Browsing Tag

Holistic

How Fit Is Your DNA?

Posted on January 9, 2018

Is this even a thing? Can your DNA really predetermine how fit you can be? I wasn’t so sure at first, but a consultation with specialist Intercare Wellness doctor, DR. Nas Al-Jafari, sat around a cosy table in a cafe in Al Serkal gave me a lot more faith in the process… he was less mad-scientist and more professor X.

Based in Al Marina, Abu Dhabi, Intercare Wellness takes a holistic and ‘whole person’ approach to health. Offering a unique range of testing and treatments, the centre highlight’s these genetic screening processes:
• Advanced Preventative DNA & Genetic Testing aimed at identifying a range of hereditary diseases from cancers through to a variety of long-term illnesses, including cardiovascular disease and dementia.
• Lifestyle DNA profiles including ancestry genetics, diet and exercise profiles, skin DNA and personality genetics.

“DNA & Genetic testing goes far beyond learning about ancestry, 90% of diets fail because each person’s body reacts differently to various foods, exercise, and micronutrient levels, which is somewhat down to our DNA. Your genes don’t just determine your eye colour; but determine diet and nutrition, physiological traits like endurance, fat burning ability, metabolism and undiagnosed nutrient deficiencies. They can also help determine if you’ve got more of a predisposition for certain illnesses, based on testing how our skin will age!” DR. Nas

For myself, I wanted more of a focus on fitness & sport, so I chose to try out their DNAFit genetic testing. Recommended for those who are already fit and looking for a more indepth analysis, DNAFit can tell you what your recovery nutrition needs, your aerobic potential and your power endurance response is.

It’ll also tell you your potential for optimal fitness, such as regimes that will help you meet your health goals and whether you’re at risk for certain vitamin deficiencies that can affect your heart, memory and energy levels. It can also give you insight in into traits such as sodium intake, lactose and alcohol metabolism and gluten sensitivity.

My results arrived after 6 weeks:

You get a much larger, much more in-depth analysis online, accessible with your log in details and you can enter a world of DNA, including chat rooms and Olympic medalist comparisons, that will help give you a much better understanding of your overall DNA design, all from a simple little cheek swap.

Recommended

Ardmore: The African Art With Heart

Posted on December 20, 2016

Art is subjective, I get that, but you can’t deny the beauty in something that’s so incredibly detailed or defined. I was introduced to a very special South African design studio called Ardmore Ceramic Art through Dubai’s newest arts hub in Al Quoz… Zebra Square Gallery.

Sitting in a room of their own, beautiful vessels adorned with all the animals of Africa sit proudly waiting for a home. Each piece is 100% unique and can take weeks to hand mould, shape and paint, and you’ll find the artist’s names written on each of their handiwork. The heritage of the brand is equally as special… Christie’s has acknowledged Ardmore artworks as “modern day collectables”.

Fèe Halsted established her brand on Ardmore Farm in the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains of Kwa-Zulu-Natal, South Africa. Fee then offered other local women the opportunity to become apprentices and train. The heroes in these pieces, the artists, both now men and women, all hail from this province too. The art pieces themselves are so heavily detailed, you’ll discover a new animal or detail on it every time you look. Halstead talks about adding animals as a way of hiding any cracks from her original rudimentary kiln and style of firing the clay, and now they are synonymous with the brand itself.

Ardmore is now making a name for itself internationally. Halsted once talked about a treasured silk Hermès scarf she owned. Heavily embellished with the prints of both animals and tropical plants, it was a piece that helped inspire her personal creativity. This relationship has now come full circle, thanks to a recent collaboration between Ardmore and French fashion house Hermès, it’s these South African delicate and detailed designs that now adorn the silk collectables.

Recommended

Holistic Home Furniture with 24:35

Posted on December 13, 2016

24:35 Dubai is a home grown start-up furniture brand specialising in one-of-a-kind, handmade, unique statement pieces for the home and we’re in LOVE! The name derives from the Qur’an, from a passage about light, which is where the design house began… candles.

The pieces are made for both one-off purveyors and collectors, with designs hand-made using vintage timbers and unique marbles. 24:35 now boasts a collective of furniture, lighting, home accessories and olfactory home fragrances in its inventory. Currently showcasing in Concept-Me in al Quoz, Hiba Sher is the curator behind this incredible design-house.

All of their pieces are inspired by nature and they are super passionate about the environment, ensuring never ever to purchase freshly cut trees. They only purchase very high quality aged timber that they refurbish themselves or trees that have fallen due to natural calamities. Not only that, for every piece of furniture made of wood, they plant 3 new indigenous trees!

They have a wonderful ethos too, providing complimentary healthcare and education for all company dependents, as well as grants for those who wish to pursue their higher education.

Here are some of their incredible pieces… i’m tempted to redecorate already!

Assorted mulberry logs, the bark was gently removed to preserve the natural form of the pieces. Inlayed with tribal etching inspired Brazilian marble. Methodically and meticulously polished with multiple treatments to recreate the the bark of the wood.

Trays and platters adorned with semi precious stones and natural crystals. Lined and framed in pure brass, every piece is one-of-a-kind, impossible to replicate.

Inspired by Sufi philosophies & arabesque ingredients, 24:35 aromatherapy candles offer a mystical holistic escape from the stress and speed of contemporary life. Harmoniously blended with therapeutic grade essential oils that release positive and healing vibrations, our bespoke fragrance bouquets work to gently comfort and revive the energies and aura of the mind, body and soul. Hand poured into raw monochrome marble and himalayan salt vessels, each distinctive olfactory combination ignites a positive emotional response to leave you relaxed, revived and rejuvenated.