Keeping active – The Tales of Two Travelling Turtles

Keeping active

Getting to and from your cabin is just the start

I needn’t have worried about keeping my step count up on the Queen Mary 2. There are plenty of ways to get some exercise on board, and they are definitely needed as a counter to the amount of good food on offer.

The scale of the liner is impressive. If you walk round the promenade deck five times that’s 1.1 miles clocked up and I certainly managed to get a few circuits in several times a day. Regardless of the weather, there are always fellow passengers doing the same – well wrapped up against the wind and rain. When the weather on deck gets too much, the sheltered option is a walk inside – with 14 decks, there are plenty of stairs, and the cabin corridors seem to go on for ever.

I used the upper deck for jogging as there are fewer people than on the promenade. In rough weather there’s more movement up there, which provides its own challenge, and it’s certainly much more exposed to the elements – I went out in rain, fog and wind (as well as sun). One day the wind was so strong I ran without making any headway – just like being on a treadmill – and I suspect the guests looking out from the sun lounge thought I was more than a little mad!

The gym itself is an interesting proposition when the sea state is heavy. It’s on the 7th deck at the very bow of the ship, and there can be a lot of movement, particularly when the swell is seven metres as it was on part of our trip. Although there are no sudden changes of direction, running on the treadmills is interesting when they rise up to meet you, or fall away mid stride, leaving you hanging in the air.

Then there are the pools – not big enough for full-on exercise but perfect for a relaxing dip – and swimming while the pool water sloshes from side to side is definitely something to experience.

There are also endless opportunities for dancing. We added some tango steps to our (very limited) repertoire.
But the best aerobic exercise was the silent disco. Hidden right in the stern of the boat, with three channels of music to choose from – something for everyone to get the blood pumping.

by Jackie