What does it mean to be beach ready?

What does it mean to be beach bod ready?

Before summer hits, women are inundated with images, messages, routines, tricks and trickery on how to get "ready for the beach" also known as - lose weight! tone up! hide body flaws! get a better ass!

Living in Italy for the past couple of weeks has left my body feeling a bit soft. I don't have a scale here and my pants all still fit, but I have a feeling that I've put on a few pounds. 

People often say that talking about the weather is boring; I think talking about weight is equally banal. What person of substance sits around and discusses how she shouldn't have had that piece of cake, or how much she will have to walk in order to burn off a slice of pizza? Isn't it narcissistic to believe that someone besides your mother cares about what you eat?

And yet I do it.

I joke about how much gelato I eat, or how I polished off a large plate of pasta, or how I shouldn't take an Italian pastry with my macchiato. I make these jokes daily and then I realized how ridiculous I sound.

The relationship we have with our body is always a personal one. I believe in living an active lifestyle. I believe in getting your heart rate up. I like what exercise does to my brain. I like the way my mind operates after a workout. I like feeling strong.

But, to enjoy food is to also enjoy life.

To sit with someone and share a meal means to be fully aware of the person in front of you. To not just passively inhale food, but to actively find pleasure in the experience around you. To truly taste food, you need to stop badgering yourself for having it in the first place. Also, I don't believe in depriving yourself while on vacation. To experience the culture of a place, you must let your stomach be your guide.

I took the train with some friends to the beach this past weekend to San Vincenzo in Tuscany. I let the sun wrap around my bare skin. I doused myself in salt water, and floated on the ocean like a upside down seashell. I had two scoops of gelato, in my bikini, while laying on a towel.

And so I realized that all anyone needs to be "beach ready" is as follows:

1. A really hot day
2. Swimwear
3. Sunscreen
4. Book/music
5. Good people

I had all five and never felt better. Post-beach, I returned home to my roommate at 11 p.m. and since I hadn't had dinner, she made pasta for us.

And I ate every last piece. Quietly.

x

Under the Tuscan Sun with Brad Pitt - Travel Diaries

This past weekend, I ventured out to Chianti for a Tuscan Bike Tour.

I'll admit that I wouldn't normally book something like this, but my friend Kiel insisted that he had the best time with his wife Carly on this exact tour, and that I MUST GO. I brushed it off, until I realized that the meeting spot was a two minute walk from my apartment.

The tour was full of people from all over the world, including honeymooners from Minneapolis, a family from Isle of Man, and an environmental engineer from Australia. The first part involved touring a castle for a wine and olive oil tasting, while the second portion involved actually riding a bike up and down the hilly paths of Tuscany.

Every bike had a name, and I was assigned to Brad Pitt.

As we started the tour, I couldn't believe how natural it felt to be on a bike again. I basked in the feeling of complete freedom, as Brad and I made our way through the sun drenched roads of Tuscany. However, some hill portions were more challenging than others and I found myself regretting all those scoops of gelato I consumed the week prior.

Halfway through the ride, we stopped for a lovely sit down lunch to gorge on pasta and relax before the tougher portion of the ride. Post-lunch, I was ready to get moving so I jumped on Brad and while exiting the restaurant, I fell. 

I was turning Brad Pitt's handlebars (how's that for a visual?) and because I was on gravel the wheels gave. I scraped up my hand pretty bad, and was mortified as the two young, male bike instructors had to run to my rescue, while everyone watched. After that, I was a bit more nervous on my bike, but still tried to keep up with the group.

Anyways, besides Brad's extreme betrayal of me (now I know how Jennifer Aniston felt,) I was happy that I forced myself to do something out of my regular travel routine. The hilltops of Tuscany made me feel like I was Diane Lane in Under the Tuscan Sun, even though I don't think she ever rides a bike in that movie.

Below are some photos I took (not while riding, obviously) and here is a link to their website. Enjoy! x

The Great Escape - Travel Diary - Florence - Part 2

While I haven't been in Florence long enough to desire a refuge from city living, who wouldn't want to escape to a palace garden?

Earlier this week, I tagged along with my classmate's plans to visit Palazzo Pitti and Boboli Gardens. Not knowing a thing about where we were headed, he quickly gave me a lesson in the history of the place. Short version: the palace used to be owned by the famous Medici family, and thereafter, most of the ruling families of Tuscany used to reside there.

While I didn't want to spend too much time inside the palace museum, I found Boboli gardens to be a complete dream. With panoramic views of Florence, sweeping paths of greenery and larger than life stone sculptures, it was a marvel. I also couldn't believe how quiet it was compared to the crowded streets.

Words aren't the best descriptors in this case, so below are my photos! Enjoy. x