I heard somewhere once, that the average person puts on 1lb per day on a cruise.  That’s a whole stone in weight on a two week trip!

Cruise ships allow you to indulge for sure, with unlimited food and drink available around the clock, so it’s understandable that you may need to take this into account when packing your holiday clothes – I now pack ‘looser’ clothes for the second half of my cruises for the inevitable weight gain!

One thing that cruise ships do well is cater for people who want to stay active and provide lots of opportunities to burn some of those excess calories.

Fitness Suites

Almost all cruise ships have a well-equipped fitness suite on board with multiple exercise machines.  Mornings typically are the busiest time but on my last cruise I did see people leaving the fitness centre at 9pm at night!

Walking and Jogging Tracks

Walking and jogging tracks can be found on the higher decks, providing fantastic views whilst you exercise.  You don’t need to be a fitness fanatic to go for a stroll; you can burn up to 40 calories for a 15 minutes brisk walk so little and often is the key.

Zumba

My personal favourite is going to Zumba classes on sea days.  I’m a Zumba instructor at home and so it’s my only opportunity to be part of someone else’s class, which is a refreshing change.  Sometimes these classes are held outside, which provides a welcome breeze to keep you cool during the workout.  These classes cater for beginners and people who don’t regular attend classes and are great as exercise in disguise!

Dancing

Dance classes are staple activities for most cruise ships, providing step-by-step guides to popular dances such as the Merengue and Cha Cha Cha with professional dance teachers.

Line dancing is also a popular dance activity with passengers, as well as the chance every night to have a boogie in one of the entertainment venues on board.

Sports

This is not limited to shuffleboard!  Daily sports activities can be found on every cruise so whether you fancy trying golf, basketball, volleyball or even surfing, there will be something to join in.  Royal Caribbean now also offer passengers the opportunity to get PADI certified so you can scuba dive whilst ashore.

All these activities can be quite exhausting but the beauty is that you can do as much or as little as you like… and remember, a sun lounger is never too far away!