www.womanthismonth.com letters February 2016 6 Sweet Like Chocolate PARENTING Just their Imagination TRAVEL Workout Breaks Beauty & Brains Our Big Fitness Campaign Hello Healthy New You THE LATEST ANTI-AGING TREATMENT HOME CLUTTER BE GONE May Mahmoud BEAUTY YARA SALMAN www.womanthismonth.com BEAUTY | FASHION | HOME | WELLBEING | PARENTING | LOCAL ISSUES Bahrain Edition January 2016 | Issue 155 | BD1 / SR10 Write Here Write Now We want to hear your thoughts on Woman This Month. Write to us at [email protected] Get in touch by email, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram! Om Sweet Om I have always treated January as a ‘reset button’. December is when I usually lose control and I look at the start of the new year as the time to regain balance. This year is no different, apart from one addition – along with being disciplined in most areas – I am also going to try to be very ‘Zen’ this year. Behnaz Sanjana’s wellbeing article could not have come at a better time. I have started with ‘baby steps’ towards yoga, and I am so far just learning to concentrate and do some breathing exercises, but hopefully in a month or two will proceed towards more sophisticated asanas. The innumerable benefits of this ancient practice are no secret and I really hope I am able to attain the ultimate ‘union’ of mind, body and spirit. Dana. Fitness Trends I’d like to begin with admitting that I am not much of a fitness buff , but your January issue has really got me thinking about it. I loved Liz O’Reilly’s piece on new practices that have entered or are about to be introduced in Bahrain along with the adjoining page on 2016’s fitness trends.. It did make someone like me, who’s not motivated to work out at all, want to look up the things mentioned. So thank you for sharing such interesting information. I am seriously considering taking up Anti-gravity Yoga and also looking forward to picking up healthy foods next time I’m at the supermarket. Amina. WTM Dec Cover was the most liked picture on Instagram. WTM Cover post on #WTM is the most liked post on FB Workout Vacations When I first looked at the title of this piece in last month’s issue, I thought to myself ‘why on earth would anyone want to work out on their holiday?’ – for me it’s usually all about lazing by the pool and recovering from my hectic career and family life. However, reading Ankita Mamgain’s suggestions, she actually managed to make the idea of an active holiday sound inviting. I’m not sure I’d go so far as the Hawaiian boot camp break but I have checked out the idea of hiking and biking in Africa and I might just give it a go this year as long as there’s some serious pampering at the end. Bernie. Reversing the Clock This is perhaps the eternal and the most elusive quest, and it’s true skin care companies are making millions of our insecurities. Most products are intended to show little to zero results yet we go and buy them religiously. So thank you so much for sharing the information about what DOES work. I read more about this online and, yes, apart from retinoids and certain solutions that the dermatologist can provide, there is much under the sun that’s helping us look younger. And I was shocked to see the incredible price difference when I went and bought a topical retanoid from a pharmacy as compared to the huge amounts I’ve spent on anti-aging creams. I do feel grossly cheated. But thank you for writing about this and also sharing other valuable information about skin care as well. Tamara. www.womanthismonth.com January 2016 44 BEAUTY | review Reversing the Clock We might not have access to the Fountain of Youth, but what we do have are innumerable products and treatments containing the same promise. WTM takes a closer look at skin-aging and ways that can actually slow it down. “You are never too old to become younger!” – Mae West In the past few decades alone, the market for anti-aging products and services has grown into a giant global industry, the value of which is expected to reach USD191.7 billion by the end of 2019. This figure includes money spent on anti-aging cosmetics, plastic surgery and dermatology, and aspects of traditional medicine, such as anti-aging disease management. The number of botulinum toxin (BOTOX) treatments has risen up to 700 per cent in the USA alone since 2000, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. With increasingly stressful lives which see us battling deadlines, performance ratings, fast food, chronic pollution and sleep deprivation, the aging process seems to be starting earlier and at an accelerated pace. Add to this constant presence on social media and the need to look beautiful, young and celebrity-style glamorous has never been greater. Yes, market shelves are filled with products that claim to be elixirs of youth, but take a moment to understand what makes some of us look younger, despite our age. Genetics has a major role to play but beyond that a lot lies in your own hands, in terms of how much care you take of yourself to stall fine lines and wrinkles. Yes, the operative word is ‘stall’ because aging is inevitable – It. Will. Happen! As we grow older the production of collagen and elastin, which are responsible for maintaining skin’s integrity and tone, decreases. Loss of elasticity, decrease or change in colour, fine wrinkling, thinning of layers and increased itchiness are all signs that your skin is aging and taking the rest of your body down (sagginess) with it. But managing this process with a good skin care regime and healthy lifestyle can work wonders, keeping you looking radiant for years. Here are some essentials you need to remember (and practise) to slow down signs of aging. 1) Wear Sunscreen: Rain or shine, this is one part of your skin-care regime that you absolutely cannot ignore. Apply a broadspectrum sunscreen that contains both UVA and UVB protection every day, half an hour before you step outside. This is your first line of defence against any sun damage or skin cancer. 2) Quit Smoking: In addition to several other much serious conditions, such as heart January 2016 www.womanthismonth.com 40 FEATURE | health & fitness It probably happens every time. The festivities of the season go on to become unsightly bulges and paunches that seem to refuse to leave your body, like little reminders of all your indiscriminate indulgences. So between despair (will I ever be able to wear that little black dress again?) and lofty resolutions that eventually lose fizz (I will trudge to the gym five times a week), there’s yoga. Yoga is a Sanskrit word, derived from the word yuj, which, in contemporary terms, is interpreted as ‘union’. Its primary purpose is to unite the mind, body, and spirit. Celebrities swear by the power of the practice – several of them attribute their svelte figures and their ability to cope with life’s upheavals to yoga. It’s a misconception that this approach for a healthy mind and body is only for flexible folks. Given time and consistency, your body will surprise you. We spoke to Master Yogi and founder of the acclaimed holistic centre Namaste Bahrain, Weam Zabar, to shoot down your apprehensions. SO, WHY YOGA? Weam says that yoga is a healing practice. “It doesn't only look at muscles. It works with organs, bones, joints, energy, mental wellbeing, emotional health, releasing fear, finding balance and living a more skillful and meaningful life.” The rewards from regular practice are manifold in comparison to the time and resources spent. WHAT’S YOUR STYLE? Yoga as a practice has developed and evolved over the decades. If you are baffled by all the various styles of yoga there are, Weam puts it in a nutshell: “There are more styles of yoga than those that moved to the West. In the West, the main style that is normally referred to is Hatha Yoga, which involves the physical effort of Asanas (poses). Hatha Yoga is the branch from which many styles of yoga [Ashtanga, Vinyassa, power, yin, Bikram, Iyengar etc] have emerged.” She says there are also other schools of yoga that work towards the same goal: union of the mind, body and soul. Karma Yoga, for example, is based on selfless service, Bhakti Yoga is Om Sweet Om Whether it is to slim down or fine tune the body’s engine, your new year’s health related resolutions could be fulfilled by the age old philosophy of yoga, finds Behnaz Sanjana. The rewards from regular practice are manifold in comparison to the time and resources spent www.womanthismonth.com January 2016 58 LIFESTYLE | travel The Workout Vacation We all need some well-deserved R&R sometimes and one of the best ways to recharge your batteries can be by testing the limits of your strength and stamina. Ankita Mamgain takes you to some amazing destinations that cater to both mind and body. What could be a better way to jolt us out of our excessively sedentary lifestyles than a vacation? But if you’re thinking 15 days of soaking up the sun while playing with the tiny umbrella on you cocktail glass, eating hamburgers for breakfast and becoming the (not-so) proud owner of a newly acquired ‘beverage’ belly – think again. What if you could return home with six-pack abs, a new personal running record and an energised mind, all along with a camera full of exotic pictures? A number of companies are offering fitness or workout vacations, which are a bit different from a wellness break at a luxury spa resort. This experience is all about action and the best part is, it allows you to discover some of the most picturesque, diverse and interesting locations around the world. Whether you’re into running, cycling, skiing, snowboarding, CrossFit, horse riding, golf, yoga or something that calls for even more adrenaline pumping through your veins, if you’re taking some time off this new year, how about coming back a new you? AN ACTIVE SAFARI South Africa packs some of the best that the African continent has to offer into one brilliant microcosm. From leisure seekers to adventurers and culture vultures, the Rainbow Nation extends a warm welcome to all. Its urban hotels boast some of the best gyms and spas, but there’s much to be experienced in the wilder pockets. And for fitness freaks it doesn't get any better than this with a terrain that often surprises you with truly demanding and exhilarating experiences. Hike along Table Mountain's base to world-famous Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden or bike from Cape Point to Chapman's Peak and possibly spot ostriches, baboons, rare Cape Mountain zebras and eland. Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve and Retreat offers great mountain-biking terrain featuring ancient Bushman rock art and red hartebeest antelope. Take a guided bike ride into the Zululand Rhino Reserve and learn to track wild animals such as cheetah, hippo, hyena, members of the Big Five and hundreds of bird species. You can even hike from lodge to lodge, exploring a different section of the park every day. When in the mood to relax, taste the local vintages, indulge in a spa session or go canoeing. Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve Bushman rock art Zululand-Rhino-Reserve The Most Liked Post on Facebook The most talked about picture on WTM’s Instagram The following #WTM post was the most favourited and Retweeted on Twitter Follow us on: Instagram: @woman_this_month Twitter: @WomanThisMonthB Facebook: Woman This Month Letter #WTM Cover Contest asked the fans on social media to like & share the contest post on #WTM FB, Instagram & Twitter to win free couple dinner vouchers at the K Hotel. The five lucky winners are... 1. Ameera Al Samahiji, 2. Lee Ann Fleetwood, 3. Sonia Jalil 4. Nancy Samir, 5. Hamad Mohammed Congratulations! 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