Although Ramadan is the month were vimto and tang is preferred in most houses, Special drinks Like gamar-deen, baithan, and sa7lab, starts to appear. Im suggesting for all of you that leban has to be ur top choice this Ramadan, along side with milk and other dairy products. They are a rich source of calcium (Ca), which has alot of benefits to our bodies, like strengthening our bones and teeth.
Studies have shown that adequate ca intake help in the prevention of some diseases such as colon cancer and hypertension (high blood pressure). In my practice I often meet a lot of people who just refuse to drink milk. This has been a major concern for me specially for females who are more prone to bone diseases such as osteoporosis.
Females must also increase their ca intake during pregnancy and lactation; often they don’t keep up with their body demands. With Ramadan classic options of leban, yougurt, mhalbeya, custard and other dairy rich options, you can enjoy having your ca intake with each meal.
At last but not least, always remember that an adult person needs three rich Ca sources every day.
Enjoy your food, and stay healthy
Sara Al-Kandary | Nutrition Specialist
And here comes that time of the year where all my patients ask me for a diet plan to follow in Ramadan. As a family physician, its part of my job to give advices about healthy eating, but my patients push me sometimes to help them generate a diet plan that they can follow, simply because they don’t want to lose track and gain weight during Ramadan. After all, no one can resist homemade harees, tashreeb or the famous lgaimat!
At first, I used to agree and write them few notes about healthy fotor, sohor and snacks. But, I don’t believe in the concept of” dieting to lose weight “because no one can be deprived from what he/she loves for a long time. Furthermore, literature, and evidence proved that the best way to lose weight is to change your life style into a healthy one.
Taking these few words into consideration, and armed with literature and evidence based medicine, I started to find a solution for the Ramadan diet issue, and what I found was amazing.
In Ramadan,
Consider fasting, a self cleaning system. We fast for a month every year. That is a day of fasting for every 12 days in the year.
During fasting, the body which usually uses glucose for energy will have to breakdown the more complex glycogen to get this energy. When that is not enough, the body then attacks the infamous FAT. The metabolism increases and voila… you lose weight.
By that I came to an agreement with my dear patients not to ask for a diet plan in Ramadan. All you need to do is to decide to change your life into a healthy one and use Ramadan with all its religious chores as your diet.
Hello Everyone,
Following my previous post about training before fotor, today i will talk generally about training during the holly month of ramadan for a weight loser, since it covers the majority.
Fitness Goals Vs. Ramadan:
A body builder will suffer during ramadan for not eating enough.
A runner (like me) will suffer due to lack of energy (Sometimes).
A weight loser, has all the benefits :). and takes all credits.
Since most of you out there are weight losers and aims at losing weight during ramadan, i decided to write down a mini-program for you that combines all the ‘TaCticS’ that boost your metabolism, and help you lose the most weight possible during the remaining period of the month using scientifically measured approaches.
The program will be based on the fact that our bodies targets fat storage for energy when training on an empty stomach…Sweet ? Well, lets make the best use of it.
Here we go…
For more info on Nutrition during Ramadan, my other team mates in AYMSTRONG will cover it in depth in their posts. But for now, if you mainly avoid (Fried food, Sweets, Deserts, Butter, Mayonnaise, and use skimmed dairy products) you should be on the safe side as stated by Fitness Expert Bill Phillips ‘Author of best selling book -Body for Life.’
Leave your stomach empty for three hours.
Following this program will help you reach an extreme fat burning metabolism twice daily due to working out on an empty stomach. Just dont forget to drink a lot of water during the time allowed to avoid getting dehydrated or any other issues.
What is after Ramadan ? Do not follow this program more often. It is made for weight losers and it should not be applied for more than a month, due to its excessive Cardio, which will lead to muscle loss and therefore a depletion of your overall health.
For more inquires, kindly email me at yousef@alqanai.com. and keep checking our blog to be updated.
Important Notice:
Kind Regards, and Stay Strong
Yousef Al-Qanai | Fitness Expert
Hello Everyone,
Everyone knows that Ramadan is the holly month of fasting. The average hours of fasting are from 10 to 12 hours. As a doctor, the most common complain I face from those who fast, especially during the first week of Ramadan are HEADACHES.
It is estimated that around 40% of those who fast suffer from headaches.
So why do headaches increase when fasting?
Well there are several reasons, and most can be avoided or can be easily delt with.
The most common cause is simply the change in eating habits which may cause dehydration and hypoglycemia (low fluids, low sugar).
The solution is simple. Start by omitting breakfast and reduce coffee & tea intake few days before Ramadan. This way your body will adjust to the new system gradually.
The other common reason is smoking. Smokers suffer because their bodies are dependant on nicotine. So they will feel tired, with low mood and headache.
There are other reasons like dyspepsia (increase acidity of the stomach) during fasting, for this problem it is good to eat a light and healthy sohoor that contains carbohydrates to help fell the stomach, keep the sugar level steady and reduce acidity of the stomach.
Patients, who suffer from sinusitis or migraine, may experience bouts of severe headaches during fasting. These patients should avoid trigger factors like food and other allergens that may precipitate the attacks.
In short:
- Prepare for fasting before Ramadan.
- Eat healthy balanced fotor, less fat, sugar & salt.
- Avoid trigger factors that may precipitate headaches.
- If you need to take medications for headache, take them with your sohoor.
Ramadan is a great opportunity to get rid of your addiction to nicotine and caffeine. Take this chance and cleanse you body.
No information will be provided about this event now. Email us at info@aymstrong.com for any inquires.
Hello everyone,
A lot of people inquire about how to properly exercise during the Holy month. It is a sensitive issue which a lot of misunderstand, therefore I decided to highlight on this issue today.
During the Holy month of Ramadan, you can still train and achieve your weight loss goals while combined with healthy eating and proper nutrition. But when to excersice? That is a very important question.
Never train early in the morning during Ramadan when you are only going to eat at 6:30 pm. The long period between your training and break-fast will dehydrate you to some level and torture you. A 5% decrease of your body’s water needs would decrease 10% of your blood thickness, which leads to headaches, dizziness, and all sort of pain. Therefore, you have to be cautious on picking the right time to excersice in Ramadan.
The best excercise you can do is to have a long walk right before Fotor time. Lets say you go for a walk at 4pm until 5 pm, it would be ‘Perfect’ given that you’ll have only one hour left for Fotor.
Enjoy it and Happy Ramadan to everyone.
Kind Regards, and Stay Strong
Yousef Al-Qanai | Fitness Expert
Ever since I was introduced to the sense of taste, the primary two powerful food tastes were either Sweet or Salty. The two powerful added crystals to food are “Table sugar & Table salt”. Lets keep salt on a side for a while and highlight SUGAR.
Simple sugar is in the form of sucrose, the sense of sweetness that we all enjoy! I’m not talking about naturally present sugars that are present in foods such as carbohydrates, vegetables, fresh fruits/juices and in milk, but I’m strongly concerned with added sugars in our daily foods. Those sugar maybe present in any of our beverages, candies, sodas, cakes, cookies, caramel toppings etc. Think about it the next time you have your tea/coffee or more concerned I am when it comes to frappes and milkshakes that some people randomly snack on!
The daily-recommended sugar intake according to the FDA is 10 teaspoons (40 grams) as the “Daily Value” for added sugars for a 2,000Kcal. Daily Values are currently used on food labels to point out the recommended maximum intakes of fat, sodium, and other nutrients. That is why it is extremely vital to READ food labels. However the new AHA (American Heart Association) revision of Sugar allowance sets the upper limit at 6 teaspoons for women and 9 teaspoons for men! Which is even better to stay on the safer sides.
And for those interested in calorie control or trying to lose or maintain weight, I’m sure that every calorie counts for you, so sugar adds up on calories ONLY that’s why it’s called “Empty Calories.” The sugar in a muffin or a cappuccino will take a big portion out of your calorie allowance for the day without getting you closer to your daily goals for minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients.
Ramadan is at the doors and it’s a good chance for us to clean out our bodies, and in this spiritual occasion I’d like to take this opportunity to wish my readers a happy healthy Ramadan filled with God’s forgiveness. However I believe that many dishes and especially sweet dishes are introduced, * “legaimat & basbousa” comes at the top of the list & not to forget the famous Ramadan cold sweet drink!
So be clever and have them in moderation. Make a sweet deal with yourself, that you won’t upset your bodies with extra “empty calories” that may be a reason for future diseases such as tooth decay, obesity, type 2 diabetes and so on.
Look ahead to achieve your Sweet Deal
Sweetests Regards
Dalal Al- Nukhailan| Nutrition Specialist
Health & Lifestyle Coach
**Legaimat & Basbousa= two very famous Arabic sweet dishes made using a high amount of sugar & sugar syrup.
Hello Everyone,
My good friend Thamer Al-Thamer the owner and CEO of Intelligent Marketing Solutions (IMS), has kindly developed a short story board for AYMSTRONG, which represents its theme and logo all together. His marketing skills and knowledge in the field of Marketing & Branding are well represented in how he visualized and explained AYMSTRONG’s vision and mission in a picture with a short story.
Hello Everyone,
Abdullah, the author of the best blog in Kuwait, P0ach.com approached me a couple of weeks ago to take an interview with me. The guy is amazing and very outgoing with a vision in mind. It was my pleasure to do the interview to make sure more people hear about AYMSTRONG and to get influenced.
Take a look at the interview by pressing here, and dont forget to place your comment.
AYMSTRONG releases its new logo that identifies its three corporate colors, orange, grey, and black. Its an illustration of an orange Wolf paws stepped on a grey rock. The wolf represents strength and cleverness, while the paws represent trace and guidance. We at AYMSTRONG offers our clients proper guidance from experts to help them lead and manage a healthier and a more productive life. Follow the trace and you will be strong.
Feel free to post your comment below about our Logo.
Are you a Nutritionist ?, Dietitian ?, Doctor in Medicine ?, or a Fitness Trainer ?…Then read this page.
AYMSTRONG is hosting a discussion seminar on the 9th of August right before Ramadan to help people prepare very well and stay healthy in the holy month, and to make sure they get the most benefit of the fasting habits they are about to inhibit and live with for 30 days.
The seminar will be held at a hall ‘not specified yet’, and we will invite the public for a two hours interactive and effective discussion with all selected specialsits.
Be part of the event as one of the specialists on stage, and help people understand how to live healthy during the holy month. Press here and subscribe Now. and we will contact you couple of days before the event if you were selected.
Yours,
Yousef Al-Qanai | Fitness Expert | ISSA
Anahealthy Show 2nd episode came on Watan TV on June 22nd Tuesday at 6 PM. Me and Rana Al-Omani used boxing and circuit training approaches to make their workouts more fun and challenging.
Dont miss the next expisodes, leave your comments in the section below.
Special Thanx to Abdulaziz Al-Farhan, Waleed Al-Mershed & Bader Jraq for doing the campaign, it was my pleasure to work with them.
ترقبو مخيم انا هيلثي على قنات الوطن كل يوم ثلاثاء في تمام الساعة ٦ مساءا ابتداء من ١٥ / ٦ / ٢٠١٠
Anahealthy show on Al-Watan TV, at 6 PM every Tuesday starting from june 16.
The show combined 8 people to guide them through their life changing process to become healthier stronger individuals.
They were supervised with:
AYMSTRONG; Fitness Expert Yousef Al-Qanai will be featuring the Show as the fitness trainer for the program that will help guide participants to their healthy lifestyle.
Its final exams time, people are staying up until 3 am studying, waking up at 7 am for their 3 hours long exam, err its a suffer and pain mixed with books and pens.
I understand what your going through, and i understand that its probably not the right time to tell you that you should aim for a healthy lifestyle or to start eating healthy. However, thouse who are already healthy eaters will not have a problem with healthy eating just because they are stressed out with their exams. BUT if you just started a program to start eating healthy, dont STOP it, or RUIN it JUST because its exams time. It is just not related and it doesnt make sense to stop doing one thing due to the existence of the other thing.
Its a mixture of excuses we make for ourselves just to easen the process of studying. But it doesnt work. I myself wake up at 7 am on an exam day to go do my run and then im at college by 9 am doing my exam, i feel fresh and ready and i never failed a subject “Knocks on wood”.
I know now your thinking “err, what to do then”
Well, I will give you some tips you can do nowadays;
1-Keep some fruits near by where you study, an apple or a banana will do fine, DONT tell me you don’t have any, they are at the nearest supermarket, and they costs 250 fills.
2-Eat good complex carbs three times a day, it fuels your brain and therefore you will be more productive in your studies. (E.g..Brown bread, Corn, Baked potatos, A banana…etc)
3-Wake up at 7 am everyday and do a short jog or a walk around your block, then go shower and start studying immedietly by 8. It will help keep you fresh, and your studying is a lot more fun when you are fresh.
…..Thats all i can think of for now, keep yourself updated with AYMSTRONG
Kind Regards, and Stay Strong
Yousef Al-Qanai | Fitness Expert
“Life is about… inspiring others”. -YQ
Mark Gillett meeting my father Faisal Al-Qanai just before he finished his stay with AYMSTRONG in Kuwait and went back to Paris on the 10th of June, it was an amazing experience to work with a professional such as Mark, He influenced me in my business alot and he simply influenced and inspired everybody he talked to since the second he landed his foot in Kuwait.
He is one of the most amazing people you will ever meet, he knows it all ;) inside and out.
These pictures in this post were taken at Kuwait journalist Association with my father Faisal Al-Qanai, it was amazing to set with two great men that has a huge influence on my business and my life.
Special thanx for my father for all his support.
Kind Regards, and Stay Strong
Yousef Al-Qanai | Fitness Expert
Hello Everyone,
I will be honest with you, im not a fan of fruits and i never enjoyed eating them. I eat a banana sometimes but not anything else, and i beleive this is due to my background of being an over weight kid living on junk food, i just never had the passion to fall in love with fruits.
Lately, with Mark Gillett here in Kuwait visiting AYMSTRONG, i started eating fruits with him here and there and i have realised the benefits it brings in not more than three days. It is just amazing how eating clean food rehydrates and refuel our bodies so fast, I mean; within just three days of eating fruits more often and avoiding compressed food, my energie level went UP and no more lactic acid pain while running. “I simply flew instead of running”
Honestly, i was pretty amazed. and i felt bad for all those days believing that compressed food could be healthy if its label says so.
As Mark says: Dont believe the labels, if you want healthy food; “its whatever comes from the ground, or off of a tree, or it has been killed “a Chicken for instance”.
Exercise:
Spend the next three days eating fruits two times a day, and experience the difference.
Yours,
Yousef Al-Qanai | Fitness Expert
“Life is about… inspiring others”. -YQ
Hello Everyone, I have never spoken about bodybuilding as i was away from it for a long time now since i started falling in love with "Running". But i cant deny the fact that i was a body builder for 4 years, I mean, it is a part of me and the knowledge i acquired during ...
Hello Everyone, An extremely vital "30 Minutes" cardio training approach focused mainly on increasing your metabolism for even after you finish your workout. Numbers codes such as (4.5, or 8.0) are referred to the intensity level you will use at any cardio machine of your choice at gym. Start with a 5 minutes warm up at (4.5) ...
من اليمين؛ ١.روضان الروضان : وزير الدولة لشئون مجلس الوزراء ٢.الشيخ أحمد الفهد : نائب رئيس الوزراء AYMSTRONG ٣.يوسف فيصل القناعي : رئيس مؤسسة ٤.الشيخ ناصر محمد الأحمد الصباح : سمو رئيس مجلس الوزراء ٥.فيصل القناعي : أمين ...
The leader of the fitness world, Bill Phillips, a person who has influenced millions around the globe. Author of :Body For Life.
Yousef Al-Qanai interview with Proud to be Kuwaiti (P2BK) Team Special thanx to Dhary Al-Wazzan, Ahmad al-Shemery, Talal Khalaf, Sarah Al-Shemery, And all P2BK Team for helping us in our journey.
The Introductory lecture of the Program "إخسر ٧ كيلو"
Bashar, one of the participants of AYMSTRONG's first ever event lost a total of 20 KG in one of our programs that we ...
