Istanbul

I went to Istanbul, Turkey for the New Year. Going there is like stepping back in time, with all the history from two of the worlds greatest empires. Although Istanbul has a very modern offering this time we concentrated on the historical Sultanahmet area, going for Friday prayer at the Blue Mosque (built in 1617 and still used as a place of worship today), the Hagia Sophia with its mix of Christian Byzantine and Islamic mosaics, and of course the Topkapi palace (home to Sultans for more than 3 centuries). As usual, no visit to Turkey is complete with going to Cemberlitas Hamami for a Turkish Bath. Dating from the 1584 it is one of the loveliest Hammams in Istanbul. A lot of my inspiration of my spa treatments come from visiting Istanbul and just dreaming of what life might have been like in those days. Spa is all about being pampered from head to toe and all you have to do is enjoy! Following on from my trip in Istanbul, Talise spa in Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai offers Shiffa Hammam treatments.

I also went to visit the Istanbul Modern museum of Art and a few of the art galleries as well. Turkish art is very interesting and gaining an international following. As usual, there is no way you can finish all there is to do in Turkey in a few days, so I shall come back again.

J'AI OUBLIE DE TE DIRE

I went to the screening of Omar Sharif's new movie J'ai oublié de te dire during the Dubai Film Festival.  Omar Sharif is really one of the great actors of today.  His performance was riveting and it was with great pleasure to meet him again in person.  He is much taller and handsomer in real life, and forever the perfect gentlemen with old world charm.  I always look forward to seeing him again.

Shiffa has many clients in the entertainment industry.  Actors during filming are subjected to heavy make up and harsh lighting.  All this coupled with the long working hours makes their skin look tired and break out.  Shiffa, with its soothing natural extracts and antioxidants, vitamens and seaweed extracts helps calm their skin, rejuvenate and helps reverse the damage done, without blocking the pores.  The cleanser is especially popular, as it cleanses the skin gently yet thoroughly, it also contains extracts that are antibacterial so helping to prevent breakouts.

I am now going to watch Dr Zhivago again, and hope that Omar Sharif appears in a Hollywood movie soon (Meryl Streep and Omar Sharif in a movie – now wouldn’t that be fabulous!).

Getting back into shape

Hi everyone! Welcome to Shiffa’s new website complete with my “blog” section. I am currently 9 weeks post baby. Although the green light for exercise is usually given after 6 weeks, I am finding it hard to fit in ½ hour of anything these days! I have purchased some post natal exercise DVD’s that focus on light stretching but have only been able to use them twice. With 4 children, your attention is constantly in demand. What I am trying is to take a “family” walk around my neighbourhood, with the baby in a sling so at least I can get some fresh air. Its important for a new mom to try and get out, so she doesn’t feel cooped inside all the time.

I firmly believe that ALL women can go back to their pre pregnancy shape once they’ve had their baby. It takes time (after all it took 9 months to have the baby) and you should expect to go back in a year’s time.

It starts when you are pregnant. Take care to eat the correct foods and put on a healthy amount of weight. I make sure that what I eat is good for me and the baby. Yes I have chocolate, cookies, cake etc but all in moderation. I try that all my carbs are the whole wheat variety (brown rice, spelt bread etc) and I always include nuts, flaxseed, avocados and olive oil to my diet. These will help nourish your baby (especially the nervous system) and your skin from the inside. I also continued exercising when pregnant. One of the best yoga DVD’s for pregnant women is by Shiva Rae.

I also used my Pregnancy Body Oil religiously from the time I knew I was pregnant. The oil contains evening primrose, avocado, apricot among others ingredients to help minimize stretch marks. It also helps the skin to become more elastic, so that after stretching it can “bounce” back fairly quickly. I also use it for a month post baby as well. After 1 month I switched to using Shiffa Energizing Body Oil to help firm and tone my skin. I am eating well - please no diets post baby, your body has been through a lot and for 9 months has been giving nourishment for your baby, its time to nourish your body and replace all that it had lost, and diets will not achieve that.