Strawberry Cool

Ingredients: Strawberry, banana, orange juice and 98% fat free probiotic yoghurt

Only 46 calories per 100 gram!

That said, the fitness center has one of the greatest campuses in the city… A wondrous greenery overlooking the Bosphorous, a great swimming pool for leisurely warm city summer days, tennis courts down hill (again with a magnificent view), fitness studios, spinning studio, inside cardio and body-sculpting areas, a somewhat tiny closed pool that still does the job etc etc etc… And a great spa :)

The spa is accessible through the changing rooms (I’d imagine from both ladies’ and gents’ rooms). The spa reception is somewhat small and squished along the narrow hallway leading along the closed swimming pool and down to the spa itself. Yes, if I had to change something about the spa, I think this would be it. Change the entrance, make if more glorious… The way it is now is kind of gloomy and inconvenient going past the pool… But, it is not a big deal. I am just being a bit petty that’s all.

If you are having a regular treatment (i.e. body wraps or massage), you would be taken through the tiny reception area into the spa itself, which will amaze you. Stepping in, you step into the relaxation area that is overlooks the vast greenery and if you just rise onto your toes, you might get a glimpse of the Canal as well (Bosphorous). The window panes surrounding the area are large, letting daylight in and allowing visitors a vast gaze of the natural beauty. The windows are most probably see-through, but there is nothing to worry about here as the location of the spa is so detached from the crowds up and around, one finds utmost privacy in here.

Image by Subbotina Anna purchased from ShutterStock

The treatment rooms are located to the back of the relaxation area. There are couple rooms and single rooms, and if you were getting a wrap, you get a great room with your built-in shower etc.

With the hammam treatment, you unfortunately have to head back to the ladies’ changing room. The spa itself does not contain a separate hammam. The hammams are located inside the changing rooms together with the sauna and the steam. The good thing about this is that none of these private places are unisex. Sauna, steam and hammam are all gendered places.

Before the hammam treatment you are given up to 20 minutes (that is if you arrive early, otherwise less) to enjoy the sauna and the steam rooms. You are by rule of hammam conduct taken to the steam room before exfoliation. Therefore if you like sauna, you should spend a bit in there first. There is a shock shower too, but it did not work when I was there. Or, it did work, but the heat of the water not extremely shocking… (was not really cold).

The rest of the details on the hammam treatment are provided further below. As you may have imagined, the hammam treatment was not my first time at the spa. I had had a massage and a wrap before. All in all, the staff have always been gentile, courteous and kind. There is an air of professionalism that you do not expect to get from a fitness center spa. Therefore, the money spent here is well worth it.

Allocate more time to yourself than just the treatment. You can stay in the relaxation area (sleep a little if you wish) after your massage. You can also head out to the cafe located above (Backyard) for a great panini and lemonade… Just be aware that the cafe will not be as serene as the spa… Bebekoy is a popular area that attracts not just members, but all the rest of Istanbulites and look alikes for a bit of see me and be seen exposure ;) So, my final word would be the Spa is filled with Poise, making it a great P4P place. If you want to keep that as it is for the rest of your me-day, do not step out into the crowds so hastily. Save the panini and the lemonade for another day, head back home immediately :)

Featured image by Subbotina Anna purchased from ShutterStock

Online :)

And, I have already done that search for you…

BBC Good Food – strawberry jam (Nutrients per serving of this recipe: 39 kcalories, protein 1.0g, carbohydrate 10.0g, fat 1.0 g, saturated fat 0.0g, fibre 1.0g, sugar 10.0g, salt 0.0 g)

A recipe without pectin from AllRecipes

Using cane sugar on Foodsforlonglife

I’m sure if you go online, you can find many more recipes. Don’t forget that you can substitute agave for sugar…

Scones, cream and jam

Alternatively, if you are in the vicinity of any of these, you could drop by for a hands-on experience!

Jam Jar Shop

School of Artisan Food occasionally has jam making classes as well

And, here is another interesting article on Guardian that talks about the nostalgia of strawberry jams, the problem with the pectin and delivers a fine recipe at the end.

Enjoy your next breakfast!

Disclaimer:

None of the recipes have been testes, therefore no liability or responsibility is assumed for consequences.

The copyright holder of the image, release this work into the public domain via Wikimedia Commons

The problem with working out on your own is that it becomes boring after awhile if you do not have a good repertoire. That was why I was immensely happy when I learned that Fluid Body is now on DVD!

The contents of the DVD include separate sections that focus on the neck, the back, shoulders and lower back. You may do the whole sequence or focus on different parts on different days depending on your availability. Each section is approximately 10 to 20 minutes and the entire DVD if you run it without stopping is around an hour. There is a bonus section for the neck, which I still have not tried.

I have been very happy with the exercises. There are a few favorite moves that I learned from the DVD, which I now do even if I go to a gym  or a stretching class.

Find more information on Fluid Body’s facebook page.

Featured image courtesy of Fluidbody.tv

Make use of the strawberry month! Make your mother a strawberry gift… Here are some hints:

- Buy a basket of strawberries (easy peasy)

- Visit BonnyFood and order a chocolate coated fruit basket

- Bake a strawberry tart

- Take her out to a picnic and heavy strawberries in your basket :) (don’t forget to crack a bottle of something sparkly with that!)

Happy mother’s day!

Image By Paul Ballesty in the mix (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

It stresses the skeleton less and puts less weight on the joints (knees to begin with).

It strengthens the bones (therefore very advisable for late age, when your bones get weaker).

Helps control the weight (Even Duncan’s highly contested protein diet advises at least 20 minutes of walking a day).

Good for the heart.

Good for the environment! Less congestion you cause, the better.

For a much comprehensive guide into walking, go to NHS.

Featured Image By sarang [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

- Vitamin C factor

- Help to prevent cataracts (BestHealthMag)

- Great for the skin

- Anti-inflammatory - phenols in strawberries also fight against many inflammatory disorders (HealthDiaries)

- Promotes collagen and hence delays wrinkles (BestHealthMag)

- Regulate blood sugar (if you eat in moderation) – Wholefoods

- Rich in potassium (TOI – Times Of India)

Read more on:

- See embedded links above

- And;

FitnessrxWomen

WebMD

Healthy Eating

Featured Image is work is in the public domain - on Wikimedia

Image release this work into the public domain by its author Faisans.jeanluc (grants anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions), available on Wikimedia

Very easy recipe if you have already clicked on the link and read it. Only, reduce the amount of butter or avoid it altogether. Keep the broccoli fresh and steamed or boiled just under 4 minutes / so that it is still green and juicy.

Parmesan -although not the most light cheese ever- will make a good add – on. Just do not pour 100 grams of it :)

Featured Image: Cropped image from the original, which was purchased from ShutterStock Images, original Copyright: Lisovskaya Natalia

After major social outings (especially with people with whom you need to be polite -in other words you cannot refuse what is being offered…) you feel bloated and full to the extreme probably because you have eaten way more than you were supposed to or accustomed to… Unscheduled / spontaneous dinners or events are the worst, because you cannot sequence your meals in advance to get your body ready for larger meal…

Has this ever happened to you? Next day, you feel as if the everything you’ve eaten the day before is camped into your stomach. It hasn’t moved an inch… With the stress to make it to work on time, you do no relax and your metabolism seems to stop for an eternity… At some point you’d have to eat something… Partly hoping that will get stuff moving within you… If you’re lucky, theory may work… Otherwise, more food would get camped in without any leaving… It may then hit your stomach giving you a sour feeling of bad eggs in your stomach.

I call this “toxins creeping up the stomach”… And, last month at the Vitality Show Marilyn Glenville was just talking about this! She told that if you cannot empty your bowels, toxins will find other ways to come out. That might be in the form of bad breath or this kind of sourness in your stomach.

What to do? There are several suggestions on Glenville’s web site for easing digestion and helping bowels work. At the same time, keep thinking about your wellbeing and if you have a tendency to binge, try to educate yourself to stop doing it.

Image © Yael Weiss – purchased on Fotolia.com