When I first arrived in early November it was just starting to get cold. I must admit I was feeling uninspired to get outside and be active but given I had no job, and huge chunks of my day to fill, inevitably I turned to exercise.
Thomas had prepared well for my arrival. He’d set up the following, so that I pretty much had no excuse not to exercise over winter:
- Cross trainer in the lounge room for indoor cardio
- Yoga mat, fitness ball and hand weights for indoor strength exercises
- Television set up so that I could stream any online TV show/movie and catch up on my favourite series’ while exercising
- Running gear for winter conditions
- Pre-paid pass for the indoor swimming pool
- A bike so I could get around easily
- Dog walking at the local dog shelter
Along with the above, I also found a great site online – fitnessblender.com – which has just about every kind of workout you can think of available online as youtube clips. It kept me sane on those bitterly cold winter days when a thick layer of snow coated the ground.
I also made a resolution to myself that I would go outside at least once every day, no matter what. With no job there was little motivation to leave the house when it was cold, except to go to my twice-weekly German classes. So whether I went for a run, a short walk, to the dog shelter or just to the shops, I got myself out of the house every day.
And so, I managed to fill my winter with both indoor and outdoor physical activity and thus survived my first European winter!
an aussie in austria 