Slovenia has a tremendous amount of world class athletes, record breaking swimmers and slim people – even Donald Trump captured a slender Slovene girl to be at his side. For the most part, in Europe and the Western world, we know that what we eat, how we exercise and how we treat ourselves comes down to habits and personal choice.

Outdoor Activities

Living in Ljubljana, one is certainly given the opportunity to walk or ride a bike as a means of daily transportation, let for outdoor exercise, and this year bicycles can even be rented for free at several locations (see page 5 for more info). One can either walk or peddle along the Pot Spominov, a 34 km trail encircling Ljubljana. Two nice areas to start from are near the zoo or the northern side of the main cemetery (Žale). Several paths lead up to Ljubljana's castle, from Gornji trg, Stari trg and across from the main Farmer's Market on Ciril-Metodov trg. In Tivoli Park any number of paths will lead you to the Rožnik Hill (394m). This is an excellent path with wonderful views at the top. You can continue on a southwest trail and end up at the Zoo or turn north to Mostec, an outdoor recreation area. If you make it to Mostec, you may even come across some of Slovenia's top ski jumpers, since they have their summer practice runs there.

If swimming is more your idea of summer fun, there are several olympic-size swimming pools in Ljubljana. One is right at the start of Tivoli Park, known as the Ilirija pool. The Kodeljevo pool, located not far from the center of town, also offers summer fun and exercise, and has just recently been renovated.

Shopping

On a Friday or Saturday morning, on the way back down from your walk to the castle, you may want to pass by the organic produce and product stands at the main market in Ljubljana. They offer seasonal fruits and vegetables and specialty products. If you enjoy eating fish, don't miss the fish market downstairs in the building along the Ljubljanica River. Not far from the market is a nice store called Zrno do Zrna on Trubarjeva. They have fresh baked whole grain breads, soy products, packaged grains and pastas, sauces, etc. Further along Trubarjeva, you will find Kalček, also a health food store with a wide selection of products. The owner here is also a distributor to larger markets.

If you are near the BTC Farmer's Market you will also find a small shop inside with grains in bulk and some refrigerated products. Bioland on Celovška offers organic grains, flour and pastas in bulk and also has some nice Slovene handicrafts and pillows . Buried within the aisles of the larger food stores, such as Mercator, Spar or E.Leclerc one may also find natural products, organic grains, and packaged goods.

Health Clubs

Moj Fit in Tržin offers Pilates classes in English. Other classes, including Yoga, are offered and you can enjoy the sauna after your workout. Fit and Fun also has diverse aerobics and fitness classes. The classes are not in English, however the English speaking gentleman on the phone assured me many foreigners workout at this club in the POP TV building. Salsa Aerobics in English is offered two mornings a week in Bežigrad by an energetic Slovene named Matjaž Brinovec. Tucked away in Podutik is a nice, small fitness and massage studio called Sunny. Aerobic and Yoga classes here are in Slovene, however you are likely to be greeted by a friendly, English speaking person, or the owner herself. They also offer spa services, sauna, massage and cosmetic treatments. After October, they will have a new, larger studio on Regentova  in Dravlje, next to the Bowling Center. Call ahead to check schedules and locations, especially during the summer months.

Alternative Therapy, Massage and Health Spas

To complement your healthy eating and exercise regime, why not add a moment of relaxation into the picture and spoil yourself or someone you love with a professional massage. The options here are wide, from aromatherapy and ayurvedic massage to lymph drainage massage. You may find your perfect massage with a specialist with their own practice, at a fitness studio or at one of the many thermal spas in Slovenia. 

Ayurveda is a 4000-year-old science of life that takes the entire person into consideration. After initial analysis of your body type, the appropriate warm oils are chosen and combined and applied using body-type appropriate massage. Goran Dokic has specialized in ayurvedic massage and comes highly recommended, with his main practice in Ankaran, near Koper. Trained in Italy and India, Goran offers not only an excellent massage, but a holistic healing of your life.

Ayurvedic massage can also be found at the Radenska Thermal Spa. In addition to individual massage services, they also offer 3 and 5-day ayurvedic wellness packages to completely pamper yourself and regain balance in your body and your life.

Rogaška's Lotus Thermal Spa offers natural mineral pools, Turkish and Finnish Sauna, medical and reflex massages and eastern massage methods and techniques. They have a lovely, large, sunny room where you can drink sparkling mineral water direct from the source. There are many more spas in Slovenia that offer specialized massage and other services. In a future article I will cover Slovenia's health Spas in more detail.

Back in Ljubljana, the ANA Salon offers an oasis in the city center. Enjoy one of many massage options or nail, foot or cosmetic treatments. A beautiful atmosphere awaits you here and you can enjoy a cup of tea after your services in the tea room before facing the bustle of the city again. Products here are all from England and contain pure essential oils.

Also in downtown Ljubljana, SPA offers facials and different types of massage, as well as some salon services. For a general massage, Sunny Fitness in Podutik offers popular massage services. 

For Chiropractic care you can contact Dr. Donald J. Hopkins in Ljubljana. Most Slovenes are skeptical about chiropractic care and appropriately, there are very few who practice. Have subluxation? If your are not sure, this is worth a look. Once you try it, you may be hooked.

Homeopathic care is another alternative medicine not yet accepted into mainstream options for health and wellness treatment. In fact, the only alternative medicine that is recognized is acupuncture.  Practicing homeopathic medicine as a medical doctor in Slovenia is illegal, according to one homeopath I spoke with. Medical doctors are required to give up their medical license if they choose to practice homeopathy. Since joining the EU in May, the Slovene Homeopathic Society was finally allowed to submit a request to register homeopathic remedies. Once registered, hopefully by the beginning of 2005, homeopathic remedies will be available in pharmacies. You can contact the Slovene Homeopathic Society for a list of homeopathic practitioners.

Yoga

Many of the fitness studios mentioned above offer Fitness Yoga. There are studios dedicated to yoga as well. Yoga Center Namaste offers various yoga classes at different locations with teachers trained in Ananda and Shivananda Yoga. Tara Yoga Center offers yoga in the satyananda tradition. They are also members of the International Yoga Fellowship Movement.

As you can see, the options in Ljubljana and beyond are diverse and readily available.  This is only the tip of the iceberg as far as ideas for living a healthy life here on the sunny side of the Alps. Just being in Ljubljana brings positive energy, many report, since it happens to be at the exact center of three energy currents (ley lines), according to geomantic (not geographic) calculations. So whatever you fancy, and whatever you crave, you are sure to find a healthy path right nearby.

Margaret Korošec, a YogaFit instructor in Ljubljana, can be reached at [email protected]

Resource Directory

Please note, this is just a short listing. Updates may be found on the Ljubljana Life website or in future issues. Additional recommendations are always welcome. Please write to us at [email protected].

Fitness

Moj Fit, Brnčičeva ulica 13

Tel: 01 560 9184

Fit and Fun, Kranjčeva ulica 26

(near BTC and the Cemetery)

Tel: 01 568 9030

Sunny Fitness, Podutiška cesta 146

Tel: 01 519 7396

Goodlife Health and Fitness

Litijska cesta 148, Tel: 01 524 1915

Salsa Aerobics in English

Matjaž Brinovec

(resuming Autumn 2004)

Tel: 041 838 172

SPA, Breg 12

Tel: 01 425 88 99

Health Food Stores

Kalček, Trubarjeva cesta 28

Tel: 01 43 30 118

Zrno do Zrna, Trubarjeva cesta 8

Tel: 01 43 42 158

Bioland, Celovška 79

Tel: 01 43 16 303

Homeopathic Medicine

Slovene Homeopathic Society

Maribor, Tel: 02 234 1130

Ayurvedic Massage

Goran Dokic, DOCCO k.d.

Jadranska 86a / Hotal Oltra, Ankaran

Tel: 041 692 396

(by appoint. only, also in Ljubljana)

Yoga

Namaste Joga Center

Bobenčkova ulica 4

Tel: 01 25 61 331

www.jogacenter-namaste.com

Tara Yoga Center, Štihova 17

Tel: 01 23 02 351

www.satyanandayoga.tara.si

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