Ever since I moved to Austria 2.5 years ago, I always told myself I would take up every opportunity to explore the world. I live really far away from my family and everyone I am close to, so it’s up to me to make the most out of this experience. This weekend – spontaneous trip to Venice, Italy to meet up with my friend Emily and her husband Doug.
I took the night train on Saturday at 11:00pm and arrived in Venice on Sunday at 8:30am. We spent the entire day together on Sunday and then (as I am writing this) I am on the train back to Austria…it’s Monday. Luckily today is a holiday, it made this spontaneous trip very easy.
You guys know I LOVE my sightseeing runs and sharing it all with you guys on Snapchat. It’s the best way to see a place you are visiting when you don’t have much time. Luckily, my girl Emily is in great shape and requested we do a workout shortly after I arrived on Sunday morning.
Emily: ”30 minute workout then vino?”
Me: “Totally!”
So we did what I always do, just run around or “walk aggressively”, as Doug called it, getting lost and exploring new sights while getting in a workout.
Here’s what we did:
We stopped three times for 20 walking lunges and 20 squats. In fact, it was quite funny because we found ourselves squatting in front of a pizzeria.
Then we stopped at a bench three times and did these exercises:
- 20 step-ups (each leg)
- 15 triceps dip
- 15 inclined push-ups
- 20 inclined high plank knee cross
Then, as we were on our way back to the hotel, we stopped for a quick one-minute wall sit to finish it off! This was the perfect fat-burning workout to do while traveling in Venice. We got sweaty and still had PLENTY of time to have fun.
This workout was the perfect way to wake up and get ready to explore Venice. It was my third time there, Doug’s second time, but Emily’s first time! We had an incredible time exploring together.
We started off the day with breakfast on the rooftop of our hotel – Hotel Danieli. They had a really great breakfast buffet and (as you can see) an absolutely incredible view.
We showered, got ready and headed out for “vino time.”
Just to give a quick background – I used to work with Emily a lot before I started working at Runtastic. She was in sales for a nutrition supplement company and I was on the road with her a ton to visit clients, do in-store demos and, of course, for some vino time. Emily moved to Chicago with her husband 6 months before I moved to Austria. That’s why this trip was so awesome and magical because she was SUCH a huge influence in my life and we finally were able to reconnect in a fun way but in different parts of our lives.
We spent the entire day walking around, stopping for wine here and there. In the evening we went for a gondola ride and pizza. Shout out to Fabio, our gondola driver for singing for us. It was so great to do the gondola ride late in the evening (around 11:00pm) because the canal was so quiet, and eerie, yet beautiful. If you’re ever in Venice, consider doing the gondola ride as late as possible.
I must admit that since moving to Europe I have become a bit of a pizza snob. I really only eat pizza when I am in Italy. It’s just the best in the world. I almost never eat cheese or bread – but in Italy it’s a must.
You guys know I love to travel and work out – they’re like my 2 favorite things to do. That’s why I always talk about staying fit while traveling because it’s so important for me. It’s all about enjoying my surroundings and the local cuisines, but still doing my workouts and sightseeing runs. Not super strict, but definitely finding that balance and not going overboard. This is the easiest way for me to stay in shape consistently. I NEVER crash diet when getting ready for filming or shooting.