Do you think we need more gyms and health centers in Kuwait? I say yes gyms can help us greatly to get in shape bearing in mind the zillion calories we consume especially that we have numerous restaurants and tempations are infinitely many, also more gyms will help improve prices and services for the exisitng gyms, but I noticed most of the new gyms are men-only, also women health clubs are more expensive. So let’s see what are the gyms:
Fitness First: Its the world’s largest and most popular with over 540 branches, they said they have plans to further expand in Middle East and Kuwait is included, though they were supposed to open in first quarter of 2012 but nothing so far, I really wish they open soon.
Gold’s Gym: I spotted it in Salmiya beside electrozan, Gold’s Gym is American health club and also considered one of the best with over 650 branches worldwide, I expect it will open by end of this year.
Oxygen Gym – Jabriya: I’m sure you are all familiar with this one since its one of the most popular ones in Kuwait, they are opening another one in Jabriya on August beside Champions. I personally like it becauase they have good prices, the other locations are Adeileya, Fahaheel, and Al Riggae.
Platinum Gym – Sabah Al Salem: Its also one of my favorite gyms in Kuwait, nice facilities and offers, they will soon open Platinum at Sabah Al Salem area. The other locations are Kaifan, Salmiya, Fahaheel, and Corniche.
Power Gym: It was recently opened at Jahra, they say its amazing with great facilities and charges 40 KD/Month, sadly its way too far from my home but its a great option for those who live in surrounding areas.
I was longing for Fatayer (فطاير) and I read about this new gluten-free bakery named Firin from Bazaar so I thought I’d try it for breakfast, I keep hearing about health benefits for gluten-free foods but wasn’t sure what it is, from what I read on Wikipedia that some people are sensitive to gluten (Celiac disease), plus they say removing gluten helps losing weight and increase energy levels and improves general health.
The bakery was small with a furnace, they handed me the menu; they had fatayer, cupcakes, breads, pizzas, muffins, and cookies. They only have take-away and home delivery orders, I ordered margarita and meat fatayer.
I favored their margarita, they don’t offer beverages. My check was KD8 and yes its high, I highlighted this to the owner; she explained that all their ingredients are brought from the outside and are high quality, she said they will look into improving their prices and services.
Phone: 22666100
Address: Hawally, Tunis street opposite to Hawally Pharmacy.
Today I had a quick tour at the recently opened health and fitness club named Inspire Pure Fitness at Bida’a, I’ve been numerous times to Bida’a but never noticed it because there were no signs, its located nearby Melenzane restaurant. They welcomed to give me a brief tour along with their manager.
My first question to them “What is different about your gym since we already have many in Kuwait?”, their answer was the trainers and fitness experience they have, I liked how the gym was spacious and neat.
The gym is mixed, some of the facilities included group fitness studio, free weights area, treadmills, punch bags, kick bags, kettle bells, different fitness equipment, private lockers, changing rooms, and nice reception area spread on two levels. I liked how the training machines were located next to windows with nice landscapes, this helps with exercise.
They provide personal training sessions and advice on how to achieve the required fitness level.
Shortcomings: There was no swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna, steam room or cafeteria and their reasoning is that they want to focus on fitness rather than SPA experience. Also I wish they lower their prices so more people can afford it.
Today morning I went to get some supplements such as omega 3-5-9 fish oils, multi-vitamins, low-calorie chocolates and shakes, and boosters to help me with my training but I was blown away by the prices, they were sky high!
I usually order my supplements online and my invoice never exceeded 40-80 KD for 3 months supply and today when I did my quick calculation I found that that same supplements would cost me as high as 200+ KD in Kuwait, that’s just absurd. Problem is that even online ordering has become a major headache since the Ministry of Health is now sending every package we order to the drug monitoring department in Shuwaikh and customs are charging higher.
Yesterday I did my perdiodical medical tests that includes tests for blood, diabetes, cholestrol, urin, eye sight, hearing, and weight. Hamdullah everything turned out fine except for one thing that shocked me, did you guess it yet? Yes its my weight, I gained over 10 KG’s in 2011 and now I’m at 95 KG! Honestly I didn’t see it coming.
I guess it all has to do with lacking of exercise, restaurants, changing my work from field to office, and sitting in front of computers for too long.
I had this instantaneous moment yesterday that I needed to go healthy again and lose those extra 10 KG’s so before I lose my enthusiasm I went back to the gym which I stopped for almost a year now, I’m also considering new quick gyms like Core Fitness, Club Fit, or Rush Gym, but not yet sure which one is better?
The gym was almost full, though it upsets me that many young guys were obviously using steroids for getting huge muscles unaware of the dangers. I read its healthy to lose around 1 KG a week (That’s 4 KG/Month) but my plan is to try my best lose around 2.5 KG per week and to achieve that I’ll do the following:
So do you guys have any suggestions? Do you think my goal is realistic?
A friend sent me this, apparently the reowned Kuwaiti nutritionist Dr. Abdullah Al Mutawa has conducted a survey for over 300 Kuwaiti women aged 14-28, the results were that 34% of participators said that they eat fast meals more than 4 times a week and according to him that’s the world’s highest, nevertheless I’d like to see an International study for validation but I couldn’t find one yet. I recall another study before stating that over 80% of Kuwaiti girls are over-weight.
He also added the the main causes of obesity in Kuwait are over-eating, lack of physical activity and sports, watching TV for prolonged duration, weight loss pills, thyroid gland problems, and genetics.
I found about this new iPhone app so-called, Alsihha, which is the first application in Kuwait that was developed to help people find all the information they need related to health sector, nice.
I installed the app on my iPhone and saw that it provides information about public and private hospitals, pharmacies, dental centers, spa’s, health clubs, doctors, latest news and health advice. It can help you locate the nearest health service provider around you, its also nice how the app supports both Arabic and English languages. I liked the idea and I wish to thank the developers for providing us the app free of charge.
First of all I want to say that I’m not against all weight lost surgeries if they are used as a last resort and under professional supervision but don’t you think that such surgeries are becoming a trend or should I say “Habba” in Kuwait lately?
Every now and then we get surprised by how some local celebrities (See picture above) or even friends/relatives are sporting a completely new-look by undergoing such surgeries, though some studies say that there are chances of serious complications, but seemingly many prefer the easy (costly & sometimes risky) way over the natural (needs patience & strong will) way to lose weight nowadays.
I saw this reportage on Arabiya TV channel claiming that Kuwaiti girls spend over 100 Million dollar (27 Million K.D roughly) every year on plastic surgeries, that’s heavy!
What’s more interesting though is that a plastic surgeon said that their male customers are more than females, the common precedures are hair transplants, botox injections, nose re-shaping, liposuction, and laser.
One of the things that really annoys me during Kuwait National Day celebrations is the improper use of foam, they don’t just get your car dirty but also harmful to health and the environment.
Fortunately, I read on KUNA website that Kuwait Public Authority will continue the ban on foam usage and those who are caught selling or using it will pay 50 KD as a fine.
I read on KUNA website that Kuwait Heart Association has scored a Guinness world record for highest number of people who checked their blood pressure, they managed to measure the blood pressure of 7, 203 people in only 8 hours, great achievement Mashallah!
My first question to them “What is different about your gym since we already have many in Kuwait?”, their answer was the trainers and fitness experience they have, I liked how the gym was spacious and neat.
The gym is mixed, some of the facilities included group fitness studio, free weights area, treadmills, punch bags, kick bags, kettle bells, different fitness equipment, private lockers, changing rooms, and nice reception area spread on two levels. I liked how the training machines were located next to windows with nice landscapes, this helps with exercise.
They provide personal training sessions and advice on how to achieve the required fitness level.
Shortcomings: There was no swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna, steam room or cafeteria and their reasoning is that they want to focus on fitness rather than SPA experience. Also I wish they lower their prices so more people can afford it.
