9 simple tips to lose your winter fat in Vienna - Vienna Würstelstand

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9 simple tips to lose your winter fat in Vienna

But if you’d like to be slimmer and fitter for spring, try one of these 8 simple tips we’ve made up for Vienna’s city dwellers on how to lose their winter fat.

After a few weeks, you’ll look stunning in your bikini again. (Yes, ESPECIALLY when you’re a very hairy man.)

 

1. Drink more water

It sounds simple, but water is a key ingredient for any hard working metabolism. In other words, drinking water can help the body burn more fat. Plus, if you drink two glasses of water right before dinner, you’ll naturally eat less because you’ll feel stuffed alot sooner. Win-win!

 


2. Plank you very much

The plank is an awesome exercise to do at home. All you need is some clean floor space (this can be the hardest part for some people – like us), and two functioning arms. Lie down, tense up every muscle in your body, and lift yourself up. Hold this position, with your back absolutely straight. This is called the “high plank”. If you’re a beginner, you better start with the low plank. For this, you hold up your body while leaning on your forearms. (Our special thanks go to Sara for showing us what a good plank looks like.)

 


 

3. Get hot, steamy and bendy

Photo by Joel Nilsson

Yoga is one thing, Bikram Yoga is a whole other world. The room you’re in is heated up to around 40 °C, and you’re huffing and puffing away while doing the 26 trademark asana positions that will push you to your limits the first few times round, yet make you as limber as a 14 year old gymnast and as strong as your grandpa was when you were 5-years-old. Trust us, you may witness sweat dripping from some guys bum in front of you, but it’s worth it. For us, it always feels like we’re on holiday when visiting our local bikram yoga center; speaking of such: Experience Bikram Yoga at one of these locations in Vienna:
Bikram Yoga Schottenring (1st district)
Bikram Yoga College (15th district)
Bikram Yoga Loft (4th district)

 


 

4. Budget in your sweet treats

Chocolate cake is to die for. Gummy bears are sweet little soldiers fighting the good fight. And grandma’s caramels are the only thing we miss about that old witch. In short – sweets are important to us. So why don’t we start treating them like part of our everyday meals? By including the sweets we crave into our diet, we can counter their calories by cutting down a bit on the starters and main dishes. This way, you still enjoy every part of the meal – while lightening the calorie count.

 


 

5. Add 2,000 steps

Picture by Nico Wieseneder / ARTJUNGLE

Everyday, we always take shortcuts, like with lifts and escalators – or conveyor belts if you’re a frequent flyer. Adding 2,000 steps to your day does sound like a lot, but it isn’t in the end and you’ll hardly notice once it becomes a habit. Start taking the stairs instead of the lift at Westbahnhof or Schottenring. Get off the bus one stop earlier before your station and walk the rest of the way. Blending exercise into your daily routine means you’ll hardly notice it’s there!

 


 

6. Go out and play with others – visit the cool new Vienna-based website, One Player Down.

If being in a team is what gets you in the mood for sports, Vienna’s filled with outdoor parks, adult playgrounds (the PG-13 ones, we mean) and teams for all sorts of sports (even Australian Football – wtf!?). One tool we found particularly helpful to get in touch with existing sport teams (from soccer, badminton, basketball to ballet dancing) is One Player Down. They’re in beta mode, and things are running pretty smoothly. Give it a try, and find your new sport’s team in Vienna.

 


 

7. Swim, then you’re winning

Picture by Jörg Midgard (Flickr)

What’s better than gliding through warm water like a fish, while getting an overall workout … and not having to deal with that hassle that comes with other sports where you have to take a break to pee? We couldn’t think of anything, so try swimming in one of these great Viennese indoor pools (swim away from the yellow water):
Amalienbad (10th district)
Hütteldorfer Bad (14th district)
Jörgerbad (17th district)
Brigittenauer Bad (20th district)
Floridsdorfer Bad (21st district)

 


 

8. Do sports for cheap

Picture by Elvert Barnes

Vienna is a university town, and you should make the most out of all the cheap courses offered here for the student population. In fitness terms, Vienna’s University Sports Institute (USI) offers a whopping 208 courses (yes, we counted) for low prices – including such fun (and slightly odd) activities like clowning, capoeira, body percussion, qigong (pictured), and latin dance. If you’re a student, you’ll get a discount, but courses are open to (and frequented by) all kinds of people. Check out Vienna’s University Sports Institute’s full course list here.

 


 

9. Train and run the Vienna City Marathon

Imagine that incredible feeling of crossing the finishing line under the Palace gates at Vienna’s Heldenplatz after running 21 or 42 gruelling kilometres. The crowd is cheering on the sidelines and you’re smiling, because you have survived. Now with this dream in mind, put on your running shoes and start training for the Vienna City Marathon. The starting gun will go off on the 12 April. Watch out for Vienna Würstelstand’s Jake – rumour has it he’ll be running in a dress again.

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