2011 Arnold Guest Blogs: IFBB Bikini Pro Dina Al-Sabah
Thanks to our sister site Hardbody.com...
http://www.hardbody.com/news/2011/01/04/2011-arnold-guest-blogs-ifbb-bikini-pro-dina-al-sabah/The 2011 Arnold Sports Festival is quickly approaching and we’re kicking off our Hardbody coverage with one of many pro guest blogs. Over the next few weeks you’ll gain insight as to what some of the IFBB female competitors are up to and how their prep is going. IFBB Bikini Pro Dina Al-Sabah kicks things off with her blog. She has some great tips for traveling competitors.
I am less than 9 weeks out to my first show of the year, the inaugural Bikini International. I am very excited to have been invited and know that while I do have a career outside the fitness industry that requires a lot of travel, I have to ensure that I bring my best to the stage. The last time I competed at the Arnold Sports Festival was in the Figure division in 2004. It was not my best physique due to various personal issues, so it really means a lot to me to nail it this time.
Traveling while going through contest prep can be hard, but with a little planning it is not impossible. I am going to London and then Singapore so it is a little tricker in that I have to adapt to new time zones, and I cannot pack my food due to international rules of not bringing in food items etc.
I started planning my trip by looking for a hotel with a good 24hr gym. This may sound silly, but outside the USA, not all hotels have decent gyms, and they are not always 24hrs. I prefer to have that option. Once I picked the hotel, I used yelp to locate a few spots where I could find clean food. I usually look for sushi bars or Japanese restaurants as I know I can get clean food there. I also located the closest grocery store so that I can pick up some supplies once I arrive.
I also moved around my workouts so that I could do the body parts that require more specific equipment while I was at home and save the easier body parts (upper body in my case) for the road.
As far as food on the plane, surprisingly enough depending on the airline, you can have some decent options. On United, I can get a plain grilled chicken salad, the dressing is always on the side, so I eat the greens and the chicken. On Singapore Air I have the option of picking the meal that I want, and sushi was one of the choices..easy enough. I will take a few snacks with me, but I have to make sure to eat them before landing or to leave them on board.
Dinworth and I are both packed, and ready to set off.
