Be my Valentine

Valentine’s Date in the Tyrolean Alps

„Honey, you don’t have to unpack. Take your luggage, your skis and hop in my car.“

Usually I love surprises but I was so tired from a busy week and couldn’t think of anything else than a chilled Saturday couch evening. But as soon as we arrived in Obertilliach, a small Tyrolean village, in the middle of nowhere, I was super excited and happy to have the best boyfriend in the world.

Who needs roses, when you get an amazing bed surrounded by mountains and snow? A five-course dinner from a Gault Millau cook, the coolest Aprè-Ski Schirmbar in one minute walking distance and the best hotel owners in town. We stayed at our friend's new 4* hotel called 1.Almfamily Scherer. Located right on the slope, where Daniel Craig in Spectre chased Christoph Walz between small mountain lodges. Sure it is a family hotel in the first place, but also as a couple on Valentine's Day you can relax and spend an awesome weekend there. 

And because it was so much fun and we fell in love with the wooden Swiss pine bed, we decided to check out late and chill all day. We didn’t even get our skis from the car. Well in our defense it snows, it is foggy and freezing - #notsorry

Best Sunday Valentine’s Date ever: bed, food and my love ♥ all I need!

I was never a fan of the “day of love” neither did I celebrate it nor did I buy presents. But I kinda start to like it. Just to spend some quality-time with my boyfriend. So and now I put my macbook and my phone away!

Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you!!!

Spa essentials

Winter holiday retreat

Back from our New Year’s mountain cabin, I get a few minutes to repack my bag for a four day spa getaway.

Especially after Christmas and New Year’s a spa retreat is a good idea. Holidays at home are awesome with lots of to do’s– from parties, dinners to family visits. But now it is time to swap the festive season frenzy for a healthy holiday in an idyllic winter spa destination in Carinthia, Almwellness Tuffbad.

The worst part of a vacation is the act of actually getting out of the door. I tell my boyfriend I need 5 minutes but some age-old questions I keep asking myself change those few minutes into decades.: “What should I pack? How much do I have to pack? Do I need this pair of shoes? Where is my favorite shirt?"….

Thanks to the annoyed voice of my boyfriend I finally sharpened my packing skills.

New Year’s Party

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Happy New Year

Wherever, whenever and whomsoever you celebrated I hope you had a great time. We definitely did!

It’s every year the same procedure. It should be a special night, the best night of the year. Everyone wants to have the perfect new year’s eve. But in the end it is a normal night like the other 365.

Whether you celebrated in a club, on the streets, at a fancy rooftop or cuddly in a mountain cabin – the most important thing is to start the new year with people you love!

For years we had been trying to spend new year’s in the mountains. This time we finally celebrated in a cottage in the middle of nowhere high up in the mountains in Carinthia, in Austria, where snow is a sure thing since always, well not in 2015/16.

Besides the missing white scenery we had a pretty cool time.

Although I left my high heels and fancy dress at home, we started 2016 in style with balloons, cocktails, sparklers and lots of champagne.

Cheers to a new year, better dreams, bigger goals, good health and happy times!

Merry Xmas

Frohe Weihnachten, Feliz Navidad, Buon Natale

Dear everyone,

I wish you a happy Christmas, a great holiday and good times with your beloved ones. 

Yesterday evening we turned on some Christmas music, popped a bottle of rose Prosecco and put up the tree in our living room. Before we finally started setting up our tree, we had some color and decoration discussions. After all we came to an end, we have a big tree with strands of lights and very simple-monochrome Christmas ornaments in white and golden color tones.

I felt like a child again. Although everyone is stressed and in a kind of anti Christmas mood I am excited like back then. This morning I woke up very early. I turned on my favorite Christmas movie from my childhood. While I was watching “Miracle on 34^th street” I wrapped the presents. 

Don't get caught up in the stressful “holiday cheer” and ignore the rush around you! Not everything has to be perfect; it is already perfect when you can spend Christmas with your beloved ones. Enjoy the holidays and take it easy! 

Christkind for myself

Getting into Christmas mood

Christmas – the most peaceful and quite time of the year? Well, I would say the most stressful time of the year. 

Every morning both at work and at home I write myself a to-do list. And since Christmastime started the list seems to be endless. Although I love being busy I am at a point where I have to force myself for my own “Meli-quality time”. I have started to add personal to do’s like running, walking and reading to my list.

Yesterday I finally crossed a thing from my personal to-do's. First I went shopping for myself! 

Jewelry it is!

I spent almost one hour in the New1shop in Salzburg. Beautiful rings, bracelets and necklaces gave me a hard time deciding. But I did! 

Back home I made myself a Matcha Latta and spend a few minutes in bed with my cuddly blanket while thinking about some Christmas presents for my beloved ones and flipping through some magazines.

 

Next to do on my list is a very cool and yearly MUST-DO!

I will spend the afternoon at my Mom’s decorating, eating her delicious cookies and drinking homemade orange tea. 

Happy 18^th of Christmas! 

White Christmas

Healthy Christmas cookies

„It’s begin to look a lot like Christmas...“ sings Michael Bublé on my Spotify Christmas Playlist, while I try getting into the Christmas spirit.

And what goes better with Christmas than cookies? It’s the time of the year everyone goes cookie-crazy – me included.

So I make the most of my lazy Sunday morning and get inspired by cookie recipes.

It feels like that Christmas eating season kicks off just as early as the shopping one does. 
That’s why I hoped to find some healthy but delicious ideas.

Despite my intention to avoid winter weight gain, I think the season just wouldn’t be the same without occasional indulgence.

Christmas is not about calculating calories, however there are simple recipe tweaks that can make cookies a better fit to a clean eating style.

Let's see how my baking went. If my kitchen didn't catch fire and the cookies taste like cookies than I will post the recipe later :-)

Running motivation

4 ways not to slack off on December running

Shorter days, nasty weather and overindulgence can all put me off my stride.

Last week the winter (finally) arrived in Austria. Honestly I love winter, but especially the month December can be a difficult time to find time and motivation for exercise.

It is not only the stressful Christmas shopping and hectic advent time, but also the cold and the snow that wake up my inner’s weaker self. Actually my thoughts sound like my grandma “It is too cold, you get sick, the ground is slippery,…”

Last week I had so much going on and I spent my only free evening on the Christmas market instead of the treadmill.

Which is totally fine I have no problem with that. But if I don’t get to do exercise I feel unsatisfied with myself and that leads to a bad attitude and makes me insufferable.

All near ski resorts haven’t opened yet, so instead of pouting, I unpacked my ski touring clothes and wear my touring layers and ski gears for running until there is enough snow to hit the slope. 

Take a rest from all the stressful and hectic advent shopping. Instead of clicking or swiping through online shops, go outside for a walk/ a run and think about what your friends and family really need instead of getting distracted from all the commercial Christmas consumptions.

Don't let your grandma thoughts make you fell unsatisfied und unhappy. Get up, warm up and run up!

1. Go easy: Avoid an ass-kicking hard training. Instead go easy and get your running passion back. December is a good time to build up the necessary condition base you need for the warmer seasons.
2. Get warm: Take an extra few minutes to stretch and get your muscles warmed up. 
3. Stay warm: Don't overdress. Wear several thin layers and don't forget a headband or hat, as well as a pair of running gloves. Layers keep you much warmer and more comfortable running than one heavy jacket. 
4. Feel better: Christmas cookies, Gluehwein, Gingerbread and other indulgence taste better when you feel comfortable eating it. Running is a power tool for preventing holiday weight gain. 

Thank god it’s Friday

It’s been a stressful week and I am more happy than ever that it’s Friday.

Normally I had already eaten at least one whole package of Balisto or Raffaelo by now. But I stayed sober:  It’s been 10 days without sugar. As far as I can tell it’s not so hard as I thought.

Besides the daily 10 minutes of struggle with my inner temptation: “ah why am I even doing this? Just one cookie wouldn’t be so bad, …”, it works out fine. My skin gets better, I am fitter and my body feels already leaner and not so bloated.

Now I am ready for 3 days of De-Stress Deluxe. Tauernspa Kaprun I am coming!

After last minute packing and a Nespresso to-go for the drive I am ready for a relaxed weekend in the middle of Salzburg’s panoramic mountains “Hohe Tauern”.