Sally Fitzgibbons talks health, beauty & waves
Pro Surfer and Burt’s Bees Ambassador, Sally Fitzgibbons opens up about her health and wellbeing rituals, must-have beauty products and unconditional love for the ocean.
She's a strong force of nature in the water, and outside, a complete embodiment of natural health and beauty. Sally explains her health, beauty and exercise routine, her fav beach and Burt's Bees products and why it's so important to live authentically to you.
How do you prepare your mind, body and soul for competition?
The first step is creating a philosophy around your health and wellbeing, then creating rituals you can follow. If you have habits that won’t budge for anything, it’s almost like signing a contract with yourself. My rituals revolve around healthy eating, exercising and being outdoors, taking the right supplements and using natural products that I believe in like Burt’s Bees. I don’t deviate from these rituals or choices because I know how good it feels when I treat myself as a VIP. The energy, enjoyment and spark I feel is beyond epic. Try it for yourself and be your own VIP, It all starts with awareness and committing to yourself!
Then I spend as much time in the water as I can! It all depends on what swells you score in any given week but on average you have 2-3 decent surf sessions each day focusing on all the different techniques, heat structures and weaker areas you are trying to improve on. Surfing is such a holistic sport. You need to train many attributes in order to be at the top level of our sport. In addition to surf sessions you then position all your land training around that. I do power and strength training in the gym, cardio sessions in and outdoors, whether it be running, biking, swimming, skipping, boxing or combination of all of them. I round out my training by introducing different things throughout the year including yoga, Pilates, breath training and meditation. It's through my love of training and passion for all sports that I set about creating the All Australian Beach Body App so you can get a taste of how to "Train like Sally" http://www.trainlikesally.com
What’s your advice for overcoming adversity / competition?
To be your authentic self. I try to live and base my decisions off my philosophy and that is to ‘Be Authentic and On Time’ I feel that helps to guide me and stay true to my values. There are a lot of amazing opportunities and cross roads that you come to in life and the right path or decision only feels right when you can truly be your authentic self under any condition. I think there are always things out there to challenge you and I’m up for a fight when comes to anything wanting me to be anyone other than me!
Try and put into words what it feels like to ride the ultimate wave?
I love the ocean unconditionally. I feel completely at one with something way bigger than myself. It’s an unbelievable feeling being in the ocean and having a connection to something a bit bigger than us.
Tell me about your role with Burt's Bees. Why is this partnership a good fit for you?
It is a super natural fit to partner with Burt’s Bees. It’s all natural and shares in the same philosophies as me when it comes to treating your skin and body with the best. Burt’s Bees products protect me in all of nature’s harshest conditions. I try to have a true connection from nature to my skin, it’s the relationship I’m looking for with any product I use.
What are your 3 beauty must-haves from the range? Why do you love them?
Since I’m in the air a lot, I like to carry a quick and easy routine to keep my skin hydrated, nourished and balanced. For this I carry the Burt’s Bees Micellar Cleansing Towelettes (they’re made out of repurposed cotton which I love) followed by their Skin Nourishment Gel, this gives me up to 48 hours of hydration so I’m covered wherever I’m headed. That topped with a swipe of lip balm and I’m good to go!
What are your top tips / must-know info for anyone wanting to learn to surf or just starting out?
When learning to surf, you’ve got to turn up to give it your absolute best. Working on your ‘pop-up’ is a good place to start
Always remember to believe in yourself - you are a true force of nature! Once you’re in the water....paddle paddle paddle and enjoy the ride!
What are some of your fave healthy snacks for when you’re on the go?
I love using the Amazonia Raw products on the go; I mix them with water or in a smoothie to support everything from my gut health, nutritional balance - those extra nutrients I may not get from my food depending on the country. It’s super amazing range that I really rely on. I also carry a supply of Blue Dinosaur paleo bars as my go to travel snacks.
What are your beach must-haves?
Wetsuit, hat, Burt’s Bees All Weather SPF 15 Lip Balm, board wax, water, board, Blue Dinosaur snack.
