Cruising Fitness – Progress Review

This is NOT the Can Opener. But if Captain Cat were human, he would look JUST like this.

 

How’s the First Mate shaping up these days?

It’s good to know where you’ve been. Looking back at my scrupulously kept records, I was surprised to see just how far the First Mate has come in one short year. 

While we will always press on, we are pleased with his progress thus far. Three stars and a catnip free-for-all for the Can Opener! 

(Hey, Furrball – it’s supposed to be about rewards that I would like!   Mmph? Who would not like catnip?? The First Mate doth speak in riddles…)

Current Training Plan 2012

• Strength Training: 4x/week, 30 minutes per session, 25% increase in weights carried over last year
• Cardio: 4x/week at the gym, 45 minutes per session, includes 25% intensity increase 2x/week (ie interval training begun). Treadmill, bikes, x-trainer
  
• Crunches: 3x/week, 150-200/day
• Flexibility: stretching before and after, 5 minutes x2

Last Year’s Training Plan
Here’s the point that he started from in 2011…

• Strength Training: 3x/week, 30 minutes per session
• Cardio: 4x/week at the gym, 30 minutes per session. Treadmill, bikes, x-trainer.
• Crunches: 100/day, 3x/week
• Flexibility: stretching before and after, 5 minutes x2

Could I push the Can Opener harder? Of course, I could! But I know this guy. Slow and steady wins the race.

Could he cruise without this fitness training? Of course, he could. Many – even most – cruisers probably do. Seems like a good idea to get him in shape though. I may need some tuna crates hefted out of the bilge-bottom depths of a boat locker someday. He needs to be prepared.

Cost so far

• I have moved the Can Opener to a gym that only costs £216/year ($344/year) or just £18/month ($29/month)! It doesn’t have a pool though… 
• (Last year’s gym was a little dearer: £360/year ($593/year) ie. £30/month for gym membership on special offer. It didn‘t have a pool either. This was a pretty average cost in our town.)
• £50 ($82) – last year’s training shoes, on sale 

What sports/exercise best translate to a live-aboard life?

What else should I add to the Can Opener’s fitness programme? Yoga? T’ai Chi? Any suggestions gratefully received.

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Super Smoothies for Power Training

 

Can Opener: Hey! Captain C, your sard–

Captain Cat: You interrupt my karate lesson.

Can Opener: –sardine smoothie arrives. With 10% froth as decreed. I’ll just put youtube on pause then, shall I?

Captain Cat: In a leaded crystal bowl! Yes, that will be fine, Can Opener. All is good in paradise. Muscle rest and recovery is key to maximising… protein after training fuels muscle building… blah, blah, bla. Whatever. Bottoms up!

Captain Cat’s Super Smoothie for Power Training 

Total time to prep:  10 minutes

# Servings:              2

Level of difficulty:   Even the Can Opener can do it

Into a pitcher big enough, dump the following:

• 1/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup yoghurt (or frommage frais)
• 1 cup ripe bananas (3 medium bananas should do it)
• 1/2 cup strawberries, blueberries, nectarines, peaches, kiwis, mangoes, any kind of frozen berries, or for the very mild palate, pears

Use a potato masher and a fork on a boat (if, like most people, you don’t carry the hand blender on board) – an extra bonus for the biceps. Otherwise, on land and for the fortunate, the handheld mixer is best.

Directions: Peel. Dump. Blend. Slurp.

Options: If you can stand the taste, adding a tablespoon of brewers’ yeast packs a huge vitamin B punch. My observation is, however, that given the choice between brewers’ yeast and more strawberries – most humans will take the strawberries.

Favourite options you’ve added to your smoothie?

  

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Note: Most cats are lactose intolerant. They love cheese, treats are good – but they shouldn’t be carving out a new food group for it. This recipe is intended for humans. 

Captain Cat, on the other hand, can eat anything, anywhere, anytime. My smoothie was still, of course, made with sardines and water. Obviously. Bring it on.

Captain Cat Mounts His (Sugar-Free) Soap Box

 
On Dieting
An unnecessary and unnatural scourge. There is no reason in the universe for a diet!

What’s dieting got to do with sailing?
Everything. 

True, you can sail when you are overweight and out of shape. Same as you can play baseball or cricket or golf when you’re out of shape. 

But you sail better when you are the right weight and in good shape. You move faster and with greater agility. 

Fast and agile means fewer medical issues when you might not be close to a good doctor or hospital. And it means you’ll move faster when there’s a challenging situation on board (storm, gale, tight manoeuvre, extreme sea state, rescue situation, etc). It’s a fact.


I put the Can Opener on his no sugar diet about a year and a half ago. He’s lost fifteen pounds and looks great. He sleeps better. He never had to calorie count or think about what to eat while he was optimising his weight – he just followed the Golden Rule below. 

And yes, indeed, he looks fine! 

The Solution

The Golden Rule
If you need to lose weight, then …  

DON’T. EAT. SUGAR. EVER. 
(Or fat. Obviously.)

What other names can sugar masquerade as?
Sugar is sugar no matter what cute name it is disguised as. Just don’t eat it. 

That means…

NO agave, corn syrup, any syrup, cane juice, dextrin, dextrose, fructose, glucose, invert sugar, lactose, maltodextrin, malt syrup, maltose, rice syrup, saccharose, sorghum, sucrose, xylose…

Read the label and if it lists it, don’t eat it. Simple. 
But not easy.

How to avoid sugar…
Check every ingredients label, and if ANY of these sugar/fake sugar/sugar wannabes shows up on it (or anything else ending in -ose)… DON’T eat it. 

By the way – don’t eat those other artificial sugars (eg saccharine) either. If it doesn’t exist in nature, you shouldn’t be eating it either. Captain Cat has spoken.

There is NO FREE LUNCH. Literally. 

What’s that you say? No fructose?
Yes, fruit has fructose in it. But in an unrefined form. It takes longer (ie a normal length of time) for the body to break it down. 

On the other hand if you read ‘fructose’ as an ingredient on a box, this is a refined form of sugar which is super-easily absorbed by the body. Not good. You want your body to at least burn a regular amount of calories whilst it works to break down your food.

Is it easy to stop eating sugar?
Nope. 

The Can Opener complained bitterly. He was doubled over in pain the first month sometimes. When he looked really bad, I’d bung him a prune. Fortunately, that would perk him right up.

Sugar is supposed to be as addictive as cocaine . That means it’s a hard habit to kick. 

And in the west, it is nearly impossible to avoid sugar in any processed or restaurant food. Start checking the ingredient labels and you’ll see what I mean.

Our local supermarket has twenty-six aisles. Twenty-four of them have products in them that contain sugar. Only two do not – these are:

1. the vegetable aisle
2. the shampoo and cleaners aisle.

How to survive sugar withdrawal symptoms?  
Go eat a few dried fruit pieces instead. Or a piece of whole fruit. Or a salad with lemon on it. Loads of fun, right? No, not at first. But after a while, yes actually. Even the Can Opener thinks so now.

The sugar withdrawal symptoms may drive you insane, but if you can survive the first month, you will be okay. The next three months are hard, but not impossible.

After six months, sugared products actually become unpleasant. It is too much and too granular. You can taste the emptiness.

After a year, it is easy and you are fit, optimised and ready to sail in top form!

 
That’s it. 

Follow my plan and you’ll have a six pack in no time. 

And live longer with nice teeth.

 

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

 Previously: Fitness on Boats

How Much Does ‘Cruising’ Fitness Cost?

How Much Does ‘Cruising’ Fitness Equipment Cost? 

How much will it cost to keep the Can Opener in fine form? The First Mate and I industriously researched a few items of interest along ‘Cruising’ Fitness Equipment lines. 

Here’s a sampling of prices for some popular on-board fitness items we found at the websites of a few big retailers. 

Of course, caveat emptor and prices change all the time. This is just a baseline price trawl for rough budget estimating purposes.

 
Here we go… 

Some Ballpark Prices in the USA  

• resistance tubing ($5-15 at Walmart)
• yoga DVD ($7-20 at Amazon depending which one you buy, $5 if you buy used)
• snorkeling gear (about $30 at Amazon for a medium quality set)
• skipping rope ($5-10 at Amazon, you can spend $40 if you want somebody’s idea of the ‘Olympic’ version…)
• Mini Stepper, Stairmaster-type equipment ($40-70 at Walmart depending on what brand you buy) 
• TRX Suspension Trainer ($150-200 at Amazon depending on what package you buy)
• folding bike – good for getting to the store and back ($140-260 at Amazon) and bike repair kit ($25-38 at Amazon)

Some Ballpark Prices in the UK

• resistance tubing (£9-12 at Sports Direct)
• yoga DVD (£2-10 at Amazon UK depending which one you buy)
• snorkeling gear (£18-26 at Sports Direct for just a ‘fun set’)
• skipping rope (£5-14 at Sports Direct) 
• Mini Stepper, Stairmaster-type equipment (£35-120 at Amazon UK depending on what brand you buy)
• TRX Suspension Trainer (£160-200 at Amazon UK depending on what package you buy)
• folding bike – good for getting to the store and back (£100-210 at Amazon UK) and bike repair kit (£10-15 at Amazon UK)

 
Observed  

Above samples are for ‘new’ prices. eBay pros and secondhand treasure-hunters, of course, can drive great bargains.

If you’re into scuba, kayaking or high end bikes and boards, you could spend a bundle. 

But if you’re like us, you can stay in shape with a pair of running shoes, a swimsuit and some pretty nominal purchases. And… no more gym fees! Which is good news for the budget-conscious crowd.


Conclusion
We will probably choose get most of the above – except for the Mini Stepper and the TRX. We’re not yet convinced.  I’d like to investigate more to see if the TRX really adds that much value beyond what the resistance tubing provides.

The folding bike, on the other hand, will probably pay for itself pronto by getting us past the tourist-priced areas near marinas and out to the food and shopping markets used by locals. 

Where did you buy your play/exercise stuff? Would you buy it there again? Any recommendations for good price-value brands?

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Life Aboard 
Previously: Fitness on Boats

Fitness on Boats

If Captain Cat were human, he would look just like this. The Can Opener does not.

Can Opener: So. This Voyaging Fitness Routine you’ve been researching for me… result?

Captain Cat: It’s a work in progress. Here’s what I’ve got so far…

    While at sea

    Muscles

• muscle work with resistance tubing ($10-15 at Walmart)
• TRX Suspension Trainer (costs about $150-200)
• stretches and yoga (cost of a DVD)
• giving the Captain his daily massages
• heavy lifting of fresh-caught fish into Captain’s dinner dish

      

    Aerobics

• This is a lot harder to find an answer for at sea. The Voyager’s Handbook recommended some ship-size Mini Stepper, Stairmaster-type equipment ($40 at Walmart). Don’t know how well it would work if we were heeling. It looks like just one more thing to pack, but we’ll check it out.

    

    While at the dock:

    Add more aerobic exercise to the above…

• jogging
• skipping rope like a boxer
• cycling and kayaking (folding bike and kayak on the ‘potential equipment’ list) 
• swimming / snorkeling excursions
• dragging the Captain’s groceries home

That should about do it.

Can Opener: Er… what about fitness for you, mon capitaine?

Captain Cat: I am a perfect specimen. There is no improving upon this. 

And I will exert myself to keep our yacht mouse-free at all times. Just as I do in our current abode.

Can Opener: How would anyone know if you’re any good with mice? There’s nothing here to catch!

Captain Cat: Exactly.

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

Life Aboard 
Next: How Much Does ‘Cruising’ Fitness Cost?
Previously: Sailing Strength Training

Sailing Strength Training

We’re pleased to report the Can Opener has faithfully been making it to the gym 4 times per week. We’re in a good holding pattern with this one. (Yeah, ‘we’ in the royal sense, buddy. I haven’t seen you pushing iron any time lately…)

We’re coming coming up to the 6 month mark in our Get Cruising Now Plan, so time to bump up the intensity and make sure my First Mate’s routine is really tailored to life aboard, targeting the muscles I need him to have. 

What’s in a good sailing strength training routine?
‘Include exercises that improve posture, balance, joint stability, abdominal and back muscles’, says Michael Blackburn, two-time World Champion and Olympian at Sports Training Blog*.

For keelboat sailors specifically, he recommends adding the following to a general workout*: 

• push ups on a Swiss ball (for chest, tricep and shoulder stability)
• bench pulls – lie on bench with a barbell underneath. Pull barbell to bench (for arms, shoulders and back muscles that pull ropes)
• reverse back extension – legs raised (to horizontal) and lowered (for back and hamstrings)
• bent leg raise – on your back on the floor, knees bent. Lift one leg off the floor, then the other (for abdominals)
• 3-way shoulder work – lie face down on a high bench, weights in each hand. Keep arms straight and swing them forward, out to the side, and then behind you – hands reach bench height at top of each rep (for large shoulder muscles that stabilize and move the arms)

Taking it to the next level 
1) The Can Opener’s regular general routine already includes the bent leg raise, 3-way shoulder work and pushups. But we can add a Swiss ball to the pushups. And we’re going to add the bench pulls and reverse back extensions too. 

2) I’ll be upping the Can Opener’s weights over the next few weeks.  

3) And for balance, I’ll be extending his cardio (interval training on treadmill) from 30 minutes to 40 minutes per session. 

That should do it. 

For now.

(I was going to object to the above on a number of principles – in particular, the not-ever-consulting-the-Can-Opener-first principle – but I happened to glance in the shower mirror earlier this morning. After following the Captain Cat regime these last 6 months… I look good! 

More exercise? Bring it on!) 

Any other suggestions for strength training exercises I can add to the Can Opener’s get-ready-to-sail workout routine? The bigger, the better. 

–Captain Cat 

(transcribed by the Can Opener) 

Life Aboard
Next: Fitness on Boats

Learn to Cruise
Next: Sea Miles

Previously: Why Get an RYA Yachtmaster Certification?

Useful Resources 

*Strength Training for Sailing at Sports Training Blog 

and 
RYA website, Sailing Fitness Section

The Plan to Get Fit

Part 1 of Captain Cat’s Invincible Plan to Get Cruising:

How many newtons of force on the wheel in 35 knots of breeze? And how many newtons can my First Mate, the Can Opener, exert to crank on the main sheet in 45 knots? in 60??  Not enough, I tell you. Not yet. Not by a long shot.

So I’ve drawn up a fitness plan for my First Mate and am marking his progress monthly. I set a good example: Captain Cat is already in outstanding shape, as mentioned previously in  Captain Cat’s Invincible Plan to Get Cruising. I’m in peak condition to lounge behind our dodger while supervising Can Opener as we cruise our yacht from England to infinity and beyond.

Positive reinforcement is my mantra. We are a fair and just captain. Improvement merits rewards – for defined periods of time after the Can Opener does well, I will share my catnip rat with him. For any performance slidebacks, however,… well, the point is moot. Those. are. NOT. permitted.

Current Training Plan 2012

• Strength Training: 4x/week, 30 minutes per session
• Cardio: 4x/week at the gym, 45 minutes per session. Treadmill, bikes, x-trainer.*
• Crunches: 150-200/day
• Flexibility: stretching before and after, 5 minutes x2

Last Year’s Training Plan
It’s good to know where you’ve been. I was surprised to see how far the First Mate has come one short year. While we will always press on, we are pleased with the Can Opener’s progress thus far. Here’s the point that he started from in 2011…

• Strength Training: 3x/week, 30 minutes per session
• Cardio: 4x/week at the gym, 30 minutes per session. Treadmill, bikes, x-trainer. *
• Crunches: 100/day
• Flexibility: stretching before and after, 5 minutes x2

* Unfortunately, el cheapo gym that I picked for him does not have a pool. I am working on alternatives.

Could I push the Can Opener harder? Of course, I could! But I know this guy. Slow and steady wins the race.

Could he cruise without this fitness training? Of course, he could. Many – even most – cruisers probably do. Seems like a good idea to get him in shape though. I may need some tuna crates hefted out of the bilge-bottom depths of a boat locker someday. He needs to be prepared.

Cost so far

• £50 ($82) – Training shoes, on sale
• I have moved the Can Opener to a gym that only costs £216/year ($344/year) or just £18/month ($29/month)! It doesn’t have a pool though… 
• (Last year’s gym was a little dearer: £360/year ($593/year) – £30/month for gym membership on special offer. This was a pretty average cost in our town.)

What sports/exercise best translate to a live-aboard life?

What else should I add to the Can Opener’s fitness programme? Yoga? T’ai Chi? Any suggestions gratefully received.

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

N.B.  Part 2 of Captain Cat’s Invincible Plan to Get Cruising is: The Plan to Get Social.