Category Archives: Work Out

On the Twelfth Day of National #PlanForVacation Day: Cycling in Burgundy

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France offers many wonderful wine regions, one for every wine enthusiast it seems. For Mark, Julie, Allen, and Alicia, Burgundy was the choice.

Burgundy is made up of vineyards, castles, rivers, and a lot of history. Dijon, its capital, can easily be reached in an hour and forty minutes from Paris via high-speed train. If you are into wine, there is quite a bit to explore with the five wine producing regions.

The most important red wine areas are Gevrey-Chambertin, Nuits-St-Georges, Vosne-Romanée, Chambolle-Musigny, Beaune, Pommard, and Volnay.

If you prefer white, your most famous areas are Chablis, Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault, Corton, and Pouilly-Fuisse.

There are many different ways to explore the region but since Mark, Julie, Allen, and Alicia, love being active, we set them up with a private bike tour through the vineyards. During their day cycling the Côte de Nuits area, they visited a domaine in Aloxe Corton as well as Gevrey Chambertin. They tried many wines and enjoyed a traditional lunch. As you can see they lucked out with perfect weather that day!

This blog post is the twelfth destination highlight concluding our series of twelve, leading up to the National #PlanForVacation Day on January 29, 2019. Don’t let your vacation days go to waste, plan a trip!

STEFANIE PICHONNAT
Stefanie Pichonnat is the owner of Cumar Gold Travel; a boutique travel firm specialized in creating customized travel itineraries. Originally from Switzerland, she started exploring Europe at a young age and continues to expand her knowledge every year.  To plan a trip contact her at stefanie@aav-travel.com

My “Daily Burn” or how to stay fit even when you travel

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Everybody is busy. Oftentimes so much that we don’t have time to take care of ourselves. So for once this isn’t about a destination, it is about making you feel good – always, before you travel, or during your travels.

As a business owner, single mom and frequent traveler, my days feel busy and my schedule is unpredictable. Going to a gym, or joining  a fitness class, is more of a hassle than a benefit, simply because it steals way too much of my time and I am not always sure I can make it. However, that all changed about a year ago, when I discovered Daily Burn.

Daily Burn is your stream of customized workouts. I am sure you are familiar with Netflix or Hulu. This is kind of similar. You create an account, log in your basic health stats, choose a fitness level and then get to select a workout program that fits you and your personality. The beauty of it is that you can exercise at any time, wherever you want. Whether you stream it on your tv, use a tablet, or, heck, even on your phone. It is crazy convenient!
You can even take it on the road. Daily Burn streams pretty much anywhere around the globe, provided you have a good wifi connection. China and Russia are exceptions and there might be some others. Granted, you might not be up for a 50 minute workout everyday you travel, but there are always shorter workouts available. They allow you to keep your fitness level up whilst being away.

Or, let’s just say your significant other planned one of these spontaneous beach getaways and you feel your body is not quite up for the beach parade. And yes, I actually have clients that told me exactly that. There are plenty of short and very efficient programs that make you see changes in as little as three weeks provided you follow them.

In addition to your workout, Daily Burn also offers meal plans and recipes to go with your program. So if you are really serious about this, you have every tool to take it to the next level.

Daily Burn offers a free month trial before you commit. If you are busy and are looking for something that will help you keep fit, then this might just be the answer. However, these are a few things I think will influence your success:

  • Daily Burn means working out on your own. If you need a group of people to motivate you, cheer you on, or keep you accountable, you might struggle with this concept.
  • Make sure to be safe and execute the exercises properly. If in doubt, schedule an appointment with a fitness instructor so they can show you how to properly exercise.
  • Every Daily Burn exercise ends with a cool down but those are usually short. If you work your body hard, don’t forget to take some extra time and stretch.

Daily Burn has allowed me to stay healthy and fit without having to compromise my schedule or making me say “I don’t have time to work out”. I am super excited to try it on the road this summer, from Alaska to the Dominican Republic and on to Europe, I will be able to stream my program and get my workout in. It is much easier and more fun to travel when you feel healthy and fit!

Have you tried Daily Burn? How do you feel about it? I would love to hear your comments.

Written by STEFANIE PICHONNAT
Avid daily burner and owner of Cumar Gold Travel, a boutique travel firm specialized in creating and customizing personalized travel itineraries. You can contact her at stefanie@aav-travel.com

 

Eat and Indulge in Rome – Running, Walking and Working Out in the City

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Ever go on vacation and realize that you’ve gained a couple pounds when the button on your jeans doesn’t seem to want to…well…button? This can be the case for many travel-goers when their sweet tooth gets the best of them. But have no fear, you can still satisfy those cravings on vacation and still fit into your skinny jeans. Here’s a look at a how to indulge in one of the most mouth-watering places on earth and keep the weight off.

When in Rome…

When walking around in Rome you’ll never have to worry about finding a place to eat–every corner, every street there’s either a family run pizzeria, café or restaurant at every turn. Your taste buds will be satisfied at every meal with Rome’s simple, yet sophisticated recipes.

  • Restaurant Spirito DiVino: A family run restaurant where their passion for food shows with every taste. The cost per meal ranges from 24 to 40 Euros ($32 to $53). The four-course dinner has many delicious dishes to choose from; start with the deer bresaloa with salad, grapes and nuts as an appetizer. As your first course, the half rigatoni with white ragu sauce of mixed meats. For the main dish, try the grilled t-bone steak served with creamy mustard and salad. If you still have room after that, the creme brulée will sure hit the spot! Oh, there’s also a wine cellar that holds about 5,000-7,000 wines. You can buy from the glass (6 to 15 Euros/$8 to $20) or the bottle (16 to 800 Euros/ $21 to $1,068)–bring out your inner wino!
  • Li Rioni: Located near the Colosseum, this small, charming little restaurant is where you’ll experience the best pizza in your entire life. The heavenly first bite: the crunch of the thin crust, then the sweet Italian sauce, the melted cheese and then toppings of your choice–all the flavours mixed together so delightfully that you’ll never want to eat anywhere else. A perk: it’s very, very inexpensive.
  • Bar Pompi: Where the gelato is not just ice cream–it’s an art perfected from the ancient recipe by Guiliano Pompi. At Pompi, expect nothing but the freshest fruits and natural flavour. Keep in mind: gelato in Rome is very costly and can definitely break the bank a lot quicker than expected. Prices vary place to place, but expect to pay roughly 13 Euros ($19) each.

Workout in Rome

If you’re worried about adding on extra pounds due to indulging in the savoring tastes of Roman cuisine, you can still eat all you want and get a workout while on vacation. There are many options that you can consider while away.

  • LivItaly Tours: A different kind of tour service–get to experience the city history, architecture and landscapes while out for a group run. Not only do you get to enjoy the sites, you’ll learn about each place and get fun facts and the best part — you’ll be burning off calories while doing so. You’ll get to enjoy every minute of your vacation even if you’re working out. There are various tours to choose from that range from 29 Euros ($39) to 89 Euros ($118).
  • Moves Fitness Center: If you’re into the more traditional workout routine, there’s also fitness centers located in Rome. They have weights from 1 to 42 kg, treadmills, ellipticals and the typical compound and isolation machines. There are also different types of classes offered, such as: Pilates, yoga, body sculpting, aerobics and total body workouts.
  • Walking, Jogging, Running Routes: This website specializes in routes created by locals and people from all over the world. You can search the different types of routes (walking, running, jogging, cycling) and even create your own route to share with other people. All routes vary in length and are all over the city. You can even search upcoming events that are happening–maybe you’ll participate in a 5 km!

Indulge in Rome

There’s no need to worry about packing on the pounds while on vacation. You can enjoy all the delicacies that Rome has to offer while staying in shape. You won’t need to buy gym memberships when you get back home if you exercise to make up for stuffing your face the day before. Working out doesn’t have to feel like a nuisance–and it certainly won’t when you’re running by the Colosseum! Don’t let yourself say “should I really eat that?” because chances are this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, enjoy it.

Find us at www.aav-travel.com to plan your next Italy adventure.