PowerUp Sports & Fitness Magazine - August 2015 Issue

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Sports January 2015

Sports & Fitness

Bahrain Endurance 13

Get to know Bahrain’s elite athletes

Skateboarding Fun

The awesomely cool sport

bahrain khk mma team Bahrain to Host 2016 IMMAF Federation Cycling

The “Dummy’s” guide to SPORTS & FITNESS buying a bicycle

Dark Chocolate A healthy indulgence

HEALTHY LIVING What’s aging you?

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August 2015 | Issue 02

A vision of sports in Bahrain and GCC

Sports can be a powerful tool to promote the all-round growth and development of the youth of a nation. In Bahrain, under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad, we are dedicated to provide all sorts of opportunities for our young people as far as sports is concerned. I strongly believe that an efficient physical education programme equips people with vital qualities, such as leadership, perseverance, social and moral character, self-esteem, commitment to teamwork, and problemsolving and organisational abilities.

In today’s most challenging environment, such skills can only help individuals to succeed in life, and that brings prosperity to the nation. We are always on the lookout for ways of improving facilities and practices for physical education. One example of this is that I feel we should develop a more holistic physical education policy to be implemented right from the early school stages. Possibilities for implementing such a policy are being explored. Essential life skills are so often the outcome of an effective physical education.

In fact, sports have been proven to actually raise IQ in addition to building confidence and teaching kids about managing emotions, such as self-control. Sports help children to learn hard work, patience, persistence, and how to respond positively to setbacks and failures. Most importantly, sports help a child to prepare to take on the many challenges that life has to offer and emerge victorious like a champion.

Sports is an important part of the culture of the Gulf countries, especially endurance horse riding and show jumping, which have an immense traditional value, although we must not forget there are also other sports and sporting events that boast a rich history for us.

For the above reasons, I warmly welcome the arrival of PowerUp, the first sports dedicated magazine to be based in Bahrain. It will be a fantastic tool for the people of Bahrain to view sports clubs and fixtures that are available on our island. It will expose them to new sports from around the world and introduce them to exciting existing sports they may wish to try.

HH Shaikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa Chairman of Supreme Council for Youth & Sports, President of the Bahrain Olympic Committee

Reader’s

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LEWIS HAMILTON

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Wins The Bahrain Grand Prix

First of all, I want to congratulate everyone on this project for heading such a beautiful initiative. It’s a relief to finally see a print media exclusively promoting how to achieve a healthy and fit lifestyle.

In addition to all the sports and fitness regimes you’ve covered, including health; I feel there is no content “significantly” focused on MENTAL HEALTH; usually a subject taboo in society. A magazine like PowerUp can do its part in spreading mental health awareness.

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Dear Power Up Team

Sports & Fitness

June - July 2015 | Issue 01

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Feedback

Sports January 2015

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS

First National Try Out’s

PROMOTING LIFESTYLE CHANGES

One Post At A Time

AMIR KHAN

British Boxing Champion On Family And Fitness Also inside SPORTS & FITNESS

WORKOUTS Just In Time For Summer

EAT, MOVE, LIVE With Wolfgang Puck

Issue 01 June -July 2015

Editor’s Note: Send us your thoughts, comments, critiques, and requests via editorial@powerupmagazine. com. You can also take a picture of yourself with your PowerUp magazine and tell us your own experience. We will select letters and pictures to print monthly.

Social Media’s Most Engaging Posts ON IRONMAN NEWS

Catherine ‫@‏‬Catherine3625 Jun 10 @Sarcastic_Al @SaqerAlKhalifa @ PowerUpMag S I’M sure everything will b taken care & there wont be any mishaps coz #bahrain Deserves the Best Gloria ‫@‏‬gloriahere Jun 9 @PowerUpMag We love our #Ironman #BAHRAIN Both of them always giving......

AHMED HUSSAIN ‫@‏‬AHA1R Jun 10 @PowerUpMag Ironman Triathlon events can cause intestinal leaks and blood poisoning: Monash University research http:// www.ibtimes. co.uk/ironmantriathlo …

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Powerupmag #Bahrain is now a member of the #IMMAF. We now have a confirmed position as a top nation for #MMA #khalidbinhamadalkhalifa #khaledbinhamad (insert Instagram icon) eva_0414 Congrats shiek Khaled Powerupmag Challenge announces Triathlon at night!! The first of its kind, Bahrain will host the Triathlon at night in the month of November, before Ironman begins in December. goode2005 Looking forward to the course details.

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Most engaging / shared posts A Champion’s guide on how to be a successful athlete (The Swimming Challenge – Eric Watson) “Prince of Sport” HH Shk. Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa to lead Bahrain Endurance Team for ‪#‎Ironman‬ Cairns Australia.

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At PowerUp we support HH Shk Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and his vision for encouraging sport in Bahrain, true inspiration.

Rashid Ghauri Can we join you your H.H and surely we will change our life too..

Zoraida Falamarzi Thank you for your motivation may all the youngsters follow your footsteps

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Sports & Fitness

CEO - Chris Burrows

Editor ’s Note

Publisher - Nicholas Cooksey Senior Editorial - Ainne Frances dela Cruz Contributor - Phillip Clough

Get Pumping

Layout Design - Dhanraj S Business Development - Redia Castillo Marketing & Sales - Xanthe Sutcliffe Photography - Bench Medina - Harold Tejada

Design Your Life The first Bahrain based sports, health and fitness magazine. Our goal is to promote the sports culture and inspire our readers in the Arabian Gulf to take charge, be fit, and stay in shape for life.

PowerUp is an influential source of useful and entertaining content dedicated to sports, health, and wellness. Addressed to an audience of healthconscious readers in the GCC region.

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Distribution Bahrain: Al Hilal Corporation, Tel. +973 1748 0800 UAE: Jashanmals, Tel. +971 4341 9757

Published by:

Media P.O. Box 60357, Kingdom of Bahrain Tel: +973 1700 4575 Fax: +973 1772 1722

Registered as Gulf Financial Insider with Ministry of Information approval no. TFI-431©. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the written permission of the publisher.

All Rights Reserved. Views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher.

The range and diversity of sports in Bahrain is awe-inspiring.

From the boxing rings to the makeshift skate parks to the diving courses to motorsports race tracks, Bahrain is fast becoming a new sports destination in the Middle East.

It’s a great time to be part of a vibrant community and to contribute in our own little way, with a sports and fitness magazine. PowerUp aims for community empowerment through various sports and fitness initiatives. You would think that this is a niche magazine and as such, we would have little to write about. But the wealth of information and ideas that cross us is just astounding. Every day we discover a new sports club, a new gym, a new way of getting fit. Its these things that we want to share to everyone. We want to get people excited about sports and fitness. We want our readers to interact with us as well.

Starting this month, PowerUp will be a monthly magazine bringing you your sports and fitness news. We’ll also help you get started on your sport of choice with the Club Listings; give you ideas where to unwind and distress yourself around Bahrain; and let you know alternative ways to get fit without taking up too much of your carefully allotted time.

Sports & Fitness

contents

August 2015 | Issue 02

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Sports January 2015

Sports & Fitness

Bahrain EndurancE 13

Get to know Bahrain’s elite athletes

SkatEBoardinG Fun

the awesomely cool sport

bahrain khk mma team Bahrain to host 2016 iMMaF Federation CyCling

The “Dummy’s” guide to SPORTS & FITNESS buying a bicycle

Dark ChoColate A healthy indulgence

healthy liVing What’s aging you?

Complimentary Copy

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August 2015 | Issue 02

SPORTS & FITNESS

10 12 14 16 20 24 26

Sports News Events Calendar Around the World in Sports Bahrain MMA Team Backhand Swings Parkour

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28

The Dummy’s Guide to Buying a Bicycle

42

Bahrain’s Cricketeers sizzle in the summer heat

30 34

Fat to Thin

44 48 49 50

The Power of Flexibility

35 40

Bahrain Victorious in Windsor Bahrain Endurance 13 Anti-gravity Yoga

Skateboarding

SPORTS & FITNESS

Cover Story

HEALTH & WELLNESS

FASHION & STYLE

Royal Guard Football Around Bahrain

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Sports January 2015

FASHION & STYLE

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HEALTH & WELLNESS 53 54 56 58 61 62 64 66 68

Chef’s Corner A Primer on Protein The Architecture of a Smile What’s Aging you?

Down at Dessange

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74 75 76

Summer Makeup Beauty Tips

78 80

Men’s Grooming

81 82

The Age of Fitness Apps

An afternoon with Pupa Sports Watches

Gadgets

Cancer Astrology

Sofitel’s Thallasa Sea & Spa Dark Chocolate: The healthy indulgence The Benefits of Spa-ing Club Listings

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Fitness

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PowerUp August 2015

SPORTS

Ironman launch 70.3 Bahrain & Dubai

NEWS Bahrain Olympic Day Held last June

Bahrain Olympic Day Held last June

Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) general secretary Abdulrahman Askar gave a double thumbs up to the 2015 Olympic Day, which was held in Bahrain recently at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.

The event was organized by the BOC on June 12 as Bahrain celebrated this year’s edition of the Olympic Day with more than 1,500 involved in a number of activities which included a multi-category race.

Askar noted that the Olympic Day aims to celebrate the three pillars of the International Olympic Committee and they are Move, Learn and Discover.

This year’s celebration was held under the patronage of His Majesty the Kingdom’s representative for Charity Works and Youth Affairs, Supreme Council for Youth and Sports chairman and BOC president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who delegated Supreme Council general secretary and BOC vice-president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa.

SPORTS & FITNESS

IRONMAN announced today the expansion of its iconic triathlon series into the Middle East for the first time, with two new IRONMAN 70.3 races in Bahrain and Dubai.

The IRONMAN Middle East Series will launch with the IRONMAN 70.3 Middle East Championship triathlon in the Kingdom of Bahrain on December 5, 2015, followed by the IRONMAN 70.3 Dubai triathlon in early 2016.

Challenge Announces Night Triathlon In Bahrain

Bahrain Endurance 13’s Javier Gomez eyes slot in Rio Olympics Javier Gomez will line up in Rio for the 2015 ITU World Olympic qualification event this weekend. Should he secure a win or a top-three finish at this test event, he will gain an Olympic quota spot for Spain and almost guarantee his spot on the

Spanish team for Rio. However, he has to go through the world’s top triathletes such as Alistair Brownlee as well as his compatriots Mario Mola and Fernando Alarza, who sit just below Gomez in the ITU world rankings.

CHALLENGE Family announced last June that Challenge Bahrain will once again break new ground in the triathlon world as the world’s largest half distance night triathlon on November 20.

Challenge Bahrain will also double as the grand final of the prestigious Nasser Bin Hamad Triple Crown, which will see Daniela Ryf (SUI) and Terenzo Bozzone (NZL), race against the world’s best in a bid to become triathlon’s first instant millionaires.

With the swim taking place as the sun sets over Bahrain’s spectacular skyline, the athletes will complete the bike and run in the dark along a well lit course. This unique format also allows all finishers to enjoy the festive nighttime finish line celebrations normally reserved for longer distance races.

There will be between 1,000 to 1,500 participants this year.

SPORTS NEWS 11

Bahrain Endurance 13 to Support Dreams of Bahrain National Team

Bahrain Endurance 13 confirmed their support in the development of young high performance athletes from Bahrain to feed into the Bahrain national triathlon team.

As part of team founder His Highness Shaikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa’s vision of creating pathways for success in endurance sports, the Bahrain Endurance athletes have each committed to give a portion of their winnings from racing around the world toward the national team’s training and development.

Bahrain Viva Players train at United Village

Bahrain Viva Players train at United Village

Shaikh Salman, among football’s most influential

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president and Fifa vice president Shaikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa has been named as one of the most influential people in the football world by ESPN. The list was topped by Uefa football president, Michel Platini who has been in charge since 2007. Shaikh Salman came in as 15th on the list. The Shaikh is seen as a possible successor to Fifa’s presidency

The 2015 squad of 22 Viva players have been inducted into professional football training at Manchester United’s Partington Sports Village. They now will fully immerse in learning all technical and social aspects

on their favourite sport.

The Viva players, comprising 18 boys and four girls, are experiencing a wide range of coaching sessions, like ice-breaking activities to help progress their own personal abilities within the overall playing philosophy of one of the world’s greatest football clubs, Manchester United.

The training, led under

the guidance of seasoned Manchester United Soccer Schools (MUSS) coaches, Carl Wild and Matt Johnson, involves teaching the participants the skills, rules, strategy and discipline of football and encourage good sportsmanship, selfconfidence and teamwork in and off the pitch.

Special welcome for athletics team

Bahrain’s national athletics team returned home to a warm welcome following their impressive results at the recently-concluded 21st Asian Championship in Wuhan, China.

The nationals took eight medals, including three gold, three silver and two bronze, amidst solid competition from over 1,000 athletes coming from 45 Asian Countries.

Askar commended the team results and overall performance, especially Kemi Adekoya who posted

Image source: www.bna.bh

the world leading time in the 400m hurdles final race, where Bahrain’s double gold medalist in the last Asian Games at Incheon ran a marvelous race to clock a world leading 54.31 seconds.

The biggest ever Asian championship saw Asia’s best athletes competing for top honours, which included direct entry for winners to the IAAF World Championship in Beijing.

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PowerUp August 2015

CALENDAR OF

EVENTS

Aquathlon Challenge invites people from all walks of life to dare themselves and defy their limits.

Think Pink

Breast cancer is a very real issue among women who are our sisters, our mothers, and our friends. We talk to experts about prevention and treatment.

The Golfing Mind

We look at the deceivingly easy sport that has made many people over the world an enthusiast, as well as the results of the Volvo World Golf Challenge.

November Rev Up

Fast-paced, intense, and dramatic; motorsports has accumulated a billion fans worldwide and this month we look at the FIA WEC 6 Hours in Bahrain and the HOG Rally by Harley Davidson.

Running for your life

We scope out tips and techniques in running your first marathon and talk to the movers and shakers of Challenge Bahrain.

August

September

Ringside Salute

Viva Football!

A wrestling event sponsored by the Armed Forces which is sure to bring back memories of watching Hulk Hogan in WWF and Thunder in Paradise.

We look at football’s grand tradition in the island as well as what transpires in the Viva League of the Bahrain Football Association.

December The triathlon, which combines 3 sports disciplines can be said to be the biggest race of all. We look at what’s happening in Ironman 70. 3.

“The” annual event for this sport which is one of the most popular net and ball game in the world.

We glimpse the allure, thrill, and danger of motorsports; while checking out what transpires in the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix.

It’s not just aerobics, it’s a serious sport. And its happening here in Bahrain! Check out how you can get in the fitness groove too!

The Biggest Race

Badminton World Federation Championship

Drag Days, Drag Nights

Calisthenics World Cup

Great Rhythm, Great Style

We look at the unbelievably disciplined world of rhythmic gymnastics while following the World Rhythmic Gymnastics Competition

October PowerUp Aquathlon Challenge

Watch out for our first sporting event! The

Stay Up To Date With Upcoming Events By Visiting

www.powerup-mag.com SPORTS & FITNESS

events

The Year in Retrospective

We take a look at some of the biggest sporting events that happened in 2015.

Editor’s Note: To be included in the Calendar of Events, do drop us a line at editorial@powerup-mag.com

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PowerUp August 2015

AROUND THE

WORLD IN SPORTS

Check out these sports from other places that may be weird and wacky, but nonetheless a great way to keep fit.

Japan

Japan has brought us the iconic sports of swordfighting (Samurais), and sumo wrestling. But there’s a Japanese tradition you may not have heard of.

Called bo-taoshi, literally “bring the pole down”, it is reminiscent of football and offensive sports. More than the event itself, it is the sheer size of the teams that makes this sport amazing. There are 2 teams of 75 members each, and all the members jostle, push, and step on each other in an effort to push down the pole of the opposing team. Traditionally, this game is played by the cadets of the National Defense Academy on their anniversary. What is awesome (or insane) about this sport is the role that each member plays.

Split into offensive and defensive teams, the defensive team is tasked with keeping the pole (which is 10-16 feet high) upright, while the offensive team tries their very best to take down the pole. The pole guardians are called pole support. Then the majority of team members form a human wall around the pole, while the ninjas, attack any opponent who dares to come near. As you can imagine, there is a lot of face-kicking in this sport. What’s more, attacks are led by scrum players who lay their bodies down for pole attackers to try to run and spring off towards the opposing pole. Support players help to create distractions and supplement attacks. There is a lot of strategy, ruses, feigns, and distractions in this game. And yes, there definitely are injuries.

Finland

A legendary Finnish robber named Herko Rosvo-Ronkainen is attributed with inventing this sport. Allegedly, he and his band of thieves would go from village to village stealing food and women. Of course, they had to run fast, and carry their loot on their backs, thus wife-carrying or eukonkanto, is a sport where male competitors carry a female on their backs through a special obstacle track in the fastest time. Several types of carry may be used: the piggyback, fireman’s carry (over the shoulder), or Estonian style (the wife hangs upside down with her legs around the husband’s shoulder, holding on to his waist). The wife to be carried may be your own or your neighbors, or you may go further afield as long as she is over 17 years old. The minimum weight of the wife must be 49 kilograms, if she weighs less, she will be burdened with an additional rucksack to get her weight to standard. Crowds of more than 10,000 spectators come to watch this event. Wife-Carrying World Championships are held annually in Sonkajarvi, Finland since 1992, where the prize is the weight of the wife in beer. Kippis!

How many minutes of exciting action is there in a basketball game?

Only 18 minutes!

SPORTS & FITNESS

World News 15

Australia

Thailand/ Malaysia

Boomerang throwing. Along with aboriginal art and Ayers rock, Australia’s traditional sport of boomerang throwing is still iconic. Boomerangs are traditional hunting objects made to return to their owner once thrown. It is typically constructed as a flat aero foil that is “designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight”. A boomerang flies in a curved arc so that it travels in an elliptical path and returns to its point of origin when thrown correctly. In 1992, German astronaut Ulf Merbold performed an experiment aboard Spacelab that established that boomerangs function in zero gravity as they do on earth. The sport of boomerang throwing is definitely catching on with a boomerang school in Sydney, and a Boomerang World Cup as a team event and Individual World Championships for Boomerang throwing every year.

Sepak takraw. Imagine the game of volleyball where you can hit the ball with anything except your hands or arms. Sepak, means kick; while takraw is the hand woven rattan ball originally used in this game. So sepak takraw literally means kick-ball. This game has historic beginnings as in Wat Phra Keo in Bangkok, there are murals depicting Hanuman, the Hindu god playing sepak takraw in a ring with a group of monkeys. With the World Cup Championships held every year, this sport is now a regular feature of the Olympics and South-East Asian games.

A match is played by two teams, called a “regus” consisting of three players each. One of the three players goes to the back, and he is called a “tekong”.

Each player may touch the ball only once before it is kicked over the net. A player jumps as high as his height and a ball is struck by the spike in gravity defying moves across the court. The speed of the ball is said to be 140 km per hour. Wow!

Wales

Bog snorkeling. One of the many great ideas that happen in a pubhouse, bog snorkeling was first conceived in 1976 over a pint of beer. It’s basically a race over a 55 meter bog trench in which the contestant must complete two lengths. Competitors must wear snorkels and flippers and must not use conventional swim strokes, thus relying on flipper power alone. Competitions in men, women, and children category attract hundreds of entrants every year. The current world record holder, Kirsty Johnson set a time of 1 minute, 22.56 seconds in 2014.

Proceeds from the championships go to a local charity each year.

Every month, we will feature unique sports from around the world.

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PowerUp August 2015

IN Focus

BAHRAIN MMA TEAM

First in Gulf State to “Global Amateur” Mixed Martial Arts has increased in popularity since the dawn of the UFC. And Bahrain has led the Gulf Region in joining the Federation.

With elite fighters Hussain Ayyad, Abdulla Sina, Abdulla Fayez, Ali Ibrahimi and Mohammed Al Mulla; Bahrain proved to be a darkhorse in the recently held UFC Championships.

SPORTS & FITNESS

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS 17

I

n a historic move that drew crowds of MMA fighters in the island, HH Shaikh Khalid Bin Hamad Al Khalifa launched Bahrain’s first ever Mixed Martial Arts Federation.

Called the Khalid Bin Hamad Al Khalifa Mixed Martial Arts Team (KHK MMA), the fighters flew to Las Vegas to represent Bahrain in the United Federation Championship (UFC), the biggest mixed martial arts competition in the world.

The elite fighters who survived three grueling try-outs for the opportunity to fight in the UFC are Hussain Ayyad, Abdulla Sina, Abdulla Fayez, Ali Ibrahimi and Mohammed Al Mulla. Mohammed “The Hawk” Shahid, who is the first professional MMA athlete to compete outside of Bahrain, is the federations’ Chief Delegate.

KHK MMA Federation is a platform to enhance Bahrain’s position as the sporting hub of the Gulf Region.

These fighters will represent the country in various international events and championships, especially the UFC championships. This is the beginning of the global launch of Bahraini fighters. As First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports and Bahrain Athletics Association President, HH Shaikh Khalid believes that creating the KHK MMA Team will allow this sport to be practiced within a safe framework and with legal regulations. Bahrain is the first state in the Gulf Region to participate in the MMA and the second Arab country after Lebanon to join. His vision for this federation is “Determination, Strength, and Challenge”, three qualities that the brave athletes had in order to qualify for the Las Vegas UFC. HH Shaikh Khalid says “Mixed Martial Arts gives its practitioners a lot of focus and mental strength, as it provides the fighter an opportunity to identify potential combat talent and enables him to develop by reaching out to the best technical levels. This sport is one that

develops endurance and strength and high physical skill”.

Grueling Tryouts

In a series of try-outs designed to weed out the best of the best, 16 fighters from different Bahraini martial arts schools took part in an exciting fight culminating in a final match with French and Brazilian fighters. The Bahrain Federation hopefuls fought it out in four divisions or “weights”: flyweight, featherweight, bantamweight and middleweight divisions. Reminiscent of the old Gladiator fights in the Colisseums of Rome, where they battle it out for liberty

professional competitions are examined by doctors before, during, and after the competition. Any injury will prohibit the athlete from playing. If an athlete is injured while playing, then he needs to be cleared by a physician before being allowed to play again. MMA athletes are also trained to be offensive as well as defensive. It is a sport where you are prepared and trained for impact just like military training. Athletes are also evenly matched in the competitions. And there are even safety ladders in MMA training.

The younger and less mature you are, the less full-on contact you are allowed. MMA is a sport that everyone can join regardless of age and gender.

The Bahrain Mixed Martial Arts Federation has worked closely with the All India MMA Association since inception to develop its infrastructure. Mohammed “The Hawk” Shahid, who is the first professional MMA athlete to compete outside of Bahrain, is the federations’ Chief Delegate. Now an experienced coach and owner of the country’s number one Mixed Martial Arts training facility, he aims with His Highness Shaikh Khalid to put Bahrain on the Federation map.

“This sport is one that develops endurance and strength and high physical skill”.

- HH Shaikh Khalid Bin Hamad Al Khalifa or death; the modern MMA events are what is called 3 x 3 (3 rounds of 3 minutes each), packing a lot of punch per minute.

Building on the techniques and styles of Olympic sports (boxing, Greco-Roman wrestling, freestyle wrestling, judo, and taekwondo), MMA combines these with the ultimate action movie appeal (lightning quick fights of 3 minutes each) to create a crowd blockbuster.

MMA one of the safest sport

Despite the fierce action in the ring, MMA is in fact a very safe sport with MMA athletes having fewer injuries than ice hockey players.

Athletes in

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PowerUp August 2015

THE LAS VEGAS TOURNAMENT

Despite the odds, the KHK MMA team, in their first year in the UFC came away with an experience that just made them stronger with all the poundings that they took. Next year, they are coming back to the cage, bigger, better and stronger.

Bahrain to host IMMAF Championship in 2016 The excitement escalates as Bahrain will be the first Arab country to host an International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) in 2016. This was

confirmed in a sideline meeting with First Deputy Chairman of Supreme Council for Youth and Sports HH Shaikh Khalid Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, IMMAF president Kerrith Brown, IMMAF Chief Executive Denzin White, and George Sallfeldt.

HH Shaikh Khalid also received members of the Lebanese MMA team who finished third in the UFC championships and discussed future collaborations between Bahrain and Lebanon to help Arab MMA fighters go pro. His Highness’ vision of the advancement of the youth and sports sector is slowly becoming a reality.

The excitement escalates as Bahrain will be the first Arab country to host an International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) in 2016.

T

he Bahrain KHK MMA suited up for the 4th annual UFC International Fight Week, billed as the world’s largest mixed-martial arts celebration with high-energy all-star entertainment and action-packed fights culminating in the UFC 189.

The Ultimate Fighting Championships took place from July 6-11 in Las Vegas, USA. The five outstanding fighters chosen from three rigorous try-outs were Abdulla Seena, Hussain Ayyad, Mohammed Al Mulla, Abdulla Al Fayez and Ali Ebrahimi.

Trained by professional fighters from Russia, who oversaw the team development as it prepared for the Las Vegas fight, the team raised their technical level of preparation in an effort to withstand the onslaught of fights.

Twenty-two national teams participated in this grand tour-de-force of strength and strategy.

The KHK MMA team went all-out from the start, with Ali Ebrahim Qasim pitted against Bogdan Grad of Austria (in the 155 lb. event, Day 2, Cage 1) and was defeated by knock-out in the 2nd round. Abdulla Seena went up against Nurtilek Konashov of Kazakhstan (135 lbs, Day 1, Cage 2) and lost via submission when his opponent triangle-choked him.

SPORTS & FITNESS

mixed martial arts

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PowerUp August 2015

Backhand Tennis is a miracle sport, letting people experience health and fitness for a lifetime. istorically, tennis is known as the “sport for a lifetime”.

People of any age and skill level can benefit from this sport’s health benefits which includes boosting your aerobic fitness, speed, agility, motor coordination, balance, hand-eye coordination, and general health.

Dan Barrie, director of the Bahrain Tennis Academy, the only certified elite professional USPTA Pro 1 coach in Bahrain (the highest rating attainable in the world’s oldest tennis teaching

SPORTS & FITNESS

professional organization), says that he was drawn to tennis because “it was more challenging than the other sports I played. It required a higher level of athletic ability to be successful”.

It encourages players to establish high physical fitness as well and nurtures them to become mentally strong.

For children in particular, tennis is a sport that can grow with them. It’s great for building character and confidence in children since it’s usually an individual sport. They learn how to handle the highs and lows of winning and losing. Since it’s a non-contact sport, its also very safe.

History

The most popular tournaments are called the Grand Slam (Majors): the Australian Open, played on hard courts; the French Open, played on red clay courts; Wimbledon, played on grass courts; and the US Open played on hard courts. Wimbledon, being the world’s first tennis tournament, culminated in a significant debate on how to standardize the rules of tennis. The United States National Lawn Tennis Association (now the United States Tennis Association), was formed in 1881 to standardize the rules and organize the competition.

Tennis 21

In the 1920’s, once a player turned pro, he or she could not compete in the major amateur tournaments. This resulted in a schism between the amateur and pro tennis ranks that would last until the Open Era. But commercial pressures and rumors of some amateurs taking money under the table led to the Open Era, where all players could compete in all tournaments. This led to top players being able to make their living through tennis. With the establishment of a professional tennis circuit and revenues from the sale of television rights, tennis’ popularity soared.

Louis X of France is history’s first tennis player, and became notable as the first person to construct indoor tennis courts in the modern style. The modern game of tennis started in England in the late 19th century and was known as “lawn tennis”.

The rules of tennis have changed little since the 1890’s. Two exceptions are the adoption of a tie-

break in the 1970’s, as well as a point challenge system, which allows a player to contest the line call of a point.

It is widely believed, that the patenting of the first lawn mower in 1830, in Britain, was the world-wide catalyst for the preparation of modern-style grass courts, sporting ovals, playing fields, pitches, greens, etc. This in turn led to the codification of modern rules for many sports, including lawn tennis, football, croquet, etc.

Tennis, which aims to keep your heart rate in the training zone, which gives you the best cardio workout. High energy music is played throughout the session to keep the players motivated and moving. Dan Barrie specifically recommends Cardio Tennis as it has been shown to burn more calories than just about any other recreational activity. You don’t need any previous tennis experience to participate “it’s fun”, as Barrie says, “Players have so much fun chasing the ball around in

It encourages players to establish high physical fitness as well and nurtures them to become mentally strong.

No Prior Experience Required

The International Tennis Federation recommends using rackets, balls, and court sizes appropriate for juniors as this is critical in developing their tennis skills. This kind of specialized instruction is something that the Bahrain Tennis Academy offers. They also offer Cardio

fresh air that they don’t feel that they’re working as hard as they actually are. You can’t say the same of being on the stair master or treadmill!”

Tennis Rules

Tennis is a racquet sport that can be played individually against a single opponent (singles), or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a racquet to strike a ball over to the opponent’s court. The object of the game is to play the ball in such a way that the opponent is not able to return the ball. It is now part of the Olympics and can be played by anyone, even wheelchair users. It is played by millions of players, and is watched by twice that number.

One player is designated the server, and the opposing player is the receiver. This is decided by a toss-up before the warm-ups.

Service alternates game by game between the two players (or teams).

The receiver must play to the pace of the server. In a legal service, the ball travels over the net (without touching it). A legal service starts a rally, in which the players alternate hitting the ball across the net. The first player or team to fail to make a legal return loses the point. The server then moves to the other side of the service line at the start of a new point.

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PowerUp August 2015

The Sport of

Falconry Falconry is a popular sport in the Middle East with 50 per cent of the world’s falconers coming from this region.

Learn the skills necessary to become a falconer, as well as modern-day rules of the sport..

SPORTS & FITNESS

T

he sport of falconry has historically been associated with nobility as falcons symbolize keen vision, boldness, and swiftness.

So legendary is the falcon’s ability to hunt that Sun-Tzu even used the falcon as a metaphor in his classic book The Art of War. As he says, “The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of the falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim”.

Traditionally, there are two terms used to describe people in falconry: the falconer, who flies a falcon; and the austringer, who flies a hawk or an eagle. Falconry originated in the Gulf region in Mesopotomia (present-day Iraq), approximately 2,000 B.C. There

Falconry 23

are even some accounts of falconry in the Epic of Gilgamesh (which is on permanent display at the National Museum of Bahrain). The Bedouin tribesmen also practiced falconry as a means to supplement their limited diet.

Prey caught by trained dogs or falcons is considered halal in the Quran.

Falconry as Arab heritage

Falconry remains an important part of Arab heritage and culture. The UAE spends an estimated 27 million dollars annually to protect and conserve wild falcons and has set-up several state-ofthe-art hospitals in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The falcon hospital in Abu Dhabi is the largest of its kind in the world. Falcon breeding farms can be found in the Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. Every year in ADIHEX (Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition), falcon beauty contests and demonstrations take place. In Bahrain, falconry is the sport of kings as a prized falcon in the black market can fetch a price of two million dollars! Many falcons are raised in the royal aviary where they are taught to hunt. The Al-Areen Wildlife Park and Reserve houses a specialized falcon hospital.

“Falconry appeared with the emergence of civilizations” (iaf.org), being one of the oldest sports in the history of mankind.

The Arabian Gulf region became famous for its falconers and falconry traditions, with everyone from kings, caliphs, sheikhs, and cavalry participating in the sport. Through Arab influence, this sport spread out through the Islamic world, eastward through Central Asia, and westward across North Africa to the Magreb culminating in the distinctive falconry styles of each region: Moroccan, Magreb, and Tunisian. Falconry has become a symbol of the Arab world where 50 per cent of the world’s falconers come from.

Vintage stamp featuring Bahraini falconer

hunting in the Middle East. They are 1) Hur, 2) Shaheen, and 3) Gyr Falcons. Each bird must be registered with a falconry license, and breeding the birds require a special license of its own. However, to be a falconer, one must be an apprentice first and develop a marked ability to take care of raptors before being given the title of “falconer”. In the Gulf Region, you can purchase falcons in souqs or via private dealers.

Falcons must have a simple “perch” on which to rest. They must also have the hodo, which is an Arab invention. The gauntlet, is a thick glove that falconers wear to keep the bird’s talons from digging into their skin. A bell should be attached to the bird’s legs to help the falconer locate her while hunting. During the hunt, it is important to remember never to touch another falconer’s bird.

Raptors (birds of prey), do not like people getting too close to them.

Hunting season begins the month of October all the way to the end of April. In the Middle East, the Emirates Falconers club hosts one of the most prestigious falconry festivals in UAE. There is also the Dubai Falconry Championship, the Fazza Championship for Falconry (also held in Dubai). In Bahrain, there is also a falconry contest held every December in the vicinity of Al-Areen Wildlife Park. This contest runs until January of the following year and has attracted more than 180 falconers in a sport that seems likely to take peak in this country

The UAE spends an estimated 27 million dollars annually to protect and conserve wild falcons and has set-up several stateof-the-art hospitals in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Skills of a falconer

The hunting trips to the desert teach falconers patience, endurance, selfreliance, and bravery; all characteristics

of Arab people. “Falconry is an art. It requires long hours, constant devotion, finesse, subtlety and skill. The falconer must train a bird of prey to fly free, hunt for a human being and then accept a return to captivity” (A Falconer’s Memoir).

To be a falconer means that you have to devote time to the birds every day,

365 days a year. It is not only the training of birds that a falconer must know, it is also the seasons, the terrain of the countryside, veterinary skills (as he must know when his birds need medical attention). Indeed, often falconers feel that their falcon is part of them, knowing them more than they know some people.

Rules of the sport

Falcons being from the wild cannot be kept in cages but should be kept in large enclosures called mews, where they can be free to fly around. There are several types of falcons commonly used for

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PowerUp August 2015

Afghan youth find happiness, freedom in In war-torn Afghanistan, young people find strength and courage in the game of parkour.

A

mid the ruins of Darul Aman Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, young Afghans unleash their desire for freedom and creativity through the sport of parkour. In gravity-defying moves, participants launch themselves into the air, seemingly like in the movies of ninjas and shaolins, feeling at least for a moment, the grandeur and majesty of space.

Through years of war, the former grand palace has been reduced to ruins.

Parkour allows the youth to hope in spite of circumstances, to create happiness in the midst of misery. Indeed, sports

SPORTS & FITNESS

often aims for something bigger than the individual. For Khair Mohammed Zahidi, it brings joy and excitement in a city permanently on edge because of Taliban attacks.

To the Afghans, parkour has become a community event. “Since this sport is new in Afghanistan, when we do parkour a lot of spectators come around us, and it looks funny for them, they think we have springs inside our bodies�, Zahidi says.

Originating in France, parkour is also known as free-running, and the ruins of the palace is the perfect spot for them to run, launch, backflip, and leap into space (often from an open window).

Parkour involves moving quickly across urban obstacles by jumping, running, vaulting, rolling, and tumbling down from the palace walls. Like gymnastics

fitness pro 25

that participants develop in this sport as they are made to move through obstacles quickly, with only split-second decisions involved. The giddying backflips and action-movie stunts are impressive, but there’s more to parkour than just fooling around.

With the Taliban presence in

expects women to lead lives of cloistered seclusion and domesticity. To help the girls take part in what is now a public sport, they even rented a gym so they could train away from prying eyes.

Gulbahar Ghulami, former member of the national gymnastics team, was drawn to parkour because of its acrobatic and

“When we do parkour, we don’t care about anything, we forget about war and stand against the challenges facing our country”.

or skateboarding, parkour players are like acrobats, gracefully executing leaps, jumps, and splits in mid-air.

“Parkour is all about finding creative ways to surmount everyday obstacles”, says Alireza Bayat of the Herat Parkour and Freerunning team, responsible for introducing parkour to the streets of Afghanistan. A new cultural endeavour right beside graffiti, skateboarding, hip-hop, and rock music, the Herat Olympic Committee deems that “Parkour is symbolic, not a sport”. However, this group is determined to increase its popularity in Afghanistan.

Agility in mind and body is something

Afghanistan falling fast, the future direction of the country is uncertain especially in light of its recent, tumultuous history.

Amiri, one of the hardcore practitioners of the sport hopes that parkour can keep Afghanistan on the progressive track. “When we do parkour, we don’t care about anything, we forget about war and stand against the challenges facing our country”. In a city of blast walls and checkpoints, parkour gives the young people confidence.

The group has extended parkour training to girls—a daring move in a conservative country that traditionally

daring moves. “I want to be the first Afghan woman to do parkour”, she said.

The success of parkour in Afghanistan has even inspired a German documentary and an Indie-go-go campaign for the Kabul boys to go to Munich and participate in FAM-JAM Munich, a global parkour event.

Says Benjamin, the documentary videographer “They train hard everyday in this dangerous environment, to give youth in Kabul the possibility to do sport without being a target for attacks at public sports facilities.

Parkour has become their life, and with it they want to build their future.”

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PowerUp August 2015

SkaTe S

kate Shack defines skating as “freedom to have fun; ripping up any cool surface, like hand-rails outside the Diplomatic Area post-office, the marble steps outside a major bank, waxing

g n i d r a bo in Bahrain

Hans Warburg, a Dutch skater says that generally speaking the asphalt quality of the roads in Manama are perfect for skating, especially in Corniche, along the seaside, as well as the majority of roads in newer Manama.

The growing popularity of

The sport was thought to have started in the late 1940’s in California, when the surfer crowd wanted something to do when the waves were flat. The first manufactured skateboards were ordered by a Los Angeles, California surf shop, meant to be used by surfers in their downtime. Skateboarding was initially called “sidewalk surfing”, and early skaters followed surfing styles and maneuvers and performed barefoot.

Though skateboarding has often had a bad reputation for being an “unsafe” sport, developments in the field have made giant leaps for skater safety. For example, skateboard wheels began to be made of polyutherane, a plastic compound, which immensely increased the traction and performance

The skateboarding market is worth $4.8 billion in annual revenue with 11.08 million active skateboarders around the world. curb stones, building launch ramps from gash wood”. Essentially a youngperson sport, which involves riding and performing tricks on the skateboard, it is lighthearted in nature. It is estimated that the skateboarding market is worth $4.8 billion in annual revenue with 11.08 million active skateboarders around the world. Local skateboarding enthusiasts usually converge in Seef Mall or the Bahrain International Circuit, Hidd Park, Riffa Fort Garden, or the Busaiteen Corniche.

SPORTS & FITNESS

Skating

skateboarding in the country made Bahrain the scene of the Red Bull Local Hero Tour Bahrain in 2013. This was spearheaded by Giorgo Zavos, Greek legendary skateboarder. The crowd was freestyling and doing 50/50 grinds and 360 degree flips. Faheem emerged as the winner of the Red Bull Local Hero Tour. Of the skating scene in the country, Giorgo says “They all skate hard and are very committed. I see the level of the skateboarding scene in Bahrain growing stronger in the coming years”.

of skateboards over the metal or “clay” wheels. Regulations for skateboarding have increased over time, with minimal injuries reported for athletes in the sport. As well, the growing number of skateparks means skaters are hell-bent in driving their performance to the maximum.

Bahrain has almost no history in the sport of skateboarding, but this is the time for it to create its own special brand and develop athletes in this exciting, and fresh sport.

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PowerUp August 2015

The “Dummy’s” guide to buying a bicycle!

The cycling boom over the past few years means there are more choices than ever before in your local bike shops, and more places selling low grade bikes too. Let us guide you through buying the right bike.

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2

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What types of riding will you do?

Frame and fork material

What’s your budget?

Leisure pursuits, getting fit, commuting, touring, racing and off-road are some examples.There are road bikes and hybrid bikes, mountain bikes and comfort bikes, commuting bikes, “City path” bikes and touring bikes and the standard beach cruiser, also known as a lifestyle bike.Not sure what type of bike fits you best?

First, visit a bike shop and talk to the employees. Then, don’t be afraid to take a test ride around the block.

One key area to consider is frame and fork material, as this has a significant impact on the way the bike rides.

Most entry level bikes come with an alloy frame, however if your budget allows, it is worth looking for a model with a carbon fork. The basic rule is the more carbon the better; this is because this high tech aerospace material is light, strong, and also offers beneficial ride characteristics such as vibration dampening.

Bicycles vary widely in price, quality, size, and shape, so having a budget to work around, will help narrow down your search.

There are also many different component variations available, which determine the price and performance of the bike.

Buy from a reputable shop that can offer you a comprehensive Bike Fitting to ensure you have the most enjoyable ride possible.

Many bike shops do Computerized BodyScans and Bikefitting these days which makes it much easier to find the ultimate comfort position between the rider and the bike.

All quality bikes come in various size curves ranging from XX-Small/47CM up to XX-Large/61CM, so getting the right sized bike is crucial. If the bike is not the right size for you, you might end up feeling extremely uncomfortable and possibly giving up on the whole idea of riding all together!

SPORTS & FITNESS

Is your level of fitness a topic for consideration?

Body shape, size and your overall health may affect the type of bicycle that is best suited for you.

Here is an example of Shimano components for a Road bike: Sora Tiagra 105 Ultegra Dura Ace

- Entry level - Entry level performance - Enthusiast performance - Enthusiast race - Pro-race.

Cycling 29

Here are a few Examples of the most popular Entry Level models available at Trilife Scott CR1 – 30 Frame

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Carbon Road Comfort Geometry

Gorupset

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Shimano Sora 9 Speed

Fork

Wheelset Weight

Retail Price

- - -

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Carbon with 1 1/8” Carbon Steerer tube Syncros Race 27 Aero Profile Approx 8.52KG BD 699.500

Scott Speedster 20 Frame

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6061 Double butted Alloy

Groupset

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Shimano 105 – 11 Speed

Fork

Wheelset Weight

Retail Price

- - -

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Carbon with 1 1/8” Alloy Steerer tube Syncros Race 27 Aero Profile Approx 9.14KG BD 499.500

Scott Speedster 30 Frame

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6061 Double butted Alloy

Groupset

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Shimano Tiagra 10 Speed

Fork

Wheelset Weight

Retail Price

- - -

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Carbon with 1 1/8” Steerer tube Syncros Race 27 Aero Profile Approx 9.30KG BD 449.500

Scott Speedster 40 Frame

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6061 Double butted Alloy

Groupset

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Shimano Sora 9 Speed

Fork

Wheelset Weight

Retail Price

- - -

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Carbon with 1 1/8” Steerer tube Syncros Race 27 Aero Profile Approx 9.60KG BD 399.500

Trilife: Shop Number 19, Road 55, Block 1056, Zallaq, Kingdom of Bahrain, Tel: +973 77 333777

 www.gotrilife.com

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PowerUp August 2015

The Fitness

Makeover Follow Bribin’s Journey to Fitness...

and PowerUp collaborate in a dynamic weight loss challenge!

Bribin sits down with his coach Ahmed Mujtaba from Fitness First to plan his fitness regime. hen Fitness First planned its collaboration with PowerUp in order to help people achieve their ideal weight, we wanted to go to the streets and ask people to volunteer in our challenge.

As it turns out, the brave one can be found just in our office!

Bribin, having admitted to being a few kilos overweight gamely decided to volunteer for the Fitness First Challenge.

A web developer, he admits that a sedentary job and the lack of exercise has been major factors in weight gain.

Through this challenge and with the help of the Fitness First team, he wants to achieve a sustainable weight loss plan that he can keep doing for the rest of his life.

sports & fitness

makeover

Fitness First on their end, will provide Bribin with a 3-month free membership in the gym, allowing Bribin to carve out a fitness program that is appropriate to his fitness level. They also sat with him and provided initial guidance on how

Bribin’s weigh in on his first day at Fitness First.

to get started with the weight loss. As a wholistic fitness program, Fitness First also provided a nutrition guide for Bribin and will be tracking down the results of the fitness and nutrition program. Plus, Fitness First provided a personal trainer Ahmed Mujtaba who will carefully watch and track Bribin as he goes on his fitness journey.

Let’s take a look at Bribin’s first day!

For more information Fitness First, Bahrain World Trade Center, Tel : +973 17134999

fitness 31

How to get to your

Many people dream of their ideal body weight but fail to work for it.

Here are some tips to help you get over that slump.

efore anything else, you have to start with a goal; or as Machiavelli says begin with the end in mind. Whether you simply want to lose a few pounds, or want a ripped and toned body, you have to have an objective before you start so you can set your eye on the prize every time you find it hard to stay on track.

1 Determine

your happy weight

There are three kinds of body types and each one loses/ keeps weight differently.

Ectomorphs These people have little fat, little muscle, and delicate bone structure. They are generally skinny, and it is also easy for them to lose weight. Examples are Taylor Swift and Eva Mendes.

Mesomorphs They naturally build muscle and gain fat quickly, but also lose fat easily. Examples are Anna Kournikova, Janet Jackson, and Jessica Biel.

Endomorphs These people struggle to control their body fat percentage and have to work really hard at losing weight. Examples are Scarlett Johansson and Beyonce.

Determine your ideal weight based on your body type and height.

2 Be realistic

You can’t expect to drop 20 pounds in 2 weeks. This is not healthy and can lead to nervous depression and starvation. Instead, opt to drop 10 pounds in 3 months as part of a healthy lifestyle change.

3 Don’t crashdiet

Extremely low calorie intake triggers your starvation

protection mechanism, and it backfires on you, just making you hungrier and prone to binges.

4 Deal with stress

If you face your problems head-on, theres not going to be a reason for you to foodbinge. However, if stress gets out of hand, you can always try yoga or meditation. Yoga is meditative and calming, allowing you to sort out your thoughts and keeping you from reaching for that food bowl.

5 Cook your own food

Instead of ordering from fast-foods, or grabbing

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PowerUp August 2015

Types of exercise you need: Cardio This is an absolute requirement to improve muscle tone and increase your metabolism. This is important because dieting DECREASES metabolism.

Skipping rope, climbing stairs, marching in place, legbounds, and jumping jacks are all good, heart-healthy exercises.

Resistance training Cellulite (the little, dimpled pockets of fat on thighs and stomach) are caused by lack of exercise. Squats, overhead presses, dumbbells, rows, and steps or stairs exercises are all good examples of resistance training. Resistance training develops muscle that gives the body a healthy, shapely, and tight contour.

Running Running is an excellent exercise that targets all the major muscle groups. It keeps you fit and clears your mind and allows you to get a breath of fresh air. Running reduces tension and releases endorphins, what we call the runners high.

High Intensity Interval Training This involves short bouts of intense exercise separated by short periods of recovery.

Biking The reason why French people are so slim is because they walk or bike everywhere.

Biking blasts calories, it tones your legs, as well as your upper body for that slim, svelte look. Plus, it boosts your energy. Cycling triggers the brain to release the neurotransmitter dopamine, which makes you energized and happier.

Sports & fitness

sandwiches from cold stores, try making your own food. Not only will you enjoy shopping for fresh produce: lean meats from the butchers, fresh vegetables, herbs, and fruit from the farmer’s market; knowing what you put in your body will motivate you to cook healthier and eat leaner.

6 Include

metabolism burners

Oatmeal, cinnamon, apples, and almonds kickstart your metabolism.

Hot water with lemon do the same. Turmeric is both anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and a metabolism burner. Try to include as much fresh fruits, and herbs in your diet for their varied healthy effects.

7 Eat healthy fat

Not all fats are equal, and good, healthy fats can aid you in losing weight as part of a fitness regime.

Nuts (walnuts, macadamia nuts, pine nuts) steaks, avocado, butter, and even cream and dairy (cheese, cream cheese, eggs, butter) are good to eat in healthy portions. Throw in oily fish (salmon, mackerel, and tuna) and oils (olive oil and coconut oil) for a heart-healthy diet. Eating a diet high in fat and low in carbs means that your body has no choice but to use up some of its fat stores to do the tasks it needs to do each day— which means, you lose weight as a result.

The science behind this is that fat is filling. People find diets hard to stick to because they are hungry most of the time. The combination of fat and

fitness

protein helps avoid the peaks and troughs of blood sugar that cause food cravings. It digests very slowly keeping you fuller for longer.

Psychologically, fat is also mentally satisfying—we enjoy it, it feels like an indulgence.

And you can have it! In small quantities of course.

Avoid these bad guys: margarines, breaded fish or meat products, processed meats such as ham and sausages.

8 Eat 5-6

times a day in smaller portions

Instead of eating three large meals which your body can’t properly digest. Eat 5-6 meals in small portions. This will spike your metabolism, keep off hunger pangs, and keep you more energized.

9 Watch out

for liquid sugar

Many people are conscious of the food they eat, but not what they drink, guzzling down milk tea, colas, and smoothies not thinking of its sugar and fat content. If you are thirsty, good old H20 is the best bet. Second best is black coffee or tea (without sugar). If you still crave for sugar, try adding a spoonful of coconut oil to your tea or coffee. An added bonus, coconut oil is an excellent anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial, and anti-aging food.

10 Have a cheat day

To enable you to stick to your fitness goals, designate one day as a “cheat” day.

For example, you can plan your meals around fruits and lean meats for six days of

the week, and have one day where you treat yourself to chocolate and Coca-cola.

11 80% full

One of the reasons that Japanese people are naturally thin is that they stop eating when they are 80% full. By eating slowly and savouring every bite, they are able to know when their body is full and can stop eating.

This self-imposed habit of calorie restriction allowed the Japanese people to live longer, healthier lives. And they were thinner as a result of course!

12 Get some

sunshine

And no, we don’t actually mean go out in the sun.

Vitamin D appears to boost the effectiveness of leptin, a hormone that signals the brain that youre full. It also regulates the absorption of calcium and phosphorous, and facilitates normal immune system function. Since we don’t get the benefits of this sunshine vitamin through food, its best to take it in pill form.

13 Exercise

Dieting will not create a stunning body, exercise will.

If you lose weight by dieting, your will be flabby as a result, or as they call it “skinny fat”.

Exercise will tone your body and help you in your fitness goals along the way. Try to exercise for at least half an hour, 5 times a week, so you can get the maximum fat burning benefits!

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PowerUp August 2015

Bahrain victorious in

Windsor Bahrain reigns in the Endurance division of the Royal Windsor Horseshow.

HH Shaikh Isa Bin Hamad Al Khalifa and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II presents awards at the Royal Windsor Horseshow

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H Shaikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Shaikh Muhammad Bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, and Raed Mahmood, were victorious in the Royal Windsor Endurance competition where they recorded the same finish time of 5 hours, 33 minutes, and 11 seconds. “I am so thrilled that we finished together”, says Shaikh Nasser, “when we compete at home, it’s not so friendly, and that affects our performance.

But overseas, we feel like a team, and today we decided to cross the line together, with all the horses nice and safe and healthy. It is a victory for Bahrain”. The Bahraini delegation bested 45 competitors from 8 nations.

Establishing an unassailable lead from the start, the Bahraini Endurance team rode a steady final loop to the finish with an average speed record of just over 24 km/h. Fourth and fifth placers in the race were David Yeoman of Great Britain and Enora Boulenger of France with a record time of 05:45:02 and 06:00:10 respectively. Of the 45 horses, only 14 completed the total distance with the remainder either retiring or failing to meet the stringent vetting criteria

required to qualify for the next phases of the competition.

The Bahrain Royal Endurance team is composed of eight riders led by HH Shaikh Nasser on his steed Romance; Shaikh Mohammed Bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, Shaikh Saqer Bin Khalid Al Khalifa, Isa Al Hazza, Abdulrahman Al Saad, Manal Fakhrawi, Jaffar Mirza, and Raed Mahmood.

In 2004, Bahrain hosted the FEI World Equestrienne Championship for Juniors and Young Riders. This ignited the need for a dedicated equestrienne team in Bahrain, which acted as the catalyst for the amazing growth of the sport in the country. Now, the Bahrain Royal Equestrienne and Endurance Federation handles the equestrienne sports of Endurance and Show Jumping.

Every year, the Bahrain Endurance Federation organizes FEI International Endurance Championship Rides with distances of 80, 100, 120, and 160 km. divided into stages at the Bahrain International Endurance Village from November to May every year.

Endurance racing is a competition that tests the equestrienne’s ability to safely manage the stamina and fitness of the horse over an endurance course in a competition against the track, the distance, the climate, the terrain, and the clock. Unlike many other high octane sports, equestrienne racing is historical, cultural, transcends gender, age, and language barriers. “There is no sport equal to this unity of horse and rider” (equestrianbahrain.com)

“Today we decided to cross the line together, with all the horses nice and safe and healthy. It is a victory for Bahrain”.

SPORTS & FITNESS

The Royal Windsor Horse Show, held on May 15, 2015; is a riding competition of 120 km. It is the UK’s largest outdoor show with international competitions in four different equestrienne disciplines: driving, endurance, dressange, and show jumping. It is also host to The Land Rover and International Driving Grand Prix. Over 3,000 ponies and horses compete annually in this exciting event!

Held in the beautiful private grounds of Windsor Castle, it is five days of action, entertainment, and top class sport, and has been an annual event since 1943.

horseshow

Endurance 35

Bahrain Endurance 13 is an elite group of athletes specially handpicked by HH Shaikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa to become global sports ambassadors for Bahrain. We take a look at each athlete and his/ her contribution to world athletics.

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PowerUp August 2015 HH Shaikh Nasser’s vision brought together Bahrain Endurance 13. He’s also an Ironman himself! Here he is, placing 7th at the Ironman competition in Cairns. Australia

A Conversation With

Team Captain Macca PowerUp had the chance to ask Chris “Macca” McCormack, the team leader, his thoughts on how this particular group of diverse individuals became a community of like-minded atheletes. He talks about their eagerness to share their mentoring and expertise to the world and to Bahrain in particular. ike the alchemists of bygone days, who would burn base metals at extremely high temperatures in an effort to distill their essence and turn them into gold, endurance sports separate the average performer from the cream of the crop. With the discipline, the drive, and the focus required to be able to complete even one triathlon, it’s no wonder that the average person falls out soon after one run while the ones who have the grit and the mettle to survive through the long hours of workout and training are crowned as IRONMEN. Chris “Macca” McCormack is one of those ordinary people who have gone through extraordinary lengths to be able to achieve their goals in life. Reading his biography would make you wonder if Chris is indeed a superhero, if not, a legend. As one of the most successful athletes in endurance racing, Chris has SPORTS & FITNESS

had four world championships to his name. He went to university on a running scholarship, bagging two Australian junior titles while schooling. Despite the grueling intensity of his training, he still graduated at the top 10 per cent of his batch.

Being trained in finance, he initially worked as a banker, but it was not long before he knew what his true calling really was. In a daring move, he sold all his belongings and flew to Europe to pursue his dream in 1996. Chance really does favour the bold, as by the following year, he was ranked number one in the world and won both the ITU Triathlon World Championship and the ITU Triathlon World Cup, the first male triathlete to do so. He won almost every single major short course title on the global triathlon calendar. But of course, this is not enough for a superhero. After a while, Macca set his goal higher, he wanted to win the Ironman!

Endurance

The Road less travelled He won his maiden attempt in Australia in 2002 and would go on to defend the title four times. He’s also one of the fastest ever ironman-finishers, logging in a record 4 Ironman finishes in under 8 hours. The feather in his cap, is winning the Ironman World Championship twice.

And he’s only just begun.

Nowadays, Macca seeks to excel in another challenge, which is to lead Bahrain Endurance 13 to victory. Bahrain Endurance 13 is a team specially created

by HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa to be global sports ambassadors of Bahrain and to develop the awareness of sports and fitness in the country in view of the alarming increase of obesity and diabetes in the Gulf Region.

Endurance 37 Next up for Team Endurance?

An exciting collaboration with the Bahrain Olympic Team for Triathlon which as Macca says “is leaking mentorship and expertise into the grassroots programming”.

And the excitement they are generating is contagious.

As Chris says “I have always believed that when you create an environment of excellence, and you lead by example and with the right winning attitude, everyone feels the need and the desire to live up to this. It is contagious.”

Team captain Macca We asked Macca if it is hard to live up to the name and reputation of Team Endurance. He said that “as triathletes, endurance racing is in their blood. The reputation of this team comes from the sheer fact that so many of the world’s

Because endurance sports is like a community affair, attracting people and communities by the star quality of the players, and the challenge of being able to push individual boundaries and become winners in their own right, Bahrain Endurance 13 has attracted a lot of attention in Bahrain, and in the world.

“The reputation of this team comes from the sheer fact that so many of the world’s athletes, have come together to support a unique vision”. athletes, have come together to support a unique vision”. It also gave them an opportunity to excel in something that they are good at, and to train together as a family-like team. What Macca likes is the convergence of sharing their knowledge, journey, and experiences with team-members and competitors alike. It is this inherent spirit of bonding that makes endurance racing more than a sport for this team. And it is this concept of mentorship and giving back that takes Macca on to his next challenge: that of becoming a role-model and advocate of sports, health, and fitness by leading Bahrain Endurance 13.

This diverse team of multi-cultural players, are in love with Bahrain and think that this is the perfect time to be part of Endurance as the people are enamoured with sports and fitness; with gym and spa memberships skyrocketing, and people becoming more open to different kinds of sports. Macca believes that this is a testament that the leaders in this country are very forward thinking; showing that sports is very powerful and can change the nation for the better.

There is also a big potential in Bahrain becoming a Sports Tourism destination since infrastructure development have

The camaraderie and fellowship in a team like Endurance 13 is unbeatable, and it is these friendships that sustain the athletes through the long, hard journey of becoming Ironmen. been geared towards certain sports initiatives; winter weather is perfect for cycling, triathlon, and running; plus the beaches and facilities are still relatively uncrowded. The other key element that comes into play here is Bahrain’s people.

Their warmth and community thinking as well as their openness to change enables Bahrain to build an excellent sports culture

The Team

Samuel Luke Appleton Australia

• Ironman 70.3 Canberra 2013

breakthrough performance and win

• Won 2015 Challenge Bateman’s Bay • Won 2015 Huskisson Long Course Triathlon

• Won 8 half-ironman podiums • Ironman 70.3 Cairns

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PowerUp August 2015

Ben Hoffman USA

• 2014 USA Triathlon Elite

Non-Drafting Athlete of the Year • Broke the course record at Ironman Coeur d’ Alene finishing the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run in 8 hours, 17 minutes, and 31 seconds • Won the Ironman Lake Placid Championships twice • Won the Ironman Branson 70.3 Championships • Won the Ironman Boise 70.3 Championships

Caroline Steffen (Xena the Warrior Princess) Switzerland • Earned her nickname

because of her willingness to “go to war” during competitions • ITU Long Distance Champion 2x • Ironman Asia Pacific Champion 2x and Ironman European Champion 2x • Won the Challenge Roth Championships • Unstoppable on track

James CunNama South Africa

• Won the prestigious Alpe

d’ Huez Triathlon • Went on a winning streak in the USA (Ironman 70.3 Austin, Ironman Rev3 Cedar Point, and Ironman Florida) • Won Challenge Roth in 2012 with a recorded sub8 hour time • ½ of endurance racings’ fastest couple (the other half is his girlfriend Jodie Swallow) SPORTS & FITNESS

Endurance

Brent McMahon Canada

• Competed in his first triathlon at age 10

• Posted the fastest swim and run splits in XTERRA New Zealand competition • Won the Triathlon World Cup event in Hungary • Went to qualify for the Olympics despite career threatening knee injuries • Crowned National Champion for the 1st time in 2008

Daniela Ryf “Angry Bird” Switzerland

• 2015 European Ironman Champion

• Won the 2014

Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Tremblant, while studying for university exams • Won the 5150 European Championship in Zurich and the Ironman Switzerland (these contests were 1 day apart) • Defended her title in the Ironman 70.3 European Championship in Wiesbaden and broke her own course record

Jan Frodeno Germany • 2014-15 European

Ironman Champion

• Won the 2008 Olympics

in a thrilling, action-movie sequence move • Won the Ironman 70.3 Oceanside California Championship (2x) • ITU Team World Champion in 2013 • German National Champion in 2007 • Ranked World number 1 athlete in 2010

Endurance 39

Javier Gomez Noya Spain • Won 4 ITU World Championships

• Won 14 ITU World Cups • Won the 5150 World Championship (2x)

• Won the XTERRA World

Championship and Ironman 70.3 World Championship • Was Middle Distance Triathlon European Champion 2013 • Won 2 world championships less than 2 weeks apart (ITU World Championship and Ironman 70.3 World Championship)

Joseph Coyne “Joe” Gambles Australia

Jodie Swallow United Kingdom

• World Junior Athlete of the Year in 2001 • Triumphed over both surgery from a torn Achilles tendon and an eating disorder • Won the ITU Long Distance World Championship in 2009 • Won the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in 2010 • 2015 Ironman Africa Champion • ½ of the world’s endurance team power couple (with boyfriend James Cunnama)

Luke Bell Australia

• 2005 Australian Half

• Australia’s Junior Triathlete of the Year (2000) • European Long Distance Triathlon Champion 2008 • Won his debut Ironman at 2010 (Wisconsin) while breaking the course record • Won Ironman Boulder for 4 consecutive years (201114) • 2 x Ironman Champion

Ironman Champion • Ironman Australia Champion (2013) • Ironman North America Champion (2013), setting a new course record • 41 podium finishes and 20 victories over the halfironman distance

Sebastian Kienle Germany

Terenzo Bozzone New Zealand

• Known as one of the German “uberbikers”, his monster bike splits in 2012 and 2013 Ironman 70.3 World Championship left everyone in the dust • Ironman World Champion in 2014 in Frankfurt and Kona • Was the first man to break the 8-hour record on his first Ironman (Challenge Roth 2010, with a time of 7:59:06) • German Long Distance Champion in 2010 • XTERRA Germany Champion in 2006

• Known as “Triathlon’s Golden Boy” • Junior Duathlon World Champion (2001 and 2002) • Junior Triathlon World Champion (2002 and 2003) • Won the Wildflower HalfIronman Triathlon in 2006 in an unbroken record win • Won the 2008 Ironman 70.3 World Championship, breaking the course record • Won the inaugural Challenge Dubai competition

40

PowerUp August 2015

Anti-gravity

yoga:

a firsthand experience Imagine hanging on to a harness while you spin, tumble, and fly in space.

When we stepped onto our first movement class with Roberta, we had all sorts of trepidations, “What if I fall?” being the primary fear. But Roberta tells us it’s the fear that holds us back, and if we want to we can actually experience how to fly. It feels clumsy at first trying to hang on to the hammock with your hands, and everything’s moving, but once you find your center of gravity, it’s a

M

ankind has been obsessed with aerial dynamics, or aerodynamics since the beginning of time.

Daedalus and Icarus tried to fly using feathers stuck together with wax, Leonardo da Vinci made prototypes of flying machines, and hang gliders, kite surfers and paragliders try to recreate the feeling of flying using various contraptions. What we are trying to do is defy gravity, because hidden in the forces that pull us down, is the energy to pull us up. This is like using the force of the wave, to ride on top of the wave.

SPORTS & FITNESS

Yoga

It feels clumsy at first, trying to hang on to the hammock with your hands, and everything’s moving, but once you find your center of gravity, it’s a breeze. breeze. We did splits in the air, turns, and tumbles. And it is interesting that once your body is streamlined and everything is carried by your center of gravity, your body does want to fly.

Studio RCT is the first fitness center in Bahrain that offers anti-gravity yoga classes. Aside from that, Roberta

teaches all sorts of movement: TRX, bosu balance trainer, barre exercises, Pilates, yoga, she even runs workshops on anatomy. She’s a kinesiologist and reflexologist as well as an aromatherapist.

She makes all sorts of organic things.

When we commented about how young she looked, she told us that its because she doesn’t sit down and she inverts.

Roberta reverses the cycle of how people work while sitting down, waste time on the computer while sitting down, watch TV while sitting down, and basically spend 75 per cent of our lives sitting down. She does things differently, only sitting down to eat and sleep but trying to spend as much time on her feet as possible.

This lovely lady makes it all seem so effortless, to float through the air, to spin, to fly. (Interesting note: she puts 100 fils in a box for every time somebody says “You make it look so easy” to her.) We had strap marks and sore muscles an hour after the class, but it was so worth it to be able to experience, for a few minutes, that soaring after-effect of flying For more information Studio RCT, Tel: +973 3944 5816

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PowerUp August 2015

Bahrain’s

In Bahrain’s vacant parking lots, Cricket leaguers are aiming for the big time!

Sizzle in the Summer Heat

T

hough there are cricket nets provided in the Rugby Club for training, a great deal of the real cricket action take place in the summer heat, on Bahrain’s empty lots.

“From Sanabis to Sitra, and Manama to Muharraq, the thwack of leather on willow resonate around the resounding buildings” (bahrainguide.org) as each resident Indian, Pakistani, or Sri Lankan cricketing team carry on. Cricket pitches can also be found in Riffa, in the desert area below the Riffa escarpement.

Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players each on a field at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. The world’s second most popular sport, it is played by 120 million players globally. A bowler delivers the ball to the batsman who attempts to hit the ball with his bat away from the fielders so he can run to the other end of the pitch and score a run. Each batsman continues batting until ten batsmen are out, or a specified number of over six balls have been bowled, at which point the teams switch roles and the fielding team comes in to bat.

In professional cricket, the length of a game ranges from 20 overs per side, to Test cricket, which is played over 5 days.

In old French, the word criquet seems to have meant a kind of club or stick.

SPORTS & FITNESS

cricket 43

First played in southern England in the 16th century, it had developed to be the country’s national sport. High-stakes games developed to the point where rich patrons formed their own “select Xls”.

Cricket is a very popular sport in the country, with high spectator turnouts in cricket matches between clubs. In fact, holidayers often pitch in for a friendly game of cricket in the 65 year old Awali Oval at the Awali Cricket Club. Social games take place on Thursday afternoons and there’s even tea in the pavilion.

The Bahrain National Cricket Academy aims to step up its development of local cricketers for international tournaments like the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Asian Cricket Council (ACC).

International Pakistani Test cricketer Mohsin Kamal, is head coach for the National Cricket Academy. He had earlier guided the Bangladesh National Cricket Team in the 2003 World Cup. The BCA is a registered body of the General Organisation for Youth and Sports and the Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC), under the patronage of HH Shaikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa. The BCA is also a member of the ICC and ACC. It is the sole

part in the World Cricket League held in Nepal without proper training. Even though they lost, they were undaunted in continuing their practice in hope of reaching perfect form, and that World Championship.

“Unless fresh thinking is applied, cricket in Bahrain is in a very difficult situation. Another problem they have is that the senior side is made up of players who are 28 to 34 years old, and there is an urgent necessity to develop a healthy and skillful younger generation”, Rumesh Ratnayake, former Sri Lankan Test

“If things can get stabilized, the cricketers and coaches who want to do well, can really be a force in the region”.

1. to work as a team, 2. to practice humility; as cricket is a great leveler as shown by great cricket player Sachin Tendulkar, 3. to do the small things in the right manner.

Rumesh also held workshops for Level II coaches as “I made them do and feel how important it is to have power and control, variational options, and how to be more effective tactically. This is with the view that they can teach the kids, thus seeing results in a faster and more effective manner.” Rumesh is hopeful about the future of cricket saying “If things can get stabilized, the cricketers and coaches who want to do well, can really be a force in the region”

Cricket Facts

governing body for all cricket played in Bahrain. Bahrain cricketers have already won the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division Seven held in Guernsey, the United Kingdom.

There was a time when the league lost their training facility in Al Najma, a facility which had fencing, lights, synthetic wickets, and nets, a perfect training ground; because of the 312 per cent rent increase. Despite this difficult circumstance, the National Team took

Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players each on a field at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. cricketer says. To remedy the situation, Rumesh himself traveled to the kingdom and created a Think Out of the Box presentation to invite schools to start and participate in tournaments organized by the BCA. He encouraged the schools by telling the principals that their teachers could be used and trained as coaches in the future by BCA, which of course made them very happy.

Rumesh believes that cricket helps students in their everyday lives, namely:

In professional cricket, the length of a game ranges from 20 overs per side, to Test cricket, which is played over 5 days.

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PowerUp August 2015

The Power of

G

ymnastics is a sport featuring a series of movements in different devices. It combines strength, flexibility, speed, and dexterity. Artistic gymnastics competition for men consists of six devices: a floor mat, a pommel horse, the ring, horse vault, and a horizontal bar. For women it has two areas: artistic and rhythmic gymnastics. Rhythmic gymnastics emphasize dancelike artistic routines, typically accentuated by the use of ribbons, balls, or hoops. Gymnasts usually perform short routines (approximately 30 to 90 seconds) on these devices. It is a popular spectator sport.

Gymnastics has been mentioned in works by ancient authors like Homer, Aristotle, and Plato. Before, it included many disciplines which would later on become separate sports: swimming, racing, wrestling, boxing, riding, and etc. and was also used for military training. This follows the Greek precept of a sound mind in a sound body.

Many people enter gymnastics for the satisfaction of a perfectly executed routine, the thrill of spinning around the uneven bars, swinging from the rims, the precision of the balance beam. It’s a fun way to get a

SPORTS & FITNESS

Where did the phrase “winning hands-down” come from?

It originally referred to a jockey who won a race without whipping his horse or pulling back the reins.

Gymnastics 45

toned, muscular body; but more than that it’s a discipline of the mind and the will.

Both male and female gymnasts are judged on all events for execution, degree of difficulty, and overall presentation skills.

Events (Shared)

Vault - The vault is common to both men’s and women’s competition. A gymnast sprints down a runway, which is a maximum of 25 meters in length, before leaping onto a spring board. harnessing the explosive energy of the spring, the gymnast directs his or her body hands-first towards the vault.

Body position is maintained while popping (blocking using only a shoulder movement) the vaulting platform. The gymnast then rotates his or her body so as to land in a standing position on the far side of the vault. Successful vaults depend on the speed of the run, the length of the hurdle, the power the gymnast generates from the leg and shoulder girdle, the kinesthetic awareness in the air, and the speed of rotation.

Floor exercise - The floor event happens on a carpeted 12m x 12m (40’ x 40’) square called a spring floor. A series of tumbling passes is performed to demonstrate flexibility, strength, balance, and power. The gymnast must also show strength skills like circles, scales, and press handstands.

Gymnasts are required to touch each corner of the floor at least once in their routines.

counterclockwise), and performs these on all parts of the apparatus. Routines end when the gymnast performs a dismount, either by swinging his body over the horse, or landing after a handstand.

Still rings - Still rings are the most physically demanding event. The rings are suspended on wire cable from a point 5.8 meters from the floor. The gymnast must perform a routine demonstrating balance, strength, power, and dynamic motion while preventing the rings themselves from swinging. At least one static strength move is required. A routine must begin with an impressive mount and must conclude with an equally impressive dismount.

Women’s

Uneven bars - the gymnast navigates two horizontal bars set at different heights and perform swinging, circling, transitional, and release moves—as well as moves that pass through the handstand. The most common way to mount these bars is by jumping towards the lower bar first.

Balance beam - The gymnast performs a choreographed routine from 70 to 90 seconds consisting of leaps, acrobatic skills, turns, and dance elements on a padded spring beam. This event requires spectacular balance, flexibility, and strength.

Parallel bars - Men perform on two bars slightly further than a shoulder’s width apart, while executing a series of swings, balances, and releases that require great strength and coordination.

High bar - A gymnast holds on to a 2.4 m thick steel bar as he performs giants (revolutions around the bar), release skills, twists, and changes of direction. By using all of the momentum from giants and then releasing at the proper point, enough height can be achieved for spectacular dismounts, such as a triple-back salto.

Men’s

Pommel horse - a typical pommel horse exercise involves both single leg and double leg work, but double leg is the main feature of this event. The gymnast swings both legs in a circular motion (clockwise or

Many people enter gymnastics for the satisfaction of a perfectly executed routine, the thrill of spinning around the uneven bars, swinging from the rims, the precision of the balance beam.

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PowerUp August 2015

Gymnastics in Bahrain

Bahrain has a long history with gymnastics, going back to 4000 years ago. Some historians recall that this sport was inspired by the tumblers in Egypt, who were jumping and making special movements that required physical fitness.

The Bahrain Gymnastics Association has participated in the 9th and 10th GCC Championships and won bronze

(MEGA) in the Gymstars International Women’s Artistic Championship in Malta by August. This 10-year old girl is Bahrain’s only representative to the event. In her first tournament, the InterGulf Level 3 in Dubai, she won gold, silver, and bronze medals. In the Oryx Level 5 and Level 6 in Qatar in 2014 and 2015 she won one silver medal last year, and three gold medals and one silver medal this year. Karen Moir, Sophie’s mother says “Sophie trains about 12 hours every week, and she

Gymnastics is a celebration of flexibility, strength, and coordination. medals in Artistic Gymnastics. Hussam Jaffer, Ali Majeed, Hassan Nazeeh, Adnan Abdali, and Ahmed Alzayed, are the pride of Bahrain in this competition.

Not only the men are triumphant in this elegant sport. Bahrain based British gymnast Sophie Emily Moir is the youngest participant representing the Middle East Gymnastics Association

eats very healthily and naturally to make sure she has enough energy. Because of Sophie’s high standard, she has been competing in open age”. Sophie dreams of competing in the Olympics, and opening her own gym. While her future in sports remains to be seen, it is clear that at this time, she is Bahrain’s rising star gymnast.

Tips for Would-Be Gymnasts Gymnastics presents a very real risk of injury, with its demanding physicality and immovable equipment. Many gymnasts have been injured by colliding with and falling off of equipment, but lots of injuries occur during floor exercises too. Sprained ankles, wrist sprains, and foot injuries are common.

Gymnasts are also threatened with broken bones, ligament tears, and concussions as well as lower-back problems. It’s good to keep things safe as you practice and compete.

The earliest gymnastics Olympians studied ballet before taking to the vault. The focus and strength required of both disciplines are almost similar and a background in dance will help you a lot in gymnastics.

1

Eat healthily. Don’t be swayed by the pressure to stay thin as poor diet and nutrition will make you weaker and prone to injury.

2

Make sure to put on your equipment. These include wrist straps, guards, and grips. These are meant to improve your hold on the apparatus and decrease friction on the skin to keep hands from developing painful blisters.

3

Use spotting belts when performing a new trick. These belts hook into cables which attach into the ceiling and are important safety measure when attempting a new, difficult maneuver.

4

Check the equipment and setup. Although it is set up by professionals, one can never be too safe, and spot check the equipment as well as your other colleagues. Always make sure there is someone at least spotting a performer whether on the mat or on the balance beam.

5

Enjoy! Gymnastics is a celebration of flexibility, strength, and coordination. Since you’ve done the initial work in training, in competition, its all about enjoyment and execution

6

SPORTS & FITNESS

Gymnastics

Coral Bay

Health & Fitness Center

If you want to get fit for the summer and maintain that beach body for the whole year, there’s wno better place to go than Coral Bay.

Coral Bay has a special offer exclusively for PowerUp readers! Get a 15% discount on all Coral Bay memberships by redeeming this code “PUCB15” when purchasing membership. Offer valid until end of Aug 2015.

W

orkout can sometimes be a pain, but it will be more manageable if you do lift weights or run the hundredth mile on your treadmill while enjoying panoramic views of the beautiful, blue ocean. In Coral Bay, they believe that no body part should be left untrained; thus the gym is fully equipped with up-to-date modern equipment. Their trained fitness coaches can help you with individual coaching sessions and will help you with your training regimen upon request.

There are also yoga sessions available.

Post-workout, there is an outdoor Jacuzzi, a climate control swimming pool, and a steam room to relax and unwind the muscles. You can also opt to take a dip in the ocean or tan poolside to get relaxed and toned. Alternatively, you can choose to loosen up at the debonair Coral Spa where they offer couple’s spa, Moroccan baths, manicures and pedicures, and good, old-fashioned Swedish massages.

For more information Tel: +973 1731 2700

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PowerUp August 2015

Elite military

fitness Few people can claim to be as fit as these fellows.

FIGHTING FIT

Few units in the world can claim to be elite, the Royal Guard of Bahrain is one of them. Formed to protect the Ruler of Bahrain and charged with the defence of the country and its interests, it is widely recognised as one of the best fighting forces in the world. What does it take to become a member of this distinguished unit?

The first fitness test is designed to assess the physical capabilities of the recruits. They each have to complete as many press-ups as they can (no less than 44) in two minutes, followed by as many sit-ups as they can (no less than 52) in the same time period. Immediately afterwards they are taken out and pushed through a 600 metre warm up as a group before being set off on a 2.4km sprint as individuals (which must be completed in under 10 min 30 secs).

events and those that fail are given one warning after which they are removed from the course. Only the most courageous and physically fit individuals will be given the honour of wearing the prized Royal Guard ‘green beret’.

BAND OF BROTHERS

For those that wish to test themselves to the limit of human endurance can apply to attend selection for the Royal Guard Special Forces Group (RGSF).

Applicants are accepted from all units within the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) and are loaded onto a four month course that will seek to push them to breaking point and beyond. The course generally starts with 120 candidates, however at the end of the rigorous course as little

They are also expected to be able to deploy into any environment and survive for prolonged periods of time with little to no food or water.

Tested to breaking point with physical training that simulates the trying circumstances of battle, they are expected to complete numerous runs in full combat gear carrying their weapon systems and weights to simulate ammunition. There’s no room in the unit for those that cannot complete the

SPORTS & FITNESS

military fitness

as 10 men are left to receive the prized RGSF ‘Panther’ badge.

Of those that start the course a few will fall by the wayside due to injuries sustained on the gruelling physical training events, however, the majority fail to make the grade because they simply can’t achieve the results demanded to be a member of such an elite group.

As well as being put through arduous physical training events; the candidates are expected to abseil from helicopters, parachute from heights above 10,000ft carrying their combat equipment and scuba dive in treacherous waters to stealthily approach enemy positions.

They are also expected to be able to deploy into any environment and survive for prolonged periods of time with little to no food or water, foraging and living off the land. This demands a soldier that has not only physical strength and endurance but also mental robustness.

All of this is tested during the selection process and it is why so few make it into the unit, there are not many individuals in the world that would have the ability to pass such an arduous course

football 49

In this country, the iconic game of football is played with vigour and passion.

The Most Beautiful Sport

F

ootball is hands-down, the most popular sport in the island of Bahrain. Run by the Bahrain Football Association, the country has its own toptier domestic professional football league, the Bahrain Premier League. It features

10 football clubs that play a two roundrobin set, with each team playing a total of 18 fixtures. The winners of the domestic championship qualify for the Asian Football Club (AFC) Cup. The most successful club in the League’s history is Al Muharraq SC. Founded in 1951, the Bahrain Football Association joined FIFA (Federacione Internationale de Football Association) in 1966 and is now ranked 117 in the FIFA World rankings. Bahrain won FIFA’s Most Improved Team Award in 2004.

Football season in Bahrain usually starts in September and concludes in May, in concurrence with other major football leagues. Although the Bahraini Premier League participates in international events, most of the games are played at the Bahrain National Stadium. The first season of the Premier League was held in 1957.

The Premier League has not yet reached the finals of the World Cup, although they have twice come within one match of doing so.

Football is a sport that involves to varying degrees, kicking a ball with the foot to score the goal. There are many

types of football and it is most often used in whatever regional context it falls under: association football (also known as soccer) in the United Kingdom; gridiron football, practised in the United States and Canada; Australian Rules football or rugby in Australia; and rugby football in New Zealand. These different variations are known as football codes.

Football started as a popular peasant game, even going on to be played in schools. The contemporary rules of football arose from the codification of these rules in English public schools. The expanse of the British empire allowed football to spread to areas of British influence outside the empire, which made it even more popular. It is safe to say that football now is the most popular team sport in the world.

The many variations of football share certain common elements. Throwing and running are the main ways of moving the ball, while kicking is allowed only on certain limited occasions. Body tackling is a major skill, and games typically involve short passages of play of 5-90 seconds each. There are two teams of between 11-18 players in the game, who score goals or points by moving the ball to an opposing team’s end of the field, and either into a goal area, or over a line. The goal or line is defended by the opposing team. Players use their body to move the ball.

Because of the high-octane action in football both on and off the court, a lot of fans become drawn to it, with Bahrain having perhaps one of the highest fan bases in the world, especially now that the Premier League is slowly colouring the football map red and white, a testament to Bahrain’s incredible achievement in sports.

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PowerUp August 2015

Though a lot of televised action happens on the courts and in BIC, there is a lot of action happening in parking lots, beaches, and anywhere inventive islanders and expats happen to find themselves. One never runs out of reasons to play. Just take a look at these photos.

Editors Note: Send your best photos for our Around Bahrain feature every month. They should be about people playing around Bahrain in various forms and in any inventive games. We will credit you with the photo. Drop us a line at editorial@powerup-mag.com

SPORTS & FITNESS

sports 51

&

wellness

Chef’s corner 53

Chef’s

Corner

Classic Rocket Salad Ingredients

Healthy eating in restaurants might seem too good to be true. In this corner we will show you the best places to eat healthy food in Bahrain. This month’s focus is on Salads.

Caramelized pear Toasted walnuts

Parmesan cheese shavings Olive oil

(The Westin Bahrain City Centre)

Nicole’s is the first authentic Mediterranean restaurant in Bahrain. It was created by a husband and wife team, Fadi and Denise Kfoury. Their head chef, Chef Valter Piergiovanni has been honored with the prestigious Cordon Bleu fellowship in France, and with a Collegium Cocorum membership honoring his 25 years of “professional development and upholding the best traditions of Italian cuisine”.

Nicole’s is a place where you can be transported to the heart of the Mediterranean right in Bahrain. Their cooking is Italian, French, Greek, Lebanese, and Spanish with an original twist. They shared with us the crowd pleasing shrimp and papaya salad recipe.

Shrimps and papaya salad Ingredients: TIGER SHRIMPS 20/30

100gr

MIX SALAD

60gr

SHALLOTS

Nutrition fact:

EXTRA OLIVE OIL

Nutrition summary: Calories Fat Carbs

Protein

328

32.53g

160gr

PAPAYA

FRESH TOMATOES FRESH MINT

14.66g

Cherry tomatoes

T-Spoon Restaurant

Nicole’s Restaurant

15.18g

Baby rocket leaves

LEMON

SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE

80gr

0.5gr 20gr

20ml 40ml

T-Spoon Restaurant is an exclusive boutique café serving a large selection of high-end teas, coffee from around the world, and an array of delicious, handcrafted baked goods. It is conveniently located at the ground floor of the Westin Hotel Bahrain with direct access to the City Centre Shopping Mall. Shoppers can go there for a break in between their shopping sprees.

They have an Eat Well philosophy that epitomizes the experience they bring for their consumers. Guests are treated to great food in a very chic setting. The artisan baked goods are crafted with whimsical snowmen, star shaped icing, wisps of powdered sugar, and fresh fruits and flowers. It is a feast for the senses.

More than that, they have an extensive tea library, and a juicery to revitalize your body with energizing fluid.

They share with us their recipe for the classic rocket salad, a perennial people’s choice.

Nutrition Summary This salad has a total of 335 calories, rich in simple carbohydrates and antioxidants, and no saturated fats.

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PowerUp August 2015

A Primer on

There’s a lot of hype surrounding protein, and we break it down for you. e have often heard the phrase “you are what you eat”, so it follows that the healthier the food you put in your body, the healthier it will be. Proteins are one of those very important superfoods performing a vast number of functions in the human body. They are important in metabolism; in building and repairing

The body uses the protein we eat to make a lot of specialized protein molecules that have specific jobs. For instance, the body uses protein to make hemoglobin, the part of red blood cells that carry oxygen to every part of the body. In fact, even when we’re running or just hanging out, protein is doing important work, like moving your legs, carrying oxygen to your body, and protecting from disease.

Protein is a macronutrient, along with fats and carbohydrates, which means

We have often heard the phrase “you are what you eat”, so it follows that the healthier the food you put in your body, the healthier it will be. tissues (collagen); in the replication of DNA; and in building bones, muscles, skin, and blood. Hair and nails are also made up of the protein keratin. The muscles, organs, and immune system are made up mostly of protein.

Health & Wellness

that the body needs a lot of it. However, unlike fat and carbohydrates, the body does not store protein, and therefore has no reservoir to draw on when it needs a new supply. Thus, most of the protein that comes to our body is from food.

There is a lot of controversy and myths surrounding this fabulous building block of the body. Here we take a look at some of them.

Myth: Protein builds muscles.

Truth: Only exercise can build muscles.

Bodies need protein to function well, but extra protein doesn’t give you extra strength. That only works for Popeye and his spinach. Five to seven ounces of protein is generally all the body needs to work properly. An eight-ounce steak at a restaurant is more than the body needs, plus the fat its cooked in is arteryclogging as well.

Myth: High protein/ low carb diets lead to weight loss.

Truth: When people eat lots of protein but few carbohydrates, their metabolisms change into a state called ketosis. Ketosis means the body converts from burning carbs for fuel to burning its own fat. When fat is broken down, small bits of carbon

Healthy living 55

called ketones are released into the bloodstream as energy sources. Ketosis, which also occurs in diabetes, tends to suppress appetite, causing people to eat less, and it also increases the body’s elimination of fluids through urine, resulting in a loss of water weight.

People who have high protein diets release stores of calcium into their bloodstream, to counteract an increase in acids caused by protein consumption.

Too much calcium loss can lead to osteoporosis.

Carbohydrate rich foods include fruits and vegetables which are the best sources of vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants—nutrients that help prevent disease. Animal foods that are high in protein are also high in saturated fats (which raises cholesterol levels), and increases the risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and several types of cancer. The American Heart Association warns that by “concentrating on protein sources and skipping carbs, dieters may be getting too much salt, and not enough calcium, potassium, or magnesium, which are typically found in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.”

Myth: Proteins increase fat burning in the body.

Truth: Protein can be converted by

the body into glucose for energy but, it takes twice as much effort as converting carbohydrates or fats into glucose. The extra effort translates into fewer calories available.

Myth: Proteins increase satiety, the feeling of being full or “satisfied” after every meal.

Truth: High protein diets do increase

satiety and decrease hunger. There is some evidence that high-protein diets induce great fat loss. “Most of the studies show results for up to six months, but after six months, they begin to lose effectiveness, either because people don’t adhere to this diet very well in the long term, or because they get used to this diet biologically. So in the long term, the high-protein diets lose their ability to maintain the weight”, says Frank Hu, assistant professor in Harvard University School of Public Health.

The bottom line: The type of protein that you eat plays a role in successful weight loss and your overall health. Nutrition experts recommend getting your daily dose of protein from the following sources.

1. Fish- Fish offers heart-healthy omega 3 fatty acids, which has less fat than meat.

2. Poultry- Quail, chicken, and

turkey are also good sources of protein. Remove the skin to eliminate most of the saturated fat.

3. Seeds and legumes like black beans and lentilsThese little mojos pack a lot of punch. They contain more protein than any other vegetable. Plus, they’re loaded with fiber that will help you feel full for hours.

4. Nuts- An ounce of almonds

gives you 6 grams of protein, nearly as much as an ounce of steak! Hu says “A lot of plant based foods like soy and legumes can give you the same amount of proteins as meats. I have nuts for breakfast every day, because they not only give you a lot of protein, but they’re healthy sources of fat”.

5. Whole grains- A slice of whole grain bread gives you 3 grams of protein, plus valuable fiber.

6. Meat- These are traditional

sources of protein, but beware of the fat and eat only a small portion.

7. Dairy products- Cheese,

milk, and yoghurt are all sources of protein. Use sparingly as they are also high in fat.

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PowerUp August 2015

The Architecture of a

most important component of a smile? It would be arguably be the teeth. Dr. Haidar of Ceram Dental believes that a great smile is one of the biggest investments you can make for yourself. It makes you more confident, able to face challenges, and

hen you think about what makes a face lovely, its often all about proportion. The most beautiful faces have a symmetry and an alignment that makes the whole seem more than the individual parts. But the parts that get the most notice in our face are the most alive facets of it: our eyes and our smile.

A smile can be inviting, teasing, enigmatic, it can light your whole face up. Studies show that plain-looking women who have a nice smile seem more attractive. They have that je ne sai qua, that certain something. What is the

Health & Wellness

smile

The curve of the Cupid’s bow, the color of the teeth; all these things play their part in the grand symphony of the smile. just generally, more beautiful. Spending a little for something that will make you feel like a million bucks is an investment that repays itself, so why not?

The architecture of a smile is made up of a number of parts: the spacing of the teeth, the setting of the gums, the curve of the Cupid’s bow, the color of the teeth; all these things play their part in the grand symphony of the smile. Dentists or smile architects show us ways to improve our smile.

Ceram Dental has had many happy repeat customers. You only have to check their instagram, Twitter, and facebook accounts to ascertain this. Dr. Haidar works with the precision of a milliner, not satisfied until his client is happy and he has done his best work. Each dental appointment begins with knowing the client’s needs, then little by little, he begins the painstaking work of research, checking to see if something will work, and if not constructing again, with the patience of a spider, until finally, revealing his “magic”, beautiful smiles all around.

Dr. Haidar’s methods are painstakingly culled from years of research, the simpler, the better. As he says there is no standard, no formula, no easy way; it is only through research and practice that you get to know what works. What makes him happy is to apply the highest standards of cosmetology and dentistry to his work. And of course, if people come back to him, telling him that his work have changed their lives, why then, this is something that can’t be replaced by money For more information Ceram Dental Center, Highway 35, Manama, Tel: +973 1713 1123

Friday Brunch From 12:30 PM to 04:00PM Served to the table Unlimited food and soft drinks for BD 19 Net Unlimited Food and selected beverages for BD 25 Net Free for kids under 6 years old

Nicole’s Mediterranean Restaurant and Lounge Block 338, Road 3845, Adliya, Manama Tel. +973 17280700, Mob. +973 35140504 website www.nicolesbh.com

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PowerUp August 2015

No, you can’t turn back the clock; but you can age gracefully and even look far younger than your biological age. Here’s how...

ith the rise of plastic surgery clinics across the world, we think that to retain our youthful looks we have to have tons of money and access to specialists, but far from this misconception, a few simple lifestyle tweaks is all you need to look your best in the age you have now, as well as to maintain your looks and figure. Read on.

Health & Wellness

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Protect yourself from the sun.

The sun’s Ultraviolet rays are a major source of skin cancer, sun spots, dry skin, and melanoma (all contributing to skin aging). The skin is the largest organ of the human body, so it makes sense to take care of it in the best way we can. One way is to use sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30. Limit sun exposure to 15-30 minutes at a time. Always wear shades and long-sleeved clothing to protect from the sun.

Use hand cream.

Our hands are often the most hardworking and most neglected part of our body. The skin on the backs of our hands are very thin, which makes it prone to accelerated aging compared to other parts of the body. When dry air saps moisture from the skin, your hands look even older than they should. They are also accurate indicators of our age, so it’s a good idea to reward your hands with some TLC. Use a hand cream with sunscreen to reduce sun damage which appears as brown spots and wrinkles on the hands.

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Avoid foods that stain your teeth.

White, strong teeth are a sign of youth and health. Stained teeth age your appearance, not to mention the fact that they are not aesthetically pleasing. Dark, hot, sticky foods like barbecue sauce, or soy sauce; red wine, coffee, cigarettes, and cola are notorious tooth-stainers. In order to avoid teeth staining, lessen your intake of these foods, and drink water like its your lifesaver (which it is!). Gargle after every meal, but don’t brush after every meal (because this will weaken the natural enamel of your teeth). Crunch on apples, strawberries, celery, or mint throughout the day for natural teeth whitening and polishing.

Cut out smoking.

Smoking ages like nothing else can. When a person smokes, brain cells die. These brain cells cannot be regrown again by any natural means. The tar and chemicals added in tobacco to make cigarettes actually promote lung cancer, prostrate cancer, tuberculosis, and etc. Smoking also dries out the skin and hair. If it is too hard to cut out smoking, then start small, by cutting one pack into half a pack per day. Also, when you start salivating and want to smoke again, reach for a packet of mint (the real herb), and try chewing on that. Studies show that the taste of mint might help smokers to curb the “hunger” for a smoke.

Make time for exercise.

Exercise is one of your strongest weapons in aid of antiaging. It ensures blood and oxygen flow to the body, replenishing and strengthening our cells to ensure regeneration and growth. Plus with all the circulation, skin looks glowing and youthful. Renowned make-up artist Bobbi Brown even said “Try to exercise at least 30 minutes before you go out. It will make you 50% prettier”. As an added bonus, it also improves the appearance of under-eye bugs.

Also when you’re in shape and your weight is down, you just look younger. As well, exercise improves your posture, which in turn makes you look more confident, which in turn makes you look younger. Need we say more? You don’t have to go all-out and sign up for a gym membership. You can easily start by walking 30 minutes a day, taking the stairs instead of the elevator in your office, and doing light chores around the house while dancing. Every little thing counts, so think of ways to get off your butt and get moving.

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Stay away from processed foods.

Too much processing or food handling is bad for the body. Try to cook your food as lightly as possible, steaming, grilling, or even just cutting it up and putting it in salads. Not only do processed foods make you fat, the chemicals contained in order to make it last are not compatible with the natural growth and repair of the body. Try to eat as healthy as possible and your body will reward you with clearer skin, and a natural glow.

Take a tech-break.

We love our smartphones, but sometimes it becomes an obsession, scrolling through Whatsapp or Facebook or shopping online. Over time, this promotes wrinkles that ring the neck, which ages the face. Any movement that we make over and over etches the lines in permanently.

Try to limit your tech use, and don’t reach for the phone the moment you wake up. An added bonus, you’ll be kinder to your eyes as well.

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8 Get enough sleep.

An outrageous suggestion right? With all the things we have to do, 24 hours is not even enough to finish it. But think of it this way. The average projected life span of human beings is now 110 years. You don’t want to live this long with sickness, on crutches or just generally weak and unable to enjoy life right? So might as well get enough sleep now to boost your skin and organs’ natural repair mechanisms. It also makes your skin more radiant when you wake up. Doctors recommend at least eight hours of sleep but six at night and naps throughout the day might just do the trick.

Health & Wellness

healthy living

Learn how to handle stress.

Stress is part of the body’s coping mechanisms that have stayed with us long past the caveman era when the “fight or flight” technique was most necessary. Though it is useful to aid us in difficult situations, prolonged stress weakens the body’s immune system and it shows on the skin with inflammatory conditions like psoriasis, acne, and eczema.

Meet stress head-on. If there is a difficult thing that you have to do, ask for help and get it done. The sooner the better. Also make sure to have time for your social network, because taking your mind off difficult situations may help you come back with a fresh perspective. Also consider relaxation techniques like having a massage, going to the spa, or just biking around

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Get a massage.

Yet another benefit of massage aside from relaxation and bonding is that it stimulates the secretion of anabolic hormones, which reduces aging. Sweet right? And if you use organic products like Green Bar (which is a Bahraini business), then your skin also feels the love. Try to get a massage at least once a month.

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Down at

Dessange

acques Dessange was a hairdresser of princesses and beauty queens. He has played a lead role in hairdressing for over 50 years. He styled Miss France in 1947 and immediately became the most famous hairdresser in France, eventually opening his own store. Pretty soon, almost 250 customers a day were pouring into his salon. Quality, service, and hygiene are the trademarks of a Dessange salon, of which there are now many branches all over the world.

They are innovative in their services, providing things like aromatic stone theraphy (which brings the heat of stones into the body), deep tissue muscle massage (which alleviates stress, eases aching muscles and revives the senses), the authentic Moroccan hammam (consistently reviewed as the best treatment they offer), the exotic milk bath (like Cleopatra), the Aroma ocean wrap and ocean bath; the hair botox treatment

(which repairs damaged or broken hair fibres with caviar oil), ombre hair color (which is very in this season), the Amazon Keratin smoothing treatment (which

Quality, service, and hygiene are the trademarks of a Dessange salon, of which there are now many branches all over the world. makes hair smooth, straight, and shiny), the Elemis Express facial (for an instant burst of radiance), the foot ritual, head and neck massage, and countless other ways to invigorate yourself.

Known as one of the most luxurious spas in Bahrain, they are also one of the most innovative. The spa is very chic and very popular among expats. Aside from the spa, there’s also a fitness club with lessons in aerobics, spinning, freemotion, yoga, belly dancing, and so much more.

One of the best places to pamper yourself while getting fit is at Dessange Bahrain which you will leave feeling thoroughly good about yourself.

Membership fee is BD400 annually with a 20% discount on spa services. All of the facilities are of the highest standard with personal training guidelines and fitness assessments organised in a very professional manner, plus the trainers are very good at motivating people!

Though a bit pricey, the advantages of these soothing, relaxing, and invigoritang health and wellness rituals can’t be beat. And why not treat yourself once in a while?

Form more information Tel: +973 1771 3999

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Thallasa Sea and Spa from

Since the beginning of time, people have found solace in the ocean; an experience that Sofitel Zallaq Thallasa Sea and Spa is recreating.

Sofitel

rt de Vivre or the art of living is what Sofitel aspires to offer its customers; a genuine art of living that offers luxury, beauty, and excellence in a chic, contemporary setting. It combines French taste and traditional Bahraini style. Located on the pristine beaches of Zallaq overlooking the Arabian Gulf on Bahrain’s West Coast, Sofitel boasts the only Thalassa Sea and Spa in the GCC countries. The spectacular beach front setting and five star amenities make for a memorable getaway, whether for a weekend or a 6-day spa package. In keeping with tradition, there is also belly dancing and live music.

In this spa, you can experience the healing benefits of seawater. The sound of waves actually alters the wave patterns of the brain, soothing you into a deeply calm and relaxed state. It helps to revitalize your mind and body. The smell of the sea air improves our ability to absorb oxygen. It also helps balance levels of serotonin, a chemical associated with mood and stress. So it leaves you feeling more alert and energized but also Health & Wellness

spa

deeply relaxed and able to sleep more soundly. It heals and detoxifies, reduces infection, and promotes pain relief.

Conditions such as psoriasis, arthritis, and even depression are cured by ocean water swimming. It is a body and soul treatment which replenishes you deep down.

Whether you want better health, improved well-being, or a trimmer figure, Sofitel Zallaq Thallasa Sea and Spa can provide it for you.

In Sofitel, you can choose how you want to be cured. There’s the Zen Option which is 9 treatments to relax body and mind. It is punctuated by 2 thalassotheraphy treatments per day and a shaping-up session in heated sea-water.

There is also the Vitality Option which is 9 toning and energizing treatments benefiting from the free access to the thalassotheraphy centre’s fitness and relaxation area. Sofitel’s fitness coaches and dieticians will give you personalized advice to get

results exactly where you want them.

Give yourself over to enjoyment and pampering. Sofitel Zallaq Thallasa Sea and Spa brings forth the best of spa care to offer you unrivalled treatments with lasting positive effects. Whether you want better health, improved well-being, or a trimmer figure, Sofitel Zallaq Thallasa Sea and Spa can provide it for you.

You can spend the day relaxing poolside indulging in Thallasa treatments, or soaking up the sun at La Plage Beach Club which offers tennis, squash, and non-motorized water sports.

Thallasa Sea & Spa promises you a week long indulgence that will restore your natural vitality to the fullest!

K i n g

H a m a d

U n i v e r s i t y

H o s p i t a l

+973 17444444

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Dark Chocolate

The Healthy Indulgence

Dark chocolate has health benefits you may not even know of.

Health & Wellness

hocolate or tsokolate is a very historic food dating back to the Mayan period.

The Dresden Codex tells that it is the food of the rain deity Kon. There are also vases and other cultural artefacts that depicts chocolate being poured out from one vessel to another.

The Mayans prefer spice with their chocolate as they add chili to the drink and beat it until it is foamy.

When the Aztec empire took over Mesoamerica in the 1400s, they demanded cacao as tribute or tax from the Mayans. Cacao seeds had so much value that they were even used as currency, much like spices. The Spanish conquistadores left evidence of the

value of the cacao bean, noting that 100 beans could purchase a canoe filled with fresh water or a turkey hen. The Aztecs who believed that cacao seeds were a gift from Quetzalcoatl (the god of wisdom) thought that it had aphrodisiac powers and gave its drinkers strength.

The Aztec king Montezuma was believed to consume as many as 50 cups of chocolate a day.

In the sixteenth century, chocolate (with added sugar) traveled to Europe with Christopher Columbus, where the Spanish friars introduced it to the masses. In the 20th century, chocolate was considered an essential staple of the rations for US soldiers during war. Then a chocolate craze swept over Europe and with it a thriving slave market , because during the 17th to 19th century, the

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laborious and slow processing of the cacao bean was manual. Until the advent of the Industrial Revolution, chocolate remained a treat for the elite.

Now, with chocolate being branded as one of the most famous snacks to stave off hunger and to fight depression, chocolate has been shunned by dieters because of its high fat and sugar content.

But don’t discredit dark chocolate just yet. With 70-86 per cent cacao, and less fat and sugar than milk chocolate, dark chocolate is a heart-healthy indulgent that aids your diet and fitness plans.

Dark chocolate contains soluble fiber and is loaded with minerals. A 100 gram

Dark chocolate is also anti-aging with cacao being one of the best sources of antioxidants in this planet, which means it has a lot of anti-aging properties. bar of dark chocolate with 70-85 per cent cacao contains fiber, iron, magnesium, copper, manganese, potassium, phosphorous, zinc, and selenium. Since dark chocolate is more filling (with all that fiber), it lessens cravings for sweet, salty, and fatty foods. Which means jackpot in your quest to stay on your diet plans!

Dark chocolate is also anti-aging with cacao being one of the best sources of antioxidants in this planet, which means it has a lot of anti-aging properties.

Among the anti-oxidants present in dark chocolate are polyphenols, flavanols, and catechins. Studies show that dark chocolate contains more antioxidants than blueberries and acai berries.

Dark chocolate may also improve blood flow and lower blood pressure, lowering the risk of cardiovascular

Dark Chocolate Facts 1. The smell of chocolate increases theta brain waves, which triggers relaxation.

2. Flavonoids found in cocoa products have antiinflammatory, antioxidant, anti-clotting effects that can reduce the risk of diabetes by improving insulin sensitivity.

3. Eating dark chocolate widens arteries and promotes healthy blood flow that can prevent the buildup of plaque that can block arteries.

diseases. The flavonols in dark chocolate can stimulate the endolithium, the lining of the arteries, to produce Nitric Oxide (NO), which is a gas. One of the functions of NO is to send signals to the arteries to relax, which lowers resistance to blood flow and reduces blood pressure.

Cocoa powder was found to significantly decrease LDL (bad cholesterol) in men.

Dark chocolate may also protect your skin against the sun. The bioactive compounds in dark chocolate are great for the skin. The flavonols protect against sunburn, improve blood flow to the skin and increase skin density and hydration.

As well, dark chocolate may improve brain function. Because of the flavonols in cocoa, which improves blood flow to the brain, and stimulant substances like caffeine and theobromine, dark chocolate can improve brain function in the short term. Cocoa may also significantly improve cognitive function in elderly people with mental impairment.

It also improves verbal fluency, a mustnibble before that big presentation or speech exam!

Despite having all these health benefits, its good to remember that dark chocolate still has calories and sugar.

Still, it has a place in a good heart-healthy diet and overall fitness plan. Choose 70 per cent cacao or higher to really get the full anti-aging, stress busting, mindimproving benefits of dark chocolate.

Bon appĂŠtit!

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The Benefits of he bath, or spa, has been around since Roman times when people discovered that mineral rich spring water or even saltwater can cure a variety of ailments both physical and spiritual. The word “spa� has its origins in a town in Belgium, which is derived from the word Espa, meaning fountain or spring. Since earliest times, there have been beliefs of river deities or nymphs favoring certain springs thus giving it medicinal powers.

The Greeks began bathing regimens that formed the foundation for modern spa procedures. They utilized bathtubs, wash basins, and footbaths for personal cleanliness. The

Health & Wellness

Many people think that spas are indulgence, but with its many benefits from weight loss to pain relief, it can be considered as preventive medicine.

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1

More energy.

2

Better endurance.

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4

The combination of healing oils and a massage in an aromatherapy ritual offered more relief than a massage itself. It improves blood circulation which delivers oxygen and nutrients to the cells.

Studies show that three weeks of sauna bathing after exercise improved runner’s endurance and runners’ performance, increasing plasma and red blood cell volume. The heat also allows muscles to release excess lactic acid and encourages oxygen to flow to the muscles, helping with soreness and muscle repair.

Endorphins are also released because the heat of the steam rooms increases cardiovascular activity. This boosts the immune system as well as improving the bodys flexibility.

Detoxification.

Profuse sweating allows the release of toxins, excess water, and salt that our bodies store. Massage stimulates the lymphatic system, which carries away the body’s waste products. Body polishing gently exfoliates your skin promoting cellular renovation, refining pores, and giving the skin an even-toned look.

Pain relief.

Deep tissue massages ease muscle tension and cramps. Massage therapy can help with pain management in chronic conditions such as arthritis, sciatica, and muscle spasms. In as little as 20 minutes of soaking in a hot tub, the body absorbs the heat, and as it warms up, blood flow is increased, this causes blood vessels to dilate, and blood pressure is subsequently reduced. Pressure is also greatly reduced on all your joints and muscles while in a hot tub.

oldest standing relics can be found in the palace complex at Knossos, Crete; and the luxurious, alabaster bathtubs excavated in Santorini, Greece from 2000 BC. The Greeks established public baths and showers within their gymnasium complexes for relaxation and personal hygiene. Early bathhouses were often cut into the rocks where the hot springs were located.

The most sophisticated bathhouses came from the Turkish hammams and Arab baths. Introduced by Moslems to Europe by way of Andalusia, these spa treatments are still popular today. The bath became the center of social and recreational activity. Libraries, lecture halls, gymnasiums, and formal gardens became part of some bath complexes. When Bath was made famous by Queen Anne and Beau Nash, social activities there included dances, concerts, playing cards, lectures, and promenading down the street.

You already know that you feel great after a spa getaway, but you may not know that it has other health benefits too.

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Good vibes.

It has been proven that massage releases a hormone called serotonin that enhances the body and minds feel good state. When you receive a spa service, your mind, body, and soul, are in harmony. Spa goers are often known to experience better sleep and an increased sense of general well-being. A foot scub is oftentimes invigorating.

Weight loss.

Massage has been known to contour the body and keep the extra pounds off.

Anti-aging.

Body wraps are exceptionally beneficial as a quick way to remineralize the body, replenish it with nutrients and elements lost on a daily basis, thus boosting moisture in the skin. Facials and other skin care services and body treatments can help you look and feel young

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Sports Club/ Fitness

Listings If we don’t take care of our bodies, where will we live? Our body is our temple, and the place where our spirits are nurtured. Take care of it by making an effort to include fitness in your daily regime.

Here are some ideas to get you started.

Try to learn how rugby football is played in this club. Tel: 17695809 Muharraq Club –One of the legends of the football tradition in Bahrain, Muharraq Club remains one of the strongest football leagues in the country.

Tel: 17670133

Badminton

Bapco Badminton Club - if you fancy a round of badminton, there’s no better place than here. Tel: 17753666

Basketball

Bahrain Basketball Association –football isn’t the only sport islanders and expats are crazy about in Bahrain. Basketball too, has its legions of fans here.

Tel: 17741010 EZ Fit Sports Complex Tel: 17692378

Board Games

Bahrain Board Game Club --Who says board games are not sports? Scrabble, chess, even monopoly are pretty awesome games. Tel: 39461889

Bowling

Awali Bowling Center –At 500fils per game and 200fils for shoe hire, this is a pretty decent bowling place to hang out. Give it a try. Tel: 17753666

SPORTS & FITNESS

Bahrain Bowling Association Daily –BBA is powered by the General Organization of Youth and Sports and participates in tournaments around the world.

Tel: 17822077 Busheri Bowling Center –Do you have jazz fingers? Are you just itching to show everybody your moves? Get the ultimate nine-pin and think how fine life is.

Tel: 17292313

Cricket

SLC Grounds --Though most

of Bahrain’s cricketeers use the island’s vast abandoned parking lots, you can also do some cricket here. Tel: 17276134

Cycling

Bahrain Cycling Association –Cycling is an awesome way to tone your glutes and to get fit. Tel: 17660956

Football

Bahrain Rugby Football –Football has many permutations and rugby football is one of them.

Riffa Sports Club –Another of Bahrain’s legendary football clubs playing in the top division of the football league.

There’s no better way to learn football than from the best.

Golf

Royal Golf Club --The Royal Golf Club has a world-class course designed by golfing legend Colin Montgomerie. (Riffa, Manama.

Tel: 17750777

Horse Riding

Bahrain Riding Club –Bahrain Riding Club is another beautiful option, being in located in Barbar

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Snookers

Jimmy’s Snookers & Billiard Club –There are eight tables at Jimmy’s Club, which means you can even bring your entourage. Tel: 17716147

Tennis

Bahrain Tennis Association –This club partners with the GOYS to discover raw diamonds in the tennis field and train them to become elite players. Tel: 17687236

Watersports

Coral Bay Bahrain –The ultimate destination for leisure, adventure, and entertainment with a variety of watersports particularly diving.

Tel: 17312700

and with one of the finest stables around. Tel: 17690448 Dilmun Club Stables –The art of horsemanship is a traditional one in Bahrain and you can get beginner lessons in Dilmun Club Tel: 17693766 Shakhoora Riding Center –A British standard, horseriding school. In Budaiya, it’s supposed to be one of the best ever stables. Tel: 17591103

Ice Skating

Funland –Remaining the first and only ice skating rink in Bahrain, Funland is the place to learn ice skating. The Bahrain ice hockey team also trains here. Tel: 17292313

Martial Arts

Bahrain Karate Center –There are many schools of martial arts around the world, but if you want to learn the real Shotokan techniques, this is the place to go.

Tel: 38449994 Goju Karate Club –Karate is both a discipline of the mind and the body, and if you want to realize that wholeness, then go and join this club. Tel: 39659510 Zen-Do Bahrain –If you were fuelled by the Muay Thai craze, try Zen-do, which is a Western form of Thai boxing. Tel: 17611909

Motor Sports

Rally Town –Go karting for all ages! Rally Town has a

custom made track complex for go-karting. Tel: 17531165

Running

Bahrain Athletics Association – The Bahrain Athletics Association creates winning teams that compete around the world. See for yourself! Tel: 17684905 Bahrain Hash House Harriers –The Hash House Harriers are easy and cheeky and will make you run your arse in shape!

Tel: 17862620 Bahrain Round Table –They host the Bahrain Marathon Relay Event each year and donates the money to the less fortunate. Fitness and doing good in one go! Tel: 39536754

Bahrain Yacht Club –Bahrain Yacht Club is a place where you can sail a boat or engage in a variety of watersports. Tel: 17700677 Skate Shack- has a California surfer vibe, seeing that they sell a variety of sports equipments for biking, running, and surfing. Tel: 17697176

Weightlifting

Al Ghossaibi & Ghassan GymHead over to Al Ghossaibi gym and they will help you step by step to achieve that fabulous body you dream of. Tel: 17695911

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Fitness Listings

Bodyline Sports and Spa Tel: 17793932 British Club Bahrain – Tel: 17728245 Dessange- You can spin, lunge, meditate, and dance, as the urge moves you. You can try the new-fangled arts of spinning and freemotion as well. Tel: 17713999 Curves Novotel Al Dana Resort Tel:17298430 Gulf Hotel’s Health and Recreation Club Tel: 17726184 Indian Club- For the more athletically inclined, choose your pick of tennis, badminton, snooker, gym, table tennis, darts, dance classes, and karate..

Tel: 17253157 Le Mirage Health Club –Diplomat Hotel Tel: 17531666 My Gym Children’s Fitness

Center Tel: 17566566 Profiles Fitness Center –-Belly dancing remains a traditional and exotic form of dance that few Western people know. We can uncover its mystique in Profiles.

Tel: 17727766 Royal Sporting Club, The Ritz Carlton Bahrain Hotel and Spa Tel: 17580000 *These are only some of the numerous sports clubs in Bahrain.

We will continue next issue. If you want to include your club in the listings, or in our sports club feature, do drop us a line at editorial@power-up.mag.com.

Health and Wellness Listings

We often show our car more love and respect than we do ourselves. Do yourself and your loved ones a favor, make an appointment with your dentist and doctor today. Here are a few places to check out.

Al Hilal Hospital –They have the finest diagnostic and outpatient treatment services in the region.

Tel: 17344199 Al Kindi Specialised Hospital --Whether its oral health, ENT, pediatrics, medical checkup, immunization, gynecology, plastic & aesthetic surgery, trauma surgery, diabetes, rheumatology/ osteoporosis, Al Kindi has got you covered. Tel: 17240444 American Mission Hospital –Quite possibly, one of the most popular hospitals in Bahrain, American Mission is also one of the oldest, being more than a century old.

Tel: 17177711

Awali Hospital –Awali specializes in effective doctor-patient communication and it provides affordable care to the Bahraini community. Tel: 17704040 Bahrain Defense Force Hopital –BDF Hospital is the only place in Bahrain where free healthcare is provided exclusively for noncivilians. (17766666) Bahrain International Hospital –Bahrain International is the Kingdom’s first private medical center. Tel: 17598222 Bahrain Specialist Hospital –Bahrain Specialist Hospital provides 10 medical care specialties including psychiatric and dental care, nutrition, and plastic surgery. Tel: 17812080 German Orthopedic Hospital – The German Orthopedic Hospital in Manama has various fields of specialty like orthopedics, anesthesia, and physiotheraphy.

Tel: 17239988 Gulf Diabetes Specialist Centre – The Gulf Diabetes Center delivers the most comprehensive and dynamic research program and services dedicated exclusively to diabetes in the world.

Tel: 17239329 *These are only some of the numerous Health and Wellness listings in Bahrain. If you want to include your information in the listings, do drop us a line at editorial@power-up.mag.com

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74

PowerUp August 2015

Makeup Review: he summer months mean more time for the beach and other sports activities. More suntime and fewer hours spent indoors. More than ever the emphasis is on clean skin, a healthy glow, and minimal makeup. These are PowerUp’s tips for summer beauty.

1. Cover the essentials

Having a carefree summer vibe is all about not putting on too much makeup which will cake and streak as you sweat through the hot summer days anyway. Just cover up under-eye circles, shadows, spots, and other blemishes with concealer and you’re good to go.

2. Go for less products

If putting on a moisturizer, concealer, and foundation is too much work for you, then try a tinted moisturizer. You get coverage, plus color correction. It also adds radiance and a sheer glow to your skin which is just perfect.

3. Stay out of the sun One of the problems with summer, is that skin has been wintering too long, and just look pasty. However, baking it

FASHION & STYLE

makeup

or even fake-tanning it is just too much of a hassle. The solution is definitely bronzer. Whether you want a rosy glow, an illumination, or just a contour, this product is multi-use, and there’s one to suit every need and skin tone.

4. Carry your own spotlight

One of the secrets of models and photographers is lighting. That’s why the #nofilter selfie has been popular of late. You can also be of the #nofilter crowd, just carry your own light. Just dot highlighter on the tops of your brows, the bridge of your nose, your temples, chin, and cheeks, and blend, blend, blend.

5. Multitask

Use lipstick as blush and eyeshadow. The coordinating colors in nude, peach, or mauve will make you look polished and put together. Then, just line your eyes in black and brown and you’re ready for a day in the office, and a night of partying.

6. Use waterproof mascara

In the heat, mascara tends to run, and you don’t want to look hot and miserable. Use waterproof mascara and be prepared for any occasion.

1. Tinted moisturizer. Try Diorskin Nude BB Crème.

2. Concealer. Try TooFaced Absolutely Flawless Concealer.

3. Bronzer. Try Urban Decay Naked Flushed.

4. Highlighter. Try Benefit Watt’s Up. 5. All-around lipstick. Try Lipstick Queen in Medieval.

6. Waterproof mascara. Try Maybelline Great Lash.

7. Eyeliner. Try Benefit Eyebright.

8. Lip balm. Try C.O. Bigelow Rose Salve.

7. Open your eyes

Make your eyes look bigger and more wide-awake with shimmery eyeshadow in brown, gold, or pink. You can also line your eyes with white, nude, or beige pencil to really open it up. For a summery twist, line your eyes in turquoise or teal liner, it really makes your eyes look wider.

8. Skip the lipstick

Use a liptint or lipbalm for summer, and it can carry you to more than one occasion.

It gives you that “just bitten” look which is pretty and not at all heavy

Makeup 75

An Afternoon with

Pupa Pupa is one of those under the radar brands that deserve more recognition. he pupa is a life stage of some animals undergoing transformation. Just like a caterpillar entering its chrysalis, metamorphosing into a beautiful butterfly; makeup has so many uses.

It can enhance, magnetize, or even transform a woman. It can make her feel sophisticated, elegant, and mature.

Teens use makeup to look older; more mature women, to look younger.

We spent a lovely afternoon with Nadia Belly, Brand Executive of Pupa Milano Vamp to better understand the makeup process. Pupa is one of the brands in Al Hawaj. It is a complete-care cosmetic brand with a makeup, nail, fragrance, and skincare line. One of the top attractions of Pupa is their packaging, with their beauty kits in inimitably cute pochettes in the shape of bunnies, Russian dolls (which they call Puposka), tiny bears, and snowflakes. Within this cute, little packages you can find an array of color for your eyes and lips. You can keep the big bag of makeup at home because this kit has everything. They also do some innovative work with their nail polish, jumping in on the French manicure classic style with a twist. Their French

is colourful! The skincare line focuses on body reshaping and toning with creams and oils for water retention and cellulite. They have treatments for the inner thigh and knee, abdomen, décolleté, inner arm, lips, and cheekbones. From young to old, this is a brand that can be used by the family.

There is something for everyone.

During the makeup session, Ms. Nadia and her lovely team taught us tips and tricks. For example, she told us that SPF is very, very essential, as the sun ravages the skin which is the largest organ in the body. SPF 20 is a good starting point, and good news! Most Pupa products have SPF in them. She also told us to have at least 2 brushes in our makeup arsenal, the foundation brush and the bronzing brush. This 2 things would cut our makeup time by at least 15 minutes!

She said it is always nice to just brush on the foundation, in nice, little stippling motions as if you’re playing with it, because this would give the most natural effect. The bronzing brush, is useful for contouring the cheeks, and when used to

apply bronzer in a downward motion over the cheekbones, will give you (surprise!), instant cheekbones. You have to add a little bit of blush on the apples of your cheeks too for that natural healthy glow. Finally, highlighter added to the tops of the cheeks starting from the temples will give you a very glamorous look. Try using their coral blush, which can blush, bronze, and highlight your complexion in one. You can also use it for eyeshadow. At BD7, this is a steal.

At the end of the makeup session, we were all transformed and were very happy with our experience. We’re definitely going back to Pupa again For more information contact Nadia Belly, Al Hawaj, Manama Tel: +973 1616 0000

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PowerUp August 2015

Sports Watches Not only does the sports watch provide tracking and pace information to align with your fitness regime, it is mighty fashionable too. Check out this month’s top picks.

Garmin Forerunner 15 Forerunner 15 has a built-in GPS that gives you distance and pace and you can hook up a range of other external sensors including heart rate monitors, cycle sensors and foot pods that measure additional stats like how many steps you’ve taken, calories and treadmill runs. With eight hours of battery life in GPS mode or five weeks in activity tracking mode, it outlasts most entry level running watches. It’s an all-rounder device that’s designed as an all-in-one fitness solution rather than a pure-play running watch. It tracks you while you’re hitting the streets and sitting down at your desk. It’s also waterproof to 50 meters. And you can also sync and scrutinize all your data via the Garmin connect smartphone app and web tools.

Suunto Ambit 3 Sapphire Peak For the serious athlete, Suunto’s Ambit3 boasts accurate tracking capabilities thanks to GPS and some nifty connectivity tech. The watch itself is jammed full of sensors, from a compass, to a heart rate monitor (that even works during swimming) and altitude checker and of course it uses the GPS to give you route guidance.

Connect your watch wirelessly to your smartphone and use the free Suunto Movescount App to adjust the watch on the go and visually enrich, relive, and share your adventure. It offers you the ultimate package to track and share your sports and adventures. This is definitely the GPS watch for explorers with its weather functions and mobile connections. No fear of getting lost in the woods!

It guides you every step of the way, providing all you need to progress and stay safe on your quest. There is no better companion out there to make every move count.

FASHION & STYLE

Tom Tom Cardio Runner With Tom Tom Cardio Runner, you get interval training and challenges to split your run into zones and there’s even the opportunity to race against your own ghost (your past performance). The Cardio Runner comes with a built-in optical heart rate monitor and, naturally, all the GPS recording that you’re going to need. You can see real time running information and run in your optimal heart rate zone. It features QuickGPSFix to help you find your location quickly so you can get going faster. It sets your own interval training program to improve speed and fitness. For triathletes there’s a Multisport version too, packing extra swim and cycle tracking smarts.

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Magellan Echo Fit Magellan works with Runkeeper, Strava, MapMyRun, and Wahoo fitness to bring pace, distance, time, and other running information to your wrist. It does not need charging and lasts up to 3 months. It works with iphone4S or later as well as select Android devices with 4.4 or later. Echo Fit is the first sports watch to utilizes smartphone sports apps to their full potential by wirelessly connecting them to your wrist.

It gives you control over a variety of smartphone functions including start, stop or lap on your sports app, and next song, play and pause on your music stream or playlist. It tracks steps, distance, calories burned, and sleep length and then reviews your data using the Magellan active app. Without a separate activity tracking device, Echo Fit captures a complete picture of our day. Your data is also available online at active. magellangps.com. Designed for sports, it is rugged and waterresistant. With this watch, you have the ability to remotely control connected apps.

Sony Smartwatch 3

Polar V 800 With Polar V 800 you can read your pace, distance, fat burned, calories, and maximum heart rate on super clear screens that are brilliantly customizable. Hook it up to a shoe pod and it’ll also give you cadence, stride length, and other insights to hone your elite running form. Pair it up with a Polar H7 heart rate monitor and you can also unlock the V800’s zonal training smarts, making sure you’re sweating it out to achieve the right effect. The V800 doubles as an activity tracker and lets you see whether you’re daily calorie burn comes from just being alive, workouts or general activity. The perfect training timepiece for swim-bike-runners, the Polar V800 tracks everything you do on two wheels, two feet, in the water or on dry land. You can also opt for a range of cycle accessories to increase the stats haul from two-wheeled training.

The only watch to boast GPS built-in, it can track runs away from your handset, and boasts 4GB of built in memory for music, which can be listen to using a pair of Bluetooth headphones. Tell the SmartWatch 3 SWR50 what you want and it will do it. Search. Command. Find.

You can tell your friend that you’re on the way or ask it to locate a place for you while you’re driving. When messages or other notifications come in, you feel it.

You won’t ever have to miss a thing. It’s a fun and useful accessory even without your smartphone. You can have music to accompany you while running. When you’re out, you can track your activity and movements as well as sync with your Lifelog when you come home. Most importantly it suits your lifestyle. You can choose from a range of wrist straps – formal, sophisticated, casual, vibrant colours and fitness style, all made from the finest materials.

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PowerUp August 2015

Men’s Grooming

L’Occitane Cade Shaving Cream

Dove Men+Care Dry Spray Antiperspirant

Neutrogena Men Skin Clearing Acne Wash

These products are award-winners and will keep you sweat-free, stubble-free, and looking fresh for hours.

Dove Men is a non-irritating spray deodorant that goes on dry and doesn’t leave armpit stains. It goes on instantly dry for a cleaner feel. It provides 48 hours of odor and wetness protection, plus ¼ moisturizer technology. As Dove says “it’s tough on sweat, not on skin”.

FASHION & STYLE

Gilette Fusion Proglide with Flexball Technology The ProGlide’s second pivot provides a third dimension of contact so the razor responds better to your face’s contours.

There’s even a manual and automatic option so you can choose your best shave. One refill can last up to one month.

grooming

Kenneth Cole Mankind Ultimate Crisp notes of citrus and cucumber dry down to sandalwood and musk, which make this a go-to option for weekdays. Warmth originates from tonka with a tart twist of moss. The type of man this perfume portrays is selfconfident, mentally strong, and ready to accept the challenges of everyday life.

If you have to slather shaving cream your face every day, why not class it up? Cade, a plant also known as prickly cedar, smells smoky, woodsy, and manly. Shea butter and glycerin create a good lather for a spa-worthy shave.

If stress, sweat, the weather-whatever, makes your skin freak out, this gentle cleanser contains zit-zapping salicylic acid that penetrates the pores, which helps banish existing eruptions and prevent future flare-ups.

It contains 2 per centage salicylic acid and is oil free.

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80

PowerUp August 2015

With technological advancements moving at warp speed, sometimes its hard to keep up with updating gadgets. The PowerUp team sourced some mobile gadgets that will be useful for your hard-working, hard-partying life, but will also keep you up to date (at least for a few months).

Garmin GPS Smartwatch

Play harder, work smarter, live better with vívoactive. The high-resolution, color touchscreen stays readable in direct sunlight, so you can view your stats when you step out of the office for a run. The ultrathin profile — 8 mm — is comfortable to wear all day and can easily transition from office to golf course. You won’t have to worry about vívoactive keeping up with your active days. The rechargeable battery lasts through all your activities with up to 3 weeks6 in watch/activity-tracking mode or up to 10 hours using GPS.

G A DGE T S Wowee One Slim

This is a compact portable speaker unit that can be used with iPods, iPads, mp3s, mp4s, mobile phones, and computer applications. And really, who doesn’t want their sound system going on at full blast while working out, watching that latest movie from Netflix, or concentrating on finishing that next project.

It produces an incredible bass sound with a 40HZ -20kHZ sound range. It can deliver of up to 10 hours of playtime each charge! An astounding feat! Recharging it is a breeze, and can be done via computer USB or a 5V USB power adapter with a plug.

FASHION & STYLE

myIDkey

Have you ever been to the ATM machine, or your email account, or to pay your internet line and found that you have forgotten the password or the number. Frustrating isn’t it. And it happens to a lot of people, many, many times. Myidkey recognizes this frustration amongst todays people and have a sought a way to make our lives easier.

This gadget is the most complete solution to securely saving, managing, displaying, and protecting personal IDs, passwords, and files. Using a biometric ID technology, myIDkey authenticates your identity and safely displays information on the go. This device connects to your computer via USB or Wifi. Simple and easy to use, this portable memory enhancer is bound to make your life easier.

GadgetS

LG G watch

If you’ve ever watched Knight Rider as a kid, you probably also wanted to have your own talking watch. Although there have been smartwatches since a decade ago, it just hasn’t lived up to the potential of the genre, say like Bruce Waynes butler, Alfred; but theres no common platform for third party apps, so there just hasn’t been that potential for growth. Trust Google to think of a solution. With the LG G Watch, Google extended its Android platform –which has very strong market share and developer support—to the wearable genre with Android wear. Have you ever just wanted to ask google something without having to type and look it up. Well, this watch is the key to informations future. Just ask google and it will show you the answer. Smart, stylish, and functional, this watch performs tripleduty and is any working dudes fashion and app accessory.

app picks 81

The Age of FitnesS Apps With all the imaginable apps from available from music to video streaming to mixing drinks, its no wonder people are glued to their laptops and smartphones putting their health at risk. This new slew of apps change the way we view tech, putting it at the service of health and fitness. Check out our top 5 picks.

CarrotFit

The name is enough to make you do a double take. And the app itself is delightfully funny with the same dry humour and sardonic wit that makes Plants vs. Zombies a big hit. There’s a sassy weight-tracking app to keep your butt moving through the seven-minute workouts. The creative for this app outdid themselves inventing names like territory marker for a “lunge” and dragon mating dance for push-up into a side plank.

C2 5K

Couch potatoes of the world unite! Now here’s an app for going from the couch to your first 5 kilometre run. The training period is 2-months, but you don’t even have to give up on Netflix as C2 5K found a way to whip your body in shape with just 3 half-hour workouts every week with rest days in between. The training starts slow alternating first between walking and running before working up to higher intensity workouts finally whipping that body into shape for the 5k. Plus you can choose your favourite music while you run and there’s an audio coach should you be lacking motivation in your quest for fitness.

Runtastic Six-Pack Abs

Charity Miles

Did you ever want to make a difference to the world but don’t know how to get started? You can do it by whipping your body in shape! Charity Miles is the only app of its kind (at the moment) who partnered with corporate sponsors to donate 10 cents for every mile biked, and 25 cents for every mile walked or ran. As these miles add up, you can really make a big difference to those organizations that matter to you. USA Today says that through this app you can “Donate without opening your wallet.”

With summer here, and people heading off on their vacations, its only natural to dream of summer’s perfect accessory: the six-pack. Runtastic Six-Pack Abs to the rescue! Not only does it help you towards the ultimate goal (six-pack), this app also teaches you how to strengthen your core. You can choose Angie or Dan as your avatar trainer and select a workout program schedule that fits you (10 days to almost a month). This app actually cares for you as it provides slo-mo videos of the virtual trainers doing the exercises so you get it right the first time and not hurt yourself.

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PowerUp August 2015

Beauty

H roscope

The mysterious water sign is one known for extremes: moodiness and elegance, sweetness and independence.

Beauty Tips for Cancer Cancers are known for their sparkling eyes and high cheekbones. Here are some tips to make the most of your looks.

Skin. Cancers are known to have beautiful translucent skin. Look into a skincare regime that suits you and can banish brown spots, restore radiance, boost moisture and have anti-aging properties.

1

Clothes. The moon rules cancer so pale colors in soft fabric that has some sheen, reminiscent of moonlight on the beach—would look divine on you. Try silk organza, silk satin, charmeuse, or silk taffeta. The delicate blending of colors found inside a seashell would also work well. Most of your clothes are feminine and fit your shape. You wouldn’t be caught dead in a T-shirt!

2

Cancer: June 22-July 22

The cancer is a water sign symbolized by the crab. Those born under the sign of Cancer are sweet and stubborn at the same time. This sign is ruled by the moon, that waxes and wanes with the changing tides. Cancer people feel things very deeply.

Cancer’s are deeply tenderhearted with a love for nature and animals at the same time they find it difficult to communicate their feelings. Another word for them is “empathy”, because they are quick to perceive and feel other people’s emotions. Many Cancers are unable to distinguish the difference between their feelings and those they sense in others.

Cancers are homebodies and will spend a lot of money decorating their homes and filling them with all the things that give them comfort and make them feel secure.

Cancers are the ultimate cheerleader who make people feel happier and push them to the spotlight. But they are happiest working away behind the scenes, as managers, props-people, or makeup-artists. They are very artistic and creative and happiest when sharing their love for something like writing or cooking. They take great pleasure in expressing themselves creatively.

Cancers are excellent providers and diligent workers. They work best when left on their own without micromanagement. They treat their co-workers like family, and treat the office as pretty much an extension of the home.

Health & Wellness

Astrology

Makeup. Your makeup is inspired by the natural and romantic look, with a deep pink, rosebud mouth and long, tousled beachy waves. Use a highlighter with subtle luminosity on your cheekbones.

3

Perfume. White flowers are a Cancer’s trademark including lilies, gardenias, white roses, jasmine, honeysuckle, and stephanotis

4

Aquathlon 2015 1.5km swim & 10km run

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Live Well. Defy your limits.

Empowering health and fitness is at the heart of what we do. You should join us too.

9th October 2015

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