So, when will I lose my belly?

I remember around 3 years ago, I asked my personal trainer, just like every desperate guy who is sick of looking at his flabby stomach fold when he sits down: "So coach, when do you think I can lose the belly?" he confidently replied: "no problem, 3 months only" and i was like...

But little did I know, it wasn't about the time, it's about what I DO in those 3 months...if 3 months was even enough.

And we hear it every..single..day..in the gym. Everybody just wants to lose that gut, it's the ultimate goal to many.

Many of us quit, we give up, why? Because it's either too hard for us, or we don't see results.

And others, they reach that goal...and in comes the wave of selfies in the bathroom! Yes, achieving your goal sure is pleasing and as we know it demands hard work and determination.

So, you finally shaved off that extra layer of flab around your waist, shopped for smaller waist size jeans and bombarded the social media with your selfies. Oh, and you went on preaching about how you did it! (Just like this post) but now what?

Many people take this issue as a project...a start date and an end date, then they perceive things will get back to normal, and by normal I mean, that unhealthy lifestyle they used to enjoy very much.

Hence, the question they asked at the very beginning of the journey, "(((When))) do you think I can lose the belly?"

And then you get people bragging about the past showing their photos of last summer and how they USED to have "abs"...stop living in the past.

You must change this mindset, stop asking when, and just live a healthy lifestyle, get used to it, and have your occasional cheat meals or even cheat days, its ok! But don't let yourself go, you can't afford it, trust me.

after 30, your body is in decline, you need to seriously think about maintaining a healthy lifestyle, eat healthy, and exercise, stop asking when will I get abs, this should be secondary.

Understand this, apply it, and learn to sustain it and you'll be fine.

Don't get in to the - "how many grams per meal", and "how many calories per day “yet; for most of us, this is too complicated and too tiring to apply, with all the calculations we do and the stress in our lives, we don't need this!

Workout, lift weights, start moving! I must say this requires some knowledge, my advice get a personal trainer for at least 3 months and apply the good ol' Chinese proverb:

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

Learn from him the basics, the techniques, and understand how this whole training thing works.

but, for the love of GOD, don't declare yourself as a coach yet...not yet, we have enough of these in the industry, that are cheating people for a service not worth a Dirham! And they are all over the internet!

The Wife Must Clean

We all know that exercising and dieting will get you fit and that results in confidence in most occasions. But I would like to also look at it from a different perspective; there is more to it, ladies.

A wife is in need of an active healthy life just as much as the husband, maybe even more – why is that? Simply because a wife gets pregnant...this is a major issue for women, getting pregnant will effect their sleeping patterns, eating patterns, moods, body composition, their daily routine will change and stress is inevitable. 
It’s a tough thing being a woman, I know (not really, but I have an idea at least).

Carrying a baby needs a strong body…a body that can carry excess weight for a long time, 9 months to be specific. By strong I mean, muscles; women need to work on their muscles to help them ease the process and minimize the damage.

What about after giving birth? Does a woman still need to be active, oh hell yes, after birth the body loses so much, it becomes weaker, getting back to exercise is ideal post-pregnancy!

My mother in law told me back in their days, a woman was so active (they lived in a farm), they were STRONG…none of the weak stuff we see now! She says, that a woman would give birth with the help of just 1 friend, and on the same day, she would just continue with her daily routine…no problem! they were pretty active back then which made pregnancy and giving birth a much easier task. Today, our lifestyles are making us use our bodies less, we call it convenience...but a body was created to move, not to be stiff on a chair for 12-15 hours a day. 

Taking care of the baby is -as I’ve been told- is more stressful than the whole 9 months plus giving birth! Sleepless nights, screaming, crying, changing diapers…hey the husband does help, but it’s mainly the wife who gets to do all that. Anyways, long story, short. This will stress the hell out of a anyone, and the solution to this is:

Several studies proved that exercise does help in stress relief.

Some links:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/exercise-and-stress/art-20044469

http://www.adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/related-illnesses/other-related-conditions/stress/physical-activity-reduces-st

http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/benefits-of-exercisereduces-stress-anxiety-and-helps-fight-depression

So ladies…mothers, get your leggings on, join a fitness club (a crossfit box is a good choice) and flush all that stress and fat out! Mommies need abs.

Some more useful reads:

http://www.fitpregnancy.com/exercise/prenatal-workouts/33-reasons-exercise-now

http://www.babycenter.com/0_seven-great-benefits-of-pregnancy-exercise_7864.bc

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/labor-and-delivery/in-depth/exercise-after-pregnancy/art-20044596

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a196/when-can-i-start-to-exercise-after-giving-birth

UAE and CrossFit:Til death do us part

We can say that CrossFit is somewhat new in the UAE (it's been 5 years, maybe?), and already we have someone representing the UAE in the CrossFit Games in California (we're proud of you Hesketh!) and regional competitions! UAE is all about development, whether it's property, technology, culture, sports, fashion...you name it! our leaders have that embedded in the country, anything that is growing and is successful in the world, will make it's way to the UAE...of course, it hits Dubai first, then starts spreading across the other Emirates.

I've met some "sports enthusiasts" that predict that CrossFit is just a fad, and will die out...hold on there...! and I think ignorance is leading them to this prediction. Many of them, when CrossFit is mentioned, quickly reply: "yeah, it's just intense cardio" ...ummm, no? intense cardio is just a portion of CrossFit.

Anyways, enough of that!

Here are some points why I believe that CrossFit is here to stay in the UAE; these are just general points, not really trying to cover everything because that would just be endless:

CrossFit is a regimen that evolves: Every year CrossFit Inc. will introduce a new move/exercise to be incorporated in the CrossFit workouts. It cherry picks whatever science says it will develop fitness! years back, we did not know what an AirDyne/Assault bike was, and recently it was introduced, now every box is urging to have aleast 1. Also, the recent non-motorized treadmill got the OK from CrossFit, and was in the Games this year. So, just as it's WODs, CrossFit by itself is constantly varied.

CrossFit is a channel to socialize: Citizens of the UAE are socially active, especially the locals. Gathering together to do a workout?! oh hell yeah, then you sit there talking about? ok maybe that is a bit extreme. No more recruiting gym partners to help you stay motivated and go through the boring reps of isolation workouts day in and day out, you will find plenty of people that will boost your motivation in a CrossFit class.

CrossFit is a school of fitness: the knowledge in the UAE about fitness and training is alarmingly low...that's why we see lots of half-assed personal trainers in Dubai selling people rubbish as workouts...and thats why we see gym rats still dont know how to do a proper deadlift! it's sad. In CrossFit, you will learn the how to workout...and if your box doesnt teach you proper form and technique, then by all means find another box that educates you and not just gives you a workout only Hercules can do, then the coach just cheers you, when you're soul is about to come out of nostrils!

Royalty got it's back: H.H. Shiekh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum is a great supporter and endorser of CrossFit! woohoo! he sponsors an annual fitness competition which a huge cash rewards.

Constantly varied: nobody likes routine, not at work, and not in the gym. every week doing the same bench press, same process, sets of 3, 10-12 reps...BORING! in CrossFit, it feels like a fight, it's like an arena and everyday you are up against a new competitor. you.cannot.lose.

It serves all targets: you wanna get big? sure, you wanna lose fat, get leaner? no problem. Oh you just wanna stay fit and move your body, be healthy? CrossFit will help you, whatever you target is...all you have to do, is find the right program. Each box, according to the coach, will program the workouts as he sees fit, some coaches design workouts that has more cardio than lifts, promoting more weight loss (for example) and some keep it balanced, other boxes target different workouts daily dividing them in to different class times. Know your target, and choose your box wisely.

Obesity Epidemic: Many out of shape young people around, going to a conventional gym has proved for these desperate youngsters failure, because they are uneducated and unaware. So they do the general workout the gym provides, see no results, get bored, quit. CrossFit gives you results, especially in shaving off that extra fat (intensity baby!)

Expatriates: many westerner CrossFit coaches are on the look out for a job in the UAE, the pay is good, they enjoy the sun and have time to focus on their own fitness and experience. Competition is low in the CrossFit industry in the UAE.