Staying energized throughout the day to enjoy all the amenities of a cruise is a challenge for many of us. We often find ourselves feeling sluggish and unmotivated by late afternoon. Or at best, by dinner, we’re exhausted when the fun goes on to early morning. But with a few simple changes, you can stay energized and active all day long and well into the night. In this article, we’ll discuss some simple strategies that will help you stay energized on your first cruise.
Embarkation Day Will Test Your Energy Level
It’s your first cruise and you have been losing sleep over excitement for days. On top of that, you have been very busy preparing for the cruise. Possibly tying up loose ends so that everything goes well while you are away. And packing for the cruise can take a lot of energy from you.
Energy is the strength and vitality to sustain physical and mental activity. Physical and mental activity is what you are guaranteed to find on a cruise and lots of it. What you don’t want to do as a first-time cruiser is crash and burn and miss out on all the fun.
The embarkation process involves the boarding and stationing of passengers in cabins by staff and crew members. Most cruise lines have improved but you will need to put on patience to keep your sanity during this process.
On the first day, you will get lost many times, and finding your way around the ship will be challenging.
You may be a first-timer or a seasoned cruiser, but we all can use as much energy as possible when at sea. Here are several ways to boost your energy level:
Get the Right Amount of Sleep
All the activities that you experience for the first time can be overwhelming. You will enjoy endless entertaining activities that begin early morning and continue late at night. There are game shows, dinner shows, ship tours, cooking classes, bingo, shopping seminars, casino specials, pool parties, late-night movies, and comedy shows. An average cruise houses over 2500 people and there is always a group that never wants to sleep. On most cruises, pizza and ice cream are available almost 24 hours each day.
We all know that lack of sleep can wreak havoc on your energy levels, mood, and productivity. But it’s not always easy to determine how much sleep you need in order to feel energized throughout the day. There are numerous factors that contribute to how well you handle energy throughout the day including your age, weight, and gender as well as what time of day you’re doing activities like working, exercising, or just having fun. If you’re feeling tired or unmotivated during the day but don’t know what’s causing it, first make sure you’ve been getting enough sleep. Research suggests that you’re sleep-deprived if you’re getting less than six hours of sleep each night.
Eat Foods That Will Energize
The body’s circadian rhythm (biological clock) is a key factor in the way your body handles energy throughout the day. The biological clock, or circadian rhythm, is an internal mechanism that regulates the body’s activities and behavior over a 24-hour period. It is a complex interaction of hormones, brain activity, and environmental cues that work together to influence when we sleep and wake up when we feel hungry or thirsty, and more.
When you eat, your biological clock eats. In addition, this clock helps our body digest and metabolize nutrients from the food we eat and uses the food to make energy. But, the biological clock can become confused by when and how we eat. To produce energy, the biological clock needs healthy foods and consumption to be at a proper time. Eating late-night meals affects how your biological clock will function the next day. Imagine how much energy you would have the next if you worked all night. That’s precisely what your biological clock says.
Furthermore, a morning meal provides more energy than a lunch meal or dinner. Experts advise people to eat breakfast within 90 minutes of waking up.
Eat for energy – salmon, citrus, eggs, leafy greens, bananas, apples, and dark chocolate. Vegetable juice shocks your body and gives you an energy boost. Pack tomato or V-8 juices and enjoy one every day on your cruise.
Add Exercises or Activities That Make You Move
Exercise in the early morning to get the best benefits. Exercising too close to bedtime can contribute to sleep difficulties rather than improve your quality of sleep as many people might think. This is because exercising too close to bedtime can lead your body temperature and heart rate to increase, resulting in an inability for you to enter the deeper stages of sleep during which cell regeneration and growth happen each day while you are sleeping at night.
Exercise increases levels of endorphins and keeps you moving. Better sleep and mental sharpness happen when you exercise. Most ships will have a state-of-the-art exercise room and newer ships are equipped with sports decks for basketball or dodgeball and other activities like completing a rope course, rock climbing, and zip-lining.
“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” Jim Rohn
Stay Hydrated With Water and Electrolytes
It’s important to stay hydrated throughout the day.
Staying hydrated is essential for good health, and drinking water throughout the day helps ensure that you are getting enough water. Water helps keep your body functioning optimally by aiding digestion, maintaining blood pressure, transporting nutrients and oxygen to cells, providing protection to vital organs, and helping to regulate body temperature. Drinking enough water can also help reduce fatigue and improve cognitive performance. It is important to drink plenty of water throughout the day in order to stay healthy and perform at your best.
Get Plenty of Vitamin B
While Vitamin B1 converts food into energy and B5 helps break down fats and carbohydrates for energy, all the B vitamins work together and contribute to your overall health. You can find most of these vitamins in vegetables, fruits, and proteins like poultry and fish. However, Vitamin B12 is not in vegetables.
Vegetarians or vegans may find it challenging to get enough of this vitamin in their diet and may need to include a vitamin supplement.
Eat and Drink Vitamin C
Vitamin C has many benefits and is a powerful antioxidant. This vitamin helps to regenerate tissues, helps in the absorption of iron, decreases high LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, and fights free radicals just to name a few. When you do not have enough Vitamin C, it will cause fatigue and muscle weakness.
Apples, berries, lemons, limes, grapefruits, broccoli, spinach, and a variety of other foods contain Vitamin C. Getting enough of this vitamin should not be difficult but if you are prone to eat fast foods, taking a Vitamin C supplement might help and prevent deficiency.
Eat more complex carbs because they provide vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Fiber will help eliminate waste easily and prevent you from feeling sluggish. Whole wheat pasta, avocado, and garbanzo greens are excellent sources.
Boost Your Intake of Magnesium
“Magnesium helps build bones, enables nerves to function, and is essential to the production of energy from food.” Six minerals that the body needs in large amounts are magnesium, calcium, sodium, phosphorus, potassium, and chloride. We go through our everyday lives doing all types of tasks and activities. What you may not know is that you are depleting your body of magnesium. Five ways you can deplete magnesium:
- Stress
- Caffeine
- High Sodium Diets
- Medications
- Vitamin D Deficiency
Foods like nuts, green leafy vegetables, and whole grains are good magnesium sources. If you’re not getting enough magnesium in your daily diet, supplement.
Conclusion
Taking a cruise is an exciting experience, but it can also be exhausting if you don’t know how to stay energized. From making sure you get enough sleep to eating the right foods and exercising regularly, there are plenty of ways to keep your energy levels up.
Rest and relax during your cruise.
Don’t feel that you have to do every activity while you are on the cruise. Nor do you have to do an excursion at every port. One thing you will know quickly is if you want to cruise again. There will be plenty of opportunities to do some things on your next cruise. Take time out during the day and sneak in a 30 or 60-minute nap.
Eat food that energizes, drink plenty of water, and take a nap at least once each day. Follow these tips and you will consistently have the energy to enjoy the best cruise ever!
