(Credits: www.peckphotography.com)
A New Year can offer new beginnings, although you don’t have to wait until New Year’s Day to make positive change in your life. I began my new year a bit early and in a very positive way – I became united in marriage with my love on December 28th. We went on a cruise to the eastern Caribbean for our honeymoon afterward. Neither one of us had been on a cruise before so we thought we would give it a whirl. I must say that as nice as it was, I don’t think we are the “cruising type”…whatever that means!? The ship was absolutely amazing and there were plenty of things to do and EAT, but something about it didn’t quite fit our active personalities. Sure, there was a rock-climbing wall, a surfing simulator, basketball court, workout facility, and much more but it still wasn’t “our thing.” Of course, we managed to partake in most of the activity and had a spectacular time exploring the islands. We even did some snorkeling with the sea turtles, which was magnificent. OH… and did I mention the food?
Yes, I keep bringing up the food but holy moly, I couldn’t believe how many people had eyes bigger than their stomachs. They say that the average weight gain for a person who spends a week on a cruise ship is 14 pounds. 14 POUNDS!!!! Yowsa. It’s no wonder with a 24/7 buffet available that includes an assortment of high-calorie, high-carb, and high-sugar options. The wrong foods are SO addicting and people kept coming back for more. I know personally, my body was begging for kale and spinach when I got off the ship. Here’s a tip…take a pre-washed bag of kale and spinach with you and a nutribullet (or something similar) if you go on a cruise. Take fruit, nuts, and other veggies available at the buffet and take them to your room to make a smoothie. We did still enjoy the salad bar daily!
I think the hardest part in the beginning of our trip was unplugging from everything – the phone, social media, blogs, clients, and other work-related activity. You may have noticed that I didn’t blog or do any social media for a couple of weeks. My husband and I are usually in “productive mode” so it took a couple of days to decompress and just relax…I mean FULLY relax. With that said…once we both experienced full and complete relaxation with zero distractions it was the biggest blessing we could have asked for. Remember in December, I encouraged you to “unplug?” Well, you and I both know that “unplugging” happens only when we unplug from EVERYTHING not just from one form of communication. I now understand why Jesus went away from the crowds and “unplugged” so he could hear from God and regain his strength and peace of mind. Unplugging from the rest of the world allowed us to experience the same and enjoy quality time together.
Have you ever gone on vacation and wanted to just sleep the entire time? I’ve heard people tell me that vacation is where they “get caught up on their rest.” Well, my husband and I saw people lying around all over the ship on lounge chairs…sleeping! It made me sad on one level and happy for them on another. As a culture, we tend to go…go…go on a daily basis and tend to collapse at any chance of downtime that comes our way. It’s believe it’s time to reclaim our balance of work, play, and rest! Years ago, before electricity, people went to sleep after working longs days in the fields, cooking and cleaning, teaching, and other trades shortly after the sun went down. The sun was their natural guide to day and night…work and sleep! Now we stay up all hours stimulated with “fake light,” and immersed in TV, computers, video games, etc. Not to mention, we are seated most of the day and don’t activate our bodies as much as we should– doing very little physical labor. That’s a whole different topic and one that begs for it’s own blog!
What my husband and I experienced on the ship was a reminder for us to rest and rest fully – unplug and get recharged. God even rested on the seventh day after creating the earth and everything on it, declared it holy and saw that it was good! God didn’t need to rest, but He rested as a way to lead by example. We need to rest too! I encourage you to take a day of rest every week and I commit to doing the same. I always thought I rested well until I was “forced” into being unplugged completely…now I know the power behind it. It’s a really good thing! We will all have more energy to do what we are called to do in the days and weeks ahead. When I got back from the honeymoon – I had a better mindset, more energy, creativity, and excitement about life!
I’m super stoked about 2014 and I hope you are too! Work hard, play hard, and REST HARD! That’s my new motto. Rest once a week along with an intentional “unplug” of 2-3 days every quarter. Who wants to join me? Comment below and let me know what your intentional plan is to unplug in 2014.
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We love cruising… in fact, we were on a cruise when you were! The best part about it is that I HAVE to unplug. I have no choice, unless I want to pay 75 cents a minute for internet. 🙂
And we didn’t get much rest. We aren’t the people that need to sleep by the pool, but we are the ones that went to almost every activity they had whether it be wii bowling, shuffleboard, or trivia. I think I’m just now starting to recover from the lack of sleep!
So happy for you and your HUSBAND! Here’s to a GREAT 2014!
Hey Heather…yes, I saw that you guys went on one too! Glad you had fun, but seriously…you mean your internet was only 75 cents a minute? Ours was 85 cents. LOL! Forget that. 🙂 Thank you for the kind words. YES – 2014 is going to be fab. Miss you!
Congratulations on your wedding. It looked beautiful and you did too.
Connie gray
Awe…thank you so much, Connie! Hope you and Roger are doing great. 🙂 HUGS!
Congratulations to you, Wendie, on getting married. May God bless you both with joy, happiness and divine health 🙂
Thank you so much, Lillian! Sweet of you. Thanks for posting a comment.
I’ve been learning that little by little in the past few years. I turn my phone on silent and leave it in the other room when it’s “me time”. I’ve also set aside a little “me time” daily, I take every Sunday off, and I’m beginning to travel (which I hadn’t done in 20 years prior). I just got back from being out of town for 2 weeks with no work involved, trying new experiences, etc … And I am more excited and energized to be back home to work than I’ve ever felt! In fact, I accomplished more in the past 3 days, than the previous 3 months! Also, I go camping at least once a year with friends where I have no cell phone reception and it is the most peaceful quiet time I’ve ever experienced 🙂
That is awesome, Irene! I pray we all learn to do the same. Thanks for posting. 🙂
Congratulations on your wedding!! God’s richest blessings to you both!!!
This was a wonderful message!! Thank you for sharing it!! When we don’t rest, Satan takes over as burn out sets in and that’s where I’ve been for too long!! God knew we would need rest, and how important it us for.
Thank you again, and may God richly bless your new life together as husband and wife and also as a family!!!
Diane Wakeman
Thank you, Diane, for the nice blessing! Right – we don’t want burn out to occur in any area of life. Glad the message encouraged you and I hope you will rest in Him and with your work.
Hi Wendie!
Congrats to you and your husband! I was interested in what you had to say on your cruise experience. Sounds like you enjoyed what that particular ship had to offer and you got the big ship experience for sure. But after reading your comments and knowing you, I can say you were on the wrong cruise experience!
I am a certified cruise spet and have been doing this for 27+ years so I can say I think it was not the “cruising” but the particular overall ship experience. There are other ship lines that would be much better for you with like minded guests, priorities and very healthy food options (you would approve) as well as great activities. Many of my clients think like you guys and I would not have put them on that big mass market ship (with a rock climbing wall–I know what ship you were on (nice for some folks but not a good match for you guys).
I just wanted you to know this so you don’t give up on cruising!–but instead take a look at the great other cruise options that are out there that would be a much better fit for you guys! Being on the sea and in the fresh air is amazing–but you need the right match for a cruising experience you will love completely!
Hi Tracy,
I didn’t know there were healthy cruises…VERY good to know! We will look into it and possibly give cruising another chance. Thank you for taking the time to inform me and others. Have a great day. 🙂
Congrats on your marriage! I am a RD (but at home homeschooling :0)…I never leave comments but just wanted to share how much I recommend your blog and information. It is a great resource.
Thanks for all you do!
Thank you, Nicole! I appreciate the congratulatory message. And I appreciate you sharing my blog and website with others. Glad to hear you are an RD – it will take all of our efforts to get this country healthy! Blessings.
Anita and I were married on a cruise and are real fans of cruising. As you indicated, food is a big temptation. But with a few simple rules that too can be managed. No bread, no rice, no pasta, no potatoes and stay away from the deserts. At dinner If you do not really love what you are eating, don’t eat it, get something different that you love. The servers will fall all over themselves trying to please you and will immediately get a fix on what and how you want to eat.
I have only seen you in workout clothes and Anita is an engineer. The upside for you on a cruise is that for a week or so you get to dress up and like a girl.
I think that you may have under appreciated the the workout facilities and possibilities. Early in the morning walking or running on the deck, with the ocean on all sides can be delightful. While the gyms are full of metal, there are plenty of quiet or noisy places to do the kind of workouts that you do, all with a view of the ocean!!!
You did not mention the shows that the cruise-lines put on each night. any number of the entertainers could or have played in Vegas.
We are planning on an Alaskan cruise this summer. I would also think that if you wanted to put together a more healthy cruise with your like-minded fans you could also do that.
Thanks for sharing.
Hello Tim and thanks for your comment! 🙂 Food wasn’t a temptation for us directly, but I noticed how several passengers made sure they got their money’s worth. Yes, all the servers were incredibly accommodating and we fell in love with the two waiters we had every evening. We totally took advantage of the great workout facilities (used the treadmill, took a boxing class, etc), but we also did my Visibly Fit™ exercises in our room daily! 🙂 And YES the shows were fantastic!! But, we still aren’t the cruising type. We like to stay in one region and explore it thoroughly to get a good flavor of the culture, food, and landscape. The only other cruises we said we may try are an Alaskan or Mediterranean so we can see that part of the world. Sounds like you will beat us to the Alaskan – please share when you get back. Have a great day and thanks for posting.