Cruising-a healthier lifestyle?

[ssullivan]

Gord: We took in too much methylene chloride during our re-fit. Sanding wasn't removing the old, worn varnish quickly enough (or without some botched woodwork on my part). We opted to use a chemical stripper instead.

We had good masks to prevent any exposure while working (even though this stuff will go in just as readily through your skin!). Even so, we had to take the masks off and go to sleep eventually. It was than that we got exposed to some extent.

Re: colds - We get fewer as well, but I'm not sure this is a health benefit. I can't help but wonder if this actually weakens the immune system from lack of use... just a theory.

[Saraya]

Very interesting tought, may be as a woman I am thinking further than the organic body. I am thinking your soul, your psychological side, your moods! Me and my husband, Stéphane have never been so happy in our entire life since we own Winsome Lass. She is giving us so much as we are very concious about that. Stéphane told me the other day that I look better and happier than ever, and I truly beleive the same about him...he have lost some weight too
So despite the chemical that we found on a boat I am a firm beleiver that if it goes well in your mind, life is good anyway!

Patricia

[Vasco]

I must be hanging with the wrong crowd. We always put on weight in the six winter months that we cruise. I think this is mainly from happy hour (5 to 8 or 9) munchies. You really get no exercise on a boat. Even have an electric windlass now. Every two years I have to go on a diet, get rid of 15 pounds so I can get back down to my baseline weight. And that baseline has crept up five pounds from my working days. I must say that it is healthier though, very little stress, very little to worry about and a lot warmer and less germ ridden than Toronto in winter. Maybe it's just the sunshine that does it.

[Brent Swain]

You'll breath a lot more toxins in bumper to bumper traffic , persueing the so called "Neccessities " of land living than you ever will working on your boat. I used to think the Romans were so dense , using lead waterpipes and lead salts to sweeten their wine. Future generations will view us as equally dense for believing we could live amoung a million exhuast pipes and not have it affect our health.
The last time I went to Vancouver , I hadn't traveled five miles from the ferry terminal before I started coughing, and coughed for a week after I left.That was a year and a half ago. That doesn't happen while I'm out cruising the islands.
One guy told me that his daugher used her inhaler several times a day while living in Vancouver. Since moving out to the islands , she hasn't used it in thre years.
Diving, hiking , fishing and hunting is far more exercise than you will ever get driving a car around the city. Cruising usually means giving up a car( something I've never owned) which can add ten or more years to your life expectancy.
For a workout I hang a double ended bag in my cabin, put a tape on which has two or three minutes of music followed by one minute of rest and do a boxing workout for an hour and a half.
When I get in the ring I leave the 20 year olds gasping , almost without breaking a sweat.
The double ended bag, a couple of handwraps and bag gloves take up little space on board.
Afterwards a dive off the stern feel mighty good.
Brent

[ssullivan]

I think Brent gets it right with the car idea. All the life expectancy calculators ask you about cars. The give you many MANY extra years for not having one. They are pretty high up there on the list of killers.

So right there... cruising will deifinitely improve your life expectancy... heathier or not.

[coot]

Originally Posted by Intentional Drifter

I seem to recall that someone talked about hooking up a generator to a stationary bike on their boat. Seems like a great solution: put some resistance on the bike, boost the heart rate, and recharge the batteries! Anybody done this, or recall the discussion or link?

I saw a discussion about this on a mailing list many years ago. From memory, the answer went something like this:

A person in good physical condition can produce something on the order of 50 watts through vigorous physical exercize. To get this power level from your stationary bike, you have to pedal like you are racing, not like you are out for a ride in the afternoon. Most people will not sustain this level of activity for an entire hour.

50 watts for 1 hour = 50 watt hours or a little over 4 amp-hours at 12 volts, which is then reduced by the efficiency (or inefficiency if you prefer) of the charging system and the chemical process in the batteries.

So the question is: Would you exercize to the point of exhaustion every day for 3 to 4 amp-hour per DAY.

With that kind of yield, I might use the bike for exercise (though a stationary bike is a HUGE object to store on a boat), but I wouldn't bother hooking it up to charge the batteries -- even a smallsolar panel will produce lots more power.

It's disappointing, but not too surprising when you think about it.