(And, how I lost belly fat while completely enjoying myself.)

The pictures will slide for you if you wait. Or, hover over the picture to hold, and click the forward/back buttons. If you click on a picture, it will enlarge the entire album. Click the arrows for left and right, or the “X” at the upper right to close out.

Giuseppe Quintarelli Winery, Negrar Italy

The lovely family of Quintarelli vinyards gave us an amazing tour. They make some of the most sought-after wines in the world, famous for their Amarone. In Italy, you’ll never run out of good wines to try, but if you can get a Quintarelli, you’ll be very happy. As it turns out, wineries make for great pictures!

 

Venice, Italy

My first time to Venice. It’s as fascinating and wonderful as it looks. Venitians who live in the historic district use private boats, taxi-boats, and bus-boats to get around. Towards the end of the album, you’ll see market vegetables on boats- fresh daily. You’ll also see what people do everywhere in Italy— make time to sit and socialize, mostly after dinner, with family and friends.

Verona, Italy

As it turns out, the Montagues and Capulets actually did live here and feud. The story about the couple who fell in love was passed down for generations before Shakespeare turned it into a play. The balcony in the picture below is Juliet’s. The walls leading in to her courtyard are covered with letters to her, asking her to grant forever love.

Verona was small, yet awe inspiring. There are people still living and shopping in structures that are over 1,000 years old and kept in pristine condition. In another picture, I sit, marveling a 1,200 year old bridge that still stands and is in use today.

Sermione, Italy

This is a tiny, peninsula on Lake Guarda. It was a resort for rich families of Venice starting from 1,000 BC. The Scaliger castle was built in the 1200’s to protect the peninsula. It has a drawbridge—and a moat!

Before the trip I started to gain some weight around my middle.

I had increased my work which, requires much more administration than you might think from a fitness/nutrition coaching business. I was still exercising an average of 5 days per week, but sitting much more.

When in Italy

I averaged 6 days per week workouts. I also ate a little more cheese, drank a little more wine, and ate a few more desserts than normal. So, the increase in eating and in exercise cancelled each other out.

What made the biggest difference,

was the amount of walking and moving I did every day. I still sat as I worked on the computer, but not a lot. We sat for long lunches and dinners (90 minutes-2 hours). But, my apple watch clocked an average of 15,000 steps daily. That’s about 5,000 steps over and above what I got from my workouts, while taking in the sights.

It’s not a whole lot more movement, if you think about it.

But, just that little bit more was significant enough to reduce my belly fat. And if you read my recent article on sitting, a little movement can go a long way. Also, sitting too long is known to put on weight specifically in the middle.

Humans are made to move. Regularly and often.

There’s a lot of media out there saying that weight loss and health is more about diet than it is exercise. I wholeheartedly disagree.