HOW IMPORTANT IS YOUR FITNESS AS A SURFER?

Having a good fitness level is important as a surfer. When the conditions get tough you will want to feel at your peek physical fitness. Taking the time to train for surfing will benefit you greatly when in the water.

DO YOU DO MUCH GYM WORK OR IS SURFING ENOUGH FOR YOU?

I surf as much as I can but if there is a flat spell I make sure I exercise as much as possible to keep my fitness levels up – I am big fan of working out at home. I follow the Fitness Blender youtube channel, so tend to pick and choose workouts depending on which area of my body I want to work on.

WHAT’S SURFING LIKE AS A WORKOUT? HOW CAN IT HELP THE BODY AND YOUR FITNESS?

Surfing as a workout is great! It works your whole body, especially your arms, back and shoulders with all the paddling. The more I surf the stronger I feel. Your core and legs definitely get put through their paces when you’re stood up surfing a wave – you have to have good core strength and flexibility to perform a lot of the manoeuvres.

Paddling for waves gives your body a good cardiovascular workout and pushes those endurance levels. The short paddle burst when paddling for the waves really spikes your heart rate, whereas the long paddles out to the breaking waves increases your cardio endurance levels.

The best bit about surfing is you don’t even realise you’re exercising!

WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT PHYSICAL QUALITIES AS A SURFER? IS IT GOOD CARDIOVASCULAR ENDURANCE OR MUSCULAR STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY?

I don’t think I could pick one. I feel that all are crucial elements to surfing. You need to work on cardio, flexibility and strength when you’re not in the water to ensure you stay surf fit.

AS A MODEL, HOW IMPORTANT IS EXERCISING? ARE YOU CONSCIOUS OF HOW YOU LOOK?

As a model, yes, I do find exercising important but I think I would still exercise even if I didn’t model. I like to feel fit and healthy. As I’ve got older I have become less conscious of how I look and more conscious of how I feel. I exercise to feel healthy not to try and look a certain way.

SURFER? WE SEE YOU SWIM, CYCLE AND PERFORM YOGA – HOW DO THESE HELP YOUR SURFING?

Swimming helps with my paddle fitness, and the front crawl is basically the same motion as paddling for waves, so it’s good to get in the pool every now and again.

Yoga helps keep me supple and my muscles strong – it also really helps stretch out my body, surfing is a great sport but can often lead to tight stiff muscles.

Cycling for me is a fun way to get out and exercise; it keeps my legs strong and helps my cardio fitness, too.

HOW DID YOU GET INTO SURFING AND HOW LONG HAS IT TAKEN YOU TO GET TO YOUR LEVEL OF SKILL?

When I moved to Cornwall at the age of 13 I started body boarding. When I was in my late teens, its seemed like a natural progression to move on to surfing.

After travelling a little around Europe my love of surfing grew. It’s taken me a long time to get to where I am now and I still have a long way to go to get to where I want to be.

The more you surf the better you get, so I just try and surf as much as possible.

WHERE’S THE BEST PLACE YOU’VE TRAVELLED TO AND SURFED?

I’ve been lucky enough to travel to some amazing places; the Maldives or Barbados would have to be up there with my favourites. I love the waves and relaxed feeling I get in both locations.

Saying that, I’ve had the best surfs of my life at home in Cornwall and nothing can come close to that.

WHICH ARE YOUR FAVOURITE WAVES TO CATCH IN THE UK?

There are some great waves around Cornwall, I love surfing my home break Fistral Beach and Watergate beach, which is just round the corner. We’re pretty spoilt for surf around here so it’s hard to choose a favourite.

DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT WAVE…

My perfect wave would have to be a three-to-four foot, clean, peeling left or right – something with a good wall, too, so I can practise my turns.