can be bodyboarding way up there into that old age and whatever.
ALLISON – Yeah, I think I heard it but it was kind of a while ago so I don’t remember exactly what was on there.
LISA – Yeah, exactly, you’re right. I wanted to tie that in. One of the things that I know you and I have talked about – and I did mention it briefly before on a previous episode – was that I know that you’re really into yoga. And I guess I wanted to give you a chance to maybe explain how yoga goes hand in hand with bodyboarding for you. How did you come into doing yoga?
ALLISON – Well actually it started as a result of an injury that I had about seven years ago. I was lifeguarding, doing a lot of training; a lot of swimming, and in addition to that I was riding 5’6” shortboard at the time in addition to bodyboarding. And my shoulders, I got major rotator cuff problems in my shoulders, tendonitis and all that. And I tried a bunch of things, and a friend of mine said I should try Bikram yoga.
And, you know, at first I was like, “This is nuts…” you know?
LISA – What is Bikram yoga?
ALLISON – Yeah, it’s 26 postures and pretty much done… each one is done twice in a heated room, usually heated to about 100 degrees.
LISA – Oh, wow!
ALLISON – So I initially was kind of, you know, wasn’t really into it. But then I bought Bikram’s book and I read it and I thought, “Oh, I’ll try this! There’s nothing I can lose really.” because I wasn’t really being able to surf much at that time because of my shoulder.
LISA – Oh, right!
ALLISON – So I started and within a month I was like… you know, I wasn’t like completely healed but it was an incredible difference. And I kind of kept that up and…
LISA – Okay, I’m just trying to think – are rotator cuff injuries and joint injuries, are those common among surfers and bodyboarders? Enlighten our new… any new bodyboarders out there – what do they have in store for them in terms of injuries when they’re doing all this extreme bodyboarding? What are some of the risks and what are ways to alleviate some of the larger dangers of those risks?
ALLISON – Well I would say rotator cuff injuries are probably more common in stand-up surfing because you don’t have fins on your feet, so you’re paddling just with your arms, and that can really just put a lot of pressure or a lot of over-use injury of your shoulder. But certainly in bodyboarding too, you can be susceptible to that.
LISA – So what do they call it – repetitive stress injury or something like that?
ALLISON – Yeah, that’s right, something like that.
LISA – Okay, and because of your rotator cuff injury you picked up Bikram yoga. You hadn’t done yoga or anything like that before that?
ALLISON – I’d never done any type of yoga before that.
LISA – Wow! Now I’ve heard of different kinds of yoga but I hadn’t really heard of Bikram yoga until we met. And I was just like, “You’re doing WHAT?” in a hot room and… (laughter) I mean, the only hot rooms I knew of were like the little steam rooms in the gyms and stuff like that – and I wasn’t about to do any moving in those rooms!
ALLISON – Yeah (laughs)
LISA - So what is it about it that helps the injury? I mean, how does it help you? What do you get out of it?
ALLISON – It just kind of, well, it’s like a mental and physical thing, every joint / muscle in the body and all that; every joint and tendon and everything just gets back into alignment. You probably have to read his book…
LISA – Bikram’s book…
ALLISON – Or the website or whatever… Yeah, I don’t actually do traditional Bikram anymore; I do what’s called “Hot yoga” which is almost the same as Bikram but it is a little bit more of a flexibility…the poses aren’t exactly… there are some poses that are added. Bikram is kind of, as they call it, military yoga…
LISA – Like Boot Camp yoga, right?
ALLISON – Yeah! Every pose is a certain order. And the one I do kind of mixes it up a little bit. But I would say 98% of it is the traditional Bikram sequence, with a couple of postures added.
LISA – Okay! I know in a previous podcast I had mentioned briefly that I was aware that you did some type of sequence called “Yoga for Surfers.” And I guess that’s not actually the Bikram.
ALLISON – Yeah, I do that as a supplement. Well, “Yoga for Surfers” is a DVD series that was created by Peggy Hall – and by the way, I’m not sponsored by any of these people, so I’m not getting any money for this (laughs)
LISA – Yeah! Some free advertising there! A free plug for them – there you go (laughs)
ALLISON – Yeah! But she has “Yoga for Surfers 1” and they have a sequence for pre-surf and a post-surf sequence as well, so I do those before and after every surf. Like today I did the warm-up thing in the parking lot, and afterwards I did the cool-down yoga on the beach. And it really mellows me out too after a session if I’m feeling kind of ah – not aggressive from the session, but like a high-energy…
LISA – A little aggro there, Allison? (laughs)
ALLISON – Yeah, I’m not aggro (laughs) But it really, really mellows you out and it’s kind of like it keeps… you’re less likely to sustain injuries when you do like the stretching routine and yoga. That’s really helped me with that.
LISA – Well it doesn’t sound a lot different from anyone who does any type of running or any other strenuous exercise…
ALLISON – Yeah!
LISA – I know that a warm-up and a cool-down routine is usually suggested for those. Now I know when we’ve gone out to the beach – and you and I have already talked about this but I’m kind of expounding on this so that our listeners can get a picture of this – but I know that we’ve gone out to the beach and we’ll have like our other friends there that do either stand-up or bodyboarding etc. And it’s interesting to watch because you’re like the only one of the group that actually does, that I’ve seen, that does the warm-up and the cool-down – except when we’ve gone to a couple of contests I think I’ve seen other people do that.
But other than that, in our group you’re like the only one. And they kind of just look at you like, “Oh, what’re you doing?” No, I’m exaggerating a little bit – but you know!
ALLISON – No, one of my friends does it, one of my friends that I surf with does it – but not exactly the same, like the Yoga for Surfers. But she does her own stretching before and after.
LISA – Okay, that’s a good thing!
ALLISON – But yeah, in general some people would just rather smoke a cigarette after surfing…
LISA – Oh no!
ALLISON – Everyone has their thing, you know…
LISA – What would you suggest to new bodyboarders getting into the sport, or people who want to take it, you know, to the next level? You know, there’s the recreational rider that takes the boards out on the weekend here and there – but for someone who wants to take it to the next level, who wants to use bodyboarding as a way to get the exercise that they need and also to perhaps just be in contests. What are some healthy lifestyle suggestions that you would give to them?
ALLISON – Well, just like any athletic endeavor, I mean, doing some kind of cross training – whether it’s yoga, which is my thing – but you know, other people have like martial arts, or skateboarding, longboard skating; I do a little bit of that too, going down hills, just carving down hills…
LISA – Oh yeah!
ALLISON – But you know, any type of cross training exercise – that would definitely help…
LISA – Oh, absolutely! Well and I think when you’re doing like those types of, like you said, cross training exercise – that’s really planning for the long haul of being able to enjoy bodyboarding. You know, I hear so much about like former athletes, you know, people who were athletic, you know, they did their thing in the sports arena – and then the next thing you know they’re all announcers and they’re all like huge, you know?
(laughter)
LISA – They stopped exercising and they’re sitting in front of a camera and they’re not taking care of themselves!
ALLISON – Yeah
LISA – I mean, it’s impressive to me that it’s – and I’m saying this to everybody because, you know, this show is “For Bodyboarders – By Bodyboarders” – and I would say Allison…everybody, Allison is the one that goes and participates in the contests and does the free… what do you call it…
ALLISON – Yeah, a little bit. I’m not a major contest person… yeah, I do like one or two a year probably.
LISA – Yeah, okay you do one or two contests a year and then you do the free surf…
ALLISON – Yeah
LISA – Now I’m more of the recreational bodyboarder, you know? I’m going to get out there for the exercise and I enjoy it a great deal, I enjoy it so much! I don’t even know where to go next, what to say – it’s just I guess what really attracted me to bodyboarding is that it is a sport that’s accessible to everybody!
ALLISON – Yeah!
LISA – Whether you’re, you know, an arthritic grandmother who can barely move, you know, you can get out on a board – especially down here in Florida where the water’s nice and warm, you know – get out there on a board and just paddle around a little bit, you know; it’s good for the joints, like you said, you know. And then of course you’ve got your everyday… How many times a week would you say you go out in the ocean – on a good week?
ALLISON – Yeah, it depends – probably a few times a week. And then if it’s flat I often go snorkeling, just to get out in the water if there’s no waves. But yeah, probably a few times a week. And then I do yoga a few times a week as well, on off days.
LISA – Okay, so every day or every other day you’re pretty much getting a good dose of some type of physical activity.
ALLISON – Yeah. You know, what you said about how bodyboarding is accessible to everybody really reminds me of a good analogy that Jay Reale has said, comparing bodyboarding to bike riding – where you have like the beach cruisers, where you can take a quick ride just down the street; then you have the mountain bikes, you know, the guys that go mountain biking…
LISA – Alright!
ALLISON – Then you have BMX… You have all the different types. And that is kind of the way it is with bodyboarding, too…
LISA – Oh, okay!
ALLISON – All different levels, you know; drop knee, launching off the huge ramps, doing airs, backflips; and you have the recreational riders; you have the contest, free surf… all different types.
LISA – Yes, there’s good parallels with that – yeah, absolutely! And that’s Jay Reale www.eBodyboarding.com – is that right?
ALLISON – eBodyboarding, yep
LISA – Alright! So there’s a free plug for you Jay! (laughs)
So, I was just kind of going to talk a little bit about what events are coming up soon. I know you’ve got an event coming up here in a few weeks on this coast, right?
ALLISON – Yeah!
LISA – The Florida… what is that one? I know it’s the Florida Bodyboarding Association, right?
ALLISON – Yeah, FBA. The FBA is having a contest in Melbourne which is actually Indialantic/Indian Harbor Beach, right at the end…
LISA – That’s your old…
ALLISON – Yeah, Eau Gallie Boulevard, right near where I used to live, yeah.
LISA – That’s right!
ALLISON – So that’s going to be September 18th and 19th – they’re actually having a two-day event. So I’m looking forward to that!
LISA – Very cool! Now, what divisions are you going to be competing in?
ALLISON – Well, the Women’s Division if there’s any other women. But every time I’ve gone there I’ve always been the only one
LISA – Yeah, so you always, by default, win the Women’s Division, right?
ALLISON – Well, yeah! And then I’ll be doing the Drop Knee Division as well against the guys.
LISA – Okay, very cool! Alright! So you’re looking forward to that then, right?
ALLISON – Yeah, definitely!
LISA – Yeah! Now the USBA has an event here on the East Coast as well. So we’re finally getting some action here on the East Coast! So you guys on the West Coast have had a lot of fun thus far. So I forget what that one’s called…
ALLISON – Yeah, it’s the Jenks Pro.
LISA – Yeah, the Jenks Pro!
ALLISON – Yeah, they’ve actually been doing that for several years now – I don’t know how many years, but it’s at Jenkinson’s in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, which isn’t too far from where I grew up.
LISA – Wow! So you grew up near Jenks. And then you used to live near where they’re having the FBA Tour Tournament.
ALLISON – Yeah, true (laughs)
LISA – So your old stomping grounds! That’s very cool! And we’ve got the Sintra Pro, the IBA World Tour just wrapped up this past week. I actually during the day got to watch some of the events live. I think it’s really cool – you can go to www.IBAWorldTour.com/…. And I think it’s “live” – I think it’s just “/live” but don’t quote me on that! And they actually are hosting most of the events live – you can launch a cam.
Now the last one was really interesting because they had the announcers kept switching off between English and I guess Portuguese – they were in Portugal, right?
ALLISON – Oh, okay!
LISA – And that was really interesting. I really enjoyed watching that – that was a lot of fun. And I don’t know what else is going on – that’s all I can think about right now. I think that’s all I have, unless you can remember something else.
ALLISON – Not really. I mean, I’m sure there’s contests going on all over the world – Australia, you know, California, Hawaii, Europe… But I don’t know the names of them (laughs)
LISA – Oh I know! You know, this is the point; they’re out there! And you know, I have the newsfeed on www.BIMwebTV.com – if you check out the website I have the newsfeed; there’s a link to it from the top. And basically we get all of the newsfeeds from all the different events – who’s won what, and what the standings are, that sort of thing.
So the information, even though I can’t remember it off the top of my head right now, is available on www.BIMwebTV.com. – check us out! We had our latest interview with Lauren Fletcher just last week. We have a couple other interviews that are lined up once we get our schedule figured out and figure out this whole time zone thing – I keep forgetting about the whole daylight savings time!
ALLISON – Hah! Yeah it’s a challenge
LISA – It’s interesting because, you know, I’ve talked to people in different places because like Japan and Hawaii both do not use the daylight savings time. I don’t know if you knew that or not…
ALLISON – I knew Hawaii, I didn’t know about Japan.
LISA – Well I just found that one out last week myself. It’s very interesting. So the exact timeframe – like are they 2 hours behind / 6 hours behind / ahead, whatever… It depends on whether it’s spring or winter, or summer or winter. So that has been a bit of a challenge for me, to make sure that I synch-up with everybody in doing the interviews.
So for anyone who we’ve crossed paths… we’ve really missed them, I really apologize! We’ll try to reschedule those interviews…
ALLISON – Yes.
LISA – And we’ll have a bunch more coming up. I really have, I mean, I’ve got a handful of people – lots of exciting stuff coming our way!
So I really want to keep up the health discussion each week, you know, tying health topics into bodyboarding, or current events.
ALLISON – That’s great!
LISA – And I think that’s it! Unless you’ve got anything else, I’m good!
ALLISON – Yeah, that should be good for this week!
LISA – Alright! Well everybody, I want you to make sure you check us out at www.BIMwebTV.com.
Also check out Patti Serrano’s project she’s got going on right now at www.GettingAnchored.com. And there she is focusing on health, finances, business – and she’s got a really awesome program going and I just want to give a shout-out to her for that and thank her for all she’s done to help me get going with BIM! And I think that is all for this week! So we will see you next time!
ALLISON – Okay, good talking to you!
LISA – And you! Bye-bye!
Source: Bodyboarder Int’l Magazine – Live! – Weekly Update – 8/29/2010
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