Laird Hamilton Quotes

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Laird Hamilton

Profession : Athlete

Birth : March 2, 1964

People don't think much about breathing. Of all the things we take for granted, breathing has to be number one - even though it's our main source of life and energy.

Laird Hamilton

Once you start being conscious of the repetitive motions that we all just accept as part of being human, you realize how little we do to counteract those motions. Instead we usually go out of our way to do more of them. Think of working out in the gym. All the movements are about folding inward.

Laird Hamilton

When you weight train, take your ego out of the equation. If you pick up a giant rack and start squatting, you can throw out your back in a heartbeat, but you'd have to do hundreds of bodyweight squats with poor alignment to hurt yourself.

Laird Hamilton

All the people I know who have been bitten by sharks are less afraid of sharks now. Every one of them. I think they imagined being attacked by a shark would be so much worse than it actually was.

Laird Hamilton

Your body is smarter than you give it credit for.

Laird Hamilton

We have a tendency to hold our breath when we're trying to balance, but that causes tension that works against you. Breathing deeply into your abdomen is calming and more stabilizing.

Laird Hamilton

Growing up, we didn't use balance boards or do stability-specific exercises - but we were always outside climbing things, wrestling, and running around with bare feet. Doing anything that challenges your equilibrium and tries to pull you off-kilter will improve your balance.

Laird Hamilton

Vision is connected to equilibrium, so it's helpful to set your gaze on a fixed spot when your stability is challenged.

Laird Hamilton

Recovery days are critical to my training, and that holds true for any athlete.

Laird Hamilton

Though I try to take a rest day once a week, I let my workload and how I'm feeling dictate my routine. I know I need downtime when I don't have any high energy left to tap.

Laird Hamilton

Death has influenced me. It has made me more grateful and thankful to be alive.

Laird Hamilton

Everything is connected. Surfing is a solitary sport. But I can tell you that some of the most amazing things I've done surfing have come from being a part of a tribe.

Laird Hamilton

Sharing is how I learn.

Laird Hamilton

As a surfer, I always try to keep evolving.

Laird Hamilton

When I started focusing on my breathing, I became a stronger athlete and was better able to control my levels of effort and pain.

Laird Hamilton

One of the best ways to become more conscious of your breath is to start breathing through your nose instead of your mouth.

Laird Hamilton

You have to practice nose breathing for it to be a natural habit. Sometimes I'll try to nose-breathe for an entire day.

Laird Hamilton

When things don't have an effect I stop using them. At one point I was drinking a lot of lemon water in order to eat more alkaline, and I learned you just can't eat your way into alkalinity.

Laird Hamilton

Traveling throws your body totally out of sync. It limits your access to healthy foods, sends you into different time zones that alter your hormonal balance, disrupts your sleep, and stiffens your muscles and joints.

Laird Hamilton

Simple whole foods have powered our bodies for generations. You can't game the system with meal replacements, fake ingredients, or fad diets.

Laird Hamilton