Personal Training in Bahrain

Oh! so there is life outside of cyber world...

Hi all,
Yes I know I haven't written for ages and I know I was trying hard to keep up my 'post' a day, but as you can hopefully appreciate, after leaving the confines of palatial living in Saudi, I have been out and about and staying away from the laptop.
Life in Bahrain has been great, it has been busy busy busy! and to be honest I can't wait until the New Year starts so I can get back to my daily routines and some peace and quiet.
My mum has been here for the last 12 days so needless to say the days have been spent entertaining. (Lots of fun though). She goes back tonight to Sarasota, Florida and Rob and I go to our New Year's eve bash at the Diplomat to bring in the New Year.
We are now off to Jacques Dessange in Adliya to have a two hour pampering session which I CAN"T wait a second more!! My three months to my wedding countdown starts officially in one day and part of the preparation is to have regular facials and beauty treatments! Oh what fun!

I'll be back soon and tell you about our weekend in Dubai, full of fun, multi culture extravaganza, boring hot air balloon and engineering admiration for the Burj al Arab!

Have a great New Year's Eve bash and drink plenty of water and take your multivitamins!

Oh! I'm so Not looking forward to the Festive Season

You will only hear me say that on this particular POST; I am so not looking forward to the Festive Season!!

WHY?
Because I have a wedding in less than 4 months! AAARRRGGHHH! I don't know why I have suddenly thought this but last night, I had a really bad moment of panic!! I am getting so geared up to sing FA LA LA LA LA be merry,  enjoy all festivities, mulled wine night, nibbles and cocktails at the bosses house , take mum to Dubai for a Christmas weekend and then I think ......... god I am going to have to be SO careful not to let my recent hard work fall wayside.
At present I am SO on track, I have maintained a steady weight loss, increased muscle tone and feel in absolutely GREAT shape!!! (maybe I should just get married now!) But unless I remain focused and realistic I could feel miserable come January!

BUT wait!
Rule number one is not to have the ALL or Nothing mentality! This is why most health programmes fail and why mine has been a success over the last 12 weeks. I followed the 80/20% mentality and refused to put extra pressure on myself.
In addition, my goals were small, realistic, manageable, personal and followed a time line. I hear my close friends and family always tell me ........... 'Well when I lose 3 stone by the time I see you' or ' yes I'm going on a diet starting today' .
These goals don't mention how, what, why and what benefits you will gain to keep you motivated.They are unrealistic and are setting up for another failure.

So with my upcoming festive challenge I thought I would list some goals to keep me on track, focused, realistic and maintain my wedding day shape up but more importantly Have some fun!

SAMANTHA's MINI FESTIVE GOALs

• I will have one 'Day off' a week for the next two weeks so that I can feel the benefits of staying healthy for the remaining 12 days.
• I will exercise for a minimum of 20 minutes every other day after breakfast so that I can keep my fitness levels up in time for January.
• I will drink a glass of water for every alcoholic beverage I have at social functions so that I don't feel dehydrated and feel great the next day.
• I will get to bed before 12 on nights out so that I can get enough sleep to allow my body to heal and rejuvenate.
• I will allow myself one depleting food per day (these include chocolates, christmas nibbles, processed foods) Not that I want to or encourage that I do, I just don't want to feel bad if the opportunity arises.
• I will say one affirmation before bed to ensure that I remain positive, happy, loving and not feel overwhelmed by the festive stress.
• I will enjoy myself!
• I believe in my strength to achieve my goals and remain focused for my 3 month countdown come January.

I'll let you know how it goes!
BTW feel free to follow these guidelines too, it won't be so much like a slap in the face come January!!!;-)

It's Almost Here.........

Yes, I will in Bahrain in 4 days time!!! (4 days ahead of schedule!)

For those of you confused as to where I actually live and why do I advertise that I am based in Bahrain yet I am not living there yet, let me explain further.........

My fiance Rob and I moved out to the Gulf 18 months ago, we settled in to our apartment and I came over to Riyadh where I have been working for a Saudi Elite Family as their Health Coach. Riyadh is only a 40 minute flight away from Bahrain so I have been able to commute back and forth when I had time off. I call Bahrain my base and Rob and I will be married next year and plan to stay for the next 4-5 years.
Bahrain is also very special to me as I went to school over 20 years ago (St Christophers & Bahrain International School) I also came and worked for three years in the 90's and can't believe that this is my third expat adventure out here.
We did contemplate Dubai,(and may consider it in the future) but at this point it is too fast paced, traffic is horrendous and Bahrain suits us with its friendly, small island feel.

Certainly, the Gulf is the place for us as Rob's work (Engineer) is setting him up for a number of years and I am excited to be introducing alternative healthy living to the Expats and locals.
I would love to get a similar Organic food store set up in Bahrain such as the Organic food and cafe in Dubai. If anyone is interested, please contact me to discuss further.

Well, I look forward to meeting all of my new cyber contacts and start training in the New Year.
Hope you are all getting ready for the festive season..............