All aboard! So you’re headed for your cruise, you’ve packed the bikinis and sundresses, got your camera and sunscreen, have dieted and crushed your workouts for weeks, and are finally ready to go. All your hard work has paid off and you feel great in your tropical attire…until day 2. That’s when the endless mojitos, 3-course dinners, all you can eat breakfasts, and absence of water kicks in – suddenly that bikini you’ve worked so hard to rock isn’t feeling too great. That’s the thing with cruises, especially the all-inclusive ones, they allow you to just sit by the pool and have everything, and I mean everything, come to you. So, if you’re wanting to keep your summer body and not have to go on a project come back from the 5 pounds you gained on-board, here are my tested and approved ways to stay fit on all inclusive cruises.
Almost every cruise ship these days has a pretty decent gym and outdoor track, so use them. First day on-board, explore the ship and find out where these two places are and how to find them from your room. Now I know you’re on vacation, so no one is saying you should be spending an hour in the gym, but getting even just a small workout in every day is going to help keep your body in shape, and your metabolism going in high gear.
One thing I couldn’t believe about a cruise was how hard it was to stay hydrated. It took me until day 3 to figure out how I could actually beat the cruise’s system of not having water at hand… Take a cute little bag or backpack with you wherever you go, and every time you order a drink, ask for a bottle of water, or two if they’ll give it to you. That way, the next time you drop by your room, you can empty your bag and stock your mini fridge with water bottles. Believe it or not, the more water you drink, the less your body bloats, so drink up to stay lean.
I have never done so many stairs in my life than I did on that cruise. Yes, there are elevators on both ends of the ship, but there are also stairs, and they are way less crowed and don’t require standing shoulder to shoulder like sardines for 15 floors. Also, taking the stairs everywhere will burn more calories than those 3 mini muffins you had at breakfast. In all seriousness, if you have strong legs and you want to keep them that way, just forgo the elevator lines and hit the stairs instead.
This is kind of a two-parted, the first being that you need to sleep for your body to work. I am not saying you should be in bed every night by 10 pm, although there’s nothing wrong with that, but you should try to give yourself some sort of curfew. Maybe try and head back to your room by midnight or 1 am most nights. The second part of this is to get up at a decent time in the mornings. Sleeping until noon, not only wastes your vacation, but it also puts you straight into the thick of things. If you get up earlier, you will have time to walk the track, or get a quick weight session in before all the mayhem begins and the booze starts flowing.
This was one thing I wish I had thought of before I took my cruise, because I didn’t figure it out until the last full day at sea. That being that the activities that your cruise likely offers could be key to keeping you in shape. My cruise ship had rock climbing surfing, swimming, and even yoga sessions, just to name a few. These things are not only fun, they are a hell of a workout and do a lot more for you than laying on a pool chair all day drinking margaritas. Consider looking at your ship’s schedule every night so you know if any of the activities offered the next day are calling your name… that way you can skip the morning gym session and hit the waves instead.
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