Cruising with Lea Chehade

Calvin and Brooke Masters: You've counted every calorie, tried every diet, spent hours in the gym, and still something's missing. You want more than just weight loss. You want your energy back. You want your confidence restored. You want a way of living that doesn't feel like punishment. Welcome to Master Your Metabolism, where we cut through the noise, ditch the fads, and give you a real plan to become the healthiest, strongest version of you. hosted by our team of expert coaches with proven strategies, science-based tips, and real life encouragement, not just to help you lose fat, but actually create that lifestyle that you love. You've tried everything. Now, let's try what actually works. This is your turning point. Let's go. Brooke Masters: Hey there, everybody. Welcome, welcome to Master Your Metabolism. And I am here today with Leah Shahade. She is a friend of mine that I have met. And not only is she an amazing person, but she has actually helped me plan so many trips already in just the short period that I've known her. And I can tell you what is amazing about her is she is such a resource. And I was having a conversation with her one day because working with clients, I have people all of the time that are going on vacation and they don't want to go off track. They want to kind of stay on point, but especially with cruise ships, it is something that it is an all you can eat, you know, all they just kind of go on these vacations and just, well, I don't know how to do it, so I'm just gonna go ahead and eat everything and deal with the consequences when I get back. But There are a lot of options that are available that you can still enjoy your time away. However, to still have some options that will keep you on track so you can enjoy yourself. So I wanted her to jump on here today with us to kind of go over some things that are available. So if you are that person that is planning a vacation or planning a cruise, number one. Have her do it. It's so nice having it all handled. And you not have to worry about anything because I can tell you from start to finish with my little trips that we've done for like a weekend, or we had a cruise that she had planned as well. Everything is done and it is all first class. And she really truly cares about each and every one of her clients. And I know people that she has also worked with, and it is across the board. So thank you, Leah, for joining us. And I'm super excited to be able to. Have you share some information with everybody so they can figure out their way to navigate on this cruise ship that they're going. Lea Chehade: Well, I'm so excited to have the opportunity to talk with everybody because you know that is a big thing. We're so focused on health. And what do people think about when they think about cruise ships? All you can eat, all you can eat, all you can eat. But there are so many great things that people don't realize. So Brooke Masters: Yeah, yeah. And I know that there's different options, different ships, different, you know, available options for them. So if you can kind of just give some basic information of people so they will know like where they can kind of go from there. Lea Chehade: Yep. So I would say my biggest thing is the kind of room that you're gonna pick. So with my favorite line for health conscious people is actually celebrity. And the reason why that is, is because they have this whole category called aquaclass, which is all about healthier, wellness focused. And I think for those people, it just makes it easier for them to keep their normal routine. And with the people that you work with, Brooke, you know it's all about staying on that great routine. Brooke Masters: Yep, for sure, for sure. And I Lea Chehade: And so with Aqua class, like what it gives you access to is it gives you access to their full Parisian garden, which is all of their spa and wellness area. So you don't get your treatments for free, but you can use the sauna, you can use the steam room, you can use all of that stuff for that recovery so that you're making sure that you're maximizing your time. But the other thing that's really great about it is it does include all workout classes. So you have that opportunity. It also includes, Yoga mats, that kind of stuff as well. And then they also do bottles of water every day in your room. But the thing that I really think is the most important is their dedicated dining, which is called Blue. And it's all a healthier, focused option. And it's a smaller dining area. If you want to still order off the main dining, you can, but it's healthier, mindful choices. And if there's something you don't want to eat or you want something prepared differently. All you have to do is ask, which makes it so much easier than being in a huge dining room with everybody. And the other thing I think that's great with that is it's 6 to 8 p.m. or 6 to 9 p.m. depending on the ship. And you can just come in there. It's not a set time. So you can truly make it work around what your ideal schedule looks like in a day to stay consistent with the normal life you have. Brooke Masters: Yeah. And I know you mentioned something else because like we are doing that. and when you're in a big group and there might be other people there that aren't so health conscious. So what do people do when they have family or have friends that they're going with or other people that may not want to be healthy on the ship? but you do. Lea Chehade: So the great thing is their gym is amazing. So that's one thing that I think is really nice about celebrity is you can work out and you can see the views. You can see the ocean. So if you like to work out every morning, keep that as your habit. Because I think, you know, if you stay on those great habits, it makes it so much easier. For those of you, if you're in a big group and not everybody wants to do aqua class, some want to be, you know, you all wanna be together and you wanna do a different class, you can also purchase access to the Persian garden or the thermal suites so you can have still that spa experience and take advantage of that. You can pay for the fitness classes if you want. And then my other great thing about celebrity is they all have a track. So an outdoor track, so you can actually still feel you know the breeze and not be inside and have that opportunity to really stay healthy, but be connected or go on a walk with a friend while you're doing it. Brooke Masters: Yeah, that's nice. And when they're eating though, do you have you said there's a separate dining area. So if someone is not in aqua class, they cannot eat together. Lea Chehade: Correct. So if you're not an Aquaclass, my big point is to make sure that you're working with your travel agent to say what your dining restrictions are. Like we can put in notes in the system to say, okay, low sodium or no sodium or no whatever. You know, we can say those different things. Or if somebody is celiac or anything like that, we can put that in there. And then in main dining, if you are all dining together, usually you end up with the same waiter. So they get to know you. And they know what your preferences are and what you do and don't like, and I think that's really important too. Brooke Masters: Yeah, that's amazing. And are there any other, you know, besides celebrity, are there any other cruise ships that have different options like that or things that people can kind of look at? Lea Chehade: So the other one that I think is really good from an overall health standpoint, and you don't have to do any certain class with them is Virgin Voyages. So they're 18 and up, but they have a very health-focused cruise line in general. So on some of the decks, they have equipment outside where people can do pull-ups and almost like, you know, different circuits setup. So you can have that kind of stuff. They also have the main gym. They have an amazing spa. And then all of their food is pretty much made to order and every single one of their restaurants is included in their plan. So you can again say, okay, I don't want sodium or I don't want any carbs or I don't, you know, so you can really customize that and they have healthy options in every single restaurant. Brooke Masters: Very nice. And that was the that was the shift that you told me to watch when you're booking and to work with your travel agent, right? That had different times Lea Chehade: Mm-hmm. Brooke Masters: and different people that were booking at certain times. So you want to kind of look into that as well. Lea Chehade: Yeah. since it is 18 and up, sometimes there's very interesting clientele on there. So it just depends on what you're looking for and what you want from a cruise line. But if you are a really health conscious person and the timing works great for you to do it, it is a good option because I mean, like I said, their gym is beautiful and it is very, you know, you'll see people working out a lot there. Brooke Masters: Yeah, yeah. And besides those two cruise lines, are there any others that you would say to avoid if you were someone that was looking to kind of keep their routine, stay on track and what might be more challenging? Lea Chehade: that's a hard one because most cruise ships do have a gym. but just from a food standpoint, I'm kind of picky in general. And I feel like some of the lines aren't as great with, you know, really staying true to your diet or true to your core. Whereas both of those are really, really great with it. I would say if you you know, want to go on of the other lines, really focus on avoiding the buffet or making healthy choices in the buffet. with celebrity, their buffet is amazing. And they have, you know, carving stations and all of that stuff. So if you're really focused on protein or really focused on salads, they have beautiful salad bars. You can really still target your, you know, macros and however you're eating to accomplish that on the ship. And with virgin, Theirs is different. So upstairs it's called the galley and they have it almost kind of reminds me of like an old school shopping mall where they had all the different restaurants. So that's kind of what it's like up there. So you can really still customize everything because everything is still made to order. Brooke Masters: Right. That makes sense. That makes sense. Lea Chehade: And again, if you're going to go on some of those other lines, just really be careful of what you're eating and, you know, making sure because some, you know, it's like you'll see ice cream around every corner. And how easy is it to just want to grab that ice cream? it's only 100 calories here. Well, you just grabbed three that day. Now it added up. So Brooke Masters: Yeah. Yeah. Lea Chehade: I think that's one of those things that people don't think about a lot. They're not counting their calories because they're not sitting down, but All of that grab and go counts as well. Brooke Masters: Yeah. And it's one thing on the cruise ship, but I think there's also places that people travel to. I know when we went to Greece, it was, you know, it it's definitely different. I know traveling to Italy as well. I have clients that come back and they're like, I don't understand what happened. I came back and I still weigh the same. I'm like, mm, because the food is very clean. So I think it's also looking at the places that you're traveling. So you are on the cruise ship and that takes care of like when you are on the ship. But some of the places that you're traveling also might have some better options and walking more and things like that. Lea Chehade: Agreed. And that's the big thing too that I really think is important is to make sure you're tracking your steps. Like I have clients that will do transatlantic. So they're on the ship for 10 days without getting off and they focus on, you know, 10,000, 15,000, 20,000 steps a day because otherwise, what else is there to do? I mean, yes, there's tons of stuff to do, but it's that good goal. And I think when you're traveling, it's still about having that goal or that focus, but it's just accomplishing it differently. You know, like you may not walk around a track in normal life, but on a cruise ship, hey, I can walk three miles because I'm looking at the ocean all the time. You know, it's just a different way of doing it. But I do think the thing that's important too is if you are controlling what you're eating or knowing what you're eating and tracking it is to make sure that maybe it's a really good breakfast and then, you know, just a lighter lunch and then a lighter dinner or however you want to do it. Or if you usually are more heavy dinner person. you know, do that and not really as much breakfast and lunch. Brooke Masters: Yeah. And it's very similar. I tell clients all the time, just because you're on vacation doesn't mean you just kind of do whatever. You want to stay somewhat on your routine. So if you were the type of person that has three meals, just have three meals while you're there and think of something that you would have eaten at home. You just eat on the ship. So normally in the morning for breakfast, you're gonna have eggs and egg whites and, you know, some type of veggies and fruit, like they are going to have that on the ship. And then if there is a meal, I always tell people when they are traveling, especially on a cruise ship, calculate how long you're going to be gone. If you're going to be gone on a seven-day cruise and there are three meals that you're going to have each and every day, that's 21. So you want to think if there's a couple meals that I want to enjoy, cool. On this night, I want to be able to enjoy in dinner. On this night, I'm going to be able to enjoy like a really nice breakfast. I want to have, you know, a nice lunch on this day. So if you think about it, in 21 meals, if there's only three or four that are going to be off track. you're still in a really good place. And using the things like the track and staying active and doing the things is going to allow you to enjoy the experience, still have a couple meals that are you can enjoy. But again, using the things and the tools that are there to be able to keep moving you in the right direction because nobody likes coming home and going, the food tasted really good while I was there, but now I'm like really regretting it. And like, why did I Lea Chehade: Yeah. And I think the other big thing too that people really need to focus on is sleep. I mean, that's one thing that you and I have talked about a lot in general is just sleep. And so if you are a regimented person where you go to bed at, you know, let's say midnight every night or ten o'clock every night, try and stay on that same habit because that ends up fluctuating your weight so much as well is You know, what are you doing with sleep? And that's one of those easy things. They're like, I'm gonna stay up until three AM and then your next morning is a seven o'clock shore excursion. You know, you're shooting yourself in the foot before the day even gets started. Brooke Masters: Yeah. Do people have trouble sleeping on the ship? I didn't even like think to Lea Chehade: I don't think, I mean, usually people don't have trouble sleeping on the ship. It's are they partying and staying out too late and getting lack of sleep? Because Brooke Masters: Right. Yeah. Lea Chehade: I feel like I sleep great on a cruise ship because you feel like just a little bit of rocking or not at all. And I never have a problem sleeping on a cruise ship. But the other thing I would say that I think is important too, kind of like what we were talking about with the spa, is make sure you're getting that recovery time because a lot of times in our daily life, we don't have time for that. And so if you can. plan that in on one of the last cruises I was on, we went, we planned every single day, you know, an hour or two to go in the sauna, go in the steam room, sit in the relaxation heated rock chairs, you know, just to make sure that you're relaxing for your body and for yourself. Brooke Masters: Yeah. Cause stress is huge. And I tell people that is your one time that you literally have no text messages, no emails, like you can shut everything off and giving your body that time to decompress. Because many times a lot of the clients that I work with are go, go, go. The type A that I have to get this email out, I have to take care of this client, I have to do this. So when you give yourself that time away on a cruise, on any type of vacation. You really have to unplug because you'll find that when you give your body that that downtime, I explain it that it's kind of like you just go, go, go, and then all of a sudden you're giving your body the safe space that it can actually relax. That is huge because so often that our bodies are feeling in this fight or flight mode that there's kind of, I explain it, like a bear chasing you, and you are having to run from the bear and your body. Doesn't like that chronic state of fight or flight. That's where disease happens. That's where weight gain happens. That's where you start noticing all of the changes with your health, your immune function. You start getting sick all of the time. So allowing your body that vacation, that time away, but also not, again, saying, I am not answering emails, I am not answering text messages, I am going to be away. This is my time because this is what my body needs to reset and recover. You know, some I ask them Lea Chehade: Mm. Brooke Masters: to do it even when they're home. And being away is no different. But being away actually gives you more of that time. And a lot of people that go away, they come back and they're like, my gosh, I actually dropped weight. Yeah, it's really strange when you actually have no stress, you're eating healthy, you're still moving your body, you have the time to work out, you have the time to move, and you come back and your body responds really well. Because just like if you were working seven days a week. And then all of a sudden you had that day off, it was like, and you get to sleep and rest. Lea Chehade: Mm. Brooke Masters: You just wake up that next day completely. You feel like a different person. So allowing your body that time, allowing your mind that time to rest, reset, and relax is is huge. Lea Chehade: And another crazy trick that I don't think people take advantage of enough on a cruise ship is the stairs. So Brooke Masters: Mm. Lea Chehade: don't take an elevator. You know, give yourself like almost like a test that you will never take the elevator on the whole trip. You know, try that and see you will feel it. I don't care how good a shape you are in, you will feel it when you're done. And that's what I do almost all the time. I rarely use the elevator. otherwise it's upstairs, go up the stairs, go down the stairs, go up the stairs, go down the stairs because it's a great workout that is just a little part of your day. So it's keeping you still active and moving without really thinking about. Brooke Masters: Yeah, that is a really good tip. That is a really good tip. And what would you say are Lea Chehade: Mm-hmm. Brooke Masters: some of your favorite excursions for people that are looking to do something on the and I I know that there are so many and so many different places, but some of your favorites that you have had people Experience. Lea Chehade: That's really hard. So one of my favorite excursions that I did was in Aruba. my husband and I did it together. And what we did was we did we went off with private UTVs. So we each had like we had our UTV and we went and explored the whole island. And we went to, you know, beaches where you didn't see anybody. And it was all this off-roading all over the whole island. And it's really interesting to do that. Like get off the beaten path and see what's really there. another thing that I did with that was really cool in Curacao, we went to the Hato Cave. And so it's a cave that is a cave. And so we went through the cave. That was really cool. in Alaska, we played with the sled dogs. That was like my favorite, favorite, favorite. We got to hold the puppies. I mean, I've done a lot of really cool things in Santorini. I don't want to offend anybody, but we did ride the donkeys down, you know, and then we took the cable car back up. But that's totally like a Santorini thing to do. In Mykonos, the last time we were there, we drove, we did a full island tour, and most people never get out of just the main part of Mykonos. And so just to see everything else, it's completely different. Brooke Masters: Yeah. And I know a lot of people like we don't usually do many cruises. and we're super excited to kind of start experiencing a little bit more and excited for what you have set up for us. But I think, you know, a lot of people that don't get to travel much. the reason that I pick Leah, just so you all know, Leah has been to so many places. And I find that just like with coaching, so as a coach, I've been through perimenopause. So I feel like I can be a better coach because I've been through it, I felt it, and I know what it's like. So when I'm working with clients, I can guide them better. And I definitely feel that Leah is the person that I mean, how many places have you been, Leah? Like a million. I don't know that you can even. Lea Chehade: Over fifty countries. Brooke Masters: So she's been to over 50 countries and she's traveled so much. So being able to guide people with not just whether they're in a health journey or not, but someone that is looking to travel and you really want somebody that. Isn't just Googling information, but actually has experienced it so they can guide you and show you what would be best. And the thing that I like also is when you are planning my trip of telling me, hey, listen, I know this is what you're thinking, but these are some options and these are why. And and what do you think about this? And it's that part of it that is so nice to have someone that can show you and give you the rationale. I mean, I know one of our Recently was should we pick the 6 a.m. flight, which I was all for? And then Kelvin and our other girl that's traveling with us was like, no, thank you. We'll do the 8:30. And I'm like, over an hour and a half. But Lea Chehade: I said take the six because guess what? Those two hours aren't gonna make any difference. Brooke Masters: At all, at all. And the other person is leaving at 6 AM. So whatever. we're all about it. But it's really nice of having someone that can kind of guide you, give you the information and be able to make an educated decision for something that again, not a lot of us are gonna want to spend a whole lot of money on many things. And if you're saving up the money and you wanna have an experience and you're taking the time off of your schedule and all of the things, like and you want to enjoy it. It's really nice to have someone to guide you and to do the things and plan it all. So you could just literally show up enjoy. and also having someone there that can handle and manage anything and be able to alert you of any changes, I think was just such a game changer for me. So I really, really appreciate all that you did for us, Leah. but I would also ask, besides cruises, What would you say for someone that is looking to go away and have an experience that they want to be able to be active? They want to be able to have healthier choices when they're eating. again, not that they're not gonna go out to dinner and maybe have a nice meal, but for the majority, where are some of your like top places that you recommend, whether it be a cruise, whether it be traveling, you know, just by air countries within the country? Lea Chehade: So I really think Alaska is a great place because there's so much hiking outdoor, active. And if people are seafood people, I mean it's such a healthy way to eat and have a great experience. So I always say though with Alaska, you are better to do a cruise. And then if you want to do a pre or post land, that's a really good way to do it. from a health standpoint, I really like the city of Vancouver. Because it's a very outdoorsy active city. There's always something going on. You can paddle board, you can walk or bicycle all the way through Stanley Park. I mean, it's bigger than Central Park. And, you know, there's really cool walking trails. And, you know, people are so kind. And again, tons of seafood. So when I always tell people to do an Alaska cruise, I always say, you know, it's great to go out or into Vancouver so that you can experience that. a place in the United States that I think is amazing and many people haven't been there is Lake Tahoe. So if you Brooke Masters: Mm. Lea Chehade: want, you know, fun, beautiful, I personally think it's one of the most beautiful places in the world. and it's great in the summer or the winter. If you're a skier, like it is so awesome. And fun fact about Lake Tahoe, it has usually about 300 days a year of sun. So even though it snows and they get tons of snow, most people get sunburned when they're You know, skiing there. I've skied there. One year they were open almost year round. We went out at the end of April and I was skiing in a shorts and a t-shirt. Brooke Masters: Awesome. Lea Chehade: But there's a tons of cool stuff to do. So they have a lot of hot springs in that area. you can do stuff on Lake Tahoe, hike, you know, kayak, go backpacking. You know, there's lots of different things to do. And so I think that's a really beautiful place if people wanna be out in nature and be really Brooke Masters: Yeah. Lea Chehade: active. Brooke Masters: Yeah. Those are amazing. Yeah, we've never been, so might be next on our list. My son just went to s where is he? In Lea Chehade: I go ahead. Brooke Masters: Utah. He's in Utah right now, Salt Lake City, Utah. So he was going to he wanted to go to all the national parks over in that area. So that was his mission. But he's driving. I don't do that. Lea Chehade: Well, that's that's a lot. I just planned for clients yesterday. They're leaving from Wisconsin and they're doing a two week road trip to Colorado and then spending time in Colorado and then they're driving back. And so it was it's always fun to pick out places where people should really stop along the way. And you know, don't forget to see this or how about this really cool boutique hotel that you may not think of. You know, it's all about when you're doing a road trip, it's not just about the destination, it's about all the experiences along. Brooke Masters: Absolutely, absolutely. And it's nice to have someone to find those experiences because I know when we were planning it was like, where are we gonna stop, girl? Like, what should we do? So it's definitely nice someone that knows the areas that has again, not just from your experience, but your clients experience and things that you've done and being able to guide someone I think is just really helpful to make the experience just more special. Lea Chehade: Yeah, and the really cool thing is what makes the agency that I'm part of, Elite Escape, so different, is we have 16 agents and we all partner and work together. So if somebody has a client, you know, or is looking for something and they haven't been to that area, we all, you know, feed off of each other so that we're really Brooke Masters: Yeah. Lea Chehade: giving people first hand experience. And I think that really helps the best in planning. And for me with my travels, I mean, I know what happens when a flight gets canceled or you get delayed or whatever. I mean, it's all about pivoting. And I walk my clients through all of that. And I think that's one of things that really makes me unique and different in the industry versus everybody else, or not everybody else, I should say, but a lot of other people are like, you know, I booked it, but now your flights are screwed up. That's on you, you know? So I mean, I I was telling you a story. I had clients that left out of Palm Beach last night. Our flight was supposed to leave at 519. It didn't leave until 120 in the morning. They missed their connection. They the airline wasn't changing it for them. I went in and changed it. I stayed up with them to make sure that they got where they needed to go. And you know, it's that customized service that makes it unique and different because I've been there. I've had flights cancel. I was at an airport before I was a travel agent. when we lived in Rhode Island, I was in an airport. We were actually flying down to West Palm. my flight got canceled. And I saw there was a flight leaving 20 minutes later. I booked it on my app, canceled the other one, walked across to the gate and got on the plane. You know, it's like a job of a travel agent is not just to plan trips, but it's also to be a problem solver to make things happen. Brooke Masters: Yeah, because many people, I know myself included, like I got off a plane and they were telling me, well, you have 15 minutes to get to the gate. That's on the other side of the airport. running. Had I known, like it would be really nice to have someone to say, Hey girl, like there's one right behind it. We'll just go ahead and switch it out and be able to take care of it. Because it was probably one of the most stressful because I was there. My flight was delayed. It was so late. I wasn't going to be getting home until midnight. And like by that time you just can't think. So it's really nice to be able to have someone that can think for you and being able to switch those things around because it is a lot of work and it can very easily turn a really beautiful experience of going away into a nightmare. So Lea Chehade: Well, and that's the thing I think we also have to keep in mind too, and that's with all aspects of life, is no matter how great we plan, there's some things that we can't plan for. And in travel, one of the biggest things is weather. I mean, that's something we can't plan for. I had clients in Alaska and they canceled all the helicopter flights that day so they couldn't do the snow excursion. That was one of the things they were looking forward to most. Two weeks before that we had A big group of clients, same thing. Every single day their helicopter excursions were canceled. And you know, so we just have to be willing to know that sometimes we have to pivot. And no matter how perfect we think things are planned, it doesn't always work that way. And I feel like that's the same thing with weight loss and health is, you know, we need to stay focused on what our plan is, but know that sometimes there's a little bit of deviation and to make sure that we're still good on the long. Brooke Masters: Yeah, for sure. For sure. I love that. That is a great way to wrap this up, girl. Love that. Lea Chehade: Awesome. Brooke Masters: All right, guys. Well, thank you, thank you, Leah, for being here. And I hope you guys got a little bit of value out of this. I just know with us and going away, and I'm super excited for our cruise that's coming up and our massages and all of the things that we're gonna have on our day off, our time off. So that's it. Next year. Coming. We're just counting down the days. So thank you, Leah, for being here. I will be putting her information and the agency. If you guys need anything, she would be the person to contact. It will all be in the show notes. And if you guys have any questions for Leah, definitely put it in the comments. And if you love this episode, we appreciate it if you would share a review and follow us along for the next episode. Thank you guys. Have a good one. Calvin and Brooke Masters: Thanks for tuning in to Master Your Metabolism. If you found value in today's episode, it would mean the world to us if you'd hit subscribe and share this episode with someone who could use a little guidance in their health journey. Ready to take the next step? Head over to www.mastersfitnesscoaching.com and you can book a free call right from the site. so we can chat about your goals and how we can help support you. Don't forget to join our Facebook group where we're sharing coaching tips, support, and tricks to help keep you on track and continue making progress. You don't have to do this alone. We're here to walk with you every step of the way. Until next time, stay consistent, stay kind to yourself, and keep mastering your metabolism. Let's do this together.