You do not have to do this alone

Find ways to get fit and stay fit together with your crewmates.  It is not only good for your health, but can be a great way to get to know your team outside of work and have fun.

There are many ways you can get fit together for example:

Sports day

(e.g. Sports Sunday)

This may be depend on your vessel type and the facilities you have available. You could consider a series of ping pong matches, a basketball tournament or even an inter-crew game of table football. Anything like this could both boost your energy and raise the team spirit by exercising and spending some quality time together.

Regular group activities

What skills and expertise do you have onboard - could you organize a weekly yoga, tai chi, Zumba activity for example?

Fitness challenges or competitions

Whether you have a rowing machine, a treadmill, or simply a space big enough to do a sit up, team goals and friendly rivalry can really keep you motivated.

For example, sign your crewmates up for a step-count scoreboard or encourage them to build up to the 30-day plank / press up challenge;  a well-organized port to port or cross-ocean table tennis championship could really create some excitement onboard for both players and the people watching!

For vessels with smaller crew sizes, you could perhaps compete with another vessel in the fleet.  If you have on-line access, you could suggest starting a virtual group within your company to encourage each other even when you are at home.  Or you could challenge the superintendents...!

The virtual world

If used safely, technology can also be a fun way to get active in the limited space available onboard, for example with exercise-specific workout gaming consoles.

Physical Trainers

If your company already has an exercise programme, that’s great!  Whoever leads your activities on-board, it is important for everyone to understand that safely practicing healthy habits helps keep both your body and your mind fit and well!