Are you fit to sail?

Fitness & Sailing

Professional sailors know the importance of being fit, but what about the average bloke. Christian Stewart teaches nutrition and fitness and in this article he outlines a fitness plan that the average club sailor can use to their advantage.

Sailing in the ocean is a very serious physical and mental undertaking. So you need to put some time into your physical fitness and nutritional needs. There are a number of factors to consider: wind, sun, heat exhaustion, hypothermia, physical strength and injury prevention. Physical fitness is very important when you’re sailing. When the weather turns nasty you need all the strength you can get.  With proper preparation and strength training you will be in a much better position. As a rule, sailors need a lot of energy at different times during a race, so if you are heading out racing, your pre-event meal should be low in fat, high in carbohydrates and include plenty of water. Sailors use about 220 calories per hour.

Good nutrition starts well before the event

Your pre-event meal should leave you feeling confident and you fluid level high (sorry, not with alcohol). General the pre event meal should be eaten 2-3 hours before competition. There is a wide variety of foods which are suitable. Before exercise, it’s very important to experiment to find the most suitable option for you. Your meal must include carbohydrates,  fluids and be low in fat. Always test your meals before you head out. If you suffer from nerves, a liquid meal is an option.

Helpful tip #1

• Avoid lots of alcohol the night before

• Don’t skip meals prior to the event

• Rest, listen to your body

• Start hydrating 2 days before you sail

• Don’t have a high fat breakfast (eggs, bacon etc) – fat is hard to digest and it can bring on sickness

• Always test your food in training

• Don’t over or under eat

Pre-event meal options

• Banana on Toast

• Oat meal and water

• Spaghetti on Toast

• Fruit Smoothie

• Baked beans on Toast• All with water and coffee/tea x 1

Always test the meals before you compete. Try to eat normally if you
can and include fruits and carbohydrates. Aim for 1 gram of carbohydrate per kg of body weight per hour during competition. Example: an 85kg sailor should consume approximately 85 grams carbohydrate per hour at sea.
Test this regime on training days, not at the event. You will need to eat correctly and hydrate out at sea in any weather conditions. You should always try and eat every 2-3 hours, even if you’re
not hungry.

Suggested meals at sea

• Protein and salad wraps

• Liquid meal supplements

• Ham, chicken, turkey salad rolls

• Rice and vegetables

• Pasta and chicken

• Jam sandwich – thick bread

You can include sports drinks if you like. I suggest you dilute them so you avoid stomach upset. Energy Gels are a good option and you can store them in your pockets. No matter how bad you feel, you need to eat otherwise you’ll start running your body down!

Your body is working hard at sea

The effects of motion on your body in
the ocean is very taxing. After a long period, the constant movement and keeping yourself upright, even just
sitting, can wear you down and if you’re not consuming the right amount of
calories per hour, you will become tired, fatigued and cold, and
if the weather turn nasty, you won’t be at your best.

Helpful tip #2

Make your own sports drink:

• Glucose powder

• Cordial

• Water

In bad weather, carry a hydration pack. Very light weight and hold 1-2 litres of water. Easy to take on and off and it has small pockets to store energy Gels and small snacks.

You can wear it under your jacket and doesn’t restrict movement.

Dehydration degrades performance

Symptoms:

• Dry mouth

• Headache

• Fatigue or tiredness

• Irritable

How do you prevent dehydration?

Top up with sports drinks regularly and sip water as well. If you a passing dark yellow coloured urine, you may be dehydrated, so drink up and monitor yourself. Have regular toilet stops. You don’t want to lose performance. Try to plan your drink stops and stick to it. Don’t wait until you are thirsty because one of the causes of reduced performance is not being hydrated sufficiently.

Helpful tip #3

• Drink sports drinks and or water regularly

• Have a nutrition plan and stick to it

• Keep your meals simple–protein and complex carbohydrates

• Prepare your meals and snacks the night before

• Try some protein powders on
training days

• Hydrate 2 days prior to your trip

• Have your breakfast 2-3 hours
before you leave

• Don’t try food that you not eaten before

• Experiment with different types
of foods in training

• Avoid high fat foods. Eat every 2 hours

Just before the race

Get plenty of sleep and make sure you drink plenty of electrolyte sports drinks. Always eat every 2-3 hours.

Foods that pack well in all weather types

• Low fat muffins–low sugar

• Potatoes in foil (fit will in pockets)

• Electrolyte Gels

• Packet of trailmix

• Saltanas

• Drinking yoghurt

• Cheese stick (not too many)

• Dried fruit

• Nuts

Whatever you do don’t eat...

• Croissant - 40 grams fat

• Pie – 27 grams fat

• Toaster sandwiches – Cheese/tomato – 20 grams fat

• Curried egg and Mayo – 35 grams fat

• Chocolate – 15 grams fat

The fact is that:

one kilo body weight lost in competition equals 1 litre of fluid lost. If your dehydrated, your blood volume is affected and oxygen transportation isn’t as efficient

Vacuum pack your food so you know when, what and how much food you have for the day ahead. We consume 40-45kg of sugar per person per year, so keep a close eye on the amount you consume when sailing. Don’t always go for the jelly snakes, you obtain sufficient amounts from your normal diet.  

My ideal food day at sea

• 150 Grams of ham on toast

• 1 piece of fruit, 600 ml water

• Rice and chicken (weather permitting) salad roll with protein, 600 ml water

• Meal supplement or protein drink

• Wholemeal roll with jam or honey

• Carbohydrate Gel, 600 ml water

• Dinner – Pasta and chicken and spinach.

Daily caloric intake

Gender Age Weight Calories

Female 30-35 70kgs 2,900

Male 30-35 90kgs 3,460

A sample sea day menu at sea

Good weather

• Spaghetti on toast x 1

• Wholemeal Roll with protein chicken/ham and 600 mls water

• 1 piece of fruit – Apple/Pear

• Pasta with chicken and spinach, 600 ml water

• Handful of nuts, 600 ml water

• Brown Rice and protein (stir fry – cold meats)

• Slow release protein powder with water (whey)

If the weather is nasty, you will need to feed yourself just as normal. You don’t want to be sitting on the rail for a period of time without any food.

Extreme weather food options

• Small wholemeal roll stuffed into
your jacket

• Beef jerky is a great option. Light weight, high in protein and it can fit into your pockets.

• Flavoured milk from most supermarkets. It provides carbohydrate, fluid and protein. You can fit these in your jacket pockets. They are light weight and usually came with a drinking straw attached.

• Protein bars. You can zip them away anywhere on you jacket

• Cheese sticks

• Boiled eggs

• Nuts

• Potatoes – pre cooked.