At Ichor Fitness, we believe the unique challenges faced by seafarers are also opportunities. Here’s how:

• On-again Off-again Cycles: The cyclic nature of seafarers’ lives – alternating between shore and sea – can disrupt routines. However, this can be advantageous. Training programs can be designed around these cycles, adapting to both on-board and on-shore conditions. For example, while on shore, seafarers can enjoy sports and activities with family and friends, while on board, they can focus on strength and conditioning using available equipment. This approach uses the seasonal nature of their work to maintain fitness in a smart way.

• Lack of Time: Many struggle to find time for training, but we believe mariners have a unique leg up! Seafarers on shore leave often have a unique gift of time for family, recreation, and self-care, freed up from their usual workload. And while at sea, the structured work environment allows for consistent routines now that shore-based family and social commitments are at bay. Fitness can provide continuity between the two phases of life, linking seafarers to their best selves so they can take care of what matters most!

• Battling the Blues, Stress, and Poor Sleep: These common obstacles are often exacerbated in a demanding seafarer life. Which is why turning to fitness is precisely the antidote you were looking for. Exercise releases endorphins, which enhance mood, reduce pain, and alleviate stress. It fosters a sense of control, shifts focus from worries to resilience, and even improves sleep quality. Fitness is a game changer, refreshing the body and mind, providing a much-needed mental shift from stress and worry to confidence and wellbeing.

• Combating Isolation: Leaving home, family and friends behind on shore can lead to feelings of isolation. Fitness can be a powerful way to build community on board. Exercising with colleagues – or even an online cohort transcending locations! – creates bonds that transcend differences, fostering support and camaraderie. Try training with a buddy and spotting each other for safety, support, motivation, and rest between sets; or organizing group fitness activities, like circuit training or healthy competition; enhance teamwork and make fitness a shared, enjoyable experience.

• Craving Alone Time: Sometimes, seafarers may prefer solo me-time in their cabins. Taking time for yourself helps refill your batteries and refresh your sense of identity, bringing your best self back to the group! Personal space for exercising can be achieved with minimal equipment: bodyweight exercises, resistance bands, a mat, or dumbbells are sufficient for an excellent session. You can hit all major muscle groups and even do flexibility, mobility, and conditioning training all within your personal environment with music and routines that suit you.

• Feeling Unmotivated? Seafarers can harness both internal and external motivation to maintain fitness. The time you have spent alone, the time you have spent within a group, and the time you have spent studying and building discipline, are all powerful sources of motivation to tap into. Building consistent routines, coupling it with something you enjoy, and celebrating small victories can help make fitness an ingrained habit. Focus on progress, not perfection, allowing fitness to become a natural part of daily life.

• Battling Pain, Strain, and Muscular Imbalances:  Exercise is especially important for counteracting the effects of repetitive movements, poor posture, long hours in front of a screen, and sedentary lifestyles we all experience whether on shore or at sea. Regular exercise not only builds muscle and endurance but also corrects muscular imbalances, improves flexibility, and strengthens the core. A good training plan will assess your baseline and focus on alternately contracting, holding, and lengthening the muscles of your body back into their optimum condition.

• Not sure where to start? Nothing gets you going like having a clear objective, whether it’s losing weight, gaining muscle, or preparing for a specific activity. No clear objective yet? Start by committing to a routine, such as exercising a certain number of times per week. As you make exercise part of your lifestyle, your confidence and motivation will increase, and you’ll naturally start setting specific goals!