Other than being an outstanding skateboarder, JS Lapierre is a guy with great wisdom for his young age. In an era where the party lifestyle reigns supreme over the skateboarding world and self-destruction through drugs, alcohol and unhealthy eating seems to be an integral part of our culture, JS Lapierre decided to no longer follow the conventions and to inspire himself by what he considers good for him.

It's simple, JS does everything in his power to always feel good about himself and stay on top of his abilities. Want to learn more about JS’s influences, adopt a healthy lifestyle and maximize your physical and mental strength? Let yourself be inspired by JS Lapierre’s five major influences.

Reading

I never thought I would say that one day, but one of the things I do the most in my life right now beside skateboarding is reading books. It's just amazing all the information that can be transmitted through reading. It's also a great way to spend time on a skate trip. My favorite books are about food, spirituality, personal growth, conspiracy theories and biographies. Here are some of my favorite books: The Yellow Book # 1 by Jan Van Helsing. I am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne. How Not to Die by Michael Greger. Be Here Now by Ram Dass. The secrets of love according to the Tao of Mantak Chia.

Wim Hof

Wim is a gentleman from the Netherlands who’s quite exceptional. He beat several world records that people thought were impossible, including climbing Mount Everest with a pair of shorts only or running a marathon in the desert without drinking water. With a simple breathing exercise he created, he explains that the human body is capable of doing much more than we could think. I’ve been practicing this breathing exercise every day for several months now and I definitely feel that it helps my skating and my general well-being. After all, breathing is THE thing we do the most in our life, might as well learn how to do it well! For those who might be interested, I encourage you to check out the Vice documentary about Wim Hof. It’s super interesting!

Eating healthy

I have been paying attention to my diet for several years now. About 6 or 7 years ago, a friend from Toronto told me to look at a documentary about how farm animals get treated in slaughterhouses. It completely changed my life and my personal eating habits, I could no longer consume animal products after seeing these images. What I saw was far too brutal for me to enjoy meat as much as I use to.

At first, it was a matter of ethics, but now it is a matter of health and environmental protection too. Plus, I definitely feel that I have more energy than I had before. Here are some interesting documentaries on the subject: Forks over knives (on the health aspect, available on Netflix), Cowspiracy (on the environment aspect, available on Netflix), What the health (on the health aspect, available on Netflix), Earthlings (On the ethical aspect. For the sensitive souls, know that it is very graphic. Available on Youtube)

Sobriety

It's been two and a half years since I stopped drinking. In the skateboard world, the party lifestyle is definitely glorified and I was part of it for several years, but after a while I asked myself if it was really worth it to "party" as much when at the end of the day or on the long run, it brought absolutely nothing positive to me. My new sober lifestyle is clearly healthier and more enjoyable. I have plenty of time to work on myself instead of celebrating and neglecting myself. All the time and energy I have now is used to work on positive things like reading and skateboarding, which bring me much more than this old way of life. Also, gone are the days when hangovers would prevent me from skating.

The countryside

I love the calm of the countryside and I try to spend as much time there as possible. I grew up in a small village called Notre-Dame de Stanbridge. It really is a peaceful area and my family is still living there, so I try to go see them every time I can. When I was younger I hated the fact that I came from a small village far from the city and wanted to go to Montreal as often as possible, but now it is the opposite. I really enjoy my small countryside retreats and, above all, I love spending quality time with family members. It allows me to recharge my energy, breathe clean air and enjoy the peace and harmony that you can’t really find in the city.

All in all, partying with your friends and eating meat won’t make you a bad person. Absolutely not. Some people do it and some others don’t. The most important lesson you could learn from this article is that you should always listen to yourself and trust what you think is better for you, no matter what everyone else is thinking.

While some people might still think the sober and healthy lifestyle isn’t considered as “cool” nowadays, we truly think the coolest thing is to always be honest with yourself. And JS does that just perfectly.