Crew Coach: by Capt. Rob Gannon In the past couple of decades, it seems there has been more thought and discussion about work-life balance. Employees…
It’s a scenario we all know well: Getting ready for a guest trip over a long and exhausting week, being down to the wire to make it to the pick-up location, a long, bumpy passage where you haven’t slept or eaten much, and then hours of squaring away the boat before you can finally relax a bit, eat a proper meal and have a good night’s sleep.
When we are overly tired and hungry, it’s easy to indulge in comfort foods, drinks and other stimulants to change how we feel. It’s also easier to talk ourselves out of exercise for the day or become irritable with our crew mates.
While working long hours and in often less-than-ideal conditions for good health is a part of yachting. But we can prepare for those tempting moments and get back on track toward a goal of health, happiness and fitness. A big part of how we feel is a result of our choices, not just our circumstances.
Don’t skip meals. Doing so lets our blood sugar get so low that we will eat anything, and then we get upset about everything.
Reduce or eliminate caffeine. Replace it with 2-3 liters of water a day. Consume the first liter upon waking, before consuming anything else.
Get at least 10-30 minutes of exercise a day. Even if it’s only 10 minutes of squats and pushups in your cabin, your mood and energy improve significantly.
Make the best food choices (even if it’s not optimal) in the moment. Choose whole foods versus processed foods, at a minimum. To feel even better, choose whole plant-based foods. To feel even better, choose whole, plant-based, high carbohydrate foods such as fruit, potatoes, rice, gluten-free grains and as many veggies as possible as staples.
Resolutions to stick to
New Year’s resolutions tend to fall by the wayside by March. This happens because we either make unrealistic resolutions or they are too vague. If a resolution say anything like “lose weight and eat better,” it will be hard to reach those goals.
Instead, use the following criteria to get healthy:
Here are my top picks for every healthy, savvy stew and crew member:
Angela Orecchio is a chief stew and certified health coach. This column was edited from her blog, Savvy Stewardess, The Smart Girl’s Guide to Yachting. Contact her through www.savvystewardess.com.
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