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Discovering Khan Al Saboun in Tripoli

On Sunday September 18, a group of social media influencers, journalists and more hopped on a Pullman and went on a road trip to explore the Eco Village of Bader Hassoun.

Since 1480, Khan Al Saboun has been known for its natural oils and soap production. In 1990, Dr. Bader Hassoun became the founder of the eco-village that exports its natural and organic products to many countries around the world.

Upon arrival, guests were divided into groups, each led by a different tour guide. My first stop was the relaxing foot massage that consisted of natural sea salt, olive oil, and other organic herbs. The foot massage was then followed by a short but superb neck and shoulder massage given by professionals in the field. The massage made my day! It was exactly what I needed to soothe my shoulder and upper back pain. I can’t wait for their eastern spa to open in order to indulge in a full body massage and therapy!

The eco-village was filled with food stations that included the traditional Lebanese ice cream stand, the halawa and sweets stand, the fresh corn on a cob stand, and the traditional lunch made up of live BBQ grilling accompanied by some fatoush, tabbouleh, and hummous to give you the true village experience!

After the massage came some tea and then we discovered the main area where all the decorative natural soaps and essences are produced. We were told about their royal collection that consists of the love charm collection, the oud sultani collection, and the oud mixture collection (made specifically for the non-oud lovers). There is nothing better than treating your skin right and providing it with organic and natural products so I also took advantage and enjoyed a quick facial 🙂

Handmade soaps of all sorts of colors and shapes were on vivid display.

Some interesting facts about the Eco village include:

It has been recently placed, on August 10^th 2016, on the international diplomacy and touristic map of the world
In 2014, Lebanon beat Germany in creating the most expensive soap made up of Gold and Diamond. This achievement sustained Lebanon a place in the Guinness world book records 2014

They are building an organic restaurant as well as a boutique hotel, a spa, and a retreat center. I will definitely be back for some more massages once the entire project is complete!

To stay updated, check out their website here!

Beirut Fitness X Kusmi Tea

As you know, Kusmi Tea was present at the Beirut Fitness turns 2 event offering, delicious and nutritious iced-tea tasting.

Kusmi Tea is a French brand of tea that was created in 1867.

According to Kusmitea.com, the tea plant belongs to the Camellia Sinensis family and originates from China. This is also where the leaves started to be used as the basis for a drink. The tea plant is an evergreen tree which grows in tropical or sub-tropical regions. In the wild, the tea plant can reach 10 – 15 metres tall, but to make it easier to harvest its leaves, it is pruned to a height of about 1.10 metres from the ground. It has a lifespan of around forty years.

Recently, I have tried both the BB Detox and the Detox tea. Both have a fruity, light, and unique taste. The BB detox, is a delicious mixture of green tea, maté, rooibos, guarana, and dandelion, flavored with a hint of grapefruit.The Detox tea is simpler, including a blend of maté, green tea and lemongrass.

Ever since I tried the tea, I developed a tea habit and have been drinking tea almost every morning. Although it’s summer and I don’t usually like drinking hot fluids in summer, sipping the tea slowly just makes you feel so light especially when bloated.

For the tea lovers, if you haven’t tried out Kusmi tea, I recommend you do!They have a wide range of unique flavors such as black, green, floral, fruity, spicy and much much more.

Check out the link (www.kusmitea.com) to know more about them, you can also find their stores at both ABC dbayeh and ABC ashrafieh!

6 Tips to boost your health :)

Make the best out of every situation you face

The mind is a powerful tool. Many studies have shown that positive thinking can affect health. When you are stuck in a certain situation, there is no point in wasting time regretting the past and neglecting the present. Face the situation and try to make the best out of it. I’m not saying that this is something easy to do, but you are capable of overcoming anything in order to reach your goals. And remember, it’s just a phase!

Never Skip Breakfast!

One of my favorite meals of the day is breakfast. Whether I woke up really early or very late, I never leave the house without having eaten. Having an early meal fuels your body for the day and minimizes the chances of overeating during later meals.

Exercise Regularly

Any type of physical activity is a plus for your health. Integrate some easy steps to get a little more active, like parking your car a little farther, taking the stairs, carrying your own groceries… Take the initiative and choose to try something new and fun with your friends. Join a dance class or try yoga or simply commit to being gym buddies. Joining a gym or new class gives you an opportunity to meet new people and enhances your mood. I exercise because it makes me feel good!

Do more of the things that make you happy

According to Oxford Dictionaries, the definition of being happy is when an individual feels or shows pleasure and contentment. Doing more of what makes you happy helps release your stress and increase your positive vibes.

Drink more water

Your body is made up of approximately 60% water. Drinking more water helps keep your skin hydrated. I sometimes tend to forget to drink water but I attempt to always carry a bottle of water with me wherever I go in order to at least drink 1.5-2 liters of water daily.

Meditate from time to time

From time to time, spending some time alone simply doing nothing is all you need. Allow yourself some “me time”, enjoy the sunset from your balcony, or find a quite spot at a park, or mountain, and go there and be still from time to time. Escaping the hustle and stress of the day to day can help relieve stress and re-energize you.

Power Goodness NEW Ice Coconut Water with Watermelon

So, I’ve previously talked to you about Power Goodness’s yummy ice coconut water (Check out the blog post here) and most of you tried it since they were in the goodie bags distributed during #Beirutfitnessturns2 event a couple of weeks ago.

Power Goodness has lately launched a new flavor: Ice coconut water mixed with fresh watermelon. The combination sounds interesting and personally, I love fresh watermelon juice; it’s just super refreshing. In order to get into the mood even more, they sent me real coconut cups (shown above) that were super cute! I poored in some coconut watermelon water into the coconut and enjoyed sipping it slowly. The combination was good, a little sweet, but just as I expected.

Next time you need to cool down from the heat, go for a naturally sweet and refreshing drink. Try one of the flavors that Power Goodness Ice Coconut water offers!

#BeirutFitnessTurns2

On Tuesday August 9^th, Beirut Fitness celebrated its 2^nd anniversary, during a sunset gathering hosted by Praia Beach Resort –Zouk Mosbeh.

During the event, 2 travel tickets were awarded by Travel Bureau, as well as a personal training package from Le Gym by Robert Maalouf. The event was well attended by over 50 people including well-known social media influencers and traditional media representatives. Guests enjoyed a tea tasting offered by Kusmi Tea and received goodie bags, which included coconut water from Power Goodness, and chocolates from Chocolove. The cake was provided by Dulce n Banana and Patrick Sawaya Photography and Beiruting covered the event. Printing courtesy of Future Graphics.

Beirut Fitness is all about building a community and getting like-minded people together and here we are celebrating the success of our 1st event 🙂

I look forward to more events and celebrations!

Check out all the pictures of the event, on our facebook page. Stay tuned for more blog posts regarded the event.

Woodbees Restaurant Review

A couple of days ago, my sister Sylvie and I tried out Woodbees restaurant located on the Zalka highway.

We ordered the quinoa salad as a starter. It included white quinoa, cucumber, dried cranberries, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, grilled halloumi cheese coated in oregano and was served with a Dijon lemon dressing. The salad was a nutritious bowl of quinoa; simple but tasty.

Known for being “the house of sandwiches” we ordered the chicken shawarma sandwich and the Proscuitto and Brie to share.

All their meats are grilled using a special grilling technology through an automatic grill designed especially to cook a variety of meats and vegetables simultaneously. With this automatic grill, Woodbees claims to always guarantee fresh, quick, and consistent meals. The chicken shawarma was ok, as I felt like some of the chicken was overcooked and hence dry. The homemade garlic sauce though had an original taste.

As for the prosciutto brie sandwich, I am usually not a fan of mixing sweet with my salty food, but the combination of the blueberry compote went well with the cheese.The sandwiches were filling and the whole grain Woodbees bread was crunchy and tasty.

We also had the Parmesan Truffle Fries, golden fries seasoned with truffle oil and Parmesan cheese, on the side to accompany the sandwiches. Although Tasty, the combination was dry and the Parmesan cheese kept falling off and was difficult to eat.

Concerning the deserts, I was very disappointed. We ordered the Mango delice and the Chocolate Layer Verrine that looked mouthwatering on the menu. Regardless to say that all the previous platters had no sign of presentation, the deserts looked like they were prepared in advance and came in plastic containers as if they were ordered to go.

All in all, it was a simple wholesome meal, which could benefit from some creative presentation and some additional ingredients to make it more satisfying and memorable.

“I don’t diet, I eat according to my goals”

One of the most talked about subjects among women is weight loss.

When I was younger I actually believed many of the advertisements concerning weight loss. Media keeps creating and showing us an unrealistic image of what a female body should look like; making many of women who don’t fit this image, feel insecure and unhappy with their bodies.

In an attempt to reduce my weight, I have fallen victim of the fad diet a few times. I’ve tried the Kellogg’s Special K challenge where you eat a small bowl of milk and cereal for breakfast and dinner for a period of 1 week or 10 days. I did end up losing 1-2 kilos, however, as soon as I stopped it, I would gain it back and I’m not going to stay stuffing myself with milk and cereal forever!

Like me, many people try all these types of so called “diets” that most of the times are very unhealthy and destroy your body. Whether it is an all fruits diet, cabbage soup diet, drinking vinegar and so many other unrealistic ideas, they are unsustainable and absurd options for immediate weight loss.

The problem with these fad diets is that they lead to immediate but temporary results. What is the point of losing a certain amount of weight in such a short period if as soon as you go back to your normal routine you will gain it back?

The body needs carbs, proteins, and nutrients in order to function properly. I’ve discovered that in order to achieve the body of my choice, a balanced diet is what is needed. And by diet I mean a lifestyle and not a temporary diet. As I’ve previously mentioned, I lost close to 7 kilos in a period of 3 months simply by eating healthier, cutting down some carbs, eating whole grain instead of white starch, and cutting down on fried foods and junk food in general. I always mention that French fries are my weakness but that doesn’t mean that I don’t eat them, I just do it in moderation, no more than once a week, and in controlled portions. You will find that with time, as you stop eating certain fatty or sugary foods and replace them with clean, leaner options, you’re body will no longer crave them as much.

My way of living is quite simple; I don’t deny myself from eating anything. I do allow myself to “cheat” and indulge in some of my favorite foods, but not all the time! I try to follow a simple 80-20 rule: eat 80 percent clean and 20 percent other foods.

Christine’s Favorite Outfits: adidas

Continuing with this series of blog posts, the next stop in the virtual tour of my closet is adidas!

When I like a brand, I usually stick to it and become a loyal obsessed customer up until another brand attracts my attention. When it comes to sports clothes this is also the case, so I find myself switching from brand to brand. Mix and matching outfits between different brands is also one of my favorite things to do!

Therefore, being completely honest with you, I have not been a fan of adidas up until recently when they started going out of their traditional 3 stripes basic designs. For those of you who have been following me for some time now, know that I am a fan of colorful sports wear especially printed leggings. So lately, adidas’s collaborations with reknown designers and celebrities such as Stan Smith and Stella Mccartney have attracted my attention and have made me a regular adidas customer.

Super Comfortable and Stylish Running Shoes

Have you seen their recent summer collection filled with different colors and prints? Their wide variety makes it possible for everyone to find what they are looking for, whether it’s a solid tank, a crop top, printed leggings, or solid leggings, there’s a bit of everything to satisfy people’s tastes.

Oh and their fashion sneakers simply make a statement when worn!

Check out some more my favorite picks from this summer’s collection below:

Let me know which outfit is your favorite by commenting below 🙂

A day in Nature with the Huawei Team

#Funnevertakesabow

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to attend a fun and adventurous day with the Huawei team at Nature Land, Bzebdine for the launching of the Huawei Y6 pro mobile.

The day first started with an introduction about Huawei followed by an overview about the Y6 Pro phone. We then had an exciting day filled with activities such as hiking, zip lining, tree climbing, and more enjoying the outdoor.

Almost three weeks after the event, let me share with you my experience using the Y6 Pro. I’ve had an iPhone for the past 4 years and every time I consider changing phones I obviously stay in my comfort zone and buy the newer edition. I’ve always dreaded changing to android, as I thought it was going to be such a challenging change.

As soon as I was exposed to the Y6 Pro, the first thing that caught my attention is its AMAZING battery features! Not only does it stay charged for 2 days (while using it A LOT!) but it can also be used as a reverse charger (charging other phones). To me, battery quality is one of the most important features in the phone; besides the camera and picture quality. The back camera is 13 megapixels and the front camera is 5 megapixels. All in all, the system is super easy to use, the screen is wide and the colors are great. To add, the phone is super affordable, it costs below $200 – yes! You heard me – all these features for less than $200! Pretty awesome, right?

IMG_20160604_123250 — Captured with Huawei – Y6 Pro

Hammana Cherry Festival

In my family, Sundays are made for family day. We enjoyed a quick lunch after mass; went on road trips discovering new places or headed to the beach when the weather was warm.

So, last Sunday we woke up early and headed towards the Hammana Cherry Festival. I have always heard about Hammana’s cherries and yes they are juicy, large, and yummy.

The first time I had heard about this event was last year although this year was the 8^th annual Cherry Day!

One of my mom and I’s favorite fruit is cherries so imagine the excitement of being able to pick each and every cherry from the tree and eat it right on the spot.

Kiosks including the traditional souk, art and crafts, kids section as well as souk el tayeb were present throughout the streets.

We had booked our cherry picking experience at 12:00 pm. The shuttle came on time to take us to the land. To my surprise, we arrived to a small garden filled with not only cherry trees but also black berry trees. My expectations were too high; I had imagined myself going to a huge paradise of cherry trees. However, reality was more modest and we took a tour of a private garden.

Nevertheless, the owner of the land was super friendly. He taught us how to pick the cherries carefully without harming the trees and encouraged us to eat as much cherries as we possibly could.

For a few seconds I felt like a farmer, standing on the ladder placed inside the tree surrounded by so much greenery and lots and lots of fruit.

Next time the cherry festival takes place, make sure you take your kids on this unique experience of picking cherries and appreciating the beauty of nature!