Wasn't it Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) who said that she couldn't make the switch to shopping online because visiting all those stores was her cardio workout? Well, she was ahead of her time, because shopping workouts have become the latest exercise fad, with hundreds of fitness fanatics squatting, curling and pressing their way around their favourite shops and supermarkets in an attempt to stay fit.
In fact, if you join this bunch of clued-in shoppers, you could be burning your way through up to 800 calories during an average shopping expedition. That means twice-weekly shoppers can burn 1,600 calories a week, or 83,200 calories per year. Experts from the British shopping website Promotional Codes have come up with a few cool exercises for those who want to feel the burn while indulging in retail therapy.
Squats – bending to the bottom shelf
Instead of bending over to reach the lower shelved items in the supermarket, try sitting back into a squat for 10 minutes.
• Calories burnt: 51 calories (or one cookie)
Calf raises – reaching up to the top shelf
When reaching for items on the top shelves, do some calf raises to strengthen the backs of your legs and shoulders. The 10-minute exercise will also tone your calves.
• Calories burnt: 34 calories (or a single piece of treacle toffee)
Arm curls with tinned food
Arm curls aren’t only for lifting heavy weights in the gym. Pick up a couple of tins (opt for the heavy ones) and pump away for 10 minutes to improve your posture while strengthening and toning your arms.
• Calories burnt: 80 calories (or a chocolate digestive biscuit)
Lunge – push the trolley
Pushing a trolley around for an average 40-minute shop burns up to 160 calories. However, to help tone your legs, thighs and quadriceps, try performing lunges while walking around the supermarket; use your shopping trolley to lean against. Filling it up first with the week’s groceries will offer more resistance (and therefore burn more calories).
• Calories burnt: 317 (or one cheeseburger)
Side lunges – reach into the chiller cabinet
Side lunges are a great exercise for working your side abdominals, thighs, bum and hamstrings all at the same time. This doesn’t burn a lot of calories but is great for toning those muscles. Just don’t try it on a busy day at the local hypermarket.
• Calories burnt: 20 calories (or one mint)
Leg raises while browsing
Leg raises work your thighs and quads. Try it out while in the queue at a checkout counter or browsing items. It also does wonders for your core stability and balance. For a tougher workout, try lifting your legs up as high as you can to crunch your abs at the same time.
• Calories burnt: 70 calories (or a scoop of vanilla ice cream)
Arm raises with bottles of water
Arm raises with bottles of water is a great alternative to lifting dumb-bells in the gym and will tone your biceps a treat. Get more out of this exercise over a period of time – gradually swap smaller bottles for bigger ones.
• Calories burnt: 105 calories (or quarter of a box of chocolates)
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tips on buying property during a pandemic
Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.
While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.
While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.
Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.
Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.
Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.
Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Reputation
Taylor Swift
(Big Machine Records)
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Managing the separation process
- Choose your nursery carefully in the first place
- Relax – and hopefully your child will follow suit
- Inform the staff in advance of your child’s likes and dislikes.
- If you need some extra time to talk to the teachers, make an appointment a few days in advance, rather than attempting to chat on your child’s first day
- The longer you stay, the more upset your child will become. As difficult as it is, walk away. Say a proper goodbye and reassure your child that you will be back
- Be patient. Your child might love it one day and hate it the next
- Stick at it. Don’t give up after the first day or week. It takes time for children to settle into a new routine.And, finally, don’t feel guilty.
