WKND Spotlight: Fighting fit, come what may

Dubai - Three UAE residents tell us how they overcome personal hurdles to keep their workout routines on track

There’s a vicious cycle that many of us are all too familiar with. We grit our teeth and make the decision to become more active, get off to a flying start, bask in those post-workout highs, and then watch our fledgling new lifestyles crumble when ‘Life’ takes over.

Life. That universally-nominated harbinger of bad news for aspiring fitness enthusiasts. Or so it would seem, going by how quick we generally are to blame it for our expanding waistlines.

With the Dubai Fitness Challenge upon us, no doubt, many of us will be making fresh resolutions to work towards a healthier version of ourselves — as well we should. But the trick, as always, will be learning to sustain those routines. This week, WKND spoke to three Dubai residents who’ve made fitness a resolute part of their lives, despite the curveballs Life has thrown their way.

Motherhood isn’t the end

Tania Lolla Kaddoura used to be a sports physiotherapist and a familiar figure on the fitness circuit, where she regularly competed in marathons and Spartan races. A lot of that changed when she had her son, Noah, who is now a little over a year old.

As someone who always ensured fitness was “a big part” of her routine, it comes as no surprise that she tried to stay active — albeit cautiously — even throughout the nine months of her pregnancy. “Fitness was my way to escape everyday stress and stay as healthy as possible,” says the 35-year-old, who hails from Montenegro.

Her daily routine involved being up before dawn and going for a run before getting into the household chores, getting in some bodyweight exercises in the afternoon, and winding down with yoga at night. In all, the routines used to take up about three hours of her time every day. That’s not to say she wasn’t immune to laziness. “We are all human,” says the expat, who is a brand ambassador for both ASICS and Spartan Global. “Laziness is a part of life, but I never surrendered to it.”

When she found herself time-poor due to work or other engagements, Tania says she made it a point to sneak in tiny workouts. “Ten pushups or a one-minute plank. It stopped feeling too hard when I thought of it as part of my everyday life… It’s a bit like going for work,” she adds. “Sometimes, we’re too tired — but we still make ourselves go.”

Motherhood, however, is easily one of the biggest ‘culprits’ in derailing fitness goals. As a passionate advocate of mummy-and-baby fitness, the stay-at-home mum is hoping to launch a club for the same this month. Offering advice from her own experience, she says, “The post-partum period is not one in which to achieve personal fitness goals or break records. Your body has just undergone a huge change, so the return to fitness needs to be slow and steady. I started with outdoor walks with my baby in a stroller, progressing slowly to doing a few squats and lunges while holding on to the stroller, before gradually getting back to my former routine.”

Her key advice? Don’t underestimate the power of the little things. “Try implementing little workouts along with your daily chores, like a few squats on the way to the balcony or a few calf raises while washing the dishes. Maybe all you can do is hold a plank for a minute every day — but if you do so daily for 28 days, I guarantee it will change the way you look and feel.”

Despite the pain

When you’re diagnosed with a life-changing medical condition, especially one that involves chronic physical pain, adding exercise to the mix may (understandably) be the last thing on one’s mind. It’s been 18 years since Indian expat Sanria Khan was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a condition marked by painful inflammation of the joints. “My fingers would get so stiff in the morning that I had to place them in hot water to ‘thaw’ for half an hour every day before I could begin my daily routine.”

karen@khaleejtimes.com