what do you do to keep fit???

[purple haze]

Hi

To be a pilot it would be fair to say that you have to be fitter than the average person.

What do you do on a day to day basis to make sure that you keep fit.

And just out of curosity how worried are you about your eyesight and health getting worse as you grow older and are you quite careful about your eyesight eg, when watching tv etc..( ive got a bad habit of watching tv in the dark).

The reason why i ask is, as a wannabe i would consider myself above average fitness but im just worried that in the future i might not be able to sustain that fitness(40s and 50s) and i am just generally worried about having to go to class ones every 6mths at that age.

do all pilots feel like this even when they have passed their first medical and have to continually do so in the future.

any comments would be great.

cheers


ph

[scanscanscan]

IMHO.. Pilots are generally not really physically fit to a high standard.
Several years of line flying, max duty / min rest, night/day duties and airline/hotel food ensures this.
In fact most pilots in my company were basically totally shagged out, jet lagged to the gills, all the time, and ready to sleep 13 hours straight anytime and anywhere,and that was the fit ones.

The medical is a damage check to see if your health is still at an acceptable level to continue.
Your best insurance to make it through to 60 is to have had good healthy long living parents, and that you not be a worrier.

I observed that pilots that overly cared, or were heavy smokers and heavy drinkers had a tough time making it through to 60 with hard night line flying schedules.

You worry less about your medicals if you and your family are financially secure and you like and love your flying.

Most pilots today hate their management as they waste money wholesale and then expect the crews and engineers to bail them out.

Today, airline managements view their pilots as a commodity to be traded when they become expensive.
Basically in lots of companies pilots have very little status or rights and the way to handled this and servive is to simply fly the line and not get involved in any further service to the company.

An area where a pilots mental health is increasingly under attack is confrontational company managers generated stress.
Managers simply cannot stick to a contract and laid down terms and conditions, if you worry over this you will never be happy or remain healthy.

Term life Insurance to 60 is more cost effective than loss of licence insurance,just pick the sum your family needs if you die, and also insure the wife, as her loss of service to the family could cause you to become grounded and an instant house father. Much better to be able to afford to employ full time a 20 year old Swedish blond housekeeper to care for the kids, and you on your days off and stay line flying.

In my day the Canadian Airforce 5BX exercise book was recommended for down route ( in your Hotel room,gym closed,dangerous outside streets,) to get and keep you fit.
Also sea swimming was better than the hotel pools which are generally infected and cause "things" to grow in your ears.
If safe streets a walking programme was recommended..
I used Bruce Tullough book Natural Fitness, and the 5BX and reached the level of fitness expected in a 6 year old!
The medics generally did not worry about my weight over the years as the BP was good.
They wanted my friends to get the weight off when the BP had risen and was not looking good!!
My company doctors never offered advice regarding preventive medicine or diet, only advice I got from one doctor at 38 was to quit my airline night flying roster at the age of 43 if I wished to protect my future health.
For my sins I ignored his advice,however his very poor BP killed him at 50.
So you also have to be a bit lucky.
I hope some of this makes sense and helps you enjoy a happy career through to retirement.

[gingernut]

What do you mean by fitness ?

Physical fitness means performing 20-30 minutes of aerobic exercise (should make you breathless), 3-5 times a week.

Medical fitness is something slightly different. I guess most people sitting at the back of the aircraft are not too concerned about the pilots ability to run round a track or swim a few lengths, they are more concerned that he or she does not drop dead at the control's.

The two are inter-related, but there is a subtle difference.

From the tone of your post, I wondered whether or not you are a journalist. If you are, then you may wish to ask whether or not medical examinations are predictive of medical emergencies (eg sudden death). If you want to know the answer then ask a doc. his or her honest opinion. (And look at some accident reports).

[Capt Snooze]

A word of caution.........

The 5BX program referred to by span*3 is excellent. Can be used at home or downline, needs no equipment, takes only 11 minutes, and is easily incorporated into a daily routine. I used it for a number of years.

However.....

It is NOT compatible with the chronic lower back pain which often occurs with the passing of the years in 'seated' occupations. In particular, the toe touching and sit-up related parts of the routine, will severely aggravate even a mildly herniated disc. My physio wore a look of horror when shown the routine.

So, if your back is in good shape, it's a great system. If you have any sort of lower back pain, be very careful.

I'm still looking for a replacement routine. Any suggestions welcome.

Snooze :)

[Manflex55]

Exercise is bunk. If U are healthy, U don't need it; if U are sick, U shouldn't take it.

[126.9]

In answer to the original question: I run 3 hours a week, cycle for 5 hours a week and play squash at every opportunity I get. I'm 38 years of age and as fit as a fiddle.
However, I don't do it at all for medical purposes. I do it because I enjoy it more than hanging around crew bars and restuarants, whinging about flying. :D

Edited for spelling - second language thing you know...?

[ 19 July 2001: Message edited by: 126.9 ]

[willadvise]

Snooze
Found this program a little while ago. Very good for when you are away.
http://www.fitness.com.au/articles/tbw.htm

Not sure if it is suitable for creaking back but does the trick for me.

[ 19 July 2001: Message edited by: willadvise ]

[IOS97]

Most large cities in North America have gyms open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so when flying into this side of the world you shouldn't have any trouble finding a gym even at odd hours.

[Air Conditioned]

The sort of "fitness" associated with gyms and extreme programmes is not necessary in a pilot, and may induce excess fatique.

Whether a pilot or not there is only one vital parameter you need and have control over: cardio-respiratory capability. Admittedly, obtaining this will also achieve some muscle tone and flexibilty; don't complain about that.

A suitable level of exercise can easily be achieved. Get yourself a pulse rate meter and exercise at any activity you like which raises your pulse to your training level. Do 35 minutes, 3-4 times a week. An exercise bike in front of the TV or CD player makes it bearable. You can do step-ups in a hotel room.

Any mumber of people will tell you how to establish your training pulse rate, but racing cyclists are probably best at it. The simplest is given for males by 220 minus your age in years, and exercise at 85% of that. (Females use 214 minus age.) I.E. a male of 40 years: 85% of (220-40) = 153.

Almost all of the current teachings on the subject were published about 25 years ago in "Total Fitness in 30 Minutes a Week" by Laurence E. Moorhouse and Leonard Gross. The title is just a catch, the content is fact and very well explained. This is still the best book I have seen.

I could quote a person in his sixties, competion squash player, Blood Pressure around 100/60, having used this scheme for the last twenty years and survived over 40 years of flying.

Edited with apologies to Mr Gross for mis-spelling his name.

[ 20 July 2001: Message edited by: Air Conditioned ]

[Tinstaafl]

I lie down so I can save my life's alloted number of fast heartbeats for something far more enjoyable. ;)

[Capt Snooze]

willadvise

Thanks for the pointer. Will look into it further.


Snooze

[Air Conditioned]

Tinstaafl:

Right on.

Raise your pulse rate to 150-odd for 30 minutes a day and gain a resting pulse rate of 45-50 for 23.5 hours instead of the average 72 and you are way ahead.

[PaulDeGearup]

I'm 47 yrs old and work out 3-4 times a week. 30 mins plus aerobic( the rowing machine kills me but I can do 1500 mteres in 5.5 mins) then weights and crunches etc. Also have the odd swim, but dont enjoy that so much.

Do it because I enjoy exercise, not because I have to. Also drink huge amounts of beer so it helps keep weight under control. :)

[Tiger_ Moth]

Paul, Im not sure if i've got this right but isnt 1500m in 5.5 minutes really, really good? Can you bench press loads?