Vacations are good for your health, and that’s especially true for a vacation in Osttirol—your Mountain Tyrol. That this is not merely an advertising slogan has been scientifically proven, as revealed by the Osttirol Health Tourism Study, approved by the Ethics Committee of the Leopold Franzens University of Innsbruck and supported by funding from the State of Tyrol.

The study, conducted from 2015 to 2016 and published in three parts from 2019 to 2022, examined the effects of a one-week active vacation in Osttirol on metabolism, the cardiovascular system, psychological well-being, sleep quality, and autonomic nervous system regulation. The results showed significant positive health effectsafter just one week of a physically active vacation, such as weight loss, lower blood pressure and heart rate, and improved diastolic heart function ( the heart’s ability to fill with blood) [1]. Metabolic parameters such as HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and the long-term blood sugar level HbA1c also changed favorably, as did many adipokines (metabolic hormones), which are known to be involved in the pathophysiology (development of disease) of metabolic syndrome [2]. The observed psychological recovery consisted of a significant improvement in well-being, stress and recovery profiles, and sleep quality [3].

i) J Sports Med Phys Fitness 2019 Feb;59(2):335-339. doi: 10.23736/S0022-4707.18.08221-X. Epub 2018 Mar 1. ii) Int J Sports Med 2021 Jun;42(8):703-707. doi: 10.1055/a-1297-4669. Epub 2020 Dec 1. iii) BMC Public Health. 2022 Dec 27;22(1):2435. doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-14838-7.

Effects of a One-Week Vacation with Various Activities on Metabolism and Adipokines

Effects of a one-week vacation with various activity programs on cardiovascular parameters

Effects of a one-week vacation with various activity programs on well-being, heart rate variability, and sleep quality in healthy vacationers—an open comparative study