Top 5 Olympic Games Commercials

With the Olympic Games coming to a close, I can't help but feel sad.  All the events, world records broken, legends cementing their statuses, and surprise medallists have not failed to impress in London.  In fact, I was eagerly anticipating the Olympics much more than the Euros.  The simple fact that all the Olympic athletes (bar the professionals that compete in the Olympics) are hungrier than most other athletes gives you this sense of fulfillment cheering them on.

That being said, the Olympic Games, as with any other major sporting event, is the time for commercials to shine just as much as the athletes.  Here are my five favorite commercials:


5. Visa Ads: Isinbayeva & Comaneci
There were plenty of great ads by Visa, but I had to choose my favorite one and ended up choosing my favorite two :).

 

4. Rona Olympic Relay
I'll admit, this commercial really cracked me up when they reached Montreal.  Great music too.

My CrossFit Experience

I've heard so much about this new sport of fitness called "CrossFit".  It combines weightlifting, strength training, and an elevated heart-rate with all the exercises.  I finally had the chance to try it out, albeit, after my friend (thank you Nazem!) somehow convinced me to do an hour of circuit training right before (not the best of ideas but a challenge nonetheless).

I tried it out at Inspire Gym in Blajat street in Kuwait.  Not the first place I would have thought to try it out in, since I've heard so much about it from Montreal already, but I am certainly glad I did it there.

The following exercises was the workout put together by the instructor:

1Km Run
90 Lunge Walks
80 Vipr Standing Overhead Shoulder Presses
70 Kettle Bell Swings
60 Back Raises
50 Air Squats
40 Sit ups
30 Vipr Leg Raises (lower abs and core workout)
20 Pullups
10 Burpees

All of these were to be competed within 40 minutes.  I managed to finish up in a little over 34 mins.  Oddly enough, the only two women in class completed it faster than I did (maddddddd respect!)

I was pleasantly surprised and really impressed with the intensity, tenacity, perfectionism, and professionalism  demonstrated by the instructor; always cheering you on, always correcting your form, never letting you cheat your way out of an exercise.  Moreover, the actual exercises themselves were quite rewarding once completed.  In other words, once you have completed one type of exercise, you genuinely feel a sense of accomplishment and motivation to carry on to the next exercise.  The biggest advantage of CrossFit-ing is the fact that the exercises are constantly varying; never allowing your body to grow accustomed to specific exercises and igniting the fat burning and muscle-building in your muscles.

All in all, I wholeheartedly recommend CrossFit to the following types of people:

1. Those who do not enjoy weightlifting
2. Those who like to take classes
3. Anybody looking to raise the level of intensity of their workouts
4. Those looking to reduce body fat %

I believe I have fallen in love with fitness all over again.

5 minute Breakfasts!

When it comes to eating habits, there are quite a few bad ones out there.  There are those that eat out all the time and rarely cook at home, there are those that do not eat enough protein/carbs/fats in their diet, there are those that eat too much of protein/carbs/fats in their diet, etc.  The list could go on and on, especially if you hail from the Middle East.

One of the most common bad habits stems mainly from the young professionals: early to mid twenties and working.  I'm pretty sure at least 7 out of every 10 do the following: SKIP BREAKFAST.  That is one of the most awful bad habits.

Why you should never skip breakfast:

1. It directly causes to more belly fat
2. Your awareness and concentration are affected 
3. It leads to binge eating in the evening
4. It distorts your eating at lunch and puts you in a "food coma"
5. It causes significant drops in your body's metabolism

I'm pretty sure I can dig up a few more reasons why you should not skip breakfast, but that's not the point of this post today.  The most common excuse made when people skip breakfast is the fact that "there is not enough time".

The following are 4 examples of breakfast meals that do not take longer than 5-10 minutes to prepare:

Motivation

What are you waiting for?

Thank you Roula Haddad.

Injured again? How to stop injuries!

There are so many factors these days that happen that can throw off your momentum; studying for tests/exams, a busy work schedule, lack of gym motivation, or even a night out having fun with friends.  One momentum killer you should do without is getting injured.


Not only do injuries kill your momentum, they could severely throw you off course from all the progress you have made by finally developing an exercise routine!

I should know!  My hip injury this summer kept me on the sidelines for over 2 months.  That resulted in a gain of 10lbs of fat and some major muscle loss.

Injuries are ... the worst!  Here are four ways to help prevent injuries:

How bad do you want it?

The following is an inspirational video about success.

Do not think that the concept of success only applies to overall success.  Break it down into individual goals and use the same measure.  Whether it is your personal life, your health, your career, or anything else, you set your own scales.

"When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, you'll be successful"


How Bad Do You Want It from Greyskale Multimedia on Vimeo.

Thank you Ahmad Absi Halabi for the video!

Do you want it this bad?