DUBAI // From yoga to more strenuous activities such as cycling and sprinting – it is still possible to exercise outdoors in the summer.
With many residents starting their exercise programmes as early as 6am, when the temperature can be a relatively low 30°C, the heat is no excuse to refrain from keeping fit, they say.
“My training doesn’t change all year round, but I run less in summer because I don’t enjoy being outdoors as much,” said Dr Tamara Ghazi, the medical director at Diversified Integrated Sports Clinic in Dubai Healthcare City.
“You just have to be smart about protecting your head from the sun, and make sure to hydrate throughout and after your workout.
“If you have any headaches or blurred vision, then stop. And I wouldn’t recommend it to people fasting in Ramadan.”
Dr Ghazi, a 29-year-old Canadian-Arab who goes running and, on occasion, cycling early in the morning six times a week, said the sun was not as strong at that time.
“It’s a really nice time of the day. I swim in the sea once every two weeks at 6.30am and the water is very cool. It also refreshes you, so it keeps your focus at work when you feel sluggish from the heat. It’s definitely tolerable.”
Her workouts usually end by 8.30am. “It actually feels great because the sun isn’t that bright and humidity isn’t that high,” she said. “You get used to it. You have to take lots of water, coconut water and electrolytes.
“Heat training is also really good because the race becomes easier, and the humidity is like training in altitude, so it works really well.”
Dima Godfrey, a 35-year-old regional sales manager who lives in Dubai, includes kick-boxing, circuit training, running, swimming and cycling in his workout. In summer, he does athletics on an outdoor track twice a week, coupled with several short runs.
“I go very early in the morning, about 6am, and cycling at 5am,” said Mr Godfrey, who is from the UK. “There are a few of us that go so it’s easy to motivate each other.”
In this weather, it made sense to exercise in the morning, he said. “That’s the whole idea of going out before the sun comes out. Lately, it’s been just under 35°C at that time and it’s bearable with the right hydration, but it’s still tough.”
Training in the morning, Mr Godfrey said, was something he started doing at a young age. “I grew up in the UK, where the temperature is a lot cooler and I got in the habit of training in the morning before going to work. I just carried on doing it when I got here, and I prefer it because of the convenience, in terms of time, and there’s something about training in the morning that enables me to make good food choices the rest of the day.”
People must be aware, however, that with outdoor training comes the need for constant hydration.
“People have to be sensible,” Mr Godfrey said. “Every person is different so if they feel faint or dizzy, they should pace themselves and take regular breaks. But don’t underestimate the sun. It can get really gruesome if you’re not prepared for it.”
Megan Mileham is used to the summer heat, having lived in Dubai for the past 20 years. Every week, three of her daily workouts are completed outside.
“If I train outside, I do stuff in the morning at about 6am or 7am,” the callisthenics trainer said. “I like to do body weights early, so I work also on a lot of strength yoga, which is a workout in itself. I like to work up a sweat and get some fresh air.”
The feeling of working out as early as possible was rewarding, the South African said.
“The fresh air is good and the humidity is quite nice on your skin. It adds to it because you get sweatier quicker and you burn more calories than when inside.
“As long as you listen to your body and stay hydrated, it can’t hurt. So as long as you’re comfortable, just keep going.”
cmalek@thenational.ae
Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Captain Marvel
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn
4/5 stars
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
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TOP%2010%20MOST%20POLLUTED%20CITIES
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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RACE CARD
6.30pm Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,200
7.05pm Handicap Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
7.40pm Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm Handicap Dh190,000 (D) 1,600m
8.50pm Handicap Dh175,000 (D) 1,400m
9.25pm Handicap Dh175,000 (D) 2,000m
The National selections:
6.30pm Underwriter
7.05pm Rayig
7.40pm Torno Subito
8.15pm Talento Puma
8.50pm Etisalat
9.25pm Gundogdu
Company%20Profile
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MATCH INFO
Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')
Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')
Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Wenger's Arsenal reign in numbers
1,228 - games at the helm, ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
704 - wins to date as Arsenal manager.
3 - Premier League title wins, the last during an unbeaten Invincibles campaign of 2003/04.
1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
473 - Premier League victories.
7 - FA Cup triumphs, with three of those having come the last four seasons.
151 - Premier League losses.
21 - full seasons in charge.
49 - games unbeaten in the Premier League from May 2003 to October 2004.
PROFILE OF INVYGO
Started: 2018
Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo
Based: Dubai
Sector: Transport
Size: 9 employees
Investment: $1,275,000
Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri
