geneva Archives - Page 6 of 18 - My Healthy, Happier Life

ashleyd / June 13, 2014

Two New Family Members

As I mentioned in my post earlier this week, since moving to Geneva Bo and I are inspired daily to be more active. Everyone in our life seems to be so fit! When we left New York my one true love in the fitness world was running.

Now I find myself wanting to dabble in more and more sports each month that passes. This winter I learned how to ski and found myself looking forward to the sun, energy and excitement of being up in the mountains surrounded by fresh snow, good friends and beautiful views.

Since Spring’s arrival in Geneva our friends have urged us to spend more time outside with them exploring trails, biking along the lake, and swimming. While Bo and I already owned trail shoes, running gear and swim suits we did not have road bikes. We rented bikes while living in New York City because at the time there was nothing tempting us to ride more than one to two times per summer. While riding up the Palisades was an amazing experience it never became a part of our daily routine.

Here in Geneva however, biking is very much part of the culture not only for exercise but also for transportation. Many people swap out their tram pass for cycling shoes as soon as warmer weather arrives as biking is often a more efficient way of getting to work.

So after a long weekend of renting road bikes and testing out the Geneva biking scene, Bo and I made the leap and purchased entry level road bikes. While there was a bit of a language barrier during the shopping process, at 7:35pm we exited Culture Velo the owners of two new bikes: a La Pierre women’s road bike for me and a Trek for Bo!

I know what we’ll be doing on Sunday!

Have a great weekend guys!

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ashleyd / June 9, 2014

Get Outside

Happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Here in Switzerland we have a three-day weekend in honor of Whit Monday. While it may seem like we have a lot of bank holidays over here, the fact is that they are simply more condensed than the holidays in the United States. While there is a national holiday on average of once a month in the United States, Switzerland has only four more this year: August 1st, September 11th, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve.

A year ago, I was spending quite a lot of time enjoying workout classes like Barry’s Bootcamp, Soul Cycle, Uplift and the rest of my NYC favorites before the big move. I had a hard time imagining life without these classes as working out in a group setting had become such a way of life. After the move, I quickly realized that there are very few workout classes in Geneva and that many of my co-workers did not even have a gym membership. When I asked about how they worked out, many of them laughed at me. The general response was, “look outside, the whole world is my gym.” I figured that maybe something just didn’t translate well.

Going away workouts

Yesterday, when typing an email to a new Geneva expat, I found myself giving similar advice when answering her question of which gym to join and how I work out in the city. While I still rely on my small office gym for workouts when the weather is bad or for convenience, I rarely use it more than once per week. There aren’t large chain gyms here in Geneva other than a CrossFit box which is on the other side of town. Instead, I find myself spending as much time working out outside and then taking advantage of smaller, local studios such as InnerCity Yoga.

The people with whom we surround ourselves in Geneva are the most active group I’ve ever known. For them, working out is more than just a way to burn calories and stay in shape. It is a way to enjoy nature and each other’s company. This morning, when I looked through my Facebook feed, it was clear that my closest friends spent the entire three-day weekend outside being active. Some went canyoning in Interlaken, others hiked in the mountains, and those of us who stayed in Geneva spent time cycling, running, and swimming in and around the lake.

I highly recommend that you challenge yourself to think twice before heading inside for a workout this summer. The next time you find yourself ruled by your workout class schedule try thinking differently. Swim in a local lake, rent a bike and explore back roads or trails, or swap out the treadmill for a run outside. While the first outdoor workout might be more difficult, your body and mind will thank you in the long-run.