Staying Healthy

[Rhosyn Mor]

Its really not too hard to stay healthy while cruising, I would be interested to hear what others do.
This is part of the regime aboard Rhosyn: ( we have no refrigeration, which helps)
Low fat diet, no butter, no cream or fullfat milk. ( dried low fat only)
good quality olive oil
lots of veggies and veggie dishes such as falafel, hummus, dried tofu,
lots of fruit.
A hard dinghy- Although we have a little motor for it, mostly its row row row,
yoga and stretching
suplements such as Maca, vitiamin B complex, vitamin E's
food grade h2o2
we are not veggie, but do limit meat intake.
cocnut oil, it has lots of wonderful properties, including being anti viral and anti fungal.
high quality chocolate ( a must)

anything else peeps can suggest?

[twowheel]

Easy one, fish.

Plenty of good comes from the good oils and antioxidants as well as quality, easy to metabolize protein source.

[anjou]

Brown rice for roughage, red wine for its anti oxidants, oily fish for omega 3 and 6.

[sarafina]

Staying healthy involves so many things... for me a HUGE part of it is a steady supply of morning cocoa... hence my stash of tetrapac milk and cocoa powder.

Well and all my vitamins and minerals too ; -)

Very little in the way of prepared foods other than a supply of canned soup.

Always fresh fruit.

[lorenzo b]

We swim for a hour every day, cover over a little more than a mile, so we're not pushing hard. Gotten so we feel lousy if we skip a day. Joyce does yoga and Quigong, I work on the boat and take naps.

[Cheechako]

When I was cruising it was spearfishing 3- 5 days a week. down 20-25 ft, up, down 20-25ft, up...down 20-25 ft, up, down 20-25ft, up...down 20-25 ft, up, down 20-25ft, up...down 20-25 ft, up, down 20-25ft, up...down 20-25 ft, up, down 20-25ft, up.... you get the picture. Never been in better shape in my life....

[David M]

On a small boat while underway, does anyone know of ways of getting some cardio exercise in? (...other than THAT! )

[sarafina]

Originally Posted by David M

On a small boat while underway, does anyone know of ways of getting some cardio exercise in? (...other than THAT! )

*snickering madly*

now why is it that's what I thought of TOO???

[barnakiel]

We do it like this:

We do not argue. We sleep when and how much we like (except when at sea). We do not smoke and drink very little alcohol. We try not to set any exact targets - rather sail out in a generally agreed direction and be ready for possible detours if they seem more attractive than the straight way.

No fridge on the boat. No processed food on the boat (except canned vegetables). All food prepared from basic ingredients - flour (homemade bread every second day), pasta, rice, cereals, vegetables, oils, some canned food used - but only without additives - like whole tomatoes, peas, etc.).

- normal (full-fat) diet (we avoid diet food),
- meat only when avoiding to offend our hosts,
- sometimes fish (we hate tuna but love the flying fish),
- butter, cream, sometimes milk (sour milk is great but impossible to achieve where the milk is pasteurised - which is now all developed countries),
- good quality olive oil (we use first cold pressing),
- loads of veggies,
- loads of fruit,
- no supplements, no vitamins, no alcohol (some wine or beer or a drink when not cruising/sailing),
- garlic,
- zero sugar (but real sugar, no sweeteners, if used),
- little salt,
- honey,
- only raw sweets (raw chocolate, marzipan, halva, dried fruit, home baked cake/biscuits, etc.),

- rubber dinghy + oars,
- walking everywhere (except to risky to walk along the road),
- when not cruising, we run 6 miles, 3 times a week,
- bike, swim, roller-blading, snorkeling and trekking.

Our BIG problem is getting back to shape after long passages - mostly because of the fact that most destinations are so very much car-dependent and turisticized - to the extent that walking/trekking is next to impossible (no tracks, no sidewalks, etc.). The second big issue for us is that vegetables are considered decoration in most anglo-saxon countries and all ex-British (ex)colonies, while for us vegetables are the core food. We try to solve this by visiting the French places first, stocking up and then moving on to visit their neighbors.

No health issues this far but it's been only 6 years.

b.

[MarkJ]

We eat like pigs. We stay skinny.

Why? Well have a look around at the vast vast majority of monohull cruisers and the big majority of multihull cruisers: They are the fittest demographic of older people I have seen in my life!!!!!!

A wind of a winch here, a snorkel there, balancing yourself all your waking hours at sea, a walk along the beach, standing on uneven surfaces whilst drinking beer on the beach at sundown, carrying goceries when home people have a car, a quick trip up the mast or some other strenous activity like throwing the dock lines and all this in the sun and fresh open air.

Damned if I know one cruiser with a tummy muscle!

Eat the cream, eat the butter, have the beer! This wonderful lifestyle will keep you fit and happy

And the best bit to this slimming routine is we never know we are 'slimming'! Its just happens automaticaly while we are having fun


Mark

[HobieFan]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Damned if I know one cruiser with a tummy muscle!

Eat the cream, eat the butter, have the beer! This wonderful lifestyle will keep you fit and happy

And the best bit to this slimming routine is we never know we are 'slimming'! Its just happens automaticaly while we are having fun


Mark

While I agree with what you're saying, what about this thought...

Maybe those with the big guts end up hating the cruising life and go home.

It may be true that cruisers are extraordinarily healthy but it may just be a factor of selecting those who were already pretty healthy, rather than something in the cruising life that makes people healthier.

Then again, the activity and lack of processed food can't hurt. :-)

[Talbot]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

no alcohol (some wine or beer or a drink when not cruising/sailing),

The daily glass of red wine is purely medicinal, I don't like the taste, but manage to force it down due to the knowledge of how much good it is doing me.