THE ONE WITH MY JOURNEY OF GETTING FIT AGAIN- part 2

It has been 2 weeks now since I started hitting the gym again, and It's been great.
My fitness is defiantly improving, my sleep is much deeper and regular an I feel wonderful.

The plan with the personal trainer started well but I only had 3 sessions with her and she had to leave to her country, so I started working out on my own with the occasional random help of other instructor at the gym.

I don't follow a specific plan yet, I just rotate the targeted exercises around my body every workout day, with a basic cardio warm up before and zumba cardio classes after.

I have been going to the gym almost 4 times a week with the following routine;

10 min warm up on the treadmill: min.1-3 at pace of 3.5 mph

                                                        min 3-4 at pace of 7-9 mph
                                                        min 4-7 at pace of 3.5 mph
                                                        min 7-8 at pace of 7-9 mph
                                                        min 8-10 at pace of 3.5 mph , then cool down and stop.

If I'm planning on taking a zumba class later, then I don't do any further cardio, if I don't then I take extra 10 min on the Orbit rack.

Then I start the resistance workout. So far I have been focusing most on the legs as it is use in most resistance workout which shapes your body, so your legs needs to be nice and strong. I have been doing upper body and abs as well, but my main focus is on my legs.

Regarding my diet, I haven't gone on any special diet, but I cook my food healthy in general, i.e I don't use butter or ghee, I only use light oil with very minimal amount and I eat only lean proteins.
Most importantly, I controlled my portions and tracked everything I ate, using nutracheck app. And I stop eating 2 hours before bed, If I'm really hungry (that usually means I did more effort which is brilliant) I just have a small-medium baked sweet potato or a portion of low salt or cottage cheese with a tomato cut up with it. Finally I drink as much water as I can.

It's ok to have a cheat meal once a week where you can have anything you want. This boosts up your metabolism and helps to satisfy your cravings.

Results?? 
well, so far I have lost 1.5 kgs (the number might not look big but actually it is, as usually it's fats lost replaced by muscle, so the scale isn't the best indicator, you're body figure and how it looks in clothes is) and I have lost 2 cm around my waist line.

Actually, the difference between the 1st picture I took before I started workout and now is quite noticeable, and I can start seeing my abs horizontal lines starting to appear again, aaaah it feels MAGNIFICENT :D

All what you have read so far is preparing myself to get started on a body workout plan called "Bikini Body Guide"

 by kayla itsines, which so many have tried and have shown amazing results.
I'll start it as soon as possible.

Below are some screenshots of my food diary from the past weeks. Just to have an idea about how I have been eating, as you can see, nothing special, just controlled spaced portions.

   

That's it today lovelies and I'll see next week, hopefully with Good news ..xxxxx

THE ONE WITH MY JOURNEY OF GETTING FIT AGAIN - Part 1

I finally started hitting the gym, after a year and half of separation :D
This time motivated, persistent and determined to achieve the ultimate body I can reach. And to keep committed, I decided I would blog about it along the way.

It has already been a week since I started, and I could already feel the difference around my body. I have been doing targeted body workouts with a personal trainer and doing cardio Zumba almost everyday.

Regarding my food, I haven't gone on a special diet, I keep eating my normal foods but in controlled portions and almost every three hours. I have discovered a great app. that has helps me keep track of my caloric intake everyday, and the amount i burn my exercise. Almost every food in the world is registered in there with it's calories content, plus you can make your own recipes and it will calculate for you how much calories are there in the recipes. Pretty awesome, huh ?!!  

The app is called Nutracheck. check it out.

So, I will keep you guys posted as much I can, and feel free to share your personal experience with me anytime ;)

see you soon,

xxxxx

THE ONE WITH THE BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION IN SAHL HASHEESH

Lets talk about this astonishing destination called Sahl Hasheesh for a moment. Beautiful detailed landscapes, wonderful shores, clear blue waters and breath-taking architectures.

Ahmed's birthday was coming up and the past month was a nightmare in all it's details, we were faced with family crises and heartbreaking news. We both really needed a break especially he, so i started think about the best was to spend the day and I saw that what we needed was a romantic get-away, and so Sahl Hasheesh hit me. And indeed it hit the jackpot. 

The city is quite small, and still under construction, but quite beautiful. It has three main attractions, the "Old Town" , the "Arrival Piazza" and the "Pier".

The Old town was truly breath-taking, it is built with same architecture of Egypt's building in the 50s, with small buildings having old style apartments for Sale. It also feature a whole range of local and international shops and outlets that are about to open soon. The town overlooks the coast with the beautiful palm trees, soft yellow sands and the clear blue waters. It was like you time traveled from Old Egypt to Cannes or Miami. There are quite a few restaurants and cafes that are over-looking this beautiful view. I can't find anything to describe it better than pictures.

    

Then there comes the pier, that takes along the beach into the middle of the sea where you can see the remains of the sunken city. Golf carts are available for rent by the hour to walk along the pier and explore the beautiful city.

 

Finally, the "Arrival Piazza" the huge beautifully designed, 'arabesque' inspired space, filled with flowing fountains and colorful lights. Truly the jewel of Sahl Hasheesh.

After we finished our lovely tour in Sahl Hasheesh we went back to the hotel to chill by the pool then took a nap and then got ready for ahmed's birthday dinner, where we went to the indian resturant called "Zafran" at The Oberoi Sahl Hasheesh.

The hotel and the restaurant were truly amazing, the service was unbelievable and the food was spectacular. You can't go to Sahl Hasheesh and not try the fine dining experience of "Zafran"

To sum up, Sahl Hasheesh is a must go to destination ;)

Thank you and see in the next blog.
xxx 

THE ONE WITH THE SUMMER OF HACIENDA BAY

This is a very overdue post, and I do apologize to my readers for not writing for quite a long time, but i have been having loads of problems since late August and September as well as severe health issues, which i may discuss in a post one day.

On the brighter side, I did have a lovely summer right before all of that happens, traveling from North Coast to Saini and red sea to Old Cairo. The Hot Spot I indeed would like to talk about is the North coast trip especially "Hacienda Bay".

Hacienda is a private luxury resort community over the North Coast. With lavish homes, luxury dining, beautiful landscapes, sea lagoons , layers and layers of clear blue waters.

We spent there 4 days, although the plan was to stay a week, but things came up. However, they were full of fun, laughter and pineapples :D ( I will explain this in a few moments)

A big part of is still under construction, but still has loads of potential.
Basically we spent the whole day beach and the lagoons. The lagoons are made by the sea water just in front of the sea, separated by a small land of seashore. You cross over the lagoons with a bridge, to reach the beach.

The lagoons are surrounded with cabins overlooking the waters. beautiful, huh ??!! ;)

 











The beach was filled with various mouth watering opportunities, from burger carts to jackets potatoes to juice bars serving pineapple and watermelon juice in actual pineapples and and watermelons :D ...that was fun to hold.





Right at the entrance of Hacienda, was lake-yard. A huge yard market, formed of colourful Crates and Containers, acting up as restaurants and various shops from fashion boutiques to furniture shops. Basically almost anything you like could be found there.

The 2015 summer is already over, but Hacienda is an experince that certainly needs to be repeated the next summer ;) . Definitely a destination for the elite.

Me with 50 shades of blue

Swinging at the juice bar

the lagoon in action