Last week saw the finale of the Dubai Fitness Challenge, which was launched by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, the Crown Prince of Dubai, and aimed to get people exercising for 30 minutes a day for 30 days. A staggering 786,000 people took part in some 1,500 events, which kicked off with a carnival in Safa Park and featured fitness experts and exercise classes.
The challenge could not have asked for a better ambassador. Sheikh Hamdan frequently posts pictures of himself scuba-diving, horse-riding and spear-fishing on his social media channels and puts his name to one of the toughest sporting challenges in the UAE, the Dubai Crown Prince Endurance Cup.
Records were broken and new records set. If ever there was an incentive to stay healthy, the challenge provided it. Indeed, several participants told The National that they hoped it would be repeated next year as an incentive to keep the momentum and awareness up. However, the key is not to wait another year for another challenge but to use this impetus to change old habits for good.
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As cooler weather sets in, so, too, does the resolve to head outdoors and get fit. But the trouble with good intentions is that they often fade as life’s daily nagging chores and obligations get the better of us.
As this paper has previously reported, tackling obesity and heart disease is an uphill battle in a country in which life can sometimes get a little too comfortable. According to the World Health Organisation, the UAE ranks third in the Middle East for obesity, with more than a third of residents classed as obese. In addition, a third of residents suffer from type two diabetes, which experts have said is avoidable through simple lifestyle changes, such as the ones advocated by this year's challenge.
With the ease of ordering food online and living a comfortable existence with almost everything accessible from our couches, it is imperative we constantly reassess our lifestyles, health, diet and exercise regimes and start practising good habits as a matter of course, not just when health is "in season". The lessons of the last 30 days have been invaluable, but the biggest lesson is that persistence and resolve don't have a time limit.
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Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
More on Quran memorisation:
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