Hundreds start sweating it out at Dubai’s fitness villages and hubs
DUBAI TURNS INTO WORLD’S ONLY ‘CITY GYM’ AS 30-DAY CHALLENGE KICKS OFF
Sparing 30 minutes for yourself, for your health, is doable and if you still can’t do it, consider giving up 30 minutes of social media or watching TV, residents said as Dubai kicked off its third Dubai Fitness Challenge (DFC) yesterday afternoon.
They all agreed that there’s no excuse not to be active and to keep fit in the emirate.
Fitness villages at Kite Beach and Festival City Mall gave residents a chance to sweat it out and flex their muscles with the whole family as the emirate transforms into the world’s only “city gym” that will run until November 16.
30 minutes a day
Launched in 2017 by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of the Executive Council, the Dubai Fitness Challenge encourages residents and tourists alike to devote 30 minutes each day to do any form of exercise for 30 days.
The aim is to make exercise an everyday part of their lives.
Drenched in sweat after a spinning class with the beach in the background were siblings Arif and Tahira Baig from Pakistan. The duo, who are cycling enthusiasts, completed
the whole 30-minute class with ease although this was their first spinning class.
“In Dubai, we do most of our activities indoors with AC. Here, this is natural environment. The weather is also getting better by the beach,” Arif said as he sipped water after the class. “This was challenging because I’m wearing slippers. If I had worn my shoes, it would have been easier.”
Arif said he tries to cycle every day and if he gets busy, he would give up something to trade that time with exercise.
No compromise on health
Tahira, a chef in Dubai, said: “I’m a cyclist so it’s easy for me. Though I am busy, we make time for our health by doing healthy activities. I don’t compromise.”
Ryan Harvey, from the UK, who also participated in the activities, said he now exercises four times a week despite his busy schedule. “Thirty minutes a day exercising is achievable,” the Dubai resident who works in IT, told Gulf News.
Emirati teen Zayed Al Nuaimi, 15, exercises one hour every day and is fond of doing backflips. While walking along Kite Beach on Friday, he heard the music at the DFC site and joined in despite wearing a kandoura.
“This initiative is really nice. It’s free and is open to everybody,” he said after participating in a workout.
More than 40 fitness events and over 5,000 fitness and health programmes are in store for residents throughout the city for 30 days.