When most people tell me what they expect when going on a cruise, they describe screaming children by the pool and 24-hour self-serve ice cream machines being abused. Well, that does exist on the ships; however, there is also a world of health available on the ship—you just have to know where to find it. As a dietitian, my patients assume I will not approve of their ocean adventures but nothing could be further from the truth. I am an avid cruiser and despite being a child of the eighties, not in my eighties, I love cruising and you should too.
Here are three ways you can turn your cruise ship into a floating wellness center:
Dine, Don't Eat. Take advantage of the main dinning room for breakfast and dinner. The main dinning area has excellent selections and in the time it takes your waiter to reach your table, you have had the chance to review the menu and make some healthy choices. The menu, often times, has a key that makes ordering healthy easy; sometimes it's a leaf and often in the color green. These meals are also portioned for you and you can order my favorite—a prix fixe meal. The moments in-between courses allow you to reflect on your hunger level and lets you assess if you’re eating for hunger or you’re just on automatic. If you head up to lido and start grabbing grub in the buffet area you may often feel rushed and with so many assortments of foods it might be harder to make good choices. This is setting yourself up to overserve and overeat.
Walk It Off. Decide before you get on the ship: No elevators! I know, it sounds crazy and your saying, “But Gina, there are elevators, literally everywhere. They are ready and dinging so I have to use them.” Well, no you don't. The best thing about being on a ship is, you’re on a ship! There is a ton of space to walk and burn off some of those calories you have been consuming. You can even take the stairs and stroll the deck at night for star viewing. Allowing yourself the time to “exercise” makes it so you don't have to visit the gym on your trip, unless you want to do a fun class or check out the eye candy of the ship. According to the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology, taking the stairs rather than the elevators may show declines in waist circumference, weight, fat mass, diastolic blood pressure, and low-density lipoprotein (“bad”) cholesterol.
Get Sweaty on the Shore. When choosing your shore excursion, pick one that get you up and active. First, make sure you buy them as early as possible—all the good adventures fill up fast and you don't want to be stuck on the trolley tour with children and the mature. Also, if you purchase a shore excursion you’re more likely to roll out of bed and get your money’s worth. If your day at port arrives and you still don't know what your doing, chances are you’ll spend the day wondering the buffet and get in a quick nap. Remember, pick something that is active. That means, sorry Segway, you’re out; and riding around in a go-cart, although fun, is not really exercise, despite what NASCAR has told us. Why not try some water sports, snorkeling, kayaking or paddle boarding? The average man, of about 150lbs, will burn more than 200 calories in a half of an hour of snorkeling!
Cruises are fun, safe and healthy ways to tour the world so get out there are take a deep dive into the world of wellness.
Be Fearless, Be Full.