Gym-less Fitness

After some not-so-great sleep on the train back to Florence and not getting into bed until 7:00am this morning, I slept in until 12:30pm! Unlike the rest of the college student population, I don’t remember the last time I woke up at this hour, but today I definitely needed it. When I awoke from my slumber, on Sunday February 19, my host mother greeted me with “You’re alive!” and offered me breakfast as her and my host father had lunch.

The rest of my day was filled with to-dos: expense account updating, blogging, emails, and homework. I did however take a break to fit in a workout. Unfortunately, to my dismay, our small Syracuse University Florence campus does not have a gym or a workout room available to students. Many of my friends joined a nearby gym but upon looking into it I deemed it too expensive for my pocketbook (it was about the cost of a weekend trip). However, I am bound and determined to find alternate ways to workout and stay in shape during my time abroad. I have no problem bundling up and running outside despite possible cold temperatures, I bought a 6€ foam mat so I can to sit ups and push ups in my room, and I brought two of my favorite workout DVDs. I even attempted to DIY some dumbbells out of empty water bottles and rice! (Although they’re not that heavy and therefore not that effective) Today, being rainy and miserable outside, I opted for a DVD workout.

My “cardio sculpt” workout was not the most demanding, but still felt good. I will be so happy to return to the gym when I go home – (my feet are dying for a low impact elliptical!), but until then I guess I will continue to find creative ways to workout.