Working Out While on a Cruise

I recently got back from a 7 day cruise to the Western Caribbean.  It was awesome!  The problem I had, as anyone would, was all the food and constant events, shows, shore excursions, etc... So how do you keep in shape while on a cruise?  Two things will help: Make sure you don't eat too much and get in some exercise.

First off, the average cruiser gains 7 to 14 pounds on a 7 day cruise.  This is according to the Norwegian Cruise Lines' fitness trainer.  Why?  Because there is food everywhere!  You are essentially eating out for 3 meals a day (or 4 or 5...) for 7 straight days!  Imagine if you went to IHOP for breakfasts, Chili's for lunch and Olive Garden for dinner every day for 7 days...you would certainly gain weight, right?

I found that I ate much more at the buffet, then at the actual sit down dinners.  The portions in the sit down restaurants were a good size.  Not too big and not too small.   This is much better than going to the buffet where you are sure to eat more than you should.

Secondly, each ship has a workout room and sports deck.  The hours of the gym are pretty good and you can easily get a workout in on sea days.  Port days are a little harder, but then again, you can choose to do a more active shore excursion than a bus tour.  Also, little things like taking the stairs rather than the crowded elevators can give you a great leg and butt workout.  Just doing push ups and squats will hit a large number of muscles.  You could also do Burpees, which combine push ups with jump squats...a very effective exercise that will really kick your butt.

If you work out all the time, I suspect you won't have a problem staying motivated on the ship.  If you struggle with fitting in a workout while at home, you certainly don't have an excuse on the cruise ship.  Get up early and workout first thing and you don't have to worry about it again until the next day!