Food, travel, wellness, fitness & lifestyle — stories and tips from my life in Dubai and beyond.
By Lavanya Vikram · February 2026 · 8 min read
The first time I travelled alone, I was twenty-three years old and terrified. I'd booked a solo trip to Bali on impulse after a particularly rough month, and I remember sitting at ...
Read More → Yoga & MindfulnessBy Lavanya Vikram · February 2026 · 7 min read
I used to be the kind of person who hit snooze four times, scrolled through my phone for twenty minutes, and then rushed out the door feeling frazzled before the day had even begun...
Read More → Recipes & CookingBy Lavanya Vikram · February 2026 · 7 min read
People ask me about my skincare routine all the time, and while I do have products I love, the honest truth is that the biggest change in my skin came from what I put inside my bod...
Read More → Yoga & MindfulnessBy Lavanya Vikram · January 2026 · 7 min read
There was a time when I dreaded bedtime. I'd lie in the dark, body exhausted, mind absolutely wired, replaying conversations and making mental to-do lists for tomorrow. Dubai never...
Read More → Healthy EatingBy Lavanya Vikram · March 2026 · 7 min read
Making the switch to organic groceries was not something I did overnight. It started gradually — first with produce, then dairy, then pantry staples — as I learned more...
Read More → FitnessBy Lavanya Vikram · February 2026 · 5 min read
I used to be the kind of person who hit snooze seven times before dragging myself out of bed. The idea of working out before breakfast seemed like something only impossibly discipl...
Read More → FitnessBy Lavanya Vikram · February 2026 · 6 min read
I rediscovered swimming in my thirties, and it has become the workout I look forward to most. Not because it's easy — it absolutely isn't — but because of how I feel af...
Read More → Yoga & MindfulnessBy Lavanya Vikram · January 2026 · 7 min read
Nobody warns you about the back pain. When I started creating content full-time in Dubai, I imagined my days would be glamorous and active — photoshoots on the beach, brunche...
Read More → Food & DiningBy Lavanya Vikram · March 2026 · 7 min read
A few years ago, I was dealing with persistent skin dullness and my hair was thinning more than usual. I tried every product, every treatment, every salon visit — and nothing...
Read More → Recipes & CookingBy Lavanya Vikram · February 2026 · 6 min read
If there is one habit that has genuinely transformed how I feel every single day, it is drinking infused water. I know — it sounds almost too simple. But after years of tryin...
Read More → Yoga & MindfulnessBy Lavanya Vikram · March 2026 · 8 min read
One of the things I love most about Dubai is how seriously this city takes wellness. Over the past decade, the yoga scene here has exploded from a handful of studios to a thriving ...
Read More → Recipes & CookingBy Lavanya Vikram · February 2026 · 8 min read
I used to be the person who skipped breakfast entirely. Grab a coffee, rush out the door, and wonder why I was starving and irritable by 11 AM. Living in Dubai, where mornings can ...
Read More → Food & DiningBy Lavanya Vikram · March 2026 · 7 min read
Collagen is one of those words that gets thrown around constantly in the beauty world, usually attached to a supplement with a hefty price tag or a cream that promises to reverse t...
Read More → Wellness & LifestyleBy Lavanya Vikram · February 2026 · 8 min read
I used to think self-care was bubble baths and face masks. And honestly, there's nothing wrong with those things — I love a good sheet mask evening. But real self-care, the k...
Read More → Yoga & MindfulnessBy Lavanya Vikram · January 2026 · 8 min read
I'm not going to pretend I have it all figured out. From the outside, my life in Dubai probably looks polished — the content, the collaborations, the sunny skyline behind eve...
Read More → Food & DiningBy Lavanya Vikram · March 2026 · 7 min read
One of the things I love most about living in Dubai is how easy it is to eat well without spending hours in the kitchen. The healthy food delivery scene here has exploded over the ...
Read More → TravelBy Lavanya Vikram · March 2026 · 7 min read
One of the beautiful ironies of living in Dubai is that we're surrounded by some of the world's most incredible hotels, yet most of us walk past them every day without ever steppin...
Read More → LifestyleBy Lavanya Vikram · March 2026 · 6 min read
Being featured in Khaleej Times was one of those moments where everything I have worked for suddenly felt real. Khaleej Times is not just any publication — it is one of the m...
Read More → TravelBy Lavanya Vikram · February 2026 · 8 min read
The Maldives holds a very special place in my heart. I've been four times now, and every single trip has been magical in its own way. There's something about arriving at that first...
Read More → FitnessBy Lavanya Vikram · February 2026 · 7 min read
I debated for a long time whether to write this post. The internet is already saturated with "bounce back" narratives that make postpartum fitness look effortless and linear, and I...
Read More → Recipes & CookingBy Lavanya Vikram · February 2026 · 7 min read
Growing up in a South Indian household, vegetarian food was never a compromise. It was the default, and it was extraordinary. My mother and grandmother could make a dozen different...
Read More → Recipes & CookingBy Lavanya Vikram · February 2026 · 6 min read
I was a green juice sceptic for years. Every time someone handed me a glass of something murky and green, promising it would change my life, I would take a polite sip and quietly p...
Read More → Recipes & CookingBy Lavanya Vikram · February 2026 · 7 min read
Let me be honest — I did not always meal prep. For years, I relied on delivery apps and whatever was convenient, which in Dubai usually means shawarma at midnight (no regrets...
Read More → Food & DiningBy Lavanya Vikram · March 2026 · 7 min read
Brunch in Dubai is practically a religion. Fridays and Saturdays are sacred here — the pace slows down, the city exhales, and everyone heads to their favourite cafe for a lon...
Read More → TravelBy Lavanya Vikram · February 2026 · 7 min read
After living in Dubai for over a decade, I've watched this city evolve at a pace that still amazes me. And while millions of visitors flock to the Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall, and Pal...
Read More → Healthy EatingBy Lavanya Vikram · February 2026 · 7 min read
I have always had a sweet tooth. Growing up, every meal ended with something sweet — a piece of jaggery, a small bowl of kheer, a few biscuits with chai. And living in Dubai,...
Read More → Food & DiningBy Lavanya Vikram · March 2026 · 7 min read
If there is one thing I have learned after years of living in Dubai, it is that this city never stops reinventing its food scene. Every time I think I have found my absolute favour...
Read More → Yoga & MindfulnessBy Lavanya Vikram · January 2026 · 7 min read
I still remember my very first yoga class. It was a hot afternoon in Dubai, the kind where stepping outside feels like walking into an oven, and I had decided — somewhat impu...
Read More → FitnessBy Lavanya Vikram · February 2026 · 6 min read
There are days when getting to the gym just isn't happening. Maybe the schedule is packed with back-to-back shoots, or the traffic in Dubai is especially punishing, or honestly &md...
Read More → TravelBy Lavanya Vikram · January 2026 · 7 min read
As much as I adore Dubai — and I truly, deeply do — there are weekends when I need to step outside the city and reset. Maybe it's the mountains calling, or the promise ...
Read More → Recipes & CookingBy Lavanya Vikram · February 2026 · 7 min read
Working from home sounds glamorous until you realise you are three steps away from the kitchen at all times. When I started working from home more — editing content, answerin...
Read More → TravelBy Lavanya Vikram · February 2026 · 7 min read
There was a time when I'd show up to the airport with a suitcase so heavy it required two hands and a prayer to lift onto the scale. I'd pack "just in case" outfits, three pairs of...
Read More → LifestyleBy Lavanya Vikram · March 2026 · 8 min read
When people search for a Dubai influencer, they are usually looking for someone who actually lives and breathes this city — not someone who flew in for a weekend, shot a few ...
Read More → TravelBy Lavanya Vikram · February 2026 · 7 min read
I still remember the first time I landed in Dubai — the way the skyline glittered against the desert sky, the warm breeze that hit me as I stepped out of the airport, and the...
Read More → Recipes & CookingBy Lavanya Vikram · February 2026 · 8 min read
There is a particular kind of exhaustion that hits at 7 PM after a full day of work, when you are starving but the idea of spending an hour in the kitchen feels impossible. I know ...
Read More → FitnessBy Lavanya Vikram · March 2026 · 5 min read
I spend more time at my desk than I'd like to admit. Between editing photos, writing captions, answering emails, and managing collaborations, there are days when I look up and real...
Read More → FitnessBy Lavanya Vikram · February 2026 · 6 min read
For years, I avoided the weight section of the gym like it was a restricted zone. I'd stick to the treadmill, do some stretches, maybe venture onto an elliptical, and call it a day...
Read More → Food & DiningBy Lavanya Vikram · March 2026 · 8 min read
As an Indian living in Dubai, I take my Indian food very seriously. Growing up with my mum's cooking set the bar impossibly high, and most restaurants simply do not come close. But...
Read More → Yoga & MindfulnessBy Lavanya Vikram · February 2026 · 7 min read
Let me be honest with you: I was terrible at meditation. Like, spectacularly bad. The first time I tried sitting still with my eyes closed, my brain produced a to-do list, replayed...
Read More → TravelBy Lavanya Vikram · March 2026 · 7 min read
If there's one thing Dubai does exceptionally well, it's the beach club experience. Sun, sea, incredible food, great music, and that unmistakable feeling of being on holiday even t...
Read More → FitnessBy Lavanya Vikram · February 2026 · 6 min read
I want to start this post with a confession: I am not a naturally motivated person when it comes to exercise. I know my social media might suggest otherwise — all those gym s...
Read More → Food & DiningBy Lavanya Vikram · February 2026 · 8 min read
When people think of Dubai food, they think rooftop restaurants, celebrity chefs, and gold-flaked everything. And yes, all of that exists. But the soul of Dubai's food scene lives ...
Read More → FitnessBy Lavanya Vikram · February 2026 · 6 min read
The HIIT versus steady-state cardio debate has been raging in the fitness world for years, and if you've spent any time on social media, you've probably seen passionate advocates o...
Read More → Food & DiningBy Lavanya Vikram · February 2026 · 7 min read
Turning thirty changed a lot of things for me, but the most unexpected shift was in how my body responded to food. Things I could eat without thinking in my twenties suddenly start...
Read More → LifestyleBy Lavanya Vikram · March 2026 · 7 min read
I've always believed that self-care isn't a luxury — it's a necessity. And living in a city as fast-paced as Dubai, where the hustle culture is very real and the social calen...
Read More → Healthy EatingBy Lavanya Vikram · February 2026 · 7 min read
Intermittent fasting is one of those topics where everyone has an opinion, and most of those opinions are strong. Some people swear it changed their lives. Others warn that it is d...
Read More → LifestyleBy Lavanya Vikram · March 2026 · 8 min read
Growing up in India, Ayurveda wasn't some exotic wellness trend — it was just life. My grandmother drank warm water with turmeric every morning, rubbed coconut oil into her h...
Read More → FitnessBy Lavanya Vikram · March 2026 · 7 min read
Finding the right gym in Dubai can feel like apartment hunting — overwhelming options, wildly different price points, and the nagging fear that you'll commit to something tha...
Read More → Food & DiningBy Lavanya Vikram · February 2026 · 7 min read
For years, I spent an embarrassing amount of money on skincare. Serums, masks, peels, treatments — if someone told me it would fix my skin, I tried it. And some of it helped....
Read More → Yoga & MindfulnessBy Lavanya Vikram · March 2026 · 7 min read
The first time someone told me to "just breathe" during a moment of anxiety, I wanted to scream. I was breathing. That was the problem — I was breathing too fast, too shallow...
Read More → FitnessBy Lavanya Vikram · January 2026 · 6 min read
When someone first told me that walking could help me lose weight, I nearly laughed. Walking? The thing I do to get from my car to the elevator? That's not exercise — that's ...
Read More → TravelBy Lavanya Vikram · March 2026 · 7 min read
Abu Dhabi is only about ninety minutes from Dubai, and yet so many residents — and even more tourists — never make the trip. I'll be honest: I was guilty of this too wh...
Read More → TravelBy Lavanya Vikram · March 2026 · 7 min read
There are places you visit once and forget, and then there are places that quietly rearrange something inside you. Bali is the second kind. I have been back four times now, and eve...
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