Sports, fitness routine complete Dubai family’s day all year round

dubai — The Calverts are a family who take their fitness seriously, but all while having fun. “I’m a physiotherapist, so I guess my line of work has dictated the interest my family has in sports,” motherof-three Caroline Calvert told Khaleej Times.

Living in Dubai for just over two years, there is rarely a day that goes by when one of her three children — nine-year-old Anna, seven-year-old William and five-yearold Sophia — isn’t participating in some kind of sport or activity. So it was a natural reaction to dive head first into the second edition of the Dubai Fitness Challenge.

“On Fridays, my two oldest play one and half hours of rugby; on Saturday we go for a swim either at the beach or pool for an hour. On Sunday, it’s just general playtime in the garden. On Monday, Anna does gymnastics and William plays football; both for one hour. Then on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the youngest one does dance club for an hour at a time. That’s our lives through the week. Lots of movement.”

Having lived in four countries before the UAE including Ireland, the UK, New Zealand and Switzerland, Calvert said although the summer weather may impede some forms of activity, doing 30 minutes of exercise a day should be a breeze.

“This is the fifth county I’ve worked in and there is a massive industry of exercise here in the city. There are so many classes on offer, that’s the beauty of where we are. The fitness challenge is just an extension of that. There is no excuse not to exercise, and if it is a chore you’ve probably picked the wrong activity.”

I suppose because of my profession, it just translates into the home environment. On a daily basis, I am recommending exercises as a form of treatment.”

Caroline Calvert, physiotherapist