Staying fit in Beirut ... the struggle is real

When it comes to staying fit in a country that prides itself on the roundness of the male belly or that considers a bread and carb filled late night feast a "light" dinner, fitness fanatics can agree that it isn't easy. 

These are 5 struggles people face when trying to stay fit in Beirut.

Whether you want a clean decent gym or a luxurious high end one with a pool, you'll probably find yourself paying over $100 a month which is ridiculous considering most salaries in Lebanon are below the average pay scale. Alternatives would be the unhygienic small smelly gyms in your neighborhood.

Lebanese food is just too good to pass up on. Luckily we have tabbouleh to balance some of those amazing traditional desserts, but exercising everyday barely makes up for all the tasty indulgences we're exposed to, most of which are force-fed to us by our families. 

Which brings us to number 3...

Lebanese grandmas have a knack for overfeeding their grandchildren. While the food is amazing, many of them don't hesitate when it comes to making a meal complete with carbs, butter or ghee.

Pools are inaccessible year round unless you pay about $30 per day in entrance fees. That staggering price for a day in the sun usually goes to waste around noon when almost every outdoor pool in the country has hair and tanning oil swimming in it. Your only other option, considering you don't own a villa with a pool, is to register at a gym which will, as we mentioned in number 1, probably break the bank. Lebanon doesn't have bike lanes or jogging trails and the few public parks it hosts are often crowded and difficult to comfortably exercise in.

From groceries to DVDs, everything can easily be delivered to your doorstep. So imagine all the restored calories that result from sitting around waiting for anything to be delivered instead of making an effort to go out and get it yourself.