Sailing as exercise

Sailing requires you to use both sides of your body equally, so you get symmetry as well as good balance.

This is good for those who like to exercise because it provides a different way of training each side and prevents overuse and injury.

Your body responds by building more muscles and the nervous system gets stronger too, providing better co-ordination.

Sailing is the best new workout

Sailing is a complete form of exercise. Most people know sailing as a sport or recreational activity, but few understand how good it is for you.

Sailing works all your muscles and provides cardiovascular exercise too because you use all the major muscle groups to move around on the boat and steer.

Sailing is aerobic because you get the heart rate up while you are exercising, but it’s also good for anaerobic exercise too. You can get that runner’s high without having to run!

Sailing starts at the heart

Your heart works hard when you sail because your muscles need oxygenated blood.

The best thing is, almost every major muscle group in your body works when you sail to keep you moving around on the boat.

You can burn up to 483 calories per hour while sailing in a dinghy and that’s not even counting the rest of your body!

A competent sailor uses their muscles heavily

Sailing is a workout that is fun because you carry out a wide range of movements which bestow multiple benefits.

These movement patterns use all the major muscle groups in the body, helping develop both flexibility and strength.

Even just sitting on a boat requires muscles to support the spine and hold the body upright against forces from wind and waves, so they have to work even when you are just relaxing.

Your lower back, abdomen and all the muscles around your pelvis work hard to support the weight of your upper body.

Sailing improves co-ordination and motor skills

Sailing is good for improving balance by working the inner ear which helps with your sense of balance.

You can practice this without even realizing it because you have to keep your eyes on the sails and other parts of the boat and look out for obstacles.

You learn to develop a good sense of spatial awareness because you need it work out how far away you are from other boats and objects – think driving lessons but without having to stop!

Sailing improves co-ordination as muscles, joints and ligaments are required to move in three planes of motion, such as flexing and extending the arm (sailing terms: tacking & gybing) or turning your head from side to side (coming about).

Mind and body

While you are on the water, your mind is busy too because you have to steer, read sails and rudders, understand wind direction and think ahead to where you want to go.

All this mental effort requires good concentration, problem-solving skills and decision making.

At the same time your body needs to be on full alert because you need to react quickly when the wind picks up or a squall comes along.

Is sailing a workout?

To answer this question, it would be best to ask a person who has been in the sailing industry for a while.

A popular topic regarding sailors is whether or not they are athletes. The truth is that being a sailor requires much more than athletic ability.

Some professional sailors have stated in interviews that they consider themselves to be athletes, but not all of them do.

It has been scientifically proven that sailing can better one’s health and body, which is another aspect that makes sailors athletic.

In fact, science has proved that sailing can be considered a workout because people get physically active while on the water.