It's a Sunday on the last week of my Primal Transformation at Haddins Fitness and I'm ready to give it my all for these last five sessions.
First up we have six primates, a lorry tyre and an empty parking lot; we're to alternate between tyre flips, burpees and bear crawls in groups of two, then carry the tyre back to the starting point.
The bear crawls on asphalt left the palms of my hand raw, and a few hours after the session a little wave of electricity travelled down my left leg every so often.
A Google search and chat with Michael Haddin confirmed that I was experiencing sciatica- the pain associated with the irritation of the sciatic nerve.
The next few days involved random stretching at my desk, icing of the general lower back area and (discreetly) massaging by bottom and leg while heating up lunch in the office.
After a purely running-based session on Monday followed by a 22-hour day (I was up at 5am and didn't get to bed until 3am the next morning due to a photo shoot), there was no way I could've made it on Tuesday.
Wednesday's session was mild in preparation for today's assessment, where we compared our results now with those from our first class.
After seeing drastic improvements- be it on the scales, with our waist measurements or the number of reps for each exercise- we were all pleased with the outcomes of the programme.
To find out just how much I lost (weight and waist), and how many reps I gained (in squats, burpees and more), pick a copy of Arts & Life next Thursday.
Follow the Primal journey below:
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
For information on the Ramadan Primal (which starts July 14), visit Haddins Facebook page or call 02 403 4233
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Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.