Staying Fit on Vacation (Health and Fitness Tips for Cruising)

Sharing a few fitness tips for you so that you can stay healthy and trim even while you are away!

In my recent Southern Fried Catfish recipe post I talked a little about my opportunity to cruise the Panama Canal on board The Coral Princess, one of Princess Cruises passenger ships.  The experience was amazing!!  From the destinations to the excursions to the onboard experiences, Princess Cruises has something that everyone will enjoy!  While the destinations and activities are certainly important, it was the food that impressed me the most!

Princess Cruises is known to have the best cruises for food lovers!  I can completely vouch for that!  The specialty restaurants, the cafes, and the buffets served up flavorful International cuisine and luscious desserts 24 hours a day!  It is easy to overindulge on all vacations, but if you bear in mind a few health and fitness tips, you’ll find that you can stay in tip top shape without depriving yourself of anything!

1. Eat a good breakfast!   I know I sound like everyone’s mother, but it’s true!  Whether you are dining at the buffet, the dining room or a specialty restaurant, loading up on oatmeal, fresh fruits, proteins like hardboiled eggs are turkey sausage will not only satisfy your hunger but will keep you full longer.  Yes, those fresh baked goods are tempting but eat them only in moderation.
2. Drink plenty of water during the day.  Whether you are out and about on excursions, touring cities and beaches or just lounging by the pool, your body needs to be hydrated.  Plus water helps you feel full.
3. Hunger in between meals? The buffet is always open! Here is where you munch on fruits and veggies.  Want some chips too?  Go ahead!  But add some guacamole, it’s tasty, and avocados are so good for you!
4. Buffets can be daunting, but GOOD food options are everywhere.  Load your plate up with as many veggies as you can (Don’t forget the fresh fruit! Cruises have the ripest, sweetest fruit ever).  Then fill in your plate with your pasta, rice, and protein. Choose lean protein like chicken and seafood whenever possible.  Our buffet was full of International dishes that featured a variety of flavors.  Remember, portion control, just becuase it’s there, doesn’t mean you have to eat it!
5. The desserts at the buffet were a plenty!  Go ahead and have ONE.  A treat once a day is not going to hurt you.  Keep it to one serving and only once a day.  You will never feel like you are on a diet!
6. If dining at the specialty restaurants or the dining room, order salad or soup fist and keep to a first-course portion or for larger appetites, choose lean proteins or even a vegetarian entree.

Now that we’ve covered the diet lets talk fitness!  The Coral Princess had a first class gym prepped with the weight training machines, dumbbells, ellipticals and treadmills you would find at your gym. I found the busiest times were early in the morning.  If you could wait until midday, then you would have any machine available to you.  Who wouldn’t love to work out with this view!

Don’t care for weights and machines?  Don’t worry!  There were plenty of group fitness classes available.   No experience necessary!  For our cruise, we could choose yoga, Pilates, spinning, stretching, TRX and even Zumba.  Plus the trainers offered a variety of wellness classes. Also, when picking your excursions, pick the active ones!  Take a walking tour of the city, swim, and snorkel, hike a trail or bike ride.  Exercise opportunities always exist! And when you are on the boat, take the stairs!  You will be better for it!

And if nothing from the above sounds good then head to the spa!  Relaxation is good for the soul, the mind, and the body.  You could choose from a simple Swedish massage, hot stone massage, acupuncture or a detox massage that promised to take inches from your body.

Vacations and Cruises should be fun and relaxing. You should enjoy everything around you!  But whatever you do, keep these fitness tips in mind.  Be active and remember that moderation is key!

 

Visit Princess.com to plan your next cruise!

More about our experience cruising the Panama Canal:

Cruise Tips for Introverts

Sheet Pan Pizza

5 Ways to Stay Active in Aruba

 

This post was sponsored by Princess Cruises, all opinions are my own.