Of course, you can do interval hypoxia-hyperoxia training at a fancy sports clinic. Or you can simply come to us on the Alpe di Siusi. The effect is similar and it's always nicer up here with us. But let's start from the beginning: You don't have to be ashamed, we also had no idea what this interval hypoxia-hyperoxia training is supposed to be. It was only when we plunged into the depths of the internet for this text that we stumbled across this training method - which is particularly popular with ambitious athletes. We were just curious to find out what science has to say about our high-altitude air. Because one thing has been known here on the Alpe di Siusi since time immemorial: the mountain air is simply good for you. It adds a touch of pink to sallow city skin, makes couch potatoes feel good and is even able to make many a mope disappear. But we wanted to know exactly, and now we can't help but wildly throw around complicated words and play the all-knowing rubbish dump.
Oxygen? In short supply!
Watch out, here it comes: a stay in the mountains is so healthy because the air pressure up here is lower than down by the sea. This in turn ensures that less oxygen gets into your lungs. Sounds bad, but it's not. Because this small lack of oxygen has an effect on the mitochondria (you remember, these are the power stations of your cells) like a fountain of youth. Ergo, you feel fit as a fiddle. This high-mountain training effect has long been an old joke for professional athletes, and if you're lucky, a member of the Kenyan marathon elite will rush past you on your next holiday on the Alpe di Siusi. They have long since discovered the area around the Zallinger as a perfect training ground for themselves.
Clean business.
If you belong to the 20 percent of the population who are regularly plagued by allergies: our condolences! Allergic rhinitis aka "hay fever" is really no fun. The chances that you won't miss anything at all on the Alpe di Siusi and that you can finally breathe a sigh of relief are pretty good. Because from an altitude of 1,000 metres, the concentration of pollen and dirt particles in the air decreases significantly. To write about all the health benefits of moderate exercise in the mountains is clearly going too far here, but this is what we want to leave you with: If you hike, walk or cycle in fine mountain air, you are doing your cardiovascular system, your immune system and your psyche a real favour.
May the power of beauty be with you.
And then there's something else that, to be honest, we can't prove scientifically, but we'll be so cocky and tell you about it anyway: the Alpe di Siusi is simply beautiful. This beauty does something to us. Especially in the weeks when summer turns into autumn and the sun sends golden light over the Alpe di Siusi, it can leave you breathless. Just standing and marvelling and being completely in the here and now is perhaps exactly what you have been missing for your happiness. If you want us to help you out a little, then take a look here. There you will find our current offers for your time out on the Alpe di Siusi.
