So as I compile my pictures and start to close out my three day voyage I asked Meghann to guest post. Meghann has a health and fitness blog .  I actually met her on a cruise back in July on the Monarch of the Seas. This is going to be a two part blog. Hope you enjoy!  Feel free to leave your comments and check out her site.

Let’s face the cold hard facts – staying fit on a cruise ship is nearly impossible.

With unlimited amounts of tantalizing food surrounding you at every turn, a twenty-four hour bar service promising fruity tropical drinks and the ‘I’m on Vacation’ mentality; it’s no wonder the average cruise goer gains a full 5 pounds on a typical 7 day cruise.

Now, let me start off by saying I am in no way a cruising newbie. I’ve practically been on every seven day cruise option the Caribbean has to offer as well as a couple on the west coast as well. I’ve done my fair share of indulging, relaxing and cruise ship gaining. However, the three day cruise I recently took over fourth of July weekend was my first under a whole new healthier mind set.

After successfully losing and maintaining a twenty-five pound weight loss, I’ll admit the idea of a cruise was a bit of a scary one to take. I was determined to break the statistics and enjoy my cruise in the same healthy and happy manner I live by without gaining an ounce.

The trick to staying healthy on any vacation is staying active. Luckily cruises offer many amenities and activities to help cover that.

On Board Gym

My boyfriend and I woke up early each morning to take full advantage of the on board gym.

Our ship’s gym was fully equipped with treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes, free weights, mats and various weight machines. They offered complimentary fitness classes and had a couple personal trainers monitoring the area; offering assistance when needed.

I was surprised when our first day on the ship –at 7:00am– I had a slight wait for the treadmill. In fact the gym itself was pretty full with other health minded vacationers pounding out last night’s five course meal. This made me very happy, until the next day when I returned to a nearly empty work out center. I guess that first day is the only one that really counts anyways, right? 😉

Overall, I gave the gym onboard an A+ and encourage every one on their next cruise to check out the gym on their gym. With everything else on your cruise being offered at a world class level of service, why wouldn’t the gym follow suit?

Water Excusrions

Now if you are not a fan of the gym, like me, I promise there are still plenty of ways to stay active on vacation and still have fun. Swimming and snorkeling for one are great ways to burn calories without realizing you’re doing so.

I encourage everyone to take a break from soaking the sun up on the beach every once in a while and hop in the waves and splash around.

Special Amenities – Rock Climbing

Our cruise ship also happened to offer a free rock wall.

This is another great way to get a killer work out in while having fun. Just up and down the wall a couple of times will leave your body filling challenged and renewed.

To be continued….