Body issues

Being part of the land of the Bold and The Beautiful has put a certain amount of pressure on me to start to look after myself more, and so far, this has meant almost daily torturous visits to the gym.

I should start by saying that here, I really am not the only one who feels this.  When I discussed this with Claire, another British expat she said "I used to be a size 12 at home.  I came here and saw that everyone was tall blond and had bumps in all the right places.  It made me feel uncomfortable in myself, so I hit the gym...  Hard"  Claire now has a stomach you could wash your clothes on.

The thing is, I have also found out that the comparisons are all one way.  I never seem to notice the short girls with a bit of flesh who are throughout Dubai, even though I am more than conscious about my own dimpled bum.  That said, when I actually look for them, 'normal' women are everywhere, it is just in our psyche to tear ourselves apart and ignore the signs screaming at us that this is a real life version of photoshop - You see what you want to see. 

Gratifyingly, I found out that I would not be the only one carted off to the mental asylum, "Do you know, I don't either."  said Claire when I mentioned this to her.  She actually discussed this at work also, and they all agreed, unlike at home, if you feel crap, you watch Jeremy Kyle to make yourself feel better,  here as it is all one way, so introverted, you fight it. 

 

The mani-pedi here is de rigueur, which luckily for me with my discount works out at about £15 - or £5 for the manicure.  Women are always hairless, apart from on their heads which are coiffed in different styles every time they leave their homes, even if at the end of the night they resemble poodles leaving the parlour.

I knew that with all the sun and the fact that I now have a drawer dedicated to my bikinis, which I wear a couple of times a week, I would be more body conscious.  I knew before we started to look for somewhere to live that a gym was an important part of the deal.  Surely, if it were on my own premises I would go more, ergo be more at home with my dumpy legs???  

The gym, looking down to the running machines, bikes and rowing machines

The overwhelming desire to bring on change kicked in on my second visit to the beach.  The  shape of my legs must change, the roll around my middle, which is not visible when I stand but causes a white line along my waste as it does not get to see the sun, needs to go as do those bingo wings which are starting to form at an alarming rate.

Fashion is very important here, and as you acclimatise, fashions in the UK can be worn here;  Layering in winter months is key and yes, I am gutted that I have left my leather biker jackets behind as apparently I will be needing them.  Jeans can most definitely be worn and are currently my outfit of choice, although when I first arrived I thought the people who wore them in such extreme temperatures were to be a sandwich short of a picnic.

Sadly, having moved countries, setting up home is a priority, and therefore shopping for clothes, has not really been at the top of my agenda (excusing the Burberry sunglasses I brought), but to my horror, when I saw the S/S13 hemlines rising to just below your naval, I could see that this trend will be big in Dubai.  Huge even and I knew that something had to be done. Now.

So I have hit the gym.  The first session was an evening session, after Ian returned from work.  He killed me.  He was doing what I am sure every great athlete and trainers do;  Pushing your limits till you hurt.  Needless to say, I threw a tantrum and continued the session in a foul mood, whilst he stood there sniggering at me.

Looking up to the weights

Since then, he has not come with me.  He is very positive and always makes sure to ask what I am doing, for how long, what weight etc... and whilst I would never admit this to him out loud, having him there for the first time was a god send, as it has forced me to work harder, longer and push myself every time I attend, and to be honest, a view like this makes it easier..

From my treadmill, but taken with my BB so it's not a good pic, but you get the idea

The good news is I am seeing the benefits from it.  Whilst my arms and belly remain the same, my legs are undoubtedly looking better and I even wore a skirt 2 inches above my knee to our date night last week.  Don't get me wrong, there is still a long way to go til I start to look like Kim Kardashian, but one small step, one giant leap and all that...