How to Turn A Cruise Into A Healthy Endeavor- Really!
First of all, it helps when you have a renowned health and wellness brand like Canyon Ranch onboard, but after days of indulging on escargot, and the best intentions of ordering the “good items” on the menu like seaweed salad instead of dim sum, I realized I needed to up the ante. My Regent Explorer Cruise could really be a wellness cruise if I so desired! I exercised a moderate amount of restraint and got creative with all of the sources at my disposal. Here are 10 tips on how to cruise healthier:
1. Get committed to a fitness regimen. On vacation who wants to feel part of a schedule, so I decided I could do a 25-minute per day interval training in the fitness center. 25-minutes - quick and easy on the state of the art equipment. With interval you do not need much more time.
2. Tap into the Canyon Ranch onboard classes such as spinning, a class just on abs, or a boot camp! Try three while onboard.
3. Get creative with your cuisine. Sure you could go to the made to order pancake station, or you could focus on the foods that provide you fuel and make you feel great!
Yes, they have a green juice bar in the mornings (and if I get my way throughout the day). Make sure you order the juice with lots of green spinach and celery using the fruit sparingly only to offer a mild sweeter honey dew is great!
4. Use the stairs - always (except when my heels exceed five inches), but really this makes a difference.
5. Integrate some fitness into your ports of call. For example, we opted for a bike tour of Barcelona. As we booked this privately we could direct our guide for a more aggressive ride.
6. The Canyon Ranch menu - it’s actually really good and offered in the main dining room throughout the day. You can even treat yourself to desert!
7. I like to use the walking track as a light weight lunge course. You can supplement your 25-minute interval training with 10-15 minutes of lunges with light weights. Don’t be surprised if just this small bit of exercise will make a difference.
8. Recommended Deliciously Healthy One Day Menu:
Breakfast AM: Green Juice, egg white omelet (direct them to make a small one), a couple of fruit slices
Lunch: PM: Pacific Rim Style: Seaweed Salad, Miso Soup, Miso Black Cod, sautéed mushrooms.
9. Snacks: 3X per day in between, sliced apple, go to the bar and get 1/4 cup nuts, hot tea (anytime), banana and please DO snack! Allow yourself one indulgence per day and savor it!
10. Do one physical thing after dinner such as….enjoy a few laps on the walking track after dinner in the moonlight, play 25-minutes of paddle tennis, dance in one of the live music venues, or play bocce ball.
