Tony Hawk’s Latest Trick? Supplements & ‘Glorious Naps’

The skateboarding legend spoke to ATN about his new recovery philosophy and partnership with Qunol’s Move Like a Champion campaign — proof that even a sport built on “walk it off” is catching up to wellness culture

“Naps can be so glorious,” Tony Hawk says, sounding almost surprised by his own sentence.

“That was never in my routine or thought process that I would be taking naps and enjoying it,” he says. “I always felt like, no, I can’t be idle for an hour a day. That’s impossible.”

The skateboarding legend and entrepreneur, credited with inventing more than 80 tricks, has spent much of his career launching himself off ramps for a living. For the millions of people who grew up watching him, Hawk wasn’t just a skateboarder. He was the skateboarder.

And if Hawk is getting older, so is everyone who grew up idolizing him.

Now 58 and a grandfather, he represents an admirable version of aging. Not slowing down necessarily, but figuring out how to keep going strong, powered by sleep, supplements and adopting what he calls a “well-rounded routine.”

A Qunol spokesperson since 2023, he’s been cast in the supplement brand’s new Move Like a Champion campaign, alongside creators Ethan Zohn, Alex Wong and Veronica Webb. The campaign is asking everyday consumers to share whatever activity keeps them moving, whether that’s walking, gardening, dancing or hiking, for a chance to win prizes, including a skateboard signed by Hawk.

The brand is behind several products, but its turmeric and magnesium supplements target joint, muscle, bone and heart health, ideal for anyone who is either aging or who has dealt with decades of vert ramps. Hawk was first acquainted with the brand years ago, when his doctor recommended CoQ10 alongside a statin, since statins can deplete the body’s natural CoQ10 levels.

Wellness is top of mind for many these days, but it’s a far cry from the old days, when skateboarding didn’t do self-care. By Hawk’s own account, professional skating in the 1980s and 1990s had no trainers, no preconditioning and no long-term recovery options.

“If you got hurt, like, walk it off,” he says. “That truly was the attitude. Or deal with it.”

Hawk is still skating, surfing and snowboarding and has added workout routines at least three times a week, resulting in improved endurance and flexibility.

“What I do now and the way I move look a lot different from the way they used to,” he says. “But I’m still doing it at a high level as far as I’m concerned.”

His maintenance routine was late to arrive. Self-care, sleep and the rest of it were not on his radar in his 30s, he says, even into his 40s. It wasn’t until his 50s that he felt the cost of skipping all of it, but, as the saying goes — better later than never. Implementing a routine has resulted in him feeling better than he imagined he would, he says, considering all of the injuries he has had over the years.

The sport around him has shifted too, he adds, at least at the professional level. Medical knowledge has caught up, and today’s athletes have real support systems.

“I think that this is the best time,” he says, “in terms of medicine, in terms of knowledge, in terms of opportunities and resources.”

Even the rock and roll wing of aging counterculture is getting in on the wellness action. Willie Nelson’s THC drink line raised $15 million, Travis Barker launched a line of CBD and recovery-focused wellness products and, most recently, Sammy Hagar co-launched supplement brand Red Rocker Essentials with Nature’s Lab founder Wayne Gorsek.

It’s a sign the booming wellness industry has room for everyone, but as Hawk says, it’s not just about products. It’s a refreshing take at a time when consumers are inundated with wellness trends like peptides, interested but often unsure what they’re even meant to do. A recent survey found just 19% of Gen X and older consumers say they actually understand what peptides are, even as interest in them grows.

“It’s really about how you approach your life, how you spend your time and are you prioritizing your own health?” he said. And as you get to be my age, it’s extra important.”