1073 items (191 unread) in 5 feeds
.
(4 unread)
Isolated Serenity
(1 unread)
No3ik
(1 unread)
Shopaholic Q8eya
(1 unread)
المشهد المجتمعي مثير للمفارقة بين الكويت والسعودية.
في الكويت، حيث البرلمان والديمقراطية والجماعات السياسية والصوت العالي وتاريخ المسرح والفنون، تتنادى مجموعة من نواب البرلمان وحشد من شيوخ الإسلاميين لمناصرة خطيب ديني سعودي مُنع من دخول الكويت، حسب آخر روايات الحكومة، خوفا من إثارة الفتنة الطائفية، بعد تهجم هذا الشيخ، محمد العريفي، على مرجع الشيعة علي السيستاني.
قرأت بيان هؤلاء الكويتيين في الصحافة الكويتية، جلهم غير مشاهير، ولكن بيانهم متجه نحو وجهة واحدة: المناصرة من موقع طائفي، وعزز هذه المناصرة الدينية مناورات سياسية لفظية كقول بعض نواب الإسلاميين، وليد الطبطبائي، إن هذه مشكلة بين العراقيين وشيخ سعودي، «شدخل الكويت؟!». وبعض النواب يسن سكاكينه لمحاسبة الحكومة على هذا المنع «المحرم» للعريفي.
بداية من حق أي دولة في العالم منع من ترى أجهزتها الأمنية أنه يسبب مشكلة وقلاقل في البلاد ويضر بأمنها العام، ولذلك منعت الحكومة الكويتية في وقت سابق رجل الدين الشيعي الإيراني محمد الفالي، لأنه كان يمارس التهييج الطائفي ويلقي خطبا متعصبة ضد السنة، في بلد صغير محتقن بالتعصب الطائفي خصوصا في الأعوام الأخيرة، وبسبب منع الفالي غضبت فعاليات شيعية كويتية، والآن يشعر أنصار الفالي بأنهم «سجلوا هدف التعادل» في مباراة الطائفية مع خصومهم بمنع العريفي من دخول الكويت، ردا على منع الفالي في وقت سابق.
مشهد مخيف، والحكومة، أي حكومة في العالم، لا تستطيع التفرج على مباراة تعصب دموية تفتت البلاد وهي لا تحرك ساكنا، أسهل الحلول هو منع هذا الطرف وذاك الطرف كنوع من فض الاشتباك المؤقت، لكن هذا الحل غير كاف، وسيستدعي المزيد من الاحتشاد لرد الضربة وتسجيل هدف الفوز حتى تنطلق صافرة الحكم معلنة نهاية الوقت، وقت الجميع، وربما نهاية السلم الاجتماعي معها لتثور ثائرة الجماهير المشاغبة التي لم ترض بنتيجة المباراة فتحرق وتكسر وتضرب وترمي بشرر.. كما يجري عادة من متعصبي الجماهير.
للأسف، جماهير الشيعة والسنة، في الكويت وغيرها، ينشغلون بتصفية الحسابات التاريخية وتبيان من هو الأحق والأهدى طريقا وماذا جرى في التاريخ قبل أكثر من 1400 سنة، رغم أن مشكلاتنا هي «الآن»، وحول قضايا تتصل ببناء الأوطان وبناء الحاضن الاجتماعي الفكري للجميع، وترميم فكرة الوطنية والمواطن بعدما تمزقت مزقا بين الطائفية والعشائرية والإقليمية والعرقية، وأصبح الحديث في بلد مثل العراق أو اليمن أو الصومال أو أفغانستان، عن الرابطة الوطنية الواحدة، أصبح حديثا يبعث على الضحك ولكنه ضحك كالبكا.
بالعودة إلى مفارقة الكويت العجيبة، كيف نفهم أن يزايد تلاميذ المشايخ على أساتذتهم، كما يتحدث كثير من طلبة العلم الديني في الكويت عن تلقيهم العلم من مشايخ السعودية، دلالة على صحة المنهج، يزايدون ليس في مسألة منع العريفي فقط، فهي مسألة ربما تفهم في سياق التراشق الشيعي السني داخل الكويت، وهو تراشق لا تبدو له نهاية منظورة، أسوة بالعراق الجار الجريح، لكن في مسألة أهم لا علاقة لها بالصراع الطائفي، أعني مسألة المرأة.
قبل ذلك أشير إلى أنني أدرك أن قطاعا عريضا من «طلبة العلم» من إسلاميي السعودية يناصرون كل طرح متشدد ويحاربون كل طرح تسامحي جديد، لكن يظل هذا حراكا مفهوما داخل الحالة السعودية، غير المفهوم هو حماسة الرد من إسلاميي الكويت على مجتهدي السعودية من المشايخ، فهذه حماسة غريبة، وعجيبة من عجائب الزمان.
الكل راقب في السعودية هذا الحراك الإيجابي والمثير داخل صفوف المشايخ وطلبة العلم الديني حول مسألة المرأة ودورها في المجتمع ورفع الإصر والقيود الوهمية عليها، وكانت الذروة في تصريحات الشيخ أحمد بن قاسم الغامدي رئيس هيئات الأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر في منطقة مكة المكرمة، ليست تصريحات فقط بل دراسة شاملة حول مفهوم «الاختلاط» الذي يتذرع به كثير من أنصار التضييق على المرأة ودورها وفرصها في العلم والتنمية، فكانت الإضافة القوية لهذا الشيخ هي في إثباته أن الاختلاط مفهوم محدث و«مبتدع» في الفقه الإسلامي، وأنه لا يعلق على الاختلاط حكم بالتحريم أو الإباحة، فمجرد الاختلاط لا يتعلق به حكم بل بما يضاف إليه من أوصاف وظروف.. وهكذا في دراسة على حلقات نقد بها التشدد في موضوع الاختلاط، نشرت في صحيفة «عكاظ» السعودية المحلية، وبطبيعة الحال لاقت دراسته ردود فعل مؤيدة ومعارضة، هذا شيء طبيعي ومعروف عند كل إنسان يأتي باجتهاد ورؤية مخالفة للمألوف، وما قام به رجل قيادي في جهاز ديني رقابي مثير مثل جهاز الهيئات وفي منطقة ذات مكانة معنوية كبرى لدى المسلمين هي منطقة مكة، يحمل الكثير من الدلالات والإيحاءات، لذلك ما زالت اجتهادات الشيخ الغامدي محل نقاش وتجاذبات، الغامدي لم ينفرد بهذا الكلام بين رجال الصف الديني العلمي، بل قال مثل ذلك، بأكثر من صيغة، أكثر من شيخ وفقيه منهم القاضي الشيخ عبد اللطيف الحارثي الذي صرح بكلام سهل وسلس بأن الاختلاط: «كلمة حديثة وذات مفهوم متسع، ولا يناسب أن نعطيها حكم المنع بشكل عام ومطلق دون تفصيل، فلفظ الاختلاط مضطرب وغير دقيق متى حُكم بأنه محرمٌ جملة وتفصيلا، إذ وجد من يقول: إن الاختلاط محرمٌ أشد تحريم، وهذا من القول على الله بلا علم، ومن الاستعجال في الأحكام بلا دليل، فلا بد من السبر والتقسيم وإعطاء كل جزئية حكمها الصحيح».
أهمية مثل هذه المواقف من مثل هؤلاء الرجال في مثل هذا الوقت والمكان، هي أنها تساعد كثيرا في تذليل العقبات المعنوية والنفسية لدى المجتمع وتسهم في دفع عجلة التنمية والأهم أنها «تطبع» وضع المرأة المسلمة في مجتمعها السعودي وتختار الأيسر والأسلم من سلة الاجتهادات الفقهية في هذا الزمن، وكالعادة هناك من يكره الجديد ويحذر من التغيير ويظن به الظنون، ولا يجد له مخرجا إلا بأن يتفّه أو يشوه هذه الاجتهادات حتى يظل المجتمع كما هو في نظره.
يظل هذا حراكا صحيا في بلد ضخم ومجتمع ثري مثل السعودية، نحن الآن في خضم هذه الاجتهادات والنقاشات التي هي دلالة حيوية المجتمع وتفاعله مع زمانه، لكن المثير في الكويت التي يفخر كثير من مثقفيها بحريتها ونموذجها السياسي، وهو أمر صحيح وفخر في محله، لذلك يطرح السؤال: كيف تمضي ساعة المجتمع السعودي باتجاه معاكس لساعة المجتمع الكويتي؟
هناك في الكويت، وليس في السعودية، من تصدى للهجوم على الشيخ الغامدي وأمثاله، في مسألة الاختلاط، وقالوا بأنها انحراف عن الصواب والهدى، أو بما معناه، وهو ما يعني أنهم يريدون المزيد من التشديد على المرأة الكويتية في اللحظة التي وصلت المرأة الكويتية فيها إلى قبة البرلمان.. أي فوضى فكرية وفقهية هذه؟!
كيف يريد هؤلاء اختزال الإسلام في قائمة من التحريمات والمحظورات، في حرب الشرعية والفضيلة وبرمجة عقل المجتمع على إيقاع تحريمي مرتاب؟
كيف ارتد العقل من حماسة العقل والانفتاح والإبداع إلى ما نراه اليوم من صراعات طائفية وغضب من دراسة شيخ سعودي يريد التيسير على المرأة المسلمة، ضمن الشرع؟
أمر غريب فعلا ما نراه من تقلبات الأيام، وللمفارقة أيضا، كنت أقرأ هذه الأيام مختارات من مجلة الكويت انتقاها المؤلف خالد الزيد وأغلبها بقلم مؤسس المجلة الشيخ عبد العزيز الرشيد الذي أسسها (1928)، وهو من رموز الإصلاح الديني في الكويت بل وفي الخليج كله، هو وشيخه يوسف القناعي الذي كان من أنصار التحديث والإصلاح ومحاربي التزمت والجمود، ولاقى الشيخ وتلميذه عنتا من أنصار التعصب، حتى إن التلميذ غادر بلده فترة ما، وقد هدد بالقتل. أقرأ في هذه المجلة قبل أكثر من ثمانين عاما مقالات تنضح بالاعتدال والتسامح والشعر والأدب والأمل بمستقبل منير.. ليت الشيخ الرشيد يبعث من رقدته ليرى أي شواغل وهموم ينشغل بها الفاعلون السياسيون.
المشكلة في الحقيقة ليست مشكلة الكويت، بل هي مجرد مثال على هذه المشكلة، فما يجري في العراق أدهى وأمر، وما يجري في الساحة الشيعية عموما ليس إلا ازدهارا مريعا لأحقاد التاريخ والتفكير الأسطوري، ومن يراقب الفضائيات الأصولية، يرى العجب العجاب من تخدير العقول وبعث الأحقاد.
هي مفارقة فقط أردت الوقوف عليها بين زمن حي ويتحرك، ولو ببطء، وهو زمن المجتمع السعودي نحو التجديد، وبين زمن آخر، مجاور، جامد وخائف، وللقارئ أن يفسر هذه المفارقة، أنا أدونها فقط.. والأمل يغمرني بغد أبهى وأعقل للجميع.
It took a lot of my time but I finally finished my very own iPhone app. I actually launched it last week on my twitter page but I didn’t officially announce it since I wanted to get some feedback and fix any bugs that I might have missed first. Good thing I did since I spotted a silly bug the first day it got released and quickly released a version 1.1 update a couple of days later. Now the version has gone up to 1.2 and I’ve been able to introduce a few nifty features which I felt helped round off the app and make it launch worthy.
Originally when I went about creating an app I didn’t know what the use would be. Already the blog was very viewable on the iPhone because of a plugin I had installed that formatted the site to work perfectly on the iPhone so if my app did the same thing it would be useless. So I kept thinking about what else I could do and bit by bit I started adding stuff to it that made it more useful. Here are the things you can currently do with my iPhone app:
- Check my latest posts
- Check the latest comments on my blog
- Check the latest posts in the forum
- Check my twitter
- Check my YouTube channel
- Check latest posts on Safat
- Check latest Kuwait news from Arab Times
- Check the weather via the Kuwait Meteorological Center (contains more details than the default iPhone weather app)
- Get the latest traffic updates via #q8traffic on Twitter
These are just the features I have currently now but hopefully will be adding more stuff down the line. If you want to download the iPhone app search for 248AM in the app store or click the following [Link]
Spotted my first twister ever today. I was on a photo shoot when we spotted the twister (pictured above) forming over the sea. The weather here in Lebanon has been extremely chilly and wet which sucks since I came with only t-shirts.
I am leaving to Beirut for a few days and will be back early next week. While there I will be carelessly indulging in an unlimited supply of Cadbury Chocolate Milk while having some of the best Nutella and banana crepes. Posting will continue as normal while I am there.
In the post below I was just testing to see if I could broadcast live footage and it worked! For the people who were able to catch my live act I was just broadcasting video of my dog sleeping on the floor so you didn’t miss out on much. I got this idea for live broadcasting from P0ach and wanted to see if there was an easy way to do it and it turned out there was. I signed up for a free account on ustream.tv and downloaded the iPhone app for Ustream called Ustream Live Broadcaster and thats it. All you need is your iPhone’s 3G connection or WiFi and you can broadcast live video from anywhere to the blog. So next time I witness a fire or fight I can just broadcast the video live for everyone to watch. Pretty cool!
Update: This was just a test, [see here]
Two weeks back I posted that I ordered the Alpine iXA-W407 from Amazon along with all the parts I needed to get it installed in my FJ Cruiser. Originally I was planning to do all the install myself but I found a sound install place where the people who run it actually know what they’re doing. The place is called Zaharat Al Naseem and they’re located right across from Al Raya. I originally went there to have them solder some wires together but I was pretty surprised when the person I was talking to knew was an SWI-JACK was and what a TR7 did. Not only that but the guy actually spoke proper English and they were in the middle of installing a rear view camera on another black FJ. I decided to give them the whole install project and so I left and went back after I was done with work so they could install everything.
They didn’t have any issues soldering all the right wires together (check out the picture above) and they got it all right from the first try. I had ordered an adapter from Amazon that would allow me to install the Alpine in the FJ but the adapter I bought turned out to be really crap. Turns out they had the right adapter I needed and the price was just a KD1 more than Amazon after shipping. After installing the stereo I had them install my extra 12v socket by the fuse box and run my Garmin GPS charger up inside the dashboard. I had a whole weekend of installation planned and they were able to do it all in under 2 hours. I didn’t have the rear view camera the first day but once Aramex delivered it the next day I went back and they installed it for me in under 30 minutes.
If you want to get your sound system installed I highly recommend them. There are a bunch of places in front of Al Raya so make sure you go to the right store.
Here is a quick review of the Alpine iXA-W407.
It works great with the iPod as expected. I previously had the Alpine iDA-X001 installed in my Wrangler and one annoying thing in the X001 was searching for an artist. It doesn’t get much better in the W407. You can’t search using an onscreen keyboard to type an artist name for some reason instead you need to scroll down to the artist u want. You can scroll down by letter as in if you are looking for Smashing Pumpkins you can press “page down” when u r at A and it will take u to B and u keep pressing till u get to S. A painfully long process which I do not recommend while driving. Once you get to S you then have to scroll down regularly by pressing “down” untill u get to Smashing Pumpkins. Takes forever and not practical at all.
On the bright side, that’s the only negative thing I found. The multi display screen is very cool (see picture above) which basically allows you to display up to 4 different kinds of information on the same screen. I Just wish there were more widgets to add out of the current 6 including calculator and sound adjustment which are not pictured above. What I would have liked to have seen is a weather widget (could use my iPhone’s internet connection for the date) or an RSS reader.
The W407 has Bluetooth built in. Once I get into the car my iPhone connects to the Alpine automatically and whenever I want to call someone I bring up the phone number on the Alpine screen and call it. When I get a phone call I can either answer it on the Alpine or if I want privacy I can talk directly on my iPhone. Now all thats pretty normal but my favorite thing is the fact that I can stream music from my iPhone to the Alpine using Bluetooth. Like my iPod and the Radio I have Bluetooth as an audio source. When I select Bluetooth as a source whatever sound my iPhone makes I hear it on the cars sound system. Other than listening to your iPod’s music wirelessly or playing games and have the sound blast out of the cars sound system, another cool feature is the fact I stream music from the web over 3G and onto my car stereo using bluetooth. I’ve got the iPhone app WunderRadio (which I’ve posted about before) and I use it to tune into radio stations in Lebanon and stream them into my car. I don’t have any problems streaming the Lebanese radio stations since they broadcast in EDGE but Ministry of Sound UK for example streams as 3G and after a minute or so the music cuts off and I have to buffer for like 10 seconds which is very annoying. But, I am going to be upgrading my iPhones internet connection from 600kb to 14.4MB at the end of the month which should solve my problem.
I really like the iXA-W407 and if I had to do the purchase all over again I would in a heartbeat. The final score is a 4 out of 5. The lack of a decent search feature and the fact there aren’t any extra widgets I can download and install are the reasons it’s not perfect. If anyone has any specific questions regarding that Alpine unit or the install just ask it below and I will try to answer it. Regarding the PAC TR7, it worked perfectly with the W407. With the TR7 install I can watch videos and change the stereo system settings while I am driving. Without the TR7 I would have to put the car in PARK and raise the handbrake. I also had the PAC SWI-Jack installed which allows the Alpine to be controlled with the FJ’s steering wheel buttons. The PAC SWI-Jack works on a number of cars and with a number of sound systems.
I ordered all my items from Amazon, here is the list with links:
Alpine iXA-W407 Digital Media Station $554.48
Alpine HCE-C107D Rear View Camera $176.99
Scosche TA2076B 2007 Toyota FJ ISO/Double DIN With Pocket Kit $19.58
Scosche Stereo Wire Harness Toyota FJ Cruiser $12.31
PAC TR7 Multi control interface bypass module $23.26
PAC SWI-JACK $42.90
Total: $829.52
There is a underpass in Paris that’s only 2.4m in height and a lot of truck drivers ignore the warnings and try to drive through only to have their trucks ram into the ceiling. Someone with a lot of free time set up a blog for this underpass where they postpictures of trucks after trying to go through. [Link]
Not sure when this video was taken, looks like sometime during the winter. [YouTube]
Today I heard a really freaky story but one that ended with a happy ending. A receptionist I know nearly got kidnapped by a taxi driver. She took a cab to go home but instead the taxi cab driver started driving in a different direction. He then closed all the windows and locked the doors and started shouting at the receptionist whenever she said anything.
So she decided to SMS for help since she didn’t know how the driver would react if he saw her on the phone. She sent an SMS to the emergency number 112 with the taxi driver details which she got off the back of the seat. She told them she was being kidnapped and she needed help. 112 then called her up and straight away told her to pretend she’s talking to a friend so the driver doesn’t suspect anything. They told her to stay calm and that they would send help. They asked her to SMS them her location and to keep them posted by SMS on which road they were on. She did that and 112 were able to set up a police check point and catch the taxi driver.
It’s really scary the stories you hear about taxi drivers in Kuwait. Awhile back I read in the paper where a bunch of taxi drivers were capturing woman and taking them to this building where they would be locked up and forced into prostitution. Luckily for the receptionist she managed to escape. I was really surprised that 112 actually receive and react to SMS’s. I think that’s incredible and the speed and the way they reacted to this situation was spot on.
Great job!
Posted by Fahad AlYehya | Core Fitness – Kuwait
Core Fitness has been in business for close to 2 years. We’ve jumped into the market with very high risk, doubtful but hopeful. We originally started out with a much larger area (1,000mtr2) and slowly trimmed it down to roughly 300mtr2. Our risk was high as it is, so might as well shrink a few things or two.
In order to sell the service being sold, we needed believers, people who can witness results and talk about it to other people. And so, we brought in 10 clients with different goals, interviewing them one by one before and after our prescribed 7 week cycles. The amount of questions had no answers. With all my knowledge, I could not convince any of them that our 20 minute workouts achieved anything. I even pulled in science to explain that it’s more than possible to benefit from 10 minutes of what we were doing. I don’t blame anybody since common sense tells us that the more time we put in the better results will be.
Finally realizing that no amount of words can explain what we’re trying to sell, I simply gave up and said “Guys, go try it out. If you don’t like it you’ll get your money back.”
“That was intense!” Client #1
“HARDCORE!” Client #2
“…….”Client #3. His blood-sugar level crashed. A diabetic who didn’t eat a single calorie since breakfast.
“Huuuuh, huuuh, huuuuh…man…gi..give me a few minutes to catch my breath!” Client #4. He puked 10 minutes later.
The comments above were what our clients said after their first 20 minute workouts. Thankfully, they’ve all signed up and witnessed great results. However, this proves nothing to the people who have yet to enroll at Core Fitness. After interviewing numerous clients throughout Core’s tenure, I’d like to think that I can finally explain why our 20 minute workouts work.
Short and Sweet
The first obvious question that pops to mind is the 20 minutes. What can we possibly do in such a short time? If you think about it, that’s exactly it. We realize that 20 minutes is a short duration and we also realize that in order for a client to achieve results is by pushing him beyond his physical potential, which involves a lot of boot-camp style training and attitude. Secondly, pushing someone to the brink of insanity in 20 minutes involves some sort of motivation, hence the personal trainers responsible for pushing you towards your limits.
Upping the Ante
In the beginning, we developed the 20 minute workouts to promote health and fitness to the inactive individuals; it was hard, yet you could manage to come the next day and do it all over again. The current crop of clients had such great results that word of mouth started to spread fast, and the active population wanted in. We then implemented a leveling training system that increases workout intensity each time a client levels up; the higher you are, the more uncomfortable and intense workouts got. The active clients had a blast, but the not-so-active had a very hard time coping. The “uncomfortable” zone was designed to push clients beyond their potential, but proved to be a disaster since our non-experienced clients didn’t understand if workout induced pain was good or bad, so they quit.
Our memberships are 7-weeks long. Below is a detailed life cycle of workout expectations:
Week 1: Due to workout intensity, clients (based on activity levels before joining Core) run out of breath, borderline faint/throw-up, and/or faint or throw-up. They usually last 5-10 minutes then beg to stop.
Week 2: The above continues if the client does not abide by Core’s nutritional guidelines and advice. The one’s who do only feel light-headed for a maximum of 30 minutes post-workout. (Clients usually quit here)
Week 3: Client’s grow accustomed to workout intensity and brace themselves prior to their 20 minute engagement. They tend to be happier since they survived it.
Weeks 4 and beyond: A walk in the park, but with visible landmines and bear traps. Clients with optimal diets and recovery enjoy these 4 weeks. Clients who half-ass their diets and recovery struggle from time to time.
The intense side effects witnessed by our new comers are normal. Pushing intensity levels beyond your physical potential will include temporary bouts of dizziness, fainting and puking; your body will get used to it in accordance to the scheduled timeline above. This will not happen to our new members since we toned down our welcoming package.
I Don’t Want to Die
Word finally got out that Core Fitness works, but is too intense. Clients started quitting, thinking that their bodies are bound to break down and get injured. Amongst those clients are close friends of mine who trained, got scared then went back home and haven’t joined a gym since. Does that mean Core Fitness pushes their clients too hard, or are our clients being lazy?
After realizing the above, we concluded it to be very bad for business. We added and leveled down our workouts as many as 3 times. We continue to do so once our current crop of clients grow too-accustomed to the intensity, giving them more physical challenges than originally anticipated.
Caution
Our 20-minute technique taxes the CNS (central nervous system), which causes members to faint, puke, feel dizzy, fatigue, etc. Certain precautions have to be taken in order not to avoid any injuries:
1) We assign personalized nutritional plans to members, so make sure you abide by them. Eating a light snack or meal before and after training is required.
2) No more than 20-minutes of cardio or any vigorous activity before training.
3) Our workouts damage and fatigue the muscles; without essential nutrients, you expose yourself to injuries. Refrain from playing any sport immediately after training. Eat and rest for an hour first, then indulge in other vigorous activities.
Personally, I have overworked my CNS numerous times and it is not an experience anyone wants to endure. It starts by intense exercise for over 3 months. Pushing myself beyond my own physical potential while dieting increases the risk of this; in addition to work-related stress, my sleeping patterns decrease (first sign of CNS taxation), hence delaying physical and mental recovery. Fatigue starts to set in, effecting workout performance (2nd sign of CNS taxation) and in order to compensate I squeeze every last drop of energy to yet again go beyond my potential. This is followed by another day of minimal sleep, which in turn causes my eye lids to twitch (3rd sign of CNS taxation). Lastly, all it takes is a whiff of a cold breeze and a perspired workout-induced body to seal the deal (4th and last sign of CNS taxation). The sickness lasts 1-2 weeks, depending on whether you choose to stay in bed and rest, or continue on your journey for fitness. The latter is counter-productive; unfortunately, my will to a better body always beats any virus.
I would advise anyone who has went through the same experience to take a week off and rest, supplying your body with much needed nutrients and rest for recovery.
Results
Core’s training technique (including a sound diet) greatly depends on maintaining as much muscle as possible, while shedding every ounce of fat. It produces results based on the client’s physical structure, weight and fat stores:
1) Average (Mark): Height to weight ratio is optimal, but fat outweighs muscle. Fat stores tend to be around the waist area. This group of individuals witness great recompositioning; their weight may increase or decrease a few kgs (5kg max). They lose the existing fat in exchange for muscle.
2) Overweight: At least 20kg over their optimal weight, this group loses an average of 10kg of fat and water weight on a 7-week workout plan. A current member enrolled in a 3-day per week membership and included 30-60 minutes of cardio on 2 of his off-days. He lost a staggering 20kg the first 7-weeks and averaged on 10kg of loss every membership. This group tends to lose the most weight due to the existence of large fat stores and inactivity.
3) Chubby: Slightly above their optimal weight, this group is the most problematic since they need more time to witness results. Their fat stores are specific (chest, lower back, hips, lower body) and upper bodies are weak. Core tackles this by increasing the amount of upper body muscle mass, while tightening up the lower area. However, the training will not work if the client does not abide by the nutritional plan. Nutrition plays a much larger (90%) role in this group.
Conclusively, we focus on maintaining as much muscle mass as possible, as opposed to losing as much weight as possible in order to create a more physically fit structure rather than a scrawny one. We highly recommend our current and new clients to depend on the mirror and not the scale.
Core Fitness also caters to those who want to add muscle mass; just not extreme amounts of it. We focus on increasing lean body weight as opposed to overall weight. Nothing differs from this group as the above; both focus on nutrition first and exercise second to reach their goals. The only difference is in order to gain muscle, you need the necessary nutrients for growth which Core Fitness will gladly provide.
Supplementation
I get a lot of questions and concerns in regards to performance supplements, such as protein powders, pre-workout boosters, fat burners, creatine, glutamine, amino acids pills, and so on. Core Fitness promotes supplementation use depending on what stage the client is currently in. Moreover, we only promote researched and proven supplements to excel client results after they have stopped.
Supplementation is not for everyone. You need to start with a solid nutritional foundation for a minimum of 3 months. When extra solid food ingestion cannot be achieved or results have stopped for a prolonged time, supplementation may be taken into consideration. Lastly, we do not advise beginners to depend on them in order to get faster results.
Pfffft! 20 minutes?! Who you trying to kid!?
Core Fitness produces healthy and physically fit individuals; if you abide by your workout specific appointments and nutritional necessities, then you are well on your way to the world of fitness. Core Fitness does not target the bodybuilding community; we focus on overall functionality, health and fitness.
People need to realize that we are not a conventional gym; our clients don’t just come in and train on their own. Moreover, results are not limited to muscle-gains and fat-loss; what’s the use massive amounts of muscle and single-digit body fat percentages if you can’t function properly?
We cater to:
Individuals envisioning the Arnold physique need not apply. We don’t build mass monsters; we build athletes.
If anyone has any inquiries in regards to Core Fitness, nutrition, supplementation and an overall healthy lifestyle, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Posted by Fahad AlYehya | Core Fitness – Kuwait
A reader sent me the footage above which he captured on his way to work. A shop on Canada Dry street that stocked tires went up in flames. Hopefully no one was injured. [YouTube]
Thanks Atif!
Update: Here is some more info and pictures [Link]
Update2: In addition to the pictures, Q8Geeks.org just uploaded a better video of the fire which you can check out below.
[YouTube]
I recently purchased a Garmin GPS device from Amazon, it was a really good deal costing me under KD40 with shipping to Kuwait via Aramex. I know most of the roads in Kuwait but every now and then I need to go somewhere I haven’t been to before and a GPS device would come in handy. Turns out its actually a lot more handy then I was expecting since a forum user (Burhan) made me realize I could use the device as a radar detector.
All you need is a Garmin GPS unit and the following file which you need to download and copy onto it [POI File]
What this file does is tell the GPS unit where all the speeding and red light cameras are located. When you get near a radar camera the device alerts you with a beep. If you’re driving below the speed limit you get a gray box alerting you of the camera ahead and just a single beep. If you’re driving over the speed limit you get a red box alerting you that you’re speeding and the device beeps frequently until you either pass the camera or drop your speed below that roads speed limit.
It’s very cool and practical and it cost me under KD40. If you’re interested in the same device I have which is pictured above, its called the Garmin Nuvi 255 and it’s available on Amazon for around KD30. [Amazon Link]
I heard rumors ages ago that they would be introducing wide license plates and it seems the rumors came true because Mrs F over at Tidbit Du Jour spotted one and took a picture. It’s about time! [Link]
A friend of mine is starting a small casting business here in Kuwait. She’s looking for people who are interested in starring in ads that will appear locally and regionally. I told her I would help her out by spreading the word so if you’re interested in making some extra cash while starring in TV commercials or photo shoots then email her on castingkuwait@gmail.com
Please send your picture along with your contact details and age.
Last week I did two things to my FJ Cruiser, the first thing was getting a tint and the second thing was installing the sound system I had previously posted about. I’ve been wanting to get a tint for ages now but it would have been really useless on the Wrangler since even if I tinted the windows I would still get a lot of heat come in from the roof since it didn’t have any kind of insulation, just bare plastic.
Anyway, all my friends got their tints done at Huper Optik whom I’ve posted about before when they participated in the Eid giveaway so I decided to get my tint there as well. Choosing the type of tint I wanted wasn’t too difficult since I just checked out everyone’s car outside our weekly diwaniya and decided to go with C40 tint all around and C70 tint in the front.
There are different colored tints from practically transparent to extremely dark and each one of them has a different amount of heat and UV rejection. C40 is a dark tint (not too dark) while C70 is a nearly clear tint. You can see some of the different types in the picture below, the one with the arrow is the C40. Here is also a link with info on the C40 [Link] and here is one for the C70 [Link]
What’s great about the C40 tint is that when you’re inside the car it doesn’t feel like it’s tinted which means it doesn’t effect night time driving. But, when you look at it from the outside you can tell its tinted which my black car looks great. I kept the front window with nearly no tint so that the car doesn’t end up too dark inside since I’ve got a completely black interior as well.
If you’re interested in getting your car tint Huper Optik have the best tints in Kuwait. They’re located in Al Rai and their telephone number is 24719999. When I passed by they had an offer where you could get up to a KD130 discount when you tint your car and install front protection (transparent material that protects your car from rocks and getting sand blasted). My next car post will be about the sound system install, I found a very cool place that did everything for me to stay tuned for that.
www.huperoptik-kw.com and www.huperoptik.com
Check out Marzouqs review of Hüper Optik (he’s got better pics and more specific details) [Here]
Back in January I joined Core Fitness and the first thing they did was take my measurements so I can compare them 7 weeks later. Well it’s been 7 weeks and I finished my first course and here are the results:
| Before | After | |
| Weight | 84.7kg | 80kg |
| BMI | 25 | 23.6 |
| BMR | 1946kcal | 1881kcal |
| Fat | 20% | 17% |
| Fat Mass | 16.9kg | 13.6kg |
| Fat Free Mass | 67.8kg | 66.4kg |
| Total Body Water | 49.6kg | 48.6kg |
| Chest | 99cm | 101cm |
| Shoulder Girdle | 55cm | 57cm |
| Thighs | 56cm | 58cm |
| Arms | 28.5cm | 29.5cm |
| Hips | 105cm | 100cm |
| Waist | 98cm | 93.5cm |
What do these numbers mean? Basically my weight has gone down from 84.7 to 80 and that includes gaining around 1.7kg of muscle. I’ve lost fat around my waist and hips (I actually had to add two new holes on my belts) and I’ve added muscle to my other areas like chest, shoulders, thighs and arms. My aim wasn’t to lose weight but gain muscle mass and right now I’m actually below my ideal weight. But, this is just the middle area because I’ve lost weight in fat and now will gain weight with muscle which is why most probably when I get measurements again in 7 weeks time I would either be the same weight or hopefully more.
The first week was very intense, I didn’t puke but I very nearly did, like just about to but didn’t. It was a killer and it scared the shit out of me but I kept going back and I now actually enjoy going to the gym. Even though its still exhausting, I no longer feel like I am going to die from a heart attack or puke. The lessons are as advertised, just 20 minutes long and I go 3 times a week. I’ve refused to do any work out or cardio during my off days since what attracted me to Core Fitness was the 20 minutes 3 times a week selling line. 20 minutes 3 times a week was all the time I had to give and wanted to give and I’ve stuck to my guns. My cardio hasn’t improved that much because of that since I was advised to run during my off days.
Every week I have a different trainer that takes me through the 20 minutes of workout. Whats cool about that is every trainer has their own style of training and exercises so once my body feels like it’s getting used to a routine, my trainers change and I’ve suddenly got to survive and get used to a new routine. After every 20 minute session I get a fully body stretch out by the trainer which is nearly as grueling as the 20 minute workout.
One of the cool things I like about Core is the SMS’s I get on the day of my workouts. They serve as a reminder on what time my course is but they also provide health tips as well like the following:
Hi Mark! Workout today at 8:20PM! FYI: Drink 1 glass of cold water 15min before a meal gives your metablism a 25% boost!
Hi Mark! Workout today at 8:00PM! FYI: Studies show that people who drink 3 servings per day of Green Tea lost more fat around their midsection
Hi Mark! Workout today at 8:00PM! FYI: Pizza? Choose Domino’s. 1 small order, thin slices, add anything, but ditch the ground beef and pepperoni
I was given a nutritional plan when I first started which you can see [Here]. It wasn’t too difficult to stick to since it mostly involved eating what I usually eat. The biggest change was the breakfast and dinner. Breakfast I used to have pancakes from McDonalds while dinner I used to have a lot of carbs (3 turkey & cheese sandwiches or bread with labneh for example). For breakfast I now have sausage & egg mcmuffin while for dinner I either pickup 2 chicken taouk + 2 meat tikka in a plate (no bread) from Kebabji near my house or I grill steak at home. I get my steak (fillet) from a butcher but recently I started getting ostrich steak from Sultan Center which I found out has the superior nutrient content of red meat while having less fat than a chicken breast. Too bad I can’t have it breaded and fried! Oh and another big change is the greens, I now eat a lot more vegetables and salads. I used to barely eat anything green before but now I want to eat them. For example when I go to Le Notre I usually order a fish or meat dish and their sides are usually rice or potato. I now have them swap them for steamed vegetables. It’s really weird but I think I do this because I want to get healthier and I am seeing my self get fitter.
I’m not perfect though and I do cheat but I like cheating. I look forward to cheating because it helps me stick to my diet. For example I passed by Chocolate Bar twice during this 7 weeks and overdosed on chocolate (enough to last me through the 7 weeks!) and once a week I pick up a Cadbury Flake or a Twix from the bakala. Oh and there was the Ferrero Rocher incident. The one thing though I am REALLY craving but can’t and shouldn’t have is the molten chocolate cake from Chili’s. It’s always on my mind but I’ve still managed to resist it!
So that’s basically it. I am going to sign up for another 7 weeks and I want to continue improving. I’m going to have Fahad post about Core Fitness to give you guys a better idea of what it involves since it’s his gym and he will be better able to explain it. I will definitely post my measurements again after 7 weeks and we’ll see how things changed.
I just read the following on the Animal Friends Facebook group:
Ayeshah Al-Humaidhi said: Woke up to call that the staff building at the shelter was on fire. No one was hurt and all animals were unharmed but we lost a portion of the building. Four of our staff have lost everything except the clothes on their back and most of the bedding for the animals also burned. We are needing donations of cash for repairs, mens clothes in S/M/L and towels/blankets for the animals.
If you can help out with a donation follow this [Link]
I passed by Discovery Mall with some friends from work to have lunch and noticed they had an archery section set up. Turns out for this month only you can go and shoot arrows at fake deers, beavers and bears. The setup is pretty nice and the price is KD1 for 6 arrows. Discovery Mall is located right next to the ice skating rink.
I found this radio station this morning by mistake. How long has this been around? It’s a US military station and unlike 96.9 it doesn’t have the annoying English 101 courses.
Back in January I posted 3D renderings of the Avenues phase III project and today iLSuL6ana uncovered the video presentation above. Simply put phase III is going to be jaw dropping. [YouTube]
This is a need to watch movie. Can’t wait. [YouTube]
Oula just sent us this email in response to the previous post:
Dear All;
This incident was just brought to our attention by this blog. We are very grateful for this effort from your side to point out any deficiency on our side as we always aim to be the best employer we could be. we are currently investigating the issue and whoever denied him treatment in the first place will not be ignored and will be accountable for this violation. We at Oula Fuel are very clear with our contractors that we require the most fair treatment for the employees and that is why we pay even more than the market price to the contractor just to make sure that these employees are treated as best as possible. As long as we require the employees to be on their best while serving our customers, then it’s only fair to treat them well in the first place.We here at Oula Fuel extend our best regards and wishes to everyone who provided us with a chance to correct a violation and whoever would point out misunderstandings that might go un-noticed without the collective effort from all concerned citizens who aim to make Kuwait the best country ever.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us on 1800111 or info@oula1.com.
Regards,
Mohammad Al-Khareji
Sales Supervisor
Marketing & Sales & PR Dept.
Oula FuelTel: (965) 2 2321 709
Fax: (965) 2 2321 333
Hotline: 1 800 111
m.alkhareji @oula1.com
www.oula1.com
My advertising agency (JWT) is currently looking to hire a Graphic Designer. If you’re interested, send an email to jwt.kwtvacancies@jwt.com
I found this video for the 80’s cartoon Al Rajoul Al Hadeedi on YouTube and was amazed at the quality. I’ve found and posted the intro video before but what struck me about this one was the fact the uploader said its in HD and the footage is very good quality for a cartoon from the 80’s. I am now trying to find the torrent for it on sharingcode.com so I could download it but haven’t had any luck so far. [YouTube]
As I mentioned last week I am getting my veneers done at Bayan Dental. I also said I would explain what veneers were in a different post so here it is.
A veneer is a very thin material that is placed over the tooth either to visually enhance/fix the teeth or in some cases to protect a damaged tooth. It requires very minimal tooth preparation which means they don’t drill a lot to get them to fit on your teeth. They’re nicknamed the Hollywood smile since veneers are used by actors to get the perfect smile. I asked Bayan Dental to send me some cases they’ve worked on so I can share it with my readers and they sent me a zip file containing around 10 different cases which you can download from [Here]
Anyway I passed by my dentist (Dr Samer Khaddour) today and got my teeth prepped for the veneers. I have temporary dental veneers on right now while my proper ones get made. These temporary veneers do help give an idea of how the finished outcome will look like and so far I’m finding them pretty cool although a bit tall so he is going to shorten my actual veneers for me by just a bit. You also get to choose the color of your veneers (don’t get any ideas no bling bling colors just different shades of white) and I ended up going with a shade that’s slightly lighter than the original. My next session is next week so will post again after that.
Like last time if you have any dental questions ask below and someone from Bayan Dental will reply back. They’re actually very quick to reply and also helpful so take advantage of this.
I passed by Salad Creations today and it turns out they started serving panini’s. I had the turkey, cheddar and bacon with ranch sauce which was amazing. I’m definitely going to start passing by more often now, I prefer hot toasted sandwiches over cold wraps. Check out their panini menu [Here]
My Alpine W407 head unit along with a bunch of parts have arrived. I’ve actually got everything except for the rear view camera which I should get next week. Aramex has been pretty good, my GPS took 10 days to clear but all my other parts took just a few days. So far I’ve ordered the following stuff for my FJ:
Alpine iXA-W407 Digital Media Station $554.48
Alpine HCE-C107D Rear View Camera $176.99
Scosche TA2076B 2007 Toyota FJ ISO/Double DIN With Pocket Kit $19.58
Scosche Stereo Wire Harness Toyota FJ Cruiser $12.31
PAC TR7 Multi control interface bypass module $23.26
PAC SWI-JACK $42.90
Total: $829.52
Currently my plan is to install everything myself just like I did with my Wrangler (1, 2 & 3) except this looks like a much more complicated install specifically the amount of wires I will have to solder. But, I don’t trust anyone with this so I’ll just do it myself. Will post more pictures and details hopefully this weekend when I work on the car followed by a review of the W407 since there doesn’t seem to be a decent one available online.
By the way, the prices above are what I paid for the items. I just checked now and every single item is now available cheaper than what I paid which kinda pisses me off. In addition to the above I also picked up a Garmin 255 for $99 which is ridiculously cheap and I also tinted the FJ which I will post about separately. Next on my to do list is the lift kit and bigger tires followed by the blacking out some of the silver parts.
I think it currently only applies to Kuwaitis since you would need one of the new SMART Civil ID cards. The way it works is you add funds to your Civil ID card using Knet and every time you pay with your Civil ID you get the amount deducted from your balance.
I can’t see how this could be useful for anyone with a Knet card. You can’t use this for your drivers because they need to be a Kuwaiti to get the new Civil ID’s and your children don’t have Knet cards but they shouldn’t be driving and filling up gas anyways. Am I missing something here?
You can get more information by visiting the ALFA website [Here]
Thanks Kuwait!
A week ago I posted about a burger that looked really delicious and was located in the US. Well a reader who lives in LA decided to pass by and give the burger a try. Turns out the burger is called the Pretzel Burger and costs $12.5 (comes with fries). According to the reader the burger was delicious and the caramelized onions were great but that the burger looked better than it tasted.
Thanks twit1977!
A friend of mine is selling a Herman Miller ‘Resolve System’ which simply put is a very cool and trendy workspace. The system which he is selling (check picture above) is made for three, it has three different spaces each fitted with a desk. There is a PDF file at the end of this post that contains all the details and prices.
Now he is also selling three Keilhauer ‘Tom’ chairs for KD70 each. I asked him if he would sell me one alone and he said no but maybe if two other readers are interested in the two other chairs we can offer to buy all three of them from him. So if you’re interested in the chair email me.
Here is the PDF that contains all the details on the Herman Miller system and chairs including their prices. [PDF]
Update: He also has the chair below called the Junior which he has decided to sell, he’s asking KD90 for it (actual price was KD320). If you want it email me saying you want the Junior.
Update2: The three regular Tom chairs are all gone, only the Tom Junior chair is left.
This is a complete shocker. Turns out there is a Mexican catering place in Kuwait thats run by two Mexican women! All this time we’ve been complaining about the lack of good Mexican food in Kuwait and it turns out we had a place that specialized in home cooked traditional Mexican food. They’re called Sahuaro and they have a pretty decent website with their menu, prices and pictures of their dishes. I haven’t tried them but hopefully after Marzouq reads this post he will have them cater for us this coming Thursday (pretty please Marzouq). Here is a link to their website [Link]
Thanks K!
There are some parts of my car I want to black out. Instead of painting them black I figured I would foil them black. Can someone recommend a place in Kuwait that does good clean foiling?
Posted by Fahad AlYehya | Core Fitness – Kuwait
Eating out isn’t necessarily a problem, but can be a fuss to those around me. I start by scanning the restaurant’s menu for a lean source of protein, followed by a good source of carbs and a great source of fat. Usually, I pick a great option, a good option and a decent option; the waiter that’s about to approach me is bound to shut me down with words like fried, breaded and sauteed, so might as well make due with other sources since I’m already at my 3 hour mark and my muscles are aching for some food.
Me: “I’ll have the Cajun Chicken Platter with no Monterey jack cheese, crisps, refried black beans and mashed potatoes.”
Waiter: “You mean you want the Cajun Chicken Platter with absolutely nothing on it?”
Me: “Yes, but I’m not done yet. Do you serve sweet potato?”
Waiter: “No sir, we only serve mashed potatoes.”
Me: “Do you mash it in with butter?”
Waiter: “I’m not sure sir.”
Me: “Would you ask someone that knows please.”
Accompanying Friend: “Dude, are you serious? No he’s not doing that.”
Me: “Ok, may I have a baked potato please.”
Waiter: “I’m sorry sir, we serve only mashed potatoes.”
Me: “Are they mashed before or after they arrived in the kitchen?”
Waiter: “After sir.”
Me: “Ok, so take one unmashed medium sized potato and bake or boil it.”
Waiter: “I’m sorry sir, we cannot do that.”
Annoying Fat Friend: “FHAID! Cut that crap out! I want to order!”
Me: “Ok Ok. I’ll have the Cajun Chicken Platter with nothing on it, and only broccoli on the side. Is the broccoli sauteed or steamed?”
Friend: “F*ck you.”
I am literally a waiter’s worst nightmare and I don’t care. I even question a restaurant’s supposedly healthier options, and after a thorough investigation (i.e. annoying the hell out of the restaurant’s staff) it doesn’t seem healthy at all. I persuade any health conscious individual to do the same.
The Awesome Subject at Hand
I was contacted by a 248am subscriber in order to help him out with a diet plan. His routine was simple and average, and could easily relate to anyone who decides to pursue the healthy lifestyle, so I used him as an example in order to explain the ins and outs of nutrition calculation and timing. Hopefully, I’ll be able to simplify things as much as possible.
Hi, my name is Amgad.
Amgad’s a 15 year old middle school student. Details below:
Height: 186cm
Weight: 107kg
Favorite Food: KFC and Italian.
Worst Food: Spinach
1) Before posting up his diet, I’ll need to calculate his BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)referenced from my carb post (Part 1.5: The Letter P, C and F). Amgad is 20kg over his optimal weight, and since he doesn’t lift any weights, I’m willing to assume those 20kg are composed of fat and a little bit of water retention. The calculations below will be based on 87kg of lean body mass.
66 + ( 13.7 x 87 ) + ( 5 x 186 ) – ( 6.8 x 15 ) = 2,085.9 <–BMR
2) Activity Level: Amgad has just started jogging 5 times a week for 30-45 minutes in order to improve his cardiovascular health. In this regard, his body is not yet primed for fat-burning so I’ll be sticking to no activity level.
3) Goal:Fat-loss. Amgad wants to lose significant fat by April, which is realistic but not necessarily healthy. He will lose weight, but 20kg is an impossibility unless he decides to jog for 5 hours a day.
I’ll be deducting 500 calories from his calorie intake above, which will bring the total down to 1,503.08 or 1,500 calories for the sake of simplicity.
4) Ratios:
Protein: 0.5g x 191lbs = 95 of protein (I usually give a larger ratio of protein, but Amgad’s young and his stress levels won’t be taxed too much)
Carbohydrates: 20% of total calorie intake = 400 calories divided by 4 (4 calories per gram of carbs) which equals to 100g of carbs
Fat: As per my recommendations on “The Fatty Truth”, 70g of fat to deal with the stress of dieting should suffice.
Protein Calories: 380
Carb Calories: 400
Fat Calories: 630
Total Calories: 1,410 (actual diet will differ from this amount. This will only serve as a base for me to follow).
Things to consider: Protein & fat will be included in all Amgad’s meals and carbohydrates will be excluded after 3 pm. Water consumption is included. Below is his diet based on his daily timings:
6:30 am: Upon Waking:
500ml of Water to kick start his metabolism and lubricate his digestive tract.
6:45 am: Breakfast
3 scrambled eggs + 1 Glass of Fresh Orange Juice
- 375 calories, 27g of protein, 25g of carbs, 15g of fat
10:00 am: Mid Morning Snack
1 KFC Chicken Sandwich (Zinger or Twister Wrap) + 500ml of water
- 420 calories, 30g of protein, 32g of carbs, 21g of fat
1:00 pm: Mid Day Snack:
15 pieces of Raw Cashews + 500ml
- 168 calories, 8g of protein, 8g of carbs, 13g of fat
3:00 – 500ml of water
3:30 pm: Lunch
Half a chicken (skinless, steamed or grilled), red meat or fish. The protein portions will be equivalent of Amgad’s hand closed + 1/2 Cup of cooked or steamed white rice or white pasta + Salad: every veggie excluding carrots, corn and red beats + 2 tbsp of lemon & 2 tbsp of white, balsamic or apple cider vinegar
- 350 calories, 25g of protein, 30g of carbs, 5g of fat
6:30 – 1 Cup of plain Green Tea
Immediately After: Interval Cardio for 30 – 45 minutes + 500ml of water
Jog for 2 minutes, sprint for 1 minute, repeat.
7:30 – Early Dinner (Last Meal):
Repeat lunch, excluding the carb source. Include 1 tbsp of Olive Oil to the salad.
- 320 calories, 25g of protein, 10g of carbs, 20g of fat
9:30 – 500ml of water
Totals: 1,633 calories, 115g of protein, 105g of carbs, 74g of fat
Feel free to ask any questions in regards to his diet and I’ll be happy to answer. Further explanations would only prolong this post.
What About US!
There are rules and timings for each macro-nutrient. Ultimately, not all calories are equal; you can’t expect to go on 1,500 calories per day without knowing how to properly place your nutrients. I’ve talked to individuals who have lost massive amounts of fat, but plateaued after a few months. In order not to plateau both early and late into the fitness game, you need to maximize your nutrition timing in accordance to these rules:
1) Eat a moderate to high calorie breakfast, high in healthy fats, proteins and moderate in carbohydrates. Research has proven that a breakfast high in both fats and proteins provide the much needed fat-burning boost our bodies need in the morning.
2) Eat every 3 hours. If you have unstoppable sugar cravings that you can’t control, or cannot live with a certain entree’, then feel free to eat it 3 hours after you consume breakfast. By this time, you’ll feel super hungry, which is a clear sign that your metabolism is working on full blast. Do your body a favor and give it another challenge; just don’t over do it.
3) Cancel starchy carbs after lunch. You need carbs in the morning to fuel your body for energy; the carb load from the first 3 meals will last you 8-12 hours after consumption, enough to sustain a fast metabolism and strong insulin sensitivity in the morning. As mentioned in my earlier post, the pancreas secretes insulin to metabolize sugars that are broken down from the consumption of carbs. These insulin spikes block fat-burning momentarily (1-3 hours), but not to the point where you won’t be burning calories. By the inclusion of carbs in the morning and the exclusion of carbs after 3 pm, we create a double-edged sword that provides a metabolic boost (calorie burning) in the morning and a fat-burning boost (self explanatory) in the evening. The end result? YOU’RE BURNING CALORIES AND FAT 24/7!
4) Graze on protein all day. If any of you knew how many calories it takes to burn a few grams of protein you’d be eating an entire cow right now or chasing down a live chicken. Nothing gives your metabolism a kick more than protein. Moreover, fat-burning is not blocked; it’s actually enhanced. This means that you’ll burn more fat consuming a mere 15-30g of protein per meal.
5) Fat burns stubborn fat. Without the inclusion of starchy carbs, the combination of protein and fat is extraordinary. The inclusion of fat to a very low carb meal further enhances fat-burning by the means of “ketosis”. The body has no carbs for energy, so it uses up stubborn fat as an energy source. This can be achieved with the consumption of protein only, but for a very short period of time due to health-related reasons. Including fats into the mix achieves a greater ketogenic response; it’s like sneaking in enemy territory (stubborn fat) with the help of a traitor (extra virgin olive oil).
6) The more meals, the better. Assuming you eat 3 meals a day, adding 2 more meals (1 in between breakfast & lunch, the other in between lunch and dinner) would help minimize your hunger cravings significantly. The longer you wait between meals, the lower your blood sugar levels drop. The lower your blood sugar levels, the greater your hunger and cravings.
7) For all of the above processes to work efficiently, you’ll need a source of transportation: WATER. Nothing will go as planned if water is not included into the equation. I’ve seen individuals diet harder than I do and still struggle to lose a kilogram, simply because they don’t feel like drinking any water.
What About ME! I’m not FAT! I WANT TO GAIN MUSCLE!
The rules below are more or less the same from the ones above, but differ in terms of timing due to a factor called weight-lifting. The rules:
1) Eat a high protein, high carb, moderate fat breakfast. Cortisol is a muscle-wasting hormone that releases in the case of stress or the lack of food. After a 6-8 hour sleep/fast, cortisol is at its highest in the morning and has to be lowered in order to spare muscle and start the reconstruction of new muscle which was achieved by yesterday’s workout.
2) Eat every 3 hours. Why is it so hard to build muscle and so easy to gain fat? Our bodies hate lean muscle mass since it consumes every calorie that gets into our system and saves nothing for the rest; our bodies will try as they can to counteract this by increasing the fat-t0-muscle ratio. In order to avoid this, we need to consume calories every 3 hours to boost our metabolism and feed our muscle. Constant eating will promote a better state of muscle growth, otherwise known as anabolism (the promotion of muscle growth).
3) Carbs are necessary for muscle growth. The consumption of carbohydrates throughout the day will prove beneficial by shuttling nutrients (protein, fat, vitamins and minerals) into the muscle and provide energy to go through an intense workout. However, if not timed and proportioned correctly, carbs can also be the enemy. Assuming your total carb intake is 200g, 30% of that amount is to be consumed after training and 70% throughout the day.
4) Fat is the true muscle builder. Weight-lifting induces inflammations, and the only way to reduce these inflammations is by the consumption of a nutrient that can reduce this output. The inclusion of healthy fats does just that. Moreover, when combined with carbohydrates, fats reduce the amount of insulin secreted to minimize fat-blocking and fat-retention.
5) Nitrogen Balance/Retention. Why do athletes consume a lot of protein? In order to build an adequate amount of muscle, our bodies have to be at an anabolic state 24/7; this can only happen with proper nitrogen retention/balance. Nitrogen is a main body component required for both tissue protein synthesis and the production of several nitrogenous compounds involved in the production of hormones, immune mediators, and antioxidant defense. When nitrogen is at a balance, the body maintains a perfect state of muscle reconstruction and repair. Nitrogen imbalance can occur if there is too little or too much protein consumption.
6) Water, water and MORE WATER. Our muscles are composed of 78% water and 22% protein. Weight-lifting or exercising in general without the consumption of water is similar to running a car without oil; it’ll rust, clank, squeak, smoke and eventually breakdown. More so, anyone and everyone needs a minimum of (get ready for this) 3.7 liters (1 gallon) of water PER DAY!
The above rules are an introductory to a muscle-building post I will be dedicating for next time.
Posted by Fahad AlYehya | Core Fitness – Kuwait
Picutre by Piccolina Photography
Spotted at Fantasy World for KD12.950. Perfect for those late night munchies.
Just a reminder, the Kuwait International Rally starts today at 3PM in the parking lot near the Kuwait Towers (picture above). For more details check out my previous post [Here]
This is a cool new Pedigree commercial which was shot at 1000 FPS using the Phantom camera, the same camera we used for the Wataniya Airways commercial. The dogs look very cool in slo-mo. [YouTube]
I spotted this at the Free Trade Zone today and thought the name was very 90’s internet cafe like. The place was a shisha joint strangely…
I read about this incident a few days ago. Seems the married British ambassador at the local embassy got one of his employees pregnant and that employee was also married. Lots of soap opera drama but it seems now its over since they’ve moved the British ambassador out of Kuwait and the employee moved back to England. Here is a link to the news article [Link]
How is the title related? You know, Tiger Woods.. cheated on his wife, the British ambassador cheated on his wife… get it? Ok maybe the title is a bit lame…
Thanks Reem!
A friend of mine spotted this sign outside a shisha place. For those who don’t read Arabic it says the third sex is not allowed to enter.
Thanks Manaf!
Blushberry posted around a week ago that Sultan Center had brought a small stock of frozen White Castle Cheeseburgers and that they quickly went out of stock. For some reason I had a feeling if I passed by Sultan Center today I would find them (I was just really hungry). Sadly I didn’t find any White Castle burgers, just the ones above. Sucks.
I noticed they started getting Chicago Gourmet Steaks. The brand sounds familiar but I don’t remember from where. Two t-bone steaks for a combined weight of 800grams is for around KD10.
Here is the calendar for Cinemagic’s rooftop movie nights for March. This month it’s Oscar nights! Check out the full list of movies below:
Thursday, March 4th @ 7:00 PM
“Nominated for Best Animated Feature Film 2006″
CORPSE BRIDE, USA 2006
Director: Tim Burton
Genre: Animation | 80 min | English Subtitle
Rated: PG 13
Saturday, March 6th @ 7:00 PM
“Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film 2006″
SOPHIE SCHOLL: THE FINAL DAYS, GERMANY 2005
Director: Mark Rothemund
Genre: Drama | 127 min | English Subtitle
Rated: 15+
Thursday, March 11th @ 7:00 PM
“9 Oscar Nominations 2010″
THE HURT LOCKER, USA 2009
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Genre: Drama | 131 min | English Subtitle
Rated: 15+
Saturday, March 13th @ 7:00 PM
SURPRISE FILM
Thursday, March 18th @ 7:00 PM
“Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film 1998″
CHILDREN OF HEAVEN, IRAN 1998
Director: Majid Majidi
Genre: Drama | 89 min | English Subtitle
Rated: PG 13
Saturday, March 20th @ 7:00 PM
Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film 1999
CENTRAL DO BRAZIL, BRAZIL 1998
Director: Walter Salles
Genre: Drama | 113 min | English Subtitle
Rated: PG 13
Thursday, March 25th @ 7:00 PM
“Best Screenplay Based on Published 2010″
IN THE LOOP, UK 2009
Director: Armando Lanucci
Genre: Comedy | 106 min | English Subtitle
Rated: 15+
Saturday, March 27th @ 7:00 PM
“Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film 1986″
WHEN FATHER WAS AWAY ON BUSINESS, YUGOSLAVIA 1985
Director: Emir Kusturica
Genre: Comedy | 136 min | English Subtitle
Rated: PG 13
Cinemagic movies are screened in the old Salmiya, on the roof on top of Alghanim Electronics and LG. There is a KD1 charge for the venue fees which includes refreshments, popcorn and much more. Here is a link to their facebook group [Link]
It’s either this or pay a shit load of money and use DHL. I’m being patient and going with Aramex instead. It’s frustrating having something stuck in customs for 10 days but it beats paying an arm and a leg with DHL.
The headline is taken from an Arab Times article. I had previously read that one person had died because of the celebrations but it seems the actual number is eleven. That’s really terrible… [Link]
Thanks Loza
I’ve been visiting Bayan Dental for over 5 years now. I first found out about them from Zaydoun and ever since me and Nat have been getting all our dental work done there at their Salmiya branch. They were actually featured in my Miskan project back in 2005 as Day 303 which is where the picture above is from. Once every few months I pass by my dentist (Dr Samer Khaddour) for scaling because I know that the longer the gap between my visits the more I am going to suffer during my session so I try to keep the gaps small. My dentist and Nat always seem to team up on me since they find my fear amusing but I’m slowly slowly getting over it.
Anyway I recently got approached by Bayan Dental and got offered veneers for free if in return I could post and explain what veneers were on my blog and also about my experience getting them installed. I didn’t have a clue what veneers were but after a quick google followed by a detailed explanation from Bayan I found these two words the best way to explain them… Hollywood smile. Veneers give you the perfect smile and you get them installed in one hour without any pain or anesthesia and they last forever.
I asked them if my dentist could install them for me and since he specializes in restorative and aesthetic dentistry they told me it shouldn’t be a problem. Since then I’ve already had a couple of visits with my dentist getting a mould of my teeth done so I could see how my teeth currently look and how they will look once I am done. They will be sending me a bunch of pictures of difference cases before and after veneers so I could share them here with some proper information about veneers and how they work. For now I thought I would post this to keep everyone in the loop on whats going on. If you have any questions about veneers (and I guess anything dental related) you can post them below since someone from Bayan will be reading the comments and answering any questions you might have.
Since we’re on the subject of dentistry for those of you who have a fear from dentists you could post what concerns you have below and I could try to answer them from my experience like for example how much pain or discomfort a procedure might have or how long certain things take etc.. I haven’t done all the procedures but I think I’ve done most of the general ones. One thing I’ve learned from my experience is that if you have a dental issue now and you don’t take care of it, it will only get worse tomorrow and the fix becomes more complicated.
Update: If you’ve never been to Bayan Dental before, just mention my blog when you go in and you will get a 17% discount on non cosmetic procedures.
I was checking out some photos Slate posted from Saddam’s private photo stash when I read a caption that cracked me up. They had the picture above with the following caption underneath:
Saddam was a fan of the Godfather movies and incorporated many Mafia-style elements into his regime—and into his wardrobe.
I found that funny because I could easily imagine him forcing everyone around him to watch the movie and then force them to each dress up as a character from the film. If only he was a Star Wars fan the picture above might have been even funnier. [Link]
This burger looks absolutely delicious. Sadly, its located on the other side of the world… Los Angeles! [Link]
Last month I posted about a drive-through car wash near my house in which they let you sit in the car while it’s getting washed. Well a reader pointed me towards another car wash also nearby that had what he called a LaserWash. So not knowing what exactly a laser wash was I decided to pass by today and check it out.
Turns out LaserWash is a touch free automated car wash which means that it doesn’t contain brushes and nothing except water and soap touch your car. The idea is that since there is no physical contact then there isn’t anything that will scratch your car. I recorded a video of a wash which takes around 5 minutes which you could watch above. My car was just dusty except for a bug stain on the windshield. After the wash the dust was gone and the car was all shiny but the bug stain was still there.
Would I use it again? Maybe, I had to wait an hour and a half today to get the car washed which defeats the whole purpose of a quick drive through. I might have as well driven to Al Falah in Kuwait City, gotten my car washed there properly and gotten back home. But if the place is empty and my car is just dusty why not.
The LaserWash is located at the Oula gas station next to the Jawazat roundabout near Souk Salmiya. The cost was KD1.750 for just an exterior cleaning. [YouTube]
I have two sets of photos to share with you in this post. The first set is taken I think in 1979 on the Gulf Road near the Kuwait Towers. I am assuming they’re taken in 1979 because I was born in 1978 and I think I look like a year old in the pictures. I am not enjoying the fact that I am sharing my baby pictures with strangers but these were the only pictures of a vintage national day parade I could find and I feel its important they be shared.
The second group of photos below were taken in 2005 in Salmiya, Salem Mubarek Street near Sultan Center. The whole street starting from Central Plaza down to Eureka was closed and made pedestrian only. It was like a big carnival mixed in with a parade. Lots of fun and as you can see from the pictures it was pretty packed but not chaotic.
So my question is why have these parades stopped? How did National Day celebration turn from a wonderful event into something that’s gotten completely out of control with foaming. This year I heard a lot of reports of actually spray paint being used instead of foam and I actually saw a car that had been spray painted. Kids and teenagers are still opening your car doors and spraying you and whoever else is inside with you. Many people decide to travel during this holiday so they could avoid this chaos while other people like me try to spend time indoors to avoid being attacked on the streets. And yes I am calling it attacked because when you get foamed against your will that’s harassment. No one has the right to foam you, foam your car and they definitely don’t have the right to open your doors and spray you. I am not even talking about spray paint, urine or any other chemical some kids use.
Can this year please be the last year National and Liberation Day turn into a horrifying foam fest and instead can we please go back to fun for the family street parades?
update: A reader sent me this link to news article on Arab Times, it seems there were 200 injuries and 1 death due to foaming this year. [Link]
update2: Tonight (Sunday 28th) Nat was on her way back from the gym, she was driving on the Gulf Road casually when suddenly just before Texas Chicken a kid jumps out into the street and sprays her while another kid throws a can of foam at the car scratching the paint job. WTF?
Yesterday a skyscraper in Kuwait City caught on fire at around 3PM. Judging by the video it seems the short building to the right of the skyscraper caught fire first and that contributed to the skyscraper catching fire. [YouTube]
Thanks mabkw!
Update: Below is a picture taken from q8blackmarket.com showing the small building on fire.
Although this year I’ve noticed a lot more cops on the roads than the previous years, I don’t think its making much of a difference. Gulf Road is still jam packed and the inside roads parallel to the Gulf Road (like Baghdad Street) are also packed.
Picture by Pretty Point of View
Spotted somewhere in Saudi Arabia..
Thanks Bader!
Don’t forget to STAY OFF THE GULF ROAD!
What do you wear with this? [Link]
Update: I am NOT interested in these sneakers!
Update2: Thanks to a reader I now remember where I had seen these sneakers before… Sport Billy had them!
Thanks Saud!
The Alpine iXA-W407 which I posted about a few days ago is supposed to sell for around $750 but for some reason it’s being sold for just $379 on Amazon right now. I’m sure its a mistake so I quickly placed an order for one. If you’re interested in it here is the [Link]
Update: I purchased the unit twice and both times the seller canceled my order. Did this happen to anyone else?
Update2: Price is back up now to $550. I placed an order for the fourth time and it seems to have worked now. $550 is still a good deal. I ordered the following items so far for my Toyota FJ install:
Alpine iXA-W407 Digital Media Station
Alpine HCE-C107D Rear View Camera
Peripheral PTR7 Multi control interface bypass module
Scosche TA2076B 2007 Toyota FJ ISO/Double DIN With Pocket Kit
Stereo Wire Harness Toyota FJ Cruiser 07 2007
The PTR7 will allow me to change the system settings and watch movies while the car is in motion and not just parked.
Cool new Nike commercial featuring Rampage Jackson from the UFC among other athletes. [YouTube]
Posted by Fahad AlYehya | Core Fitness – Kuwait
It takes me 8 hours to write an article, 8 more hours to review it and 60 minutes to press publish; and I still make spelling and grammar mistakes. I shower 3-4 times a day, wash my face with the most expensive fascial cleansers out there and I still get mild acne. I see people train hard, diet hard and recover, but they still lack that muscular maturity. Females go through episodes of anorexia to look like that Cosmo model, yet they lose a lot of hair, the sparkle in their eyes diminish, their nails start to break off, their skin barely shines and their bones are as fragile as a piece of tissue.
The above are all side effects of a lifestyle low in fat. Has anyone seen those Lebanese, Jordanian, Syrian and Palestinian documentaries about how their senior citizens live above the age of 90? How do they do it? They have more energy and vigor than Kuwait’s older generation; but how do they do it?
“Ebnakul zaitoon,” or “bin7ib zait el zaytoon kteer.” (English Translation: we eat olives or we love olive oil a lot). Those are literally the two answers available to explain how they managed to live that long.
Or approach a Japanese dude and ask him how they live so long and why heart disease isn’t such an epidemic: “We uuuh, rive very hearthy rong rife because uuuh we eat sushi and aaah hearthy fatty fish high in omega sree! And when Godzirra come again, uuuh we can fight!” (English Translation: I’m not really sure what he said, but it had something to do with karate and sushi).
Fat is a lot more important than any other macronutrient. I’m not saying that fat should be consumed alone; in conjunction with other macronutrients, fat can do wonders. Unfortunately, I learned it the hard way.
When I started weight-lifting, I did what the pros did: ate a diet high in carbs and proteins and low in fat. I wanted to be as big and as ripped as they were. And come on, it’s common sense! Why would I listen to some nerd who majored in medicine and not a freak with veiny arms? Long story short, I paid the price and should’ve listened to the pencil neck. I had terrible acne, my short-term memory was a joke, my hair barely grew to considerable volume, my immune system was a disaster, every joint in my body hurt like hell, I was tired all the time, my muscles looked like soft ballons that only looked decent when training and I suffered constantly from overtraining. Why? Because I went low-fat, thinking that low-fat would get me big and ripped.
Dietary Fat
Fat is actually considered a vital nutrient. It is an important part of your diet. Dietary fats are more essential than beneficial! Simply put, fat supplies essential fatty acids (Omega 3-6-9) for cell growth, healthy skin, vitamin-absorption and regulation of bodily functions. Your body will not absorb a single vitamin or mineral without the inclusion of fat.
Stop dialing for Hardees
Not all fats are created equal. Since I promised not to go too technical, I’ll briefly explain the 3 types of fat you need to know:
Saturated Fat = SOLID FAT. The fat you literally see and feel on a tip of a fatty steak, or the skin from a chicken or turkey.
Unsaturated Fat = LIQUID FAT. That pretty much explains this.
Trans Fat = MAN MADE FAT. Partially Hydrogenated Oils. These are found in any baked goods, sweets, cookies, donuts, etc. A word of advice before eating anything that has trans fats: Take the food product and slap it on your butt, thigh, hips, waist and/or stomach, because eventually that’s where it’ll end up.
Details and Recommendations
Saturated Fats: numerous old school nutritionists shy away from this fat. It comes from meat, dairy, eggs and seafood. Too much of it can cause heart disease. However, do not avoid it completely.
Males: we need 5-10g of saturated fat daily for our thunder down under. This is equivelant to 3 whole eggs or a lean steak (filet mignon or rump). A lot of studies have been published in regards to how red meat is very bad for your heart; if it’s a t-bone steak or a fatty rib eye then yes, it’ll kill you. However, as an active person lean red meat will do more good than bad. Moreover, the dietary cholesterol from steak and eggs DO NOT increase bad cholesterol levels; the consumption of sugar does.
Females: 5g of this fatty-acid is enough to stimulate bodily functions, which is equavilent to 2 eggs and you may go up to 3 per day.
Unsaturated Fats: This type of fat is composed of two types of fat, which of course you need to know:
Polyunsaturated Fats: AVOID, turns extremely rancid when in high temperature (frying temp). High in omega-6, it may interfere with the body’s production of prostaglandins (Google it!). This can cause many adverse conditions in the body, including blood clots, sterility, poor immunity, indigestion, and cancer. I’m not saying you should avoid it completely, just make sure you consume more of the fat below and less of this. And if you see any product or restaurant out there that says “We switched to Vegetable Oil”, it’s this crap they’re talking about.
Monounsaturated Fats: I call this type of fat AWESOME, because it is indeed awesome. Let’s all look below and see the list of awesome benefits this fat has to offer:
- Lowers risk of heart disease
- Lowers cholesterol
- Provides essential fatty acids that are great for body cell repair and development, including hair, nails, skin and eyes
- Protects against colon cancer and breast cancer
- High in phyto-chemicals that promote great health and a boost in immunity
- Reduces workout induced muscle inflammations and enhances joint repair, which equals more muscle growth
- When consumed appropriately, the body prefers to burn it as fuel as opposed to storing it
- Increases natural testosterone levels for men
- Protects fat accumulation around organs, including the kidney and liver
Overall LONGEVITY! “Bin7ib zait el zaytoon kteer” remember?
Sources of Monounsaturated Fat (There are more, but the sources below have more mono than poly)
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Canola Oil
- Almonds & Walnuts
- Avocados
Macro-Combinations
Insulin is produced to metabolize carbohydrates, however too much spiked insulin leads to the blocking of fat-burning (in reference to my last post). In order to keep insulin levels in check, we’ve established that whole-grain alternatives of carbohydrates are the answer. Moreover, adding healthy fats to a carbohydrate meal also lowers insulin release and slows down carbohydrate absorption, which enables better fat-burning opportunities.
Calculations and All that Crap
Calculating fat intake is easier than both protein and carbohydrates: 0.5g x LBM (Lean body mass in pounds). That’s literally it. I currently weigh 253lbs with 10% body fat, so that’s 227lbs x 0.5 grams = 114 grams of fat per day, divided into the amount of meals you eat. Personally, I don’t like going over 0.5 grams unless my activity and stress levels increase considerably, in which case I’d increase it to 0.8g per LBM.
Males:
Active (Weight-lifters & Athletes): do not go lower than 60g per day of fat consumption. For extreme dieting purposes, you may go down to 0g of fat for a maximum of 2 weeks ONLY. Our bodies take 14 days to flush out all dietary fat, and exceeding that duration will cause your inner functions to crash faster than our current financial state. For bulking purposes, 0.8 x LBM is more than enough.
Non-Active: Don’t go under 30g and never go over 70g. Since your activity levels are low to begin with, you don’t need any extra fat coming in since nothing is being damaged.
Females:
Active & Non-Active: 0.5 x LBM is the maximum. Never go below 0.3g x LBM, and never go down to 0g fat for more than 2 weeks. Females are physically more fragile than males, so they are more susceptible to extreme dietary changes.
I NEED SOME NUTS IN MY LIFE! (That’s what she said)
The take home message here is that a diet low in fat may be low in calories, since 1g of fat is equivalent to 9 calories (carbs and protein are 4 calories per gram), but is actually a lot more damaging than many think. We’ve got one more part to go, where all 3 posts will be put together.
Posted by Fahad AlYehya | Core Fitness – Kuwait
Picutre by aqui-ali
The Kuwait International Rally will start on March 4th at 3PM under the Kuwait Towers. It will be a ceremonial start for the event with the first race day held on March 5th and the last March 6th. It will be two days of gravel special stage action taking place in the Kuwaiti desert. For more information on this event visit the official site [Here]
Thanks Wyn!
I got an email awhile ago that went something like hi, I have a bakery and I would like you to try our food. I get soo many of those emails daily that I could have a blog dedicated to just food in Kuwait (hmmm that gives me an idea runs to buy foodinkuwait.com… damn you nibaq you already bought it!). So anyway, I was about to hit the delete button save under important button when something caught my eye. They had freshly made, thirst quenching Faloodha AND they delivered it!
Currently the only places I know that serves Faloodha ice cream is Baba Taher and the little shop under it on the ground floor called Marafie (I think). Now we have another option and they deliver so if you’re interested call them on 55521207 or 55521208 to order.
The persian bakery is called Toosi Delights and you can check out their Facebook group [Here]
Update: Here is some more details regarding the price and delivery
Faloodha is 250 fils per cup and 1.5 Kd per kilo. They have the following toppings: fresh pomegranate, pistachio or pieces of fresh lemon. As for the iced water its made of rosewater or the option of saffron milk (400 fils per cup).For the sauce you have the choice of strawberry, raspberry, pomegranate or almond sauce.
If location is close to Jabriya or Mansouuriya there is a 4 kd minimum order and 250 fils delivery charge. If location is very far then 7 kd minimum order with 500 fils delivery charge.
I was at the Toyota dealer today and noticed they had an option to install an upgraded navigation and ipod head unit with a rear view camera. It’s installed locally by them (not factory installed) but the salesman didn’t know what brand the head unit was just that it used Magellan maps.
I was planning on getting the Alpine iXA-W407 (video above) since it comes with widgets, has an amazing iPod interface, you can connect a rear view camera and has an iPhone like “flick through menus”. I was just curious if anyone had the Toyota version because I would be interested to hear some feedback. The Alpine W407 costs around $600 without the navigation and rear view camera while the Toyota dealer installed unit is KD550.
Also one more thing, those little kids and grownups that hang around the entrance to the Al-Rai car dealerships asking you if your car is for sale, what’s their story?
Actually one more last thing, while there I noticed a couple of people using the Toyota recall as a bargaining tool.
Update: Found it, the head unit Toyota installs for you is made by FlyAudio and the interface looks horrible. [Link]
A friend of mine told me that the Japanese show Takeshi’s Castle will be coming to Kuwait and they’re looking for contestants. Supposedly they have a stand at Marina Mall and they want at least 3,000 people to sign up. If it’s true than I’m in! [YouTube]
Update: It’s true! Here is a link that contains the flyer [Link]
This is extremely frustrating. I’ve been trying to upload my Wrangler onto Q8car but every time I am done filling up the form and uploading the pictures I get an error. Their website is broken!
Update: Also got the same error with their Arabic version of the site
Also a tip they don’t mention.. if you don’t want your pictures of the cars you upload to look distorted then resize the photo so they are exactly 550pixels wide by 458px height or else they will force your images into that size.
Update2: Spoke to their IT guy, seems they are updating something and the site might work tonight.
Update3: It’s 11:56PM and it’s still broken. If it wasn’t for the positive experience I had with them before I would have signed up and uploaded my car to Q8showroom instead.
My in laws are in town and I was going to take them and show them the Kuwait Towers today after lunch but there was some kind of event taking place there. Not sure what exactly but it was packed with people. Anyone know what it was for?
Update: Turns out there was a Special forces military show [Link]
30″ wheels on a Toyota FJ Cruiser.
So as I mentioned a few posts below I will be swapping my Wrangler for an FJ Cruiser. Before I list my Jeep on Q8car I figured I would see if anyone here was interested in it. Here are the specs:
Jeep Wrangler Sport
2004 Model
85,000KM Mileage
3.75″ Old Man Emu lift (details)
33×12.5″ Tires on Cragar black steelies
Alpine + Boston Sound System installed by me (1, 2 & 3)
Dealer serviced and maintained. Full car history available on this blog (search for Wrangler) and here is the full history of my Wrangler in pictures [Link]
If you’re interested in the Jeep [Contact Me]
Just found out about this site called Chat Roulette and I love the idea. It’s a very simple, you go to the website and it will randomly connect you with someone else to chat with. It’s not just typing chat but you also share video and audio. No bells and whistles just a simple navigation system to flip between the thousands and thousands of people there (it was over 30,000 when I was checking it out). Try it out, its pretty cool. [Link]
Note: If you see anything not rated PG just click on the “Report” button to report that person and end the video.
I got the following by email:
The fine arts and crafts association is holding its first exhibition for Embroidery art, Drawing, Knitting, Painting eggs this week to spread awareness of the activities of the society. The first showroom will be held in the astronomers house Adel Al-Saadoon on Saturday 20th of February 2010 from 10 am in the morning till 8 pm in the evening.
Address: Fintas, Block 4, Street 9, House 21 (Aladdin house)
Open Invitation
Note: Please don’t park your magic carpets on the front lawn
LoYAC is having its Annual Music Night on Tuesday, February 23rd 2010 at 6:00pm. The Music Night will be held in the AbdulAziz Hussein Theatre in Mishref and all the proceeds will be going to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. This is considered to be the first step that the Help Haiti Committee in LoYAC (headed by Al Zain Al Humaidhi) will be taking in terms of awareness and collecting donations for the victims of the Haiti earthquake.
Many musicians from LoYAC will be performing, our main area of focus would have to traditional Arabic music and folklore. We are anticipating having people sing songs for Fairuz, Rashed Il Majed, Shereen, Abdel Halim and many more. We will also have instrumental pieces that will be played. Our pianist Faisal will be performing as well. Faisal has been sent on several scholarships through LoYAC internationally.
The tickets cost 5 KD, and 20 KD for corporate donations, the tickets are available at LoYAC in Bayt Lothan.
For more information visit the LoYAC website [Link]
Post by Fahad AlYehya | Core Fitness – Kuwait
Gym Rat #1: “Dude, you need to eat carbs with that.”
Gym Rat #2: “Your mother needs to eat carbs with that.”
Gym Rat #1: “Bro, what the hell, you need carbs with that protein shake right after your workout.”
Gym Rat #2: “I think your mother’s calling, and guess what? She wants more carbs.”
Gym Rat #1: “Look I’m serious, carbs fuel the muscle building process. You need a decent amount for energy expenditure.”
Gym Rat #2: “Your mother’s an energy expenditure.”
Gym Rat #2 was me a few years back when I thought carbohydrates were evil. They lurked everywhere. That chicken breast from Subway? Carbs. That protein shake? 3g of carbs per serving. Diet Gatorade? Still has carbs, only less, but carbs nonetheless. Splenda, Sweet & Low, Equal? Ayyyup! Dem artificial sweeteners are bayyud mmmkay?
A roll of sushi used to bloat me like the Michelin Man and turn my day into a living hell. I low-carbed my approach and in return found it relatively hard to build muscle. I high-carbed my approach and gained a lot of fat in the process. Don’t forget, I once was fat. I may not look like it, but I do have excess skin that you cannot see, but yours truly can feel. Since I was known for my gargantuan love handles, my lower back carries a fair amount of excess skin (again, you may not notice, but I can feel it). Whenever I consume a lot of carbs, my body begins to fill up nicely with much needed cellular water (water in the muscle). However, since I also carry around excess skin, water retains there easily too, which makes me feel fat. Ukh, the pain, the agony, the suffering; I strive to perfection but those little details stop me faster and harder than a concrete wall idiotically placed on a 120km+ speedway.
Lucky for you, this nutritionist wasn’t born a quitter. I did what I do best, research and experiment, proving time and time again that SCIENCE IS KING.
My last protein-oriented post was (for some) too complex, long, sciency and had a lot of numbers; so I’ll be using a different approach this time around (not really, but please bare with me). If anyone wants more information, feel free to ask.
Carbohydrates
There are only 2 types of carbohydrates you need to know: Slow-releasing (good) and fast-releasing (bad). I believe the devil created fast-releasing carbs to laugh at fat people. On a serious note, slow and fast are all the same, but one’s less refined than the other.
Slow-Releasing: Any carb source that has not been refined (the process of removing protein, fat, fiber, minerals and vitamins). Whole-grain alternatives of rice, bread, oatmeal, noodles, pasta, and etc have a thicker/richer feel to them and are often brown. Slow-releasing essentially means that the carb source takes its time to breakdown into sugar, so that your body can use it for energy. What slows down the process are the healthy fats, protein and fiber in the source. When removed, it releases at a much faster rate. Normally, slow-releasing carbs translate to 6-hours of crash-free energy, since your insulin (the mechanism responsible for pushing carbs for fuel) is working slowly, swiftly and efficiently.
Fast-Releasing: Any carb source that has been refined (not necessarily) and/or has a faster-releasing nature (such as honey). Examples would include table/brown sugar, white bread, white rice, white potatoes and etc. They have a softer, gentler feel to them when eaten, but release energy at a much faster rate, translating into and upto 30 minutes of energy, following by a horrible crash. This is due to the sudden amount of insulin released to burn the sugar, which in turn causes insulin to crash down. Ever wonder why you feel drowsy and sleepy after a large carby meal? That’s you crashing buddy.
Insulin: Carbohydrate Metabolism
When the concentration of blood sugar is too high (caused by eating too much carbs in one sitting or a fast-releasing carb), insulin is secreted by the pancreas, which stimulates the transfer of glucose (the simplest form of sugar) into the cells, especially in the liver and muscles. I apologize for the sciency approach, but I couldn’t resist. What you need to know is that when insulin is secreted, fat-burning is BLOCKED. You cannot burn fat if you keep bingeing on carbohydrate meals all day; which is the number a reason why low-carbohydrate diets work. They also work because the body prefers carbohydrates as an energy source, and when non-existent it chooses fat stores instead. Moreover, when eating large amounts of carbs, insulin cannot shuttle all of it. Everyone has a storage area called the glycogen pool; it’s where our bodies store glucose (simplest form of sugar). When over-consuming carbs, our glycogen pool fills up and insulin has no where to store the glucose, so what does it do? Stores it as FAT. Nasty, stubborn, jiggly and obnoxious fat.
I Promised a Solution
Males (ladies, you need to know this too): If you want to gain lean muscle, then you don’t need anymore than (get ready for this) 20% carbohydrates from your total calorie intake. Simply put, in order to gain lean muscle, you only need 20% carbohydrates. If you can’t flex it don’t carry it. Let me show you how to calculate proper carbohydrate intake; and yes it involves an equation so live with it:
Example:
An experienced 23 year-old, 90kg, 180cm athlete with 15% body fat has 76.5kg of lean mass ((90 x .15) – 90 = 76.5).
Step One: Establishing your BMR : Basal Metabolic Rate (how much your body burns when you’re doing absolutely nothing)
Women: 655 + ( 9.6 x weight in kilos ) + ( 1.8 x height in cm ) – ( 4.7 x age in years ) = BMR
Men: 66 + ( 13.7 x weight in kilos ) + ( 5 x height in cm ) – ( 6.8 x age in years ) = BMR
Step Two: Establishing your activity Level
Little to No Exercise = BMR x 1.2
Light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week = BMR x 1.375 (Females)
Moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week = BMR x 1.55 (Male bodybuilders are here, including me)
Vigorous exercise/sports 6-7 days a week= BMR x 1.725
Very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x per day training= BMR x 1.9
Conclusion:
Males: Our 90kg athlete wants to gain lean muscle mass. He calculates his BMR: 66 + (13.7 x 76.5) + (5 x 180) – (6.8 x 23) = 2,170.45 calories.
Our athlete’s activity level (Step Two) is moderate, so we multiply that amount with 1.55, which equates to 3,364.197. He needs to consume that amount of calories in order to maintain his weight.
Gain Lean Muscle: Add 200-500 calories based on your metabolism (the higher calories, the faster your metabolism).
Lose Fat: Subtract 200-500 calories, also based on your metabolism (if you lose muscle real fast, then stick to the low end).
Our athlete seems to be carrying an average body fat percentage for an average person, so he needs to lower it to around 9-10% for optimal growth. His total calories intake to gain lean muscle is 3,564.197 (maintenance + 200 calories).
Since I said that our bodies only need 20% carbohydrates to fuel the process of lean muscle mass growth, our athlete needs 20% of 3,564.197 = 712.839 calories dedicated to carb consumption. That calorie amount is equal to 178 grams of carbs (712.839 divided by 4 calorie per gram of carbs).
HOLY CONFUSING EQUATIONS AND NUMBERS BATMAN! This dude promised us SIMPLE LINGO!
I tried my best to simplify things, but hopefully you’ll be able to connect all my writings together into one big informative post in order to design your very own nutritional plan.
In Part 2, I’ll be discussing fats and nutrition timing.
I promise you it only gets simple after this. Have a great and healthy weekend! :)
Post by Fahad AlYehya | Core Fitness – Kuwait
Picutre by QuintanaRoo
Wow, can’t believe they spelled transferred right…
Thanks B!
I think these are the oldest photos I’ve seen of Kuwait on Flickr. There are only three images in this set but they’re great ones, here are their links:
Sailor in Kuwait
Camel in Kuwait carrying fuel for cooking
Sailing into Kuwait
Thanks Haya!
Negative Effect lent me his Toyata FJ Cruiser for the night and it only took the ride back home in it to be convinced about getting one. It felt really cozy, comfortable and just well built. Now its just about choosing a color and finding a good deal on a second hand one. I guess I have to prepare a farewell party for my Wrangler.
This video was shot around a month or a month and a half ago but was just uploaded yesterday. Supposedly the plane ran into very heavy turbulence which resulted in everything flying around and a person getting burnt by boiling water. [YouTube]
Thanks KA FAN!
The GulfRun 5 video is out and it’s easily my favorite from all the GulfRun videos up till now. It was directed, shot and produced by Negative Effect who did an incredible job squeezing three days worth of activities and hours and hours worth of footage into just two minutes and thirty seconds. Watch it above or follow this link for the best experience [Video]
Just went to Q8Car.com to check out the prices of used FJ’s and noticed they’ve completely redesigned the site. Haven’t used it much but so far it still feels bloated. [Link]
Pottery Barn is going to be opening up in the Avenues in place of where Top Shop and Top Man used to be. I’ve never been to Pottery Barn and according to the sign outside, this will be the first branch outside the States. That’s nice, but what about Home Depot? Costco? In-N-Out? Walmart?
The Kuwait Towers are getting a fresh coat of paint for National and Liberation Day. I wonder how long and how much paint it takes to paint the towers and how much it costs? It would be interesting if we can paint the towers different colors for different occasions. Wait, I take that back since someone might get the idea to paint it gold or peach even!
Dusty Beach from Moayad Hassan on Vimeo.
A very soothing 3 minute film by Moayad shot during a dust storm here in Kuwait. Other than a few scenes where you could see the camera reflection and some scenes with excess camera shake, this video is pretty well made.
Thanks Nasser!
I love my Wrangler and I never thought I would ever want to part with it but recently I realized it’s not a very practical car. Actually I always knew it wasn’t a very practical car but never had an issue with it until now. I can’t fit anything in the trunk! I just got a 1/5 scale RC car and it barely fits in the back, barely anything fits even with the seat folded. So, I am now considering swapping the Wrangler for another SUV, one that at least has some decent space to hold stuff. Personally I would actually prefer a pick up truck like the Ford Raptor but Nat hates trucks. The two options I’ve currently narrowed down to are the Nissan Xterra and the Toyota FJ Cruiser. I’ve actually been begging Negative Effect practically on a weekly basis for the past few months to sell me his nicely modified FJ but have failed miserably in convincing him.
Both SUV’s are actually great, the Xterra being the more practical out of the bunch while the FJ being the timeless one. Anyone have any opinion on the two cars?
I sat with a client a few days back in regards to his nutritional plan. He contacted me prior to the consultation for some advice for lean muscle building. Upon meeting him face to face, I immediately remembered seeing him around a few gyms. This guy stood 180cm, weighed 100kg of good muscle and was incredibly strong. He was genetically gifted of course, with his broad shoulders, tiny waist and large calf muscles (3 characteristics of great genetics). I thought to myself, why would he need my consultation? He definitely looked a lot better than me.
I assumed he would understand my nutrition/training lingo since he looked the part. When I said “protein”, he thought I meant protein powder. When I said “fat”, he got scared and looked at me in disgust. When I said “carbs”, he had no idea what that meant; so I said it in Arabic and still “no hablo nutrición.” He looked up, started thinking and said “Oh, you meant rice?”
The moral of this story is that everyone needs to know their 3 macronutrients before implementation of any nutritional plan. Knowing what to eat and when to eat it is every dietitians secret; and I’m about to ruin it for every nutritional consultant out there and today I’ll be talking about:
Proteins
Weightlifters adore this macronutrient and old school dietitians hate on it like it was the devil. In layman’s terms, proteins are part of every cell, tissue, and organ in our bodies. The proteins that exist in our bodies are constantly being broken down through vigorous weight training, athletic and cardiovascular activities, walking around or merely dealing through stressful situations. In order to replace broken down proteins, a good amount of ingestion is needed so that the body can convert it into amino acids and distribute it around our bodies for repair.
Why do I promote proteins more than any other nutrient? Enzymes that are found in proteins are the catalysts of metabolism. It takes our bodies a lot of energy to break down protein, which in turn boosts our metabolism. When the metabolism is at its best, it’s more efficient in the digestion of other nutrients, including fats and carbohydrates.In order for our bodies to benefits from the above, we need to ingest “complete proteins”.
A complete protein contains all the amino acids, and only then can our bodies ingest it properly. Complete proteins (listed from best source to not-necessarily-worst):
1) Whey Protein (found in dairy products or protein powders)
2) Whole Eggs (egg whites are not complete, but complete when combined with yolks)
3) Lean Animal Proteins
The above doesn’t mean you need to ingest a huge amount of protein powder. I’m only trying to show what types of proteins that easily digest.
Recommendations
Beginners/Non-Active Individuals/Cardiovascular Athletes:
Males (ladies need to read this too): Start with 1 gram x each lean pound, and by lean pound I mean fat-free muscle mass. Assuming an individual weighs 200lbs and carries 40% bodyfat. 80lbs are accounted for the fat in his body, which means that his lean body mass is at 120lbs. That individual needs 120 grams of protein. This group consists of people who have just started weightlifting, lightly active athletes (soccer players) and couch potatoes.
Females: Start with 0.8 gram x each lean pound. Same rules apply.
Athletes/Active Individuals:
Males: 1.5 grams x each lean pound. These individuals mostly consist of experienced weight-lifters and athletes who need the added energy in order to cope with vigorous activities.
Females: 1 gram x each lean pound. This consists of females who are athletes and those who want to put on lean muscle on their frames. Don’t worry ladies, you won’t end up like me.
In my opinion, since complete protein is ingested, there is no need to increase protein to higher amounts. Too much protein may also cause problems. You may lose calcium leading to long term bone loss. If you rely on red meats and other high-fat foods as your main source of protein, you are also at risk of high cholesterol and heart conditions related to high saturated fat levels. Moreover, too much protein will stress the kidney and the liver considerably.
Sources of Protein, Digestibility and Ratios
Our experienced weight-lifter who weighs 200lbs and has a bodyfat percentage of 12% needs about 264 grams of protein per day. 50% (132g) is consumed ingesting animal proteins, 30% (80g) is consumed ingesting whey protein and 20% (53g) is consumed ingesting whole eggs. Animal proteins are considered slow-digesting, which means they need to be consumed as a mid-morning snack, lunch, and dinner (132 divided by 3 = 44g of protein at each meal). Whole eggs and egg whites are both slow and fast digesting, so they’re best consumed at breakfast, 3 whole eggs (21g) and 8 egg whites (32g) for a total of 53g of protein. Whey protein is fast-acting, so it needs to be consumed before and after training (40g each for a total of 80g).
Individuals who don’t want to consume protein powder can increase there lean animal protein ratio by 30%. Make sure they’re lean animal proteins and not fatty cuts of red meat.
The same applies to females, but the last time I saw a female drinking a protein shake was never. Since the amount of protein ingested is not a lot to begin with, females may sub in other protein sources to fill in their requirements. The majority of females in Kuwait are more interested in aerobic activities such as jogging, aerobics, dance classes, and amongst other things; so I’ll be applying to them. Assuming a female that weighs 120lbs (55kg) with 20% bodyfat, this puts her at a requirement of 95g of protein per day. 20% (19g) of that amount goes to incomplete proteins such as legumes, nuts and grains, 30% (29g) goes to milk and egg proteins and 50% (48g) goes to animal proteins. Since incomplete proteins cannot digest completely, females need to mix and match, such as a 4 oz. grilled chicken breast with a few grams of beans. 95 total grams in a day need to be spread throughout 5 meals, which equates to 20g of protein per meal. I generally don’t go over 100-120g of protein for my female clients.
Conclusion
I apologize if the above calculations confused you, but this is how every nutritionist thinks or has to think. In addition, since proteins tend to tax our digestive system and organs, water is needed in order to filter out these toxins. Before any high-protein naysayers crucify me, I’d like to point out that diets high in protein are safe only when accompanied by other macronutrients, specifically fibrous greens. Never ever skip fibrous green veggies when eating any source of protein.
In my next post I’ll be discussing carbohydrates and fats. In Part III, I’ll be talking about how we can put all of this information together in order for each one of you to customize your own diet plan. Lastly, I’ll be introducing the “Core Fitness Diet Plan” for individuals 20+kg over their optimal weight limit.
Posted by Fahad AlYehya
Core Fitness – Kuwait
I found the winning photo for the World Press Photo of the Year disappointing, but the one above, which came first under the General News category was my favorite of the bunch. Check out all the winners [Here]
Have you gotten your loved one a Shani today?
Eliss – trailer from steph thirion on Vimeo.
Eliss is currently my favorite iPhone game. It’s got retro graphics, a great soundtrack and an extremely strange and new style of play. It’s hard to explain so its best to watch the video above to get an idea. Once you start getting into it people watching you play will have no idea what the hell is going on and how the hell you’re playing it because visually there are soo many things going on at the same time. The game costs $2.99 but they have a free version in case you want to try it out. Here is the [Link]
Two years back I posted a picture of the new Nissan Patrol and I was really hoping they would change it by the time it got released. Well after following www.welcomethehero.com for the past few days waiting to see what they would reveal turns out it’s the new Patrol and it still looks as ugly. Hopefully it will look better on the streets but I doubt it. [Link]
It seems a Kuwait Airways landing caused quite a bit of commotion last month when it landed pretty hard at the Heathrow Airport in London. Someone managed to capture the whole incident on video and posted on YouTube which you can watch above. [YouTube]
Thanks Ahmad!
