Overweight? Then a cruise could be your best holiday ever.

There has been a lot of talk recently about obesity and healthy eating options so I thought I would tell you just how good a cruise could be for you even if you might have concerns about diet.

I’ve been lucky enough to have taken cruises on some of the finest cruise ships in the world. Recently, a client of mine asked me how I avoid gaining weight on a cruise.  This was my answer …

While a cruise is often associated with great food, and lots of opportunity to sample delicious culinary delicacies, I would not get at home, there is no reason why you actually have to pile on the pounds! The keys to avoiding weight gain are a balanced diet & exercise. When I go on a cruise, there are several rules I always try to follow to ensure I maintain my healthy lifestyle and you should follow them too:

1 – Build exercise into your daily routine

Firstly, I plan a regular exercise programme for my time on the cruise. This is really easy to do. Cruise ships have well equipped gyms and there are always instructors available to guide, inspire and motivate me. It’s fun and I meet lots of interesting people. Exercise doesn’t have to be limited to working out in the gym. It’s quite possible to go for regular walks around the ship.

During the cruise, I try to make it a regular habit to spend an hour or so strolling around the ship after breakfast and especially following dinner in the evening. Not only does this help me maintain my weight, it also enables me to find out what’s happening on board the cruise ship and mix with my fellow passengers.

Secondly, I use the stairs whenever, and wherever, possible. It may be a little quicker to take the lift, but when I’m on holiday,  I don’t need to rush anywhere! Therefore, there’s no reason why I should avoid the stairs and enjoyment of the extra exercise as part of my general movement about the ship.

2 – Take active excursions

The other way I try to build exercise into my time on the cruise ship is to take advantage of any active excursions that are offered by the cruise company. I like to avoid those excursions that feature long bus trips, and spend as much time as I can walking, and exploring, while I am off the ship.

3 – Eat a balanced diet

It’s true that all this exercise doesn’t help me if I don’t remember to eat healthily during the cruise, so I make sure that I enjoy a salad as one of my regular daily meals and I always take a healthy high-fibre breakfast in the morning.

Above all…    I cruise to enjoy myself. Otherwise, why bother. If you would like to have some idea, before you cruise, as to what you might expect to eat when onboard, then you really need to look at the enormous range of sample menus we have on our website. Choose the cruiseline, the restaurant and then check out sample menus. Here’s the link http://www.cruise.co.uk/cruise-guides/useful-info-menus-and-dining/

By following all these simple steps I am able to enjoy my cruise holidays without worrying about gaining weight. I hope you find these tips useful.