<h3>Morning Micro Habits for Lifelong Surfing</h3><p><i>Surf Strong Show Express with Greg Finch</i></p><p>Most surfers think they need a “perfect” 2-hour morning routine to level up their surfing. In this Surf Strong Show Express episode, Greg Finch makes the case for something way more realistic—and way more effective: <b>10–20 focused minutes of breath and movement that keep you surf-ready for life.</b><br></p><p>Greg breaks down how to start your day in a way that actually supports your surfing, instead of just checking another box on a self-help checklist. You’ll hear why surfing is such a high-demand activity on your body and nervous system, and how a few simple <b>micro habits</b> can keep your movement, breath, and mobility tuned so you can keep paddling out for decades.<br></p><p>You’ll also learn why your brain secretly wants you to stay on the couch, how to work <i>with</i> that resistance instead of fighting it, and why “First breath, not first screen” is one of the most powerful performance cues you can use—both in and out of the water.<br></p><hr><h3>In this episode, we get into:</h3><ul><li><b>Why routines are overhyped</b>—and how to swap “perfect routine” pressure for simple, repeatable micro habits.</li><li><b>The true demands of surfing</b> on your movement, breath, and mobility—and what it really takes to maintain them as you age.</li><li><b>“First breath, not first screen”</b> – a simple morning reset that downshifts your nervous system and sets the tone for your whole day.</li><li>A <b>go-to breath pattern</b> (4-second inhale, 6–8 second exhale) you can use in bed, in the lineup, in the car, or in the grocery store line.</li><li>A quick <b>Surf Strong Primer</b> you can do in 5–10 minutes:<ul><li>Gentle spine + hip wake-up (cat–cow, hip circles, thoracic rotation)</li><li>Deep squat holds to check in on your lower body</li><li>Push-up / pop-up variations that don’t wreck your shoulders</li><li>Dead bug / crawl-pattern core work that trains you to <b>breathe under tension</b></li></ul></li><li>How tiny, consistent actions act like <b>compounding interest</b> for your surf fitness, resilience, and recovery.</li><li>Why your “evolved mind” is wired to avoid effort—and how to design habits that sneak past that resistance.</li></ul><hr><h3>Who this episode is for</h3><p>This one’s especially for you if:</p><ul><li>You’re a surfer who wants to <b>keep surfing hard into your 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond</b></li><li>You feel stiff, tight, or beat-up in the mornings after a couple days of surf</li><li>You keep <i>meaning</i> to start a morning routine but get overwhelmed or fall off quickly</li><li>You want simple, doable structure—not another perfectionist plan you’ll abandon next week</li></ul><hr><h3>Big idea to take with you</h3><p>You don’t need a flawless two-hour routine.<br>You need <b>10–20 intentional minutes</b> that:</p><ul><li>Start with breath, not screens</li><li>Wake up your hips, spine, and shoulders</li><li>Remind your brain, <i>“Hey, we’re surfers—we stay ready.”</i></li></ul><p>Come back to your breath. Come back to the fundamentals. Build from there.</p><hr><p>If you’d like help turning this into a tailored plan for your body, your schedule, and your surf goals, <b>I’d love to help you map it out.</b> If you're open to it, we could jump on a quick call this week, find out exactly where you are, what you want to achieve in your surfing, and lay out a plan to get you there.</p>