So we may not all have the luxury of a Hawaiian holiday home, a Portugal retreat, or a house, and certainly not the Hawaii dinner cruise for kids that we’d booked, and within walking distance of Fistral Beach. The dreams of sacking off the office job for a laid-back surfing lifestyle begins to look pretty slim. That week in Newquay every summer presents more feeble and fewer waves where each day feels like you’re starting all over again, battling with gravity to keep your head above the water. The visions of a tanned, toned body cruising the exotic seas with the likes of Kelly Slater and Stephanie Gilmore (all paid for by the Quiksilver sponsorship of course) begin to slip further and further away…

THERE’S STILL HOPE with the increasing popularity of the longboard these dreams begin to look a lot more promising. Designed in the late 50’s in Oahu Hawaii, surfers created the longboard as a dry land solution for when the waves were slacking. Longboards allowed them to hit the pavements imitating the works of a wave through carving and positioning. These boards are a lot longer than the traditional skateboard and range between 30”-46” giving them much more stability. The structure of these boards allows for higher speeds, executive turning and rapid downhill cruising.

With more and more female faces beginning to dominate in extreme sports, the popularity of these boards have continued to grow particularly in the USA. The Longboarding Girls Crew who aim to ‘Get Girls Riding’ inspires not only an adrenaline hit but a great, fun way to get from A to B. That’s not all ladies, it’s also a great form of exercise! With all the leg pumping and swerving you’re guaranteed a cardio work out and some great toned pins. Surfer girls are proud of not only their flawless toned bodies, but their ability to eat without having to worry about counting calories which they will inevitably burn off through their passion to get back into the water.

Surfing is perhaps one of the few industries that has always promoted a healthy body image. Healthy body and healthy mind has always dominated its female competitors with the likes of Kelia Moniz and Monyca Byrne-Wickey as the front surfer models of leading brand Roxy, portraying a far more healthier, admirable bikini body and lifestyle than the diminishing frames of the size zero models clogging our billboards.

The skills of longboarding will not only keep your surf skills up to scratch until next summer, but the balancing techniques are also thought to give a helping hand to snowboarders too. Plus, if you can’t afford to hit the slopes over Christmas or jet off to Bali in the summer, than this affordable board offers you an exciting alternative.

After the post-Christmas blues and the unforgiving new years resolutions of three-hour gym sessions every morning, longboarding is a fun and adventurous way to get toned and feel healthy. All this and without the torturous hours of sweating it out at the gym surrounded by protein shakes. It will entice you to get off the sofa and outside into the fresh air — but be warned, it’s addictive! You might spend the first few weeks picking gravel out of your knees but you’ll soon be in the swing of it; speeding past the skateboarders, standstill rush hour traffic and all with the wind in your hair. Start now and get ready for a summer of beach life cruising.