Sunday, 12th August

5 weeks down... 3 to go!

I had my body composition analysis at the end of last week and although the drop in figures has slowed down a little I’ve lost 3kg in total and my body fat percentage is down to 17% which is probably the lowest it has ever been! I’m feeling stronger and energized and really feel that this programme has given me the kick start that I have needed to get into good health and nutrition routine. My diet prior to starting the success programme actually wasn’t too bad however it has taught me that preparation is key. If I have my meals planned and the food in my fridge in advance then I’m far less likely to reach for the convenience food in the supermarket!

Friday, 10th August

At one with nature…

Stand up paddleboarding is the new activity for this weekend! It is what it says on the tin, you stand up on a 12ft board with a paddle and use your core strength to balance and upper body strength to paddle over the ocean.  I’ve wanted to try it for such a long time but never seemed to get round to it so I roped in my other half and our good friend Paul to give it a go with me. We made sure we went fairly early on Friday morning to avoid the intense Dubai heat and actually, once we got out there the breeze was cooling. It took a couple of goes to manage to stay stood up but I got there in the end!

I recommend it to anyone who enjoys being out on the water. It’s a lot of fun, therapeutic and it gives you a whole different view of the coastline!

Wednesday, 8th August

What a killer!

Back to back sessions of Yogi Fitness, Combat and then Boot Camp made sure that I was struggling with full use of my arms the following day. A good sign that I’ve worked hard! I’m really enjoying all of the classes with Original Fitness and somehow Corey, Frankie, Gill and Candice manage to change it up each time so that you never know what to expect in each class.

We’re nearing the end of week 5 and I’m noticing some serious improvements in overall fitness. I’m moving with more speed, recovering quicker and also, thanks to Yogi Fitness I can touch my toes for the first time in years!

Friday, 3rd August

Time to hit the slopes….!

I’d been looking forward to this weekend for a while as we planned to go to Ski Dubai for some much needed slope time! I fell in love with snowboarding during my travels to New Zealand in 2008 and was lucky enough to spend a couple of months in the snow in Queenstown. I count myself incredibly lucky that I found sports which I really enjoy doing as it makes it so much easier to stay motivated and make the effort. It’s been just over a year since I last stood on a board but it didn’t take long to get into the swing of it again! What a great way to spend my active rest day!

Tuesday, 31st July

Wonder Woman!

This evening was Wonder Woman fitness with Candice followed by a spin class. In Wonder Woman there are only two of us in the class which means there is nowhere to hide!

Candice manages to yet again keep the class varied and challenging by introducing us to ‘gliding’. Gliding discs (or in our case plastic plates!) add a different kind of intensity by engaging different muscle groups whilst stabilizing your body using your core. By doing normal bodyweight exercises such as lunges and mountain climbers using the discs you can really feel the muscles working hard to keep you stable and control the movement.

I’d strongly recommend Wonder Woman to anyone looking for a class that really focuses on the areas that women struggle with such as the inner thighs, ‘love handles’ and the dreaded bingo wings!

Friday, 27th July

Olympic fever…!

I treated myself to fairly rested weekend to give my legs a break, although couldn’t resist getting into the Olympics spirit with some Olympics games on the Xbox Kinect. I was particularly bad at javelin and kayaking but highly recommend it for a good, fun workout at home!

A trip to Wild Wadi and Yogi Fit on Saturday ensured that my rest days were slightly active. ‘Active rest’ is a great oxymoron if ever I heard one but being moderately active during rest days is really important for muscle repair as raising the heart rate gets the blood flowing which helps to flush away all the lactic acid built up during heavy workouts.

Three weeks down… now for week four!

On Sunday I was back to hitting it hard again with three back to back sessions of Wonder Woman, Spinning and then Intervals at the OFC gym at DSW. The intervals session was particularly tough but Candice led a really great session that was varied and incorporated some new workouts that we haven’t done before. 

Monday yet again is netball and another great win for team Sharpshooters! I’m definitely noticing improvements in my fitness on the netball court so it’s good to see all of the hard work is paying off!

Wednesday, 25th July

On Wednesday I did another three sessions up at DSW. Yogi Fitness, Combat Fitness and Boot Camp. It was the first time I had tried the Combat Fitness class with Frankie and it was great! With a partner holding the kick pads we had to do a series of various kicks with runs in between. The kicks really work some muscles that your body doesn’t use every day so I really felt it the following day!

I ended the week with a cardio tennis session followed by spinning on Thursday. Tennis was even harder work than usual this time as there were only two of us in the class which resulted in a lot of extra running to keep up with the shots!

I had my body composition analysed at HealthTrendz to check my progress and ensure that everything is going in the right direction. The good news is that my weight has gone down and my body fat percentage has gone from 20% to 18% so it’s all looking good. Corey has given me a challenge to get it down to around 14% and I’m a sucker for a challenge!

Tuesday, 24th July

Food for thought…

After my Monday evening marathon netball session I didn’t get home until ridiculous o’clock and found myself too tired to cook anything. This got me thinking about what I can have as a quick and easy alternative to a meal so late at night. I spoke to Corey on Tuesday about trying out protein shakes. It’s not something I have ever tried before or ever had the urge to try for that matter!

I’ve always associated protein shakes with bodybuilding and bulking up however once I took the time to do some research and get some advice from Corey I decided it might be a good option for me to try. After all, it’s not healthy to go to bed on an empty stomach after three hours of exercise! I decided to try out Lean95 which is an all natural, whole food protein shake that can be used to assist weight loss or to enhance sports performance. I intend to use it as a meal replacement on evenings where I go straight to the gym from work and don’t get in until late. One of the other benefits of Lean95 is that it aids muscle repair and recovery which I’m in dire need of after all this exercise!

As expected it doesn’t smell or taste particularly great and doesn’t look appealing either but it’s by no means unbearable and I’m starting to get used to it.

On Tuesday I headed to DSW for Wonder Woman. Candice has us focusing on abs this session which I’m extremely grateful for as my legs are beyond tired. The gratitude is short lived however as spinning followed and boy was it hard work!

My clean eating regime is going pretty well still. A typical day is granola with banana and rice milk for breakfast, grilled chicken with salad, avocado and lemon juice dressing for lunch and steak or fish with greens for dinner. I also snack on fruit throughout the day and drink lots of water and jasmine green tea. I have the odd soya late as a treat to get my caffeine fix as I can’t stand Americano coffee! I’ve got into the swing of prepping my food the night before which is key to keeping on track. Weekends however are a little more tricky as there’s greater temptation!

Sunday, 22nd July

Having promised my body I’d give it a break after the very active week I’d just had I couldn’t resist just one trip up to DSW on Saturday for a Yogi Fit session. There were a few guys in the session this time and the grunting and groaning coming from their general direction only highlighted the fact that yoga is not as easy as most people think!

Sunday marks the start of week three of the challenge and is also the first working day of Ramadan so DSW was a lot quieter than usual as the classes have had to be pushed back to cater for Iftar timings. I did a spinning class run by Candice who is great at keeping the routine varied and using great tracks for the class. I’m already noticing improvements in my hill climb stamina and my sprint speed has picked up too!

Monday again is netball night and due to the summer holidays most teams are short of a player or two so I get into the Duplays spirit by filling in for a couple of games which meant that I played almost three hours of netball in total. It’s a good job I love the sport so much and the bonus was that I was on the winning team for all three games!

Wednesday, 18th July

No rest for the wicked...!

Needless to say I was feeling a little fragile after the previous nights boot camp session but as the day progressed my legs started to recover so being a glutton for punishment I went up to DSW (which is fast becoming my second home) for a Yogi Fitness session with the fantastic Gillian Harper followed by OFC Boot Camp with Corey.

Having only ever tried yoga at home I wasn’t too sure what to expect from the Yogi Fitness session. I have wanted to try yoga in a class for a long time but was always worried that I’d be the worst in the class. Gillian put me at ease straight away and reassured me that the class caters for all levels and there are variations of exercises. The class consisted of some warm up stretching followed by the sun salutation where the poses were done in quick succession and then further traditional yoga poses ranging from simple to the more complex.

I have never been more pleasantly surprised with a new class than I was after this yoga class! I think most people who have never been to a yoga class before think that it is fairly easy and don’t expect to work up a sweat... not Gillian’s class! I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to improve strength and flexibility without the high impact element that other exercises focus on. The breathing techniques help you focus on controlling your body and in turn help you to relax. I’ll definitely be going back to this class!

There was a great turn out for boot camp which made for a fantastic team atmosphere once again but this was by far the toughest session yet! The session comprised of a series of push-ups starting at 18, then 16, 14, 12….and so on which was followed by the same routine for burpees. For anyone who has never done a burpee before it is a full-body strength conditioning exercise that uses your own bodyweight as resistance. Corey takes no prisoners and is strict with the technique so it has to be a full, chest to the floor burpee ending in a jump. We do 90 of these in total with everyone going at their own pace and it’s not long before my leg, arms and shoulders are burning and the sweat is pouring off me but I manage to push through the pain and get into a rhythm of doing 4 or 5 in one go then a few seconds rest until I’ve completed the full 90. It really is a mind over matter exercise as once you think you can’t do another single burpee, Corey or Frankie would be there to spur you on. We get a little rest before we go onto the final exercise of 5 lots of 400m sprint races around the DSW track. I have never been more ready for an early night than I was at the end of that session!

Sunday, 15th July

It’s the start of week 2 and I’m up at DSW for spinning and then intervals with Candice. She’s a fantastic instructor and really good at motivating you and saying the right things to make you push yourself that little bit harder than you thought you could! Again there’s a buzzing atmosphere and it’s really busy with football, basketball and running going on around the place.

Monday is netball night and yet again another great win for team Sharpshooters! I’ve always played netball and definitely credit it with keeping my fitness levels up and my weight down. Most of all I enjoy it and I really count myself lucky to have an exercise that I really look forward to doing as that can be a real struggle for some people when it comes to exercise.

I’m doing well with my clean eating and getting into a good routine as I’m prepping lunch to take to work the night before and making sure that I have plenty of fruit to snack on in the afternoon. As part of the process we email Corey on a daily basis to list what we’ve eaten in that day and he then gives us individual feedback on what we can improve. I know that I rarely drink enough water so my aim is to up my intake and make it sustainable by making drinking water part of my routine by always keeping a bottle on my desk at work.

On Tuesday night I took part in a boot camp on JBR, run by Dubai Dragons men’s rugby club. It’s hard work as humidity levels are high but the session is really varied each week so you never know what to expect! This week we were flipping truck tyres in teams, doing burpees, push-ups and then finished with a 400m jog (more like swift walk in my case) waist high in the sea from one end of the beach to the other with a final run along the sand back to where we started.

Thursday, 12th July

Today was cardio tennis up at DSW with Tennis360. I look forward to this session as it’s a great way to start the weekend by working up a sweat doing something that I don’t normally get to do!

As ever the session is quite intense with an active rest of ball collection in between bursts of energy with ladder steps and cone dodging whilst returning a mix of forehands, backhands and volleys. The instructor is really good at advising on technique as you go along however I’m not sure I’m quite up to the level or worrying about my racket technique as at the moment I’m lucky if I hit the ball!

I overindulged a little too much over the weekend and was surprised at how guilty and annoyed I felt with myself about it! As part of the success programme I have committed to ‘clean eating’ which means that starch, sugar, processed foods, sauces and basically anything that comes in a packet with an ingredients list is off the menu. Meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and plenty of water are the key ingredients to success with Corey’s programme and I must admit, it’s really making me think about what I’m putting in my body. Something that Corey said has really stuck in my mind and that is how the purpose of food is to fuel our bodies and therefore what you put in is what you get out. This is key for me going into week two as I’m focusing on building fitness and not necessarily losing weight so if I am exercising more I need to make sure that I’m fueling myself with the right foods and not just empty calories with no nutrition. This is definitely easier said than done sometimes though!

Wednesday, 11th July

Today I had my assessment with Lovely of Healthtrendz following my week of being on the programme. I had my body composition assessed and we compared it to the first tests done just a week ago and I was very pleasantly surprised with the results. I’m not naïve enough to expect a miracle in one week however I have already lost some weight, body fat percentage has gone down slightly and muscle mass has gone up. It’s a great start so has really spurred me on for the coming weeks.

I joined Corey at the Original Fitness Co. Boot Camp at Dubai Sports World on Wednesday night. I usually do a different boot camp on Wednesday on the beach at JBR but wanted to give this one a go as it’s indoor so thought I could not only escape the heat and humidity, but also the sand. I succeeded in avoiding the humid outside air however didn’t manage to escape the sand. Corey had us working out on the beach volleyball space set up next to the gym at Dubai Sports World so the sand definitely made for extra resistance in some of the exercises. We did a lot of work with sandbags along with push-ups, lunges, burpees and running in between. What I loved about this session was the effort that everybody put in as there was no cheating or cutting corners and there was a real team atmosphere. I’ll definitely be going again!

Tuesday, 10th July

Monday is netball day for me and I was a little worried in the morning as my legs felt like they were giving up on me but they slowly recovered as the day went on and my team won our match! I had thai-style hammour for dinner this evening as part of my Healthtrendz programme and it was my favourite meal so far.   

Today is the last day of the Healthtrendz diet programme and I must say I will really miss the convenience of having my food delivered to me. It’s been quite a treat not having to go grocery shopping for a whole week! On top of the food programme I have also been drinking 4 litres of water each day as recommended by Corey and I feel much better for it. As I’m doing more and more exercise I’m realizing the importance of being hydrated before you start so that you’re topping up your water levels when you exercise rather than trying to catch up with yourself during and after.

On Tuesday I made my way to the Trade Centre for the second time this week for the Wonder Woman class and then the spin class straight after. My legs were still pretty tired from but my energy levels were feeling good. Wonder Woman was hard work but I could really feel the exercises working on the key areas that a lot of women find tricky and at the beginning the instructor asked us all if there was anything specific that we wanted to work on so it’s good to know that you can have your say.

Tuesday evening seemed much busier up at Dubai Sports World which was great as there was a real buzz about it which really adds to the atmosphere of the place!

Sunday, 8th July

It’s officially Day 1 of the success programme!

I’m still following the Healthtrendz food programme where my three meals a day and snacks are delivered to me at work and so far it’s been great. The food is really delicious and I can honestly say that I haven’t gone hungry since starting it. It really highlights that portion control and spreading your meals out in smaller amounts through the day really helps to stabilize your hunger pangs and maintain good energy levels.

Tonight I took the Spin class and then the Interval Revolution class directly after at Original Fitness, Dubai Sports World. Spinning is a fantastic calorie burner and it’s really high intensity so you definitely need to be prepared to sweat (providing you’re using the resistance dial on the bike!). I also find it’s great for building stamina that can be transferred to running as it’s all about mind over matter, particularly when it comes to the sprinting and hill climbs.

The Interval Revolution class was a high-intensity full body workout with a series of exercises set to a timer. My legs were already pretty tired from spinning but I still managed to really feel the benefit of this class and it helps to have the music pumping in the background to keep you going!

Friday, 6th July

I had my fitness test with Corey from Original Fitness Co. this morning and I must say I was a little apprehensive. I like to think I’m fairly fit however I haven’t tested my overall fitness in a long time! In posting my scores here for all and sundry to see the intention is that I will be spurred on to smash these scores next time!

Mile Run – 8:12 min

Push ups – 12

Sit ups – 33

Squats – 47

Plank – 1 minute

These results put me at 2nd Lieutenant rank on the Original Fitness Co. scale so my aim is to move up to Lieutenant by the end of the summer. This means that I need to more than double the amount of push-ups in a minute and run a mile a minute faster than I can at the moment. It’s not going to be easy but I’m determined!

Thursday, 5th July

I decided to email my entry to Dubai Eye after hearing about it on the radio and thinking it would definitely give me the motivation I was looking for! I’m fairly fit already as I’ve played all sorts of sport from a young age, however I definitely feel that I was fitter before moving to Dubai. When I was successful in joining the Fighting Fit team and was offered the opportunity to try the Healthtrendz diet plan I jumped at the chance!

I met with Lovely of Healthtrendz for my body composition assessment. The technical equipment that she used showed that my BMI and body fat percentage were within the ranges given for my age and height so I’m currently at a ‘healthy’ weight. Lovely pointed out that the diet plan is not only for those aiming to lose weight but also for people looking to improve their diet and eating habits and increase energy levels, which is definitely something I struggle with. One of the things that I was anxious about was handing over control of what I am able to eat so I was pleasantly surprised to find that I got to select my meals, snacks and drinks for each day of the plan from a menu with a fantastic variety to choose from.

Wednesday, 4th July was day one of the Healthtrendz diet and my goodie bag was delivered to me at work. I was amazed at the amount of food it contained! I had fresh fruit for breakfast, a delicious Greek salad, Hammour kebabs and rice for lunch and a veg hot pot for dinner with snacks of fresh fruit and an energy bar in between. I managed to space my meals and snacks out through the day which meant that I didn’t feel hungry at any point and in the evening I felt energized going into my fitness training session.

Day 2 and the food just as delicious! Croissants for breakfast, pomegranate juice, chicken, new potatoes and salad for lunch and lamb salooma with veggies for dinner with snacks of fruit and mini muffins in between. One thing that I have noticed already is that I haven’t had the usual afternoon energy dips that I usually suffer from and I put this down to the fact that on this diet I’m eating more frequently through the day but having smaller portions.

After work I joined some other members of the team to try out cardio tennis with Tennis 360 at Dubai Sports World. I have only played tennis on a couple of occasions so really wanted to try it out. It was the first time I have seen the set up at DWTC and I was amazed! All sorts of sports are catered for and the facilities are fantastic. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the session and was a little worried that I wouldn’t be able to hit the ball. In fact, this worked to my benefit as I was concentrating so hard on the tennis part that it distracted my attention from the cardio side of things and before I knew it I had worked up quite a sweat! The coach was great and I’m looking forward to seeing how each session progresses over the weeks.

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