The Love-Your-Body Boat

Cruising for Fun and Fitness

By Carol Sjostrom Miller

Picture yourself on a cruise ship. What's the first image that comes to mind? Do you see yourself spending hours lounging on a deck chair with a good book? Or sampling lots of tropical drinks with little umbrellas floating in them? Perhaps you're enjoying huge plates of decadent, rich, fattening food.

Now imagine yourself on a cruise ship waking early for an exercise class, taking a power walk around the deck and attending seminars that focus on fitness, health and nutrition. Picture yourself eating sensible – yet delicious – meals, followed by a few spoonfuls of the chocolate mousse or creme brulee that is being passed around the dinner table.

Which sounds like the perfect cruise? For Susan Crandall, a nurse from Key West, Fla., there was no question. She chose the second option and took a weeklong fitness cruise.

A person interested in taking a fitness cruise will find many different types from which to choose. Some of these cruises cater to people who are looking for a more active vacation; others are designed with weight loss in mind.

On some ships, the theme of the entire cruise is fitness, according to Sheila Cluff, who has led more than 60 fitness cruises in the past 28 years. The cruise line may bring the staff of a spa aboard the ship, along with sports figures, doctors and nutritionists. Classes, motivational talks and seminars are held all day on these cruises. "The energy around the ship all revolves around fitness," says Cluff, who is the owner of two California health and fitness spas: The Oaks at Ojai and The Palms at Palm Springs.

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