5 Easy Ways to Stay Fit on a Cruise

I think I’m unlike 95 percent of the population–I actually lose weight when I travel. In fact, it’s usually the only time I can lose weight. I always tell Randy that traveling for a year would be one of the healthiest things I could do for myself, not to mention the easiest, and undoubtedly the most fun way for me to get to my goal weight.

I was looking forward to our Carnival cruise for a number of reasons, but, if I’m being honest, it’s because I wanted to use the time to set up a healthy routine before the holidays officially started. With that in mind, I treated the cruise ship like my own personal health and wellness resort, except this resort moved, so I also got to play in some pretty incredible places too. This turned out to be a fun way to cruise, and I came up with these five tips that you can use to stay fit on your next cruise.

Eat Healthy

You can do this anywhere, even at home, but the best thing about cruising with the intention of eating well is that all of the work is done for you. In many ways it’s like having your own personal chef, something I’ve always wanted. Forget having to wash and cut veggies or even cleaning up, it’s all taken care of. With a myriad of healthy options on board, this is the easiest way to stay fit while cruising, just remember to watch your serving sizes.

Get Physical

This was our second Carnival cruise, so I knew going into the trip that the workout facilities onboard would be top notch. At our disposal we had a world class gym, basketball court, jogging track, and a studio for classes like Yoga and Pilates, all of which we made use of. At the start of the cruise, we had back to back sea days, so we did a morning Yoga class ($11 per person) on the second day, and found it to be a great start to our day at sea. Plus, walking the length of the ship alone will help you to rack up your daily step count, and by opting for the stairs instead of the elevator, you’ll be able to get a nice little work out without even knowing it.

Play Hard

From bobsledding in Jamaica to learning to dive at a Grand Cayman reef, there all types of excursions that you can do once you’re in the port. Personally, my favorite types of exercise are ones that are so much fun they don’t feel like exercise at all. If you feel like I do, then chose excursions that include physical activity, such as snorkeling, exploring ruins, and city walking tours.

Do Nothing

If you only remember one tip, make it this one. Taking time for yourself is important for your well-being. And one of the best things about cruising is that you have all the time in the world to simply do nothing, if you so choose. There were so many ways to relax on the Carnival Dream that I could dedicate an entire post them. I guess, though, if I had to pick my favorite then it would be the Dive-In Movies on the Lido deck, where we watched movies on the big screen under the stars while enjoying fresh popcorn.

Drink Smart

I’d tell you to drink less but let’s be honest, this is a cruise. With more cocktails than there are letters in the alphabet, it’s safe to say you’ll likely be tipping back the glass more than usual. So the best thing you can do is drink smarter. Stay away from the creamy or sugary staples, like the pina colada, and chose drinks with fewer ingredients, such as a gin and tonic with a few limes–my personal favorite–or a glass of wine or  light beer. Also, drinking smart applies to non-alcoholic drinks too. Treat soda as just that, a treat, opting instead for water and iced tea (unsweetened, of course), both of which are free onboard.

Got an awesome tip that we missed? We’d love to hear it. Let us know what it is in the comments!

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Disclosure: This story was created as part of our collaboration with Carnival. As always, all of the opinions, thoughts, and ideas in this post are our own.