Weight Loss Part 1

Confession: I have really struggled with weight issues since we moved to Dubai in Dec 2012. Last few months have definitely been the heaviest months in my short life. I think moving cities, settling into a new job meant placing myself at the end of the priority list. I anyway gain weight very easily and even though I eat home-cooked meals most of the time, it has still been a struggle to keep it under control.

Part of the struggle has been the disposal of leftovers. Being from India, I am used to having the option of giving clean leftovers to the needy who are always very grateful to receive this help. Since moving out to the UK and then Dubai, this gap is one thing I have had to get used to. I have found a few solutions to this problem though that I will write about soon.

In the process, I have been slowly upping my fitness game.

• 18 months ago, I started with a 20 min run on the Cross trainer at the gym about four times a week. I struggled to concentrate and had to watch a film on my iPad to keep myself entertained. The maximum speed I could push myself to was only about 8km/hour

• This routine was frequently interrupted by my travels and visiting guests - leading to eating and staying out till late in the night and having no time or energy for even this soft workout the next day

• Early 2014, I discovered aqua-biking which is an expensive but a very enjoyable sport that I have written about here. I have been slowly settling into a more comfortable pace of life since then and have tried to keep on top of my fitness. But my limited tries and a long month of holiday in July have led to just that- limited results 

• I have made big improvements though and can do much more than the first point above now!

From 1st Aug onwards, I have set myself a challenge of 2 months to stick to a weekly plan of gym workouts combined with group classes. I am recording my meals and exercise on Noom health coach app (Pro version), which keeps me focused. I am looking forward to them suggesting a group for me soon, which would give me more motivation. Having a dedicated workout buddy and a supportive husband also helps a lot.

There are really no short-cuts to this and I am determined to make the hard-transition to a healthier, happier ME. My chosen method of keeping fit is attending group classes and I will be doing a separate post on that next.

I will be documenting my journey here and look forward to your feedback :)

Ushna

We eat a lot of Indian food at home so when we go out, Indian food is usually not our first option. Hopefully, most of you know that Indian home food is fairly different from the butter laiden, cream heavy restaurant food. So, occasionally we are happy to go to a nice Indian restaurant with visiting relatives, non-Indian friends etc.

Ushna was one such accidental find that we really enjoyed.

We ordered a Paalak chaat, Hara bhara kebabs, Daal Makhani, a Paneer Curry and naan the first time. The second time round we went during Ramadan for birthday celebrations and the set menu was a treat at AED 80 per person.

It is located in Jumeirah Madinat, at the top of the steps as you exit from the Souq towards the restaurants by the water.

Hair Repair Dubai

I am always on the look out for good Hair treatments and even though Dubai has a salon in every building, there are only a few that I am willing to trust. I am always hopeful though that somewhere round the corner, there will be a genuine treatment that is a secret to the Dubai online world. I might have stumbled upon a well kept secret with Hair Repair Salon on Al Wasl Road.

I chose to go for the standard one-time Hair Repair treatment worth AED 350. Honestly, I was very skeptical about the heavy price tag but decided to treat myself.

To begin with, the technicians gave me a nice hair wash and meanwhile showed me the ingredients that go into their home-made hair treatment. It was great to see a plate full of healthy, truly natural ingredients.

They applied the hair mask and then shifted me under a hair-steamer for about 20 mins. The next step was probably the most enjoyable when one lady massaged my scalp with the ingredients while another massaged my feet. I have to say both the massages were extremely relaxing and therapeutic.

In the end, they asked if I wanted to get my hair washed there at the salon or preferred to keep the treatment on and wash it at home. I was feeling extremely conscious of going home with a shower cap packed around my head but bit the bullet to get the most out of my hair investment ;)

I think I made the right decision! I washed it at home after leaving it on for about 2.5 hours and the end result was probably one of the best hair days for my dry, frizzy hair.

I will definitely be going back, make sure you give them a try too. If you pay for four sessions upfront, you will also receive two sessions for free!

Visit: http://hairrepair.ae/

P.S: I realised that sometimes it just helps to pretend to not care about what people think in your building lobby and strut out confidently in a shower cap :D

The Doll-house Salon

I am quite a massive follower of Beauty blogs - a lot of them I have carried on following from when I was in the UK. I do base a lot of my beauty buys on these recommendations too. Huda Beauty was one of the first blogs that I started following in Dubai and was very captivated especially by the home remedies that she tried and posted about.

Through other channels like Instagram and Facebook etc, it didn't take me long to figure out that her sister owns a salon in Jumeirah called the Doll House. I assumed it would be one of the usual fancy-pants places which would be way beyond my budget until a friend proposed to check it out together.

I was surprised to find the rates to be fairly reasonable and the service top notch. I got a haircut and a pedicure first. Since then, I have been there for different treatments including waxing and thoroughly enjoyed my experience.

To top it, they have an amazing view stretching out to the beach from the nail area and waxing rooms! It is based in the Dubai Ladies Club, just after the Beach Park (paid beach) in Jumeirah.

http://www.thedollhousedubai.com/

Soul Senses

Since we moved to Dubai, life has been quite hectic, making us crave for a good massage every few weeks. We started by surverying the many salons nearly in every building around us. The massage rates were very high though, almost comparable to the UK! We were told we live in an expensive area of Dubai, so we went on a search..


Soul senses is one the unmissable hoardings that you see on Bank Street in Bur Dubai. The service is straight and to the point but the masseuses are usually from Bhutan and very skilled in my experience.

The usual Aromatherapy, Thai, Swedish and Deep Tissue massages are in the range of AED 120-160 and do the job very well.



A definite recommendation for everyone looking for a good massage at a bargain price :)

http://www.soulsensesspa.com/