Although they were rejected last minute from the Ironman 2021 race held in Dubai last month, a fitness-orientated family of four, better known as Team Angel Wolf, did not let this bring them down.
Instead, they created their own race, called Rio’s Run, in honour of Rio Watson, 17, who has a rare disease, Q44 Deletion De Novo, which impedes his ability to walk and speak.
This month, Rio’s father, Nick Watson, swam 1.9 kilometres as he pulled Rio in a kayak, cycled 90km with Rio in an adapted bike and ran 21km while pushing his son in his specialised chair.
The Watsons – Nick, his wife, Delphine and their children, Rio and Tia – are among a growing number of families in the UAE who are working on their fitness goals together.
Marcus Smith, an extreme athlete and founder of InnerFight gym in Dubai Studio City, says: “One of the most obvious benefits of training as a family is feeling motivated and being able to motivate others.
I had [suffered] from back pain and severe obesity, so I started swimming, walking and taking part in 5km runs
“In my experience, groups that are ‘in it together’ feel better connected and have a better sense of responsibility to the end goal as they don’t want to let anyone down. There is a special type of commitment that can develop in families who train in a fitness class or compete in an endurance event. By honing these skills at a young age, and having parents who display these traits regularly, you’ll be setting your child up for a life of success.”
While Team Angel Wolf have been a firm fixture on the UAE’s fitness scene for almost a decade now, The National catches up with some other families, who offer tales of inspiration, encouragement and awe.
Variety is key for Team Al Majar
This Irish-Emirati family of four are on a mission to get fit and healthy, thanks in large part to mum, Zoe Al Majar, who is the driving force behind them all. Born and raised in Ireland, Zoe, who works as a purchase officer in Dubai, met her Emirati husband, Khalid, when she moved to the UAE.
But it was after the birth of their first child, Afraa, that Zoe, a keen horse rider, decided to take charge of her health once again. “I had [suffered] from back pain and severe obesity, as I weighed about 120 kilograms at one point. So, I started swimming, walking and taking part in 5km runs,” she says.
Mamta and I get up by 5am on most days and earlier on weekends. Our Friday morning ritual involves running with the Dubai Creek Striders
Her enthusiasm for fitness soon took over her life as well as her family’s, as they realised how much it helped them to bond. Citing Team Angel Wolf’s YouTube channel as their inspiration, the Al Majars began triathlon training, and started running, cycling and swimming together.
“Sundays are typically Team Angel Wolf family walk evenings. Monday night is run club with Lee Harris. Tuesday afternoon is swim day for Afraa at Urban Energy Fitness and a cycle night for Khalid and I,” says Zoe.
“Wednesday evening is my swim night at Urban. Thursday is typically a rest evening and then the weekend comes. Friday morning can start as early as 3am, depending on if Khalid and I are doing a long cycle or Afraa and I are racing. Then Saturday is exactly the same, except we have Sharm Circus School for [the couple’s second child] Osha in the afternoon and OCR Nation training for Afraa in the evening.”
Zoe also begins her weekdays at 5am and tries to get in a training session – a run, swim or bike – before heading to work at 8am.
Just keep moving with Team Kaddoura
While the desire to become and remain healthy inspired the Al Majars to focus on fitness, it was Tania Lolla Kaddoura’s love for sports that formed the basis of her family’s fitness routine. Tania is a fitness trainer with an MSc in sports physiotherapy, and she believes that having fun together is as important as a family working on its fitness as one unit.
“Activity with the family is a daily routine; it varies from walking, to our preferred weekend family runs with Noah on Friday and basketball night on Saturday,” she says.
Noah, her 1-year-old son, usually wakes up Tania and her husband, Mohamed, at 5am, she says. “The day starts with a light bite of fruit or an oat yoghurt and a glass of water. Then around 6.30am, round one of our daily brisk walks around the neighbourhood begins, with Noah in his stroller,” says Tania. In the evenings, the family head out again for another walk around the block and a pit stop at the community playground.
While most of the workouts Tania and Mohamed have planned include baby Noah, they also take part in couples' workouts. Although it is challenging to do so with a baby at home, they engage in a body weight workout at least once a week, including a routine that takes in synchronised push-ups, squats, burpees, planks and other variations of HIIT circuits.
Tania reiterates that they have the most fun when Noah is part of their workout. She is a firm believer that children can be engaged in fitness early on. “And trust me, they will catch on,” she says.
Last year, after stay-at-home measures were imposed, Team Kaddoura created an obstacle course race on their balcony and took part in the first Spartan Virtual Trifecta World Championship.
Race to the top with Team Daryani
Rajesh and Mamta Daryani are another couple who lead their children by example when it comes to fitness. Parents to Advika and Adonis, the Daryanis are popularly known as the "barefoot-running couple" in their community.
The family of four often take part in racing and hiking events around the world. Rajesh, who runs a construction business, began running only in his thirties. Surprised by her husband’s renewed energy, Mamta caught on in 2011, while Adonis, then aged 1, was still in his pushchair.
Families who compete as a team emphasise the importance of navigating both success and failure in life
The family’s first hike came in 2012, when they traversed the mountains of Leh in North India. “Nepal is our favourite destination. In 2018, we went up to enjoy the Everest view in Sagarmatha National Park, which is at an altitude of 4,000 metres. In 2019, we trekked at Annapurna Base Camp for eight days, up to an altitude of 4,200 metres,” says Rajesh.
With travel restrictions in place since last year, the family started hiking in the Hajar Mountains in the UAE, and have since explored many scenic trekking spots around the Emirates.
“Mamta and I get up by 5am on most days and earlier on weekends. Our Friday morning ritual involves running with the Dubai Creek Striders. On weekdays, we either run, bike or do yoga before 7am. On school days, Advika skates or does yoga with her favourite teacher on YouTube. Adonis plays cricket twice a week, and occasionally runs and plays badminton with Mamta,” says Rajesh.
At club events and races, Adonis and Advika actively volunteer at support stations. In 2018, the family switched to vegetarian food and have even reduced their consumption of dairy products.
Working out with your family can be a wonderful bonding opportunity, explains Kundalini yoga teacher Nancy Zabaneh, as this allows people to relieve stress, build stamina and grow closer.
“Aside from the obvious benefits associated with health, well-being and life-skill development, taking part in a physical activity strengthens family bonds. When we work out together or share any kind of practice as a group or as a family, we also balance each other’s energies,” Zabaneh says.
“Besides, families who compete as a team emphasise the importance of navigating both success and failure in life. Co-operation and collaboration are also fundamental to learning, as empathy and the ability to communicate are further developed.”
Scores
Wales 74-24 Tonga
England 35-15 Japan
Italy 7-26 Australia
Gertrude Bell's life in focus
A feature film
At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.
A documentary
A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.
Books, letters and archives
Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
Squad
Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas)
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux
2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke
2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet
Bullet%20Train
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MATCH INFO
Norwich 0
Watford 2 (Deulofeu 2', Gray 52')
Red card: Christian Kabasele (WatforD)
MATCH INFO
World Cup qualifier
Thailand 2 (Dangda 26', Panya 51')
UAE 1 (Mabkhout 45 2')
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Real Sociedad v Leganes (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Real Valladolid (4pm)
Valencia v Granada (7pm)
Eibar v Real Madrid (9.30pm)
Barcelona v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Sunday
Real Mallorca v Villarreal (3pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Levante (5pm)
Atletico Madrid v Espanyol (7pm)
Getafe v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Real Betis v Sevilla (midnight)
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
MATCH DETAILS
Liverpool 2
Wijnaldum (14), Oxlade-Chamberlain (52)
Genk 1
Samatta (40)
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
Match info
Australia 580
Pakistan 240 and 335
Result: Australia win by an innings and five runs
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
PRESIDENTS CUP
Draw for Presidents Cup fourball matches on Thursday (Internationals first mention). All times UAE:
02.32am (Thursday): Marc Leishman/Joaquin Niemann v Tiger Woods/Justin Thomas
02.47am (Thursday): Adam Hadwin/Im Sung-jae v Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay
03.02am (Thursday): Adam Scott/An Byeong-hun v Bryson DeChambeau/Tony Finau
03.17am (Thursday): Hideki Matsuyama/CT Pan v Webb Simpson/Patrick Reed
03.32am (Thursday): Abraham Ancer/Louis Oosthuizen v Dustin Johnson/Gary Woodland
What is an ETF?
An exchange traded fund is a type of investment fund that can be traded quickly and easily, just like stocks and shares. They come with no upfront costs aside from your brokerage's dealing charges and annual fees, which are far lower than on traditional mutual investment funds. Charges are as low as 0.03 per cent on one of the very cheapest (and most popular), Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, with the maximum around 0.75 per cent.
There is no fund manager deciding which stocks and other assets to invest in, instead they passively track their chosen index, country, region or commodity, regardless of whether it goes up or down.
The first ETF was launched as recently as 1993, but the sector boasted $5.78 billion in assets under management at the end of September as inflows hit record highs, according to the latest figures from ETFGI, a leading independent research and consultancy firm.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five largest providers BlackRock’s iShares, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisers, Deutsche Bank X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
While the best-known track major indices such as MSCI World, the S&P 500 and FTSE 100, you can also invest in specific countries or regions, large, medium or small companies, government bonds, gold, crude oil, cocoa, water, carbon, cattle, corn futures, currency shifts or even a stock market crash.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
Crops that could be introduced to the UAE
1: Quinoa
2. Bathua
3. Amaranth
4. Pearl and finger millet
5. Sorghum
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
Meydan race card
6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh125,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,200m
7.40pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh170,000 (D) 1,900m
8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 (D)1,200m
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
Scorecard
Scotland 220
K Coetzer 95, J Siddique 3-49, R Mustafa 3-35
UAE 224-3 in 43,5 overs
C Suri 67, B Hameed 63 not out
Day 3 stumps
New Zealand 153 & 249
Pakistan 227 & 37-0 (target 176)
Pakistan require another 139 runs with 10 wickets remaining
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft Toronto
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms: Playstation 4, Xbox One, Windows
Release Date: April 10
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
WE%20NO%20LONGER%20PREFER%20MOUNTAINS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Inas%20Halabi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENijmeh%20Hamdan%2C%20Kamal%20Kayouf%2C%20Sheikh%20Najib%20Alou%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
