Tag: wellness

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.” — Jane Howard

 

One of the most basic human needs is the need to belong, and to feel loved and accepted by others.  We all want to be a part of something bigger. We all want to experience a sense of community. To have a group of like-minded people that are on the same wavelength, and are on the same page supporting each other sharing ideas, interests and working in harmony — be it professional, or personal.

Your tribe members are those people who accept you just as you are, and who want the very best for you.  They make you feel understood, and they encourage you to go after your goals and pursue your dreams.  The members of your tribe also help you to get through difficult times, and provide you with a sense of community and support. Your tribe is made up of ‘your people.’

At the Hundred we know these ‘people’ and we have been blessed to have our own family/tribe grow slowly but surely over the years. And while many often think of slow growth as defective, we strongly disagree, because the truth is that all good things grow slow—dreams, fruit, businesses and relationships.

Gardeners sometimes like to plant trees labeled ‘fast growing’ for highly sought-after quick results. But here’s the thing —fast-growing trees don’t have deep enough roots to last through storms and droughts. Good things need time to take root and grow. A slower more organic pace will help your roots stretch deep and wide. Trust us it’s okay to grow slow. As a result of our organically paced growth, we have the most amazing tribe and community of  people who share common interests and values and show genuine appreciation and care for each other.

This Ramadan follow us on Instagram as we will share a little more about the heartbeat of The Hundred Wellness Center, our people, our tribe and family!

Ramadan is almost here and we want to help you approach your fast this year with mindfulness, discipline, and awareness. Perhaps it can even be an opportunity to focus on living a healthy and balanced lifestyle through a more mindful approach to eating, and to better prepare you for fasting, we have put together a few ways that can prepare your body for fasting. By planning and adjusting your routine before the fasting starts, it will be easier to kick any cravings, making the transition a whole lot easier.

Here are our tips:

Portion control — In these days before Ramadan, it’s important to reduce your portion sizes. Some may think splurging on food before fasting begins to sort of ‘stock up’, but this is exactly what not to do. The aim here is to reduce your appetite and hunger for larger quantities of food, ultimately helping your body transition to fasting in a healthy way.

Start eating your breakfast earlier — By getting your body use to eating breakfast earlier than usual, the transition won’t feel so strange for your metabolism. So start putting your alarm on a little earlier each morning, and even if you’re not hungry, eat. You want to trigger your stomach into understanding your new routine and when to expect food.

Don’t snack — If you are a hard-core lover of snacks (even those healthy ones!), then Ramadan can prove challenging. So just like with breakfast, you want to reset your stomach and mind now in the lead up to Ramadan, so try to stick to only three nutritious meals a day. This will help you lose the desire for these little goodies throughout the day, and your body will begin to not to expect them in your routine.

Step away from the coffee — Caffeine withdrawal, it’s a thing. And if you are a: ‘multiple cups of coffee’ kind of person, that headache will feel much worse while you’re fasting if you haven’t prepared your body in advance. If cutting down on your favourite cuppa seems impossible, then start small and work your way up. First, reduce your coffee intake to only one cup a day (somewhere mid-day not first thing in the morning), and maybe even switch to decaffeinated coffee. And ultimately, finish with cutting it out of your day all together.

Stock up on your groceries now  — Prepare now while you are still hyped up and full of energy. Shop and stock up on nutritious foods that can be served at Suhoor or Iftar times so that you’re not so tempted by those hunger driven guilty pleasures later. Plan what foods are best to have for breakfast, find the recipes and stock up on the ingredients, this way you will leave less to temptation and you can make sure that cravings won’t hinder what your body actually needs while fasting.

If you feel that you need help or accountability throughout this Ramadan, and really want to make it your healthiest Ramadan EVER, get in touch with us via email us or call on +9714 344 7333 to see how we can help!

We are so excited to announce that we finally have our infrared sauna up and running!  For months we have been working hard to bring you transformative infrared sauna services to The Hundred Wellness Centre. Unlike traditional saunas, which operate at extremely harsh temperatures, our infrared sauna is gentle, soothing and it’s therapeutic heat promotes relaxation, detoxification, improved sleep and so much more. Infrared sauna therapy helps you relax and relieves stress while you receive an invigorating deep tissue sweat, leaving you fully refreshed and rejuvenated after each session.

Whether we know it or not, we are exposed to heavy metals on an almost daily basis through pollution and as a matter of modern life, and left undisturbed, these heavy metals can cause illnesses. Sweating is the body’s safe and natural way to heal and stay healthy. Infrared saunas therapy induces a rise in core temperature that then results in a deep, detoxifying sweat at the cellular level, where toxins reside.  Infrared heat penetrates tissue, joints, and muscles to help relieve anything from minor aches and pains, to even more chronic pain conditions. Athletes also benefit from this therapy as it can help speed up recovery time post training, as well as decrease muscle spasms.

As with all of the services and treatments you will find at the centre, we strive to bring our clients the best of what is in the wellness world to help you meet all your health and wellness goals. So, in addition to pairing the infrared sauna therapy with our in-house detox program (highly recommended), we are also offering individual sessions, as well as packages.

 

To learn more or to book a session email or call us today on +9714 344 7333

Forgiveness – for·give·ness /ˌfərˈɡivnəs/ the act of no longer feeling anger or resentment towards someone (or yourself).

While we all know the concept of forgiveness, but it can be extremely difficult to really understand it, never mind put it into practice. There are so many layers to it, and many times we make an effort to forgive someone, but then as soon as one bad memory comes up, the anger, hurt and resentment all come racing back, throwing forgiveness right out of the window.

Wasn’t life so much simpler as a child? One ‘sorry’ held the key to fixing everything that was wrong in our world. But we are adults now and that isn’t how it works. However, before you are too hard on yourself, did you know that forgiveness is actually a learned skill? We are not born into the world knowing how to do it automatically, it takes time for all of those negative feelings to process, and that is OK!

Sometimes forgiveness almost seems unnatural, because our internal sense of fairness tells us that people should pay for their wrongs. And one of the hardest thing about practicing forgiveness in our daily lives is that it requires us to confront our feelings toward the closest people to us. It is difficult enough to forgive a stranger we might never see again, but it is so much more difficult to forgive a person we love and trust. So even when you think that you have “Blessed & Released”, and come to terms with what has happened, there are probably still some buried emotions about the event that you have pushed out of your mind that will come out again once something is triggered.

No matter what the circumstances are, and how challenging it can be as a ‘grown-up’, forgiveness really is a gift that you give to yourself. It allows you to return to a peaceful place within yourself. So what do you do when you find yourself struggling with all this? Decide today to do something about it. For example one thing you can try on your own is a forgiveness exercise. The below is adapted from the Stanford Forgiveness Project:

01. Get a paper and pen. Make a list of all the people you feel have wronged you in some way. Write each one down and why it was not not OK.

02. Acknowledge that those things did happen, and that they did hurt you.

03. Make a commitment to do what you need to do in order to feel better.

04. Recognize that your anger is coming from the thoughts that you have about what happened, and your thoughts are within your control.

05. When you start getting upset about those past experiences ask yourself, “What am I thankful for?”

06. Focus your energy into looking for ways to achieve happiness by letting the anger go, instead of using your energy on  re-living the negative experiences over and over in your head. (We call this: Blessing & Releasing).

In the end the best advice we can give if you find yourself still having some difficulty practicing forgiveness, is to please get in touch with us to learn more about our Forgiveness Clinics with Maya Badran and how she can help guide you through all your emotions and help you navigate this tricky skill. Maya is available every other Thursday throughout the month of July and August.

 

 

At The Hundred Wellness Centre, our mission is to empower others to live healthier, happier, more intentional lives. Lives where you are consciously choosing the kind of food you eat, who you surround yourself with, how you move your body, and even the things you do in your spare time.

On April 22nd we join people around the globe to celebrate ‘Earth Day‘, but truth be told.. in our little Hundred Wellness world, Earth Day is every single day! Every choice we make as a business and as a team is a conscious one, with the community’s health, and the wellness of the planet in mind.

To show you how easy it can be to do the same, we listed a few small things you can do to make every day ‘Earth Day’:

01. Use canvas or reusable bags – Get yourself some reusable bags and keep them in your car, and the next time you are in the grocery store, simply decline plastic bags from cashier. Scientists estimate that every square mile of ocean contains approximately 46,000 pieces of plastic floating in it. And believe it or not, you CAN make an impact on those numbers by making this small change to your grocery store visits, and encouraging your friends to do the same.

02. Clean your home with non-toxic household cleaners – Most people don’t think of their household cleaners as pollutants. Just because these products do their job by cleaning, it doesn’t mean they aren’t also harmful. So instead of using the toxic cleaners, you can purchase some non-toxic cleaners (we love Ecabiotic), or maybe even make your own alternative cleaners to keep your home safer… and squeaky clean!

03. Learn to love a plant-based diet- Research done by Oxford University shows that when it comes to climate change, following a plant-based diet could cut food-related emissions by 70%. Now we are not saying that you should give up meat completely, but doing your best to lower your intake of animal products is definitely a great start.

04. Buy organic foods and products – According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: “By opting for organic products, the consumer through his/her purchasing power promotes a less polluting agricultural system”.  So when you go to the grocery store or farmer’s market, depending on what you purchase there, you are contributing to the type of agriculture system you want to support. So support a local organic system (like IGRUAE) that doesn’t use synthetic herbicides and pesticides, these chemicals are not only foreign to your body, but also harmful to the water, air and environment too!

These were just a few examples, but there are tons of ways we can make a positive impact for Earth day. If you need more ideas please do get in touch with us and our team will be happy to help!

And this year, as you go through Earth Day, (and the other 364 days of the year) remember to keep this quote in your mind –

“I don’t want to protect the environment. I want to create a world where the environment doesn’t need protecting.” – Unknown

“Those who are wise won’t be busy, and those who are too busy can’t be wise.” ― Lin Yutang

We know that life can be busy. There is so much to do, with so little time. We totally get it! Many of us juggle a lot of balls at the same time – work, our health, caring for our families and the list goes on. All of this leaves us feeling that we are always ‘busy’.

How much do you love to have nice little to-do lists organized neatly on post-it notes, with tiny little tasks that can be efficiently checked off? By the end of the day, you feel so happy and in control. Let’s be honest, it seems that most of us like racing against time and being this busy, but at The Hundred Wellness Centre we are HUGE self-care advocates. We believe that caring for your mind, body, and soul is a priority in order to live healthy, happy and purposeful life.  So how does one go about doing this when they are so busy and constantly feeling like they are fighting the clock?

Consider these tips to get you started:

01. Appreciate and schedule time for rest: One of the reasons many of us keep busy schedules is that we fail to recognize the value of rest. But rest is so beneficial to our bodies, minds, and souls. Set aside one day per week for some rest and familytime. Intentionally schedule it on your calendar, and then, guard it at all costs.

02. Cultivate ‘space’ in your daily routine. Take time for lunch. Find space in your morning to sit quietly before starting your day. Invest in solitude, meditation, or yoga. Find opportunity for breaks at work in between projects. Begin right away cultivating little moments of space in your otherwise busy day. Give yourself permission to start freeing up your schedule to give yourself space for your personal needs, and to just BE.

03. Realize that being busy is a choice. It is a decision we make. We are never forced into a lifestyle of busy-ness. The first, and most important step to becoming less busy is to simply realize that our schedules are determined by us. We do have a choice in the matter.

‘Busy’ does not need to define you― ‘UNbusy’ is possible. And it’s really okay to be happy with a slower paced life– so tell us, what is your current mindset around being ‘busy’? And what is one thing that you can do to try and make a positive shift this coming week?

The most challenging, but important part about getting fit is committing to it. The key is to create a fitness habit that becomes like a muscle—the more you work it and maintain it, the stronger it will get. So clearly if you join a class that is fun, and you start to see/feel the results it will be easier to stay consistent and committed! If this is what you are looking for, then we recommend you try out the latest addition to our class schedule: The Hundred Bodyweight Classes. These high energy sessions are a great choice when it comes to gaining strength, building muscle, and burning fat.. Still need to hear more? Here we have listed 4 great reasons as to why our bodyweight classes should be a key component of your workout regime:

01. There is something for everyone: Bodyweight classes are a great choice because they’re easily modified to challenge any fitness level. Adding extra repetitions, performing the exercises faster or super-slow, and perfecting form are a few ways to make even the simplest exercise more challenging. And progress is easy to measure, since bodyweight exercises offer endless ways to do a little more in each workout.

02. Super-efficient workouts: Since there’s no equipment involved, bodyweight workouts make it easy to transition quickly from one exercise to the next, and these shorter rest times mean it’s easy to quickly boost heart rate and burn some serious calories!

03. Injury prevention: Since injury is one of the main reasons why people fall off the exercise “bandwagon”, preventing those aches and pains is a big priority for our team at the centre. The Hundred Bodyweight classes are generally quite safe for anyone regardless of experience, age, or fitness level.

04. Let’s talk results: Bodyweight exercises get results partly because they involve compound movements -which means that you are engaging more than just one of your joints and muscles in each move/exercise. These types of exercises have been shown to be extremely effective for gaining strength and improving performance.

 

Now we do know that how you choose to workout is very personal, and there is no “best way” for everyone.. But our bodyweight classes are efficient, lots of fun and offer a ton of benefits that other forms of strength training cannot match, and the sessions are diverse, and never boring! So if you want to give it a try* (*this is highly recommended) check out the class schedule here and call us on +971 4 344 7333  in to book your first class!

 

Do you feel like you have “tried everything” when it comes to losing weight and keeping it off? Are you frustrated by your lack of energy while you are trying to lose weight? And do you have a ton of questions when it comes to weight loss?  Then we invite you to join us for a complimentary supportive group discussion led by our in-house nutrition and weight loss expert Ryan Penny from The Wellness Brothers, to have all your questions answered.

Anyone looking for support and solid answers in regards to diets, nutrition, weight loss and everything in between is invited to join! So if you are overwhelmed by all the nutrition advice you hear, and feel like you have tried everything and you still don’t fit into your “skinny” jeans, then this session is for you! Sign up to join us (and tell your friends too!) and see what our group weight loss support sessions can offer you.

When: Monday the 27th of March 2017 at 10:30am sharp.

Where: At The Hundred Wellness Centre Cafe.

Limited spots available, so email or call us on +9714 3447333 to book your space.

p.s. If you can’t make it but have lots of questions, call or email us to schedule a private weight-loss consultation with Ryan and get all the answers you have been looking for!

 

 

 

 

We are dedicating Saturday, March 11th to all of you.. our community! We have carefully curated a fun-packed Wellness Day, and we are inviting everyone to join us at The Hundred Wellness Centre as we celebrate the start of Spring and devote an entire day to living our healthiest happiest life.

Given how important awareness is to our health and wellbeing, our mission on this day is to look at some of the different aspects of wellness in a fun and interactive way. From what we put in our bodies to how we feed our minds and spirits, each session and activity is designed to give you accessible and actionable steps to take back to your everyday life. We all want to live our healthiest, best life and our Wellness day will help you set that foundation. If you take a peek at what is on our calendar of health-focused workshops you will find:

– A children’s art class with Medaf that will be led by Alia Lootah (2 hours) – This exciting workshop will bring together the creative energy of nature into the little ones own canvases. Learn the basics of colour mixing, perspective and live drawing. We will look into the grass, trees and the sky for inspiration! Children from 5 to 13 can join in.

– An informative talk about creating a healthier environment at home with Lamis Harib – Lamis will introduce visitors to Ecabiotec products, and will discuss why Ecabiotec is set up in the Middle East, and the importance of the ‘Made In UAE’ value as a local company. She will also explore the difference and change it’s values will bring, as well as awareness on toxins in disinfectants from a health & environmental perspective, which is core to The Hundred Wellness as a mission as well. A selection of products will be available for purchase.

– A therapeutic ‘Forgiveness’ clinic with Maya Badran – This session will emphasize the importance of forgiveness as a preventative therapy and as an empowering tool to improve one’s mental and physical wellbeing, and how subconscious negative beliefs and negative repetitive emotions can cause illness in the body and how practicing forgiveness can eliminate the negative feelings so that a person can feel happier and healthier.

– An Asana Yoga session with Charity Adams – Charity’s Asana classes emphasize the connection with the breath and body in addition to proper alignment and acknowledgement of one’s own limitation. She believes in the beginning yoga can be a physical practice but with sincere commitment you can cultivate freedom within the body leading you to deeper meditative practices.

And tucked in among our complimentary Wellness Day workshops and talks there are plenty of other activities to participate in during the day depending on your interests – here are a few that might catch your eye:

– An indoor local, organic market with freshly harvested produce from our partners IGR (Integrated Green Resources UAE).

– A complimentary (sugar free – gluten free) healthy brunch, featuring local Emirati specialities, courtesy of The Hundred.

– Free outdoor and indoor fitness, Pilates and ladies only classes run by our highly skilled trainers will be running throughout the day, and everyone is welcome to join in.

– For those about to embark on a new plan to get fit or improve their health, there is an opportunity to have a free body-fat ratio analysis consultation with Lulu Alarmali, one of our in-house nutritional specialists. Lulu is offering body fat analysis consultations that would take 15-20 minutes, and afterwards she will give a brief explanation of what the individual’s body fat distribution indicates. If a meal plan or supplementation is required to target specific areas or for overall fat loss, an appointment to follow up can be booked. (Early bookings required and spots are limited so please email or call us on +9714 344 7333 to book.

– In collaboration with Loco’motion there will be an evening screening of the multi award-winning movie, “Happy” –– from Roko Belic, director of the Academy Award-nominated “Ghengis Blues” –– in The Hundred’s beautiful gardens. The uplifting movie explores the nature of happiness.

Additionally, there will be a range of pop-up shopping opportunities, ranging from homemade Kombucha and Sauerkraut made by our founder Asma Lootah, fitness apparel for yoga and active lifestyles from Yapparel and Lorne Jane, handcrafted locally-made candles with a touch of luxury by Wallance and Co, to natural nutrition and performance supplements from the FitnessFuel Company, and experts will be on hand to answer questions.  

This is not just a party, it’s community, education, creativity and a way to bring together like-minded people to give back, and take action on important wellness issues! We look forward to welcoming you all, and making this a day to be remembered. You can find the schedule of activities and their timings here.  If there is a certain activity that you don’t want to miss, drop us an email or call us on  +9714 344 7333 and we will make sure to secure your spot!

p.s. To keep up with all the updates on our Wellness Day, follow the hashtag #thehundredwellnessYAY on Instagram!