Former SAS soldier on mission to tackle obesity in children by promoting discipline and life skills
▶ Plans for desert boot camp could aid efforts to help young people make healthy choices
A former member of the British special forces aims to set up boot camps for children to help tackle obesity in the UAE.
Ant Middleton, who was an instructor on the British TV series SAS: Who Dares Wins, moved to the UAE this year with the aim of helping young people improve their health and learn new skills.
He plans to work with local investors to establish a desert camp in Liwa, where participants will be encouraged to confront their fears.
Sessions at the camp will be designed to build confidence and leadership skills.
“I’ve always wanted to do something [for children] that’s preventive, rather than a cure,” Mr Middleton said.
“When it comes to discipline, structure and psychological resilience, many kids are psychologically weak nowadays.
If we can send them off to an SAS island or an SAS retreat and make sure that every year there’s room for children’s camps, it can give them skills that will last a lifetime.
“It’s sort of like a military-style academy, let’s say, where I teach them how to swim or tackle a fear of heights.”
Those who join the desert camps will be required to perform simple tasks each day to promote discipline.
He said he was surprised to see some older children at football or rugby matches waiting for help to put on their boots.
“Young people need to know what it’s like getting up each morning and to be self sustainable, by making their own bed and putting on their own clothes,” he said.
Mr Middleton has received encouragement to set up youth training camps to confront childhood obesity head-on.
It is hoped children will develop healthy habits at an early age that will help later in life.
A national programme has been established by the Ministry of Health and Prevention to address the issue, which affects countries around the world.
The ministry last year announced a workshop to develop new plans to promote healthy lifestyles and improve education, under the national programme.
The World Health Organisation said last year that one billion people around the world, including 340 million children, were overweight.
More than four billion people could be deemed obese by 2035, the World Obesity Federation said in a report.
Obesity increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and many types of cancer.
In the UAE, up to 14.4 per cent of children are obese, the ministry said.
Mr Middleton, who also served as a British Royal Marines commando and Royal Engineer, is best known for his role as chief instructor on SAS: Who Dares Wins.
The show involved recruits being put through the wringer by a former soldiers.
It was a test of mental, emotional and physical strength.
Mr Middleton, 43, hopes a similar format can inspire young people in the UAE to lead healthier lifestyles.
“Obesity and diabetes are rife, because children just have what they want, with little structure to their lives,” he said.
“Since I’ve been in Dubai I’ve been approached by a lot of the schools to talk to their Year 6 and Year 7 pupils and conduct practical sessions.
“I’m going to be talking about emotional intelligence, about their thought process and tapping into their mindsets.”
He said a lack of critical thinking among young people can lead to poor health choices.
“Many children are told how to think, how to act – they don’t think for themselves and you can see it in the choices they make,” he said.
Mr Middleton will focus on establishing day camps for young people, while he also has plans to set up a team-building retreat for businesses next year.
Activities including horse riding, dune buggies and an obstacle course are to be available at the desert camp.
He wants employees and young people who take part in the team-building exercises to realise their potential by pushing their physical, psychological and emotional limits.
“The pleasure I get from the SAS show is the switch that I see in people on the day, in that moment I see something in them,” he said.
“The penny drops, and they realise what they’re capable of.
“That moment of change may only be something small, but they can go away and use it in everyday life to become a better version of who they are.”