photo credit: Jemingway

In the previous blogpost I mentioned that Sarah and I are now engaged, but also that we were on a cruise.

With the knowledge that on average every person would put on either half a kg or 1kg PER DAY we were determined to to fall into that category.

I’ve come up with a “5 step plan” sort of speak to make sure we did not gain 7,5 or 11 kilo’s on our 11 day cruise. I mean, that is just insane and we were very naive thinking that would never be possible.

While I am writing this, we have ankered of a small island called Waly and I thought it would be a great time to reflect on the past 7 days we have been on this boat.

food is everywhere

It really is. You can pretty much eat all day long going from breakfast, lunch, high tea, dinner and then the buffet for evening snacks and if you are still “peckish” than room service is your man. If you are doing this, I am seriously worried about your health and have to argue that you have isssues. clearly.

Eating that much, for 11 days is nearly something only an athleth can accomplish and you deserve a medal after those 11 days. Probably a stretcher too, but that is another story.

The “worst” thing about this is that the food is free too! You already have paid for all your food and only 2 other restaurants on board ask you for a small payment to attend these restaurants. These are a bit more sophisticated than the buffet, and one restaurant has 8 courses for a normal dining experience.

You only pay for drinks from the bar, as you already pre-paid a lot of stuff while booking.

So is a cruise an all you can eat floating prison? No.
It is actually a lot of fun. This is our first cruise and we have absolutly enjoying every bit of it so far. The staff is uberfriendly and service like a high end restaurant. The locations we have travelled have been gorgeous and the entertainment on board is also great. It suits something for everyone all day long. They have special kids rooms (different rooms for different age brackets) so the parents can take a breather too.

It is becoming a bit of sales pitch while I read back on the last paragraph but that is not the intention. We were just pleasently surprised. The other thing is that you really meet a lot of people from ALL age brackets. We have been sitting with 70+ to 25-35. It doesn’t matter, everyone is trying to make the best of it.

The 5 step plan

These are just guidelines, as you can find out yourself what you want or don’t want to use. No doubt they will help you enjoy the cruise while keeping off the extra weight that are so easily added.

These “steps” can be done seperate or you can try and do all. We have done all but had some trouble with step 4, but you probably can forgive us for that one.

Step 1: Join the Gym

It might be your holiday but that is not a reason to just eat and eat. I don’t mean to preach here, it is your choice but if you are reading this blog you are an active person or desire to be one. I certainly don’t want to put on 11kg’s by the end of the cruise…

So back to the gym thing. On the boat there is a great facility which allows you to to the basic weights and cardio. They even have spin facilities, yoga, acupuncture and the list goes on. It seriously is like a full on gym, but then on a boat.

Another great thing is that the gym isn’t that busy considering that there over 1500 people on the boat.

Step 2: Sign up for Bootcamp

Bootcamp is something fun and happens outside. The bad things (perhaps also a good thing) is that it only happens during Sailing days, so you don’t have to do bootcamp every day of your holiday. I was actually sore for 3 days…so I was very happy that I didn’t have to do it every day :) .

Bootcamp is a fun activity that starts early in the morning (8:00) which will get you ready for the day ahead.

Step 3: Don’t take the elevator

Our cruise ship had 14 decks, the ones that you use for the majority of the time is 7,8 and your own deck. 7 and 8 because that is where the entertainment and the restaurants are. Deck 11 was our own deck where our room was located. Deck 14 is the where the gym is located.

So, I hope you can see that you at least go up and down the stairs 3 times a day from deck 11 to 7. Then also go up and down to the gym, the main outdoor deck (deck 14). We made a deal that we would not take the stairs, even after a few drinks. We are still on a cruise so drinks are part of the experience (on board this is called the stairs diet).

You can get a lot of exercise just doing the stairs and leave the elevator along. The funny thing is, the stairs are also faster. Since a lot of elderly people take the elevator you may have to stop on several decks before reaching your own destination.

Its just a thought..

Step 4: Don’t get tempted

I’ve mentioned food before and that there is a lot of it. We have been eating more than normal, but you don’t even notice it so hence the reason I am giing you a heads up.

The breakfasts are great, there are lots and lots of (healty) options so that is not somewhere where you can go wrong.

Lunch is one of those things you can get carried away a bit. The buffet is really what you put on your plate will probably end up in your stomach. In the restaurants however you will find something different. How often do you go to a restaurant or a pub and order an epetizer, main course and a dessert for lunch? Before this cruise I had never even seen it. Here it it and you actually order it too.. trust me.

The food is great and offers a wide range of options but you never know how big it actually turns out so that is one of those things where you can get carried away very quickly, especially 11 days in a row.

Dinner is the same, but you are more prepared for it as it is commen that you would either order an apetizer or a dessert. I hardly order both but here it just seems to good to pass on. I (we) have been going to the gym on a daily basis so we keep a healty balans but because that the food is just so nice you just order 3 courses.

Step 5: Get off the boat

I don’t mean jump, but there are so many tours to choose from you just have to do one. We chose the absailing one and are looking forward to that one. There are others where you can go snorkeling, fishing, diving and many other physical (and non physical) activities to choose from so just give it a go. It’s not like you are coming back any time soon anyway right?

So there you have it, 5 ways to maintain your weight while you are on a cruise. For a sports addict these things are fairly easy to accomplish but for the beginner sports enthousiats this may be a great starting point.

I can definatly reccommend trying a cruise at least once in your lifetime. You hardly get seasick (with normal conditions) so don’t let that hold you back. We booked through P&O cruises if you want to have a look.

Keep it moving,

Ralph