Pre-warning this is a really long blog post …may require a cup of tea to tide you over!
When I first started writing this post it was purely about all the fun things I had read about on Time Out or seen posted on Instagram that I wanted to have a go at in Dubai, but on reflection I am hopeful that this move will be about so much more than signing up for a fancy spin class, meeting penguins at the ski-slopes and a hot air balloon ride (of course they are all made top 10 on the list) but everything felt a little materialistic and I asked myself who gets the chance to pack up their suitcase and move 3,000 miles across the world to live in another country, with their lovely new husband and have everything taken care of …not many, and with just 5 weeks to go I don’t want to waste an opportunity for a new start, dreams of a happier, healthier “new me” spring to mind, so, in true Kimberley-style, I have started a second list…
Healthy eating; breaking out of the unhealthy cycle and onto the healthy choices
I’m currently stuck in a vicious cycle of years and years of “healthy” eating and dieting followed by having a blow out on chocolate and takeaways then missing a few meals to make up for it, feeling bad about myself and starting all over again! There is so much information out there about what to do and what not to do that my head is permanently swimming in good fats, high protein, dark chocolate, eat carbs, don’t eat carbs, do more cardio, lift more weights, that I’m hoping a new country will bring a fresh start and a chance to break some old habits and gain some new ones …an active lifestyle, fresh clean food and some balance to meal times.
Feeling fitter; being consistent without being stuck in a routine
I’m not the world’s most unfit person I can run 5k, perform a variety of squats and lunges and can hurl around a few kettles bells but what I lack is consistency, I snooze my alarm too often and get easily disheartened when after one week in the gym I haven’t completely transformed my body (what a shock!). I’m a real believer in healthy body = healthy mind, so this week I’ve enlisted a Personal Trainer to get back to basics and help write up a workout plan I can trial for the next few weeks and then take away with me (luckily there is a gym and pool in the apartment complex) and there is a plethora of fitness classes to try out in Dubai – updates to follow!
Drink more water …weekends need water too!
Sounds simple enough, whilst I’m at work I get through a few litres a day but I know as soon as the weekend hits I seem to forget where the tap is, I’ve put a fancy water bottle on my birthday list (surprise – another list!) and promise to keep it filled up with h2o goodness and next to my side at all times, especially in the hot weather.
Managing my money …is there such a thing as the saving-bug?
Luckily I have a husband who is fantastic with money, he loves saving and isn’t too keen on shopping, but they say opposites attract and they are right! I love spending money (mainly clothes and make-up nothing too outrageous) and to me any money that goes into my “savings” account is just a pot of money for shopping. As I get a little older I have started to realise maybe I don’t need a 42nd pair of jeans, maybe that money could be saved for the future. I will start small with a little to go into savings each month …and maybe I will get the saving-bug …or a nice new handbag!
Keeping in touch with old friends
I’m keen to know your views on this? How do you handle being away from friends and family for so long, trying to keep in touch with regular face time, but also jumping in with both feet and starting a new life somewhere without clinging on to the past? I think there is probably a healthy balance somewhere between WhatsApp messages detailing every little thing that happens to returning home in 4 years’ time people struggling to remember who you are and why you were friends in the first place? Help!!
…and making new ones
I’m terrible at this, I like the easy familiarity of meeting an old friend for coffee and just being 100% me, if anyone has a guide for being an awesome expat that people want to invite out to parties/dinners/days at the beach send it over, …oh to be 4 years old again and just chat to anyone!
Date nights
My husband is awesome. Truly awesome. And he is very good at being a husband. Me on the other hand I seem to let us get stuck in a rut too often and need to inject some fun and spontaneity into us. We used to have one or two date nights every week, but in the run up to leaving the UK and lots of plans with friends and family we have lost our weekly outings …I’m hoping Dubai will give us a chance for some new date nights, a change in work schedules, different places to visit, new things to experience, looking forward to walks on the beach and evenings spent on the balcony; date nights with a different view perhaps.
Relax / enjoy myself / be in the moment
I am a natural born organiser/planner/spreadsheet-lover. And I love nothing more than writing a list and creating an itinerary BUT something I realised last year whilst road-tripping from San Francisco to LA is I was so busy reading the map and working out what time we would arrive at our destination and triple-checking reservations that when I suddenly realised I hadn’t looked out the window at the beautiful landscape for nearly an hour (…one whole hour of coastline that I hadn’t seen and may never see again) I felt so disappointed, regretful. It feels like I need to set an alarm every day to remind myself to stop what I’m doing and just enjoy life for a moment or two …but I suppose the alarm would defeat the object of living in the moment wouldn’t it? So I’m writing this and leaving it here as a reminder to myself …life is good, stop worrying all the time, relax and enjoy the here and now!
What a different list from the first one I wrote, looks like my hopes are all about being happy, making healthy choices (shout out to my amazing sister-in-law, who is all about the “healthy choices”!), important people (friends, family, husband, new people yet to be found) and enjoying some new experiences. In no particular order, the new wish list….
- Healthy eating …breaking out of the unhealthy cycle and onto the healthy choices
- Feeling fitter …being consistent without being stuck in a routine
- Drink more water …weekends need water too!
- Managing my money …is there such a thing as the saving-bug?
- Keeping in touch with old friends
- …and making new ones
- Date nights
- Relax / enjoy myself / be in the moment
For those of you wondering, my original warm weather wishlist is here…
- Night Swimming at Le Meridien Mina Seyahi
- Underwater spinning class at L’Atelier Aquafitness
- Meet the penguins at Ski Dubai
- Urban yoga class at Aspect Tower, Business Bay
- Hot air balloon ride over the sand-dunes
- Farmers Market at Zabeel Park on a Friday
- Comedy night at Tribeca Restaurant
- Jogging at Al Barsha Pond Park
- Horse racing for Dubai World Cup in March
- Dubai museum at Al Fahidi Historical District …coins, camels and coffee
- Chill out at the Ice Bar lounge in snow gear drinking a hot chocolate
- Grand Prix …not strictly Dubai but Abu Dhabi looks close enough
- Stand-Up Paddle-boarding, I wanted to try this in Oz but the sea never seemed warm enough, and… well… sharks!
- Brunch …where are the best places for brunch for fantastic food?
- Cycling on the track at Al Qudra …this one will have to wait until out bikes arrive in
Am I being too unrealistic?
Is a posting just the same life in different surroundings?
What were your hopes when you moved?
How do you keep yourself happy and healthy whilst away?
Significantly Trailing... 