Can you tell a little bit about yourself and how long you've been working in the yacht industry for?
I am 37 years old, and have been working in the yachting industry since 2012 across various roles.
How has your “on boat”physical and mental wellbeing been since you started your yachting career?
Working in a high stress, highly physical workplace puts a toll on your mental and physical health. Most of the time you don’t have time in the day or you are too exhausted to take care of yourself. Living with 30 people constantly and feeling the strain to socialise on your time off is quite taxing, especially if you enjoy some alone time like myself. Burn out is a very real and likely situation to find yourself in.
It is a constant battle in my mind to make time for myself and realise what is a must do to keep me going.
How did you hear about FAT, do you remember your first session?
Our yacht was in Auckland at the Viaduct and we saw the group workouts on the foreshore. At that time we were able to join physically but then as we left NZ we have continued the sessions via zoom for the past 2 years. I love the personal interaction with the yoga teachers.
We have shared a few workouts together, what makes you keep participating?
I enjoy the varied classes. Finding a yoga teacher that has a pleasant nature, voice and attention to detail is quite difficult and I loved that each of the teachers have a different style/approach to yoga but each class still feels both comfortable and challenging at the same time. They can adjust the class to how you are feeling that day.
Outside of our FAT sessions, what is your relationship with exercise/movement?
I need a lot of motivation. My job takes a toll on me both mentally and emotionally. I prefer to have someone guide me through a class without having to think for myself about the next pose or crane my neck to look at a laptop.
I know that to decompress from my environment, that I need to be in a meditative state/completely focused on my breathing. FAT keeps me on schedule and I feel a significant difference when I miss a class.
What are your health/movement and life goals in 2023?
Create a daily routine and try not to break it but still allow for those times when I need to work through something and take a break.
What are your top 3 pieces of advice to stay healthy on a yacht?
Make time for yourself no matter what. Don’t neglect what you need both mentally and physically to the point of no return/burnout.
Talk to someone if needed.
Take it easy on yourself, let yourself feel a difficult emotion but only for as much time as it serves you. Any longer and it will distract you from doing what you need to accomplish your goals.