Staying Fit While on A Cruise

FitSugar — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 10:15:00 -0700

Unless it's a fitness cruise, most cruises are notorious for being horrible for your health. This could be due to the ever present buffets or the laziness that being on a giant ship evokes.

Regardless of your reasons for gaining a few extra pounds while cruising, if you're planning a cruise this year, be sure to use these tips on staying fit on a cruise:

Eat 5-6 meals: Get out of your 3-meal rut. It's healthier to eat 5-7 small meals per day than 3 large traditional meals. Take advantage of the all-day food access by having more, but smaller, meals.
Grab a snack: If going on a day excursion off the ship remember to grab something healthy like a banana or an apple at the breakfast buffet so you can conveniently snack on it later.
Sushi is the same price as French fries: Many landlubbers eat junk food because it's cheap and easy. On a cruise, the food and its preparation are included in the price. Hence, healthy choices are as accessible as the 99¢ menu back home. Room service is often free as well.
Buffet tips & tricks: Buffets: Many people think "buffet" is a French term for "fat." This can be the case if you aren't careful. Start with the healthiest items you enjoy first. Odds are you may fill-up before you can get to the "danger" items. Danger items include: hamburgers, eggs benedict, pizza, creamy pastas, waffles with whipped cream, anything fried, sweets. Power foods include: oatmeal, almonds, salmon, turkey, sashimi, whole wheat bread, eggs/egg whites, edamame, peanut butter, fruit, low fat yogurt.
Drink plenty of water: While the food is included, sodas are not. Sodas can be expensive onboard the ship- often $2 per can. Sodas are full of empty calories; this is an ideal time to kick your 4 can-per-day Coke habit by drinking lots of water.

There are five more tips, so

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Staying Fit While on A Cruise