Stay healthy while cruising

hi! My name is Jasmine from the healthy living blog Sweet and Fit. When Danica told me she was looking for guest posters while she will be on her anniversary cruise with Jay, I knew I just had to take her up on that offer. Danica is one of the sweetest girls I have ever met and I am honored to do this guest post for her – thank you Danica!

Right about now Danica is probably soaking up the Caribbean sun, shopping around on the islands, or maybe even winning some in the cruiseship’s casino – meanwhile I’m wearing two pairs of pants and roughing it out in the rain & wind here in DC. Its no surprise that I try to escape from the nasty weather in DC almost every winter, I have been on about a dozen cruises, ten of which were with Royal Caribbean cruise lines. As I grew older, watching what I eat and maintaining a healthy lifestyle became more and more important to me. Over time, I learned to adapt to my environment and make the healthiest choices while cruising. Sometimes it can be challenging to maintain a healthy lifestyle at sea, but with an open mind – its actually fairly easy. I think many people are going on cruises because of how affordable they are and also since its really an all-inclusive vacation (except alcohol that is). I figured I’d share some of the ways I stay healthy on cruises, and perhaps someone may find this helpful =)

• excursions! I think just about all cruiselines have offer activities at the different ports of call, some are just a walking tour – but other excursions really give me a work-out! I don’t know about you but my usual work-out is nothing like snorkeling, scuba diving, swimming with dolphins, hiking, or any type of watersport you can think of.

• walking – I notice that I end up walking so much more when on vacation without a car, than when I’m at home. Not only do I find myself walking up and down lengthy corridors on cruises ship, but I also do a TON of walking around on the islands. Not having a car will do that to a person, you find yourself walking a few miles over the course of the day.

• dinner – For people that are trying to eat healthy on a cruiseship, the fancy dinners in the dining room may not seem to find healthy options. However, the dining room almost always offers two healthy entrée choices for those who don’t like anything on the menu for the evening, the healthy choices may be a grilled chicken of grilled Atlantic salmon with steamed veggies. I find that while in the middle of the ocean, its probably best to take advantage of all the fresh seafood available – such as this amazing jump shrimp cocktail:

Also, the dining staff are really more than happy to accommodate any dietery needs/restrictions you may have. Its really not any trouble for them to put sauce on the side or modify the dish to your needs – they are really more than happy to make sure you are satisfied =) If all else fails, the buffet-style dinner option is a great choice for picky eaters – with a HUGE salad bar and sooo many other options, its so easy to pick and choose everything to create a well-rounded healthy meal.

 

Lastly – it’s a cruise after all! If there’s ever a time that you need to indulge and treat yourself, its probably on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean. When cruising, I do enjoy indulging a bit every night at dinner, but I try to make up for it by eating somewhat healthy most of the day.

Thank you so much Danica for giving me this opportunity to guest post on your lovely blog!

Happy sailing!

–Jasmine