Living aboard and health

[Asmodeane]

Heya liveaboards!

Just wanted to know, how has moving permanently on board affected your health? Do you generally feel more / less healthy? Do you suffer more or less respiratory infections?

I understand that there are large variations in ages of liveaboards and thus general health conditions as well, plus that there might be differences between people living aboard in colder and wetter lattitudes, but would like you to try and paint me a general picture.

[FollowingCs]

Personally, after being stuck inside all winter in OH-IO, I'd be interested in answers from cruisers as well.

Thanks for asking it,
~ Following Cs ~

[boatman61]

If your parked in a city marina... no change apart from a tad fitter from the climbing on and off and further to walk to the car..

[JPA Cate]

Can't be told, because if you have a liveaboard cruising lifestyle, you do not have living ashore with your own body to compare it to. Our bodies are similar, but not identical. We have found this to be a healthy lifestyle, but may catch local bugs. When you're off in your boat, with no exposure, you don't routinely re-up your immunities. Makes it easy to catch something on a long flight in an airplane. However, it is mainly a low stress environment, so that you'll see less stress-related problems with cruisers, and possibly as a whole they are more content, so the good health that positive thinking brings may also be a factor.

Ann

[meeki007]

Made the plunge November 12th.
Weighing in at 269 lbs. 33y/o male.

Stepped on a scale February 21st
Weighed in at 242 lbs.

I'd say I feel much better all around.
$ dictated kayak over motor dingy.

Have plenty of food 3.15 months currently on the boat.

It's not having any sugar based stuff on the boat.
Also if you want to eat out fast food it takes 2 to 3 hrs of your life so your more apt to fix dinner or snack on an apple/banana/orange.


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[DumnMad]

For cold cllmates the big thing is controlling moisture/condensation - you need a diesel heater, good ventilation and spray on mold killer for occasional use in areas that don't get much air circulation.

[Hudson Force]

Like the Cates, we don't have an "off the boat" life to compare with our liveaboard life, but we do have a pre-retirement life when we were both public school teachers and exposed to hundreds of students each school day. We no longer have as many colds and flus. We have also found that our common seasonal cruising to the north from Florida in the summers has reduced our high heat humidity days.

Meeki007 has mentioned the diet and exercise, but I think that's likely a result of the same choices whether you're on a boat or ashore. I've remained within ten pounds of the same weight since I moved aboard in 1972. I don't really have a regimen, but I think I eat well and remain active.

Though I often borrow a family member's car when we are in Florida, most of our grocery shopping and laundry trips are done by bicycle or dinghy combination. I don't have any electric windlass or electric winches. I raise & lower my sails, anchor, bicycles, kayaks and dinghy manually, but I also lounge about and read much of the time.

I've enjoyed some competitive athletic competition, but that's not possible to keep to a schedule when you are cruising. We do keep yearly physical appointments with our doctor and we stay tuned to the challenges that everyone has with aging.

In summary, I don't feel that living aboard has had a significant positive or negative effect upon our health.

[alctel]

Moved in 9 months ago, and pretty much the same.

Having an upset stomach is NOT FUN on a boat though

[Sailor Shawn]

Much healthier in my opinion. It's a quarter mile walk to the boat so you don't get to "not exercise". Living on water is just plain good for your soul.


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[ShawnArbercat]

My wife and my self have been living on our 35 ft cat for the last five years, I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, and have been taught to make Ormus, out of the Ocean, we also make our own Salt, which is so much healthier than table salt by far, our experience, was Nill before buying this Cat and sailing the East Coast of Australia.
We try to stay as fit as possible, the Ormus I make has saved my life, as the prescribed medication I was on was killing me, any way if my health keeps on improving, we are getting keen on going further afield, no plans as yet, Cheers


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[ShawnArbercat]

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[ShawnArbercat]

We would like to Swap or trade, on slightly larger Vessel


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[ShawnArbercat]

I have seen so many people and friends that have been working all their lives, not thinking much about the future, because they have been locked up in the work for the system, things will be great, when you retire, they worked them selves into the Grave, as far as I'm concerned when our children are grown up and in the work place, that's when we all need to go and live our lives the way we want to, not the way it is expected of us, live Happier live Longer, It's not all about Money, the root of all Evil.
When are people going to realise that the one percents, are out their living from the hard workers backs, Get a Life People, their are many young people out their that need jobs, why then is the Government wanting 80 year olds to go back to work, what's wrong with this picture.


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[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Sailor Shawn.

[ShawnArbercat]

Originally Posted by Asmodeane

Heya liveaboards!

Just wanted to know, how has moving permanently on board affected your health? Do you generally feel more / less healthy? Do you suffer more or less respiratory infections?

I understand that there are large variations in ages of liveaboards and thus general health conditions as well, plus that there might be differences between people living aboard in colder and wetter lattitudes, but would like you to try and paint me a general picture.

We have been living on our cat for five years now, in the tropics of qld Australia for two seasons, very Humid in close qtrs, we try to stay fit. Walking on land when we can, apart from that good diet, all good so far, I make Ormus from salt water, that has been amazing for my Rhumatoid Arthritis, you can Google ORMUS