Staying slim on a cruise holiday could be a nightmare, think 24 hour buffets and endless choices to tempt you. Or maybe you have just started dieting and exercising and your cruise is just around the corner. Will you dread stepping back on the scales when you return?
Cruising has changed over the last few years; it’s not just bigger ships offering more destinations, now many have encompassed a healthier option for those who wish to stay slim on their cruise holiday.
Think of it like a 5 star Health Resort, with your every need catered for. It is a lot easier to start eating healthily or remain on your healthy eating plan if someone else is doing the cooking, planning your daily meals, and counting all the calories for you. The options to take up a new form of exercise are bountiful, maybe you’ve always wanted to try Yoga, Tai-chi, or aerobics. Or just discover what all those machines in the gym can actually help you achieve. On a cruise ship you have the luxury of trying them all to see which suits you, a tiresome and potentially expensive option once back on dry land.
One of the key elements to staying slim on a cruise is to set yourself a routine, choose certain times to eat and try to stick to them, which is much easier if you have pre-booked an exercise class. Of course being on holiday means time to unwind and crack open a bottle or two of wine, which can be the downfall of any healthy eating plan. If like myself you are a lover of the vino do not despair, try mixing it with a slim line tonic to make a refreshing spritzer, or save that special bottle that you really like for a pre planned meal where you have taken the calories into consideration. Also remember you don’t have to drink the whole bottle in one sitting, ask the waiter to seal it for you and enjoy with your next meal.
Avoid, avoid, avoid the buffet restaurant unless you have nerves of steel. I challenge only the robots of our species to not pile the plate with those extra tempting calorie laden titbits, or indeed go back for seconds and thirds. At the more traditional type of restaurant you can choose your meal without having the temptation of looking at what you know you shouldn’t have. One tip that has over the years helped me enormously, ask the waiter to remove/don’t put there in the first place, is the bread basket, it is oh so easy to spread with butter and nibble away till your actual meal arrives
If like me you are a natural grazier, a lit bit of something and often suits the way you eat, and then seek out the many options on board of fresh fruit which will be in abundance, or raw vegetable, even try if you haven’t already great freshly made smoothes that are a great way to fill yourself up. Obviously go for the options that don’t contain coconut, which unfornately for a coconut lover is laden with calories.
Cruise holidays also offer the chance to join in with on deck sports and activities. Walking around the deck certainly beats walking back at home on a rainy day. Views of the ocean are inspiring and creative, and indeed reflective. Take this time to be selfish, and relish in the wonders of what you have achieved or would like to achieve.
Then there are the swimming pools. Maybe there is nothing more luxurious then swimming in an open air pool aboard a cruise liner as you gently glide across the ocean, and of course a great opportunity to tone up. An option that I particularly like is jogging in water, not only are you supporting all the major muscle groups, but you will find you can keep going a lot longer than if you were to jog around the deck. If you haven’t seen anyone jogging in the pool before, be the first, you will soon find you have quite a following.
One of the UK’s favourite cruise brands, P&O Cruises, Sports & Spa offers a wealth of options to regenerate mind, body and spirit. Their ocean view gymnasium with its up to date equipment and personal trainers can be combined to build a comprehensive well-being programme. P&O Cruises have literally taken the cruise holiday to another dimension with their ‘CruiseTone’ option, which incorporates a balance of healthy eating menus, personal trainers, and classes ranging from Pilates, Yoga, to the more energetic aerobic classes. Of course all of these activities need to come with some much deserved relaxation, and here again P&O Cruises do not disappoint with their excellent Holistic Spa. Here you can wile away the hours being pampered with the latest treatments in facials, aromatherapy, reflexology to name but a few of the vast list of beauty and relaxation treatments available.
Staying slim on a Cruise holiday is two-fold; it is how you exercise and what you consume. But the fantastic facilities and healthy food options have now pushed Cruise holidays to the fore. You can now look forward to coming home to a healthier, slimmer, more revitalised you, and of course a cruise holiday to remember.
Original article written by Amanda Barnes for Ideal Cruising
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