Look: Dubai Fitness Challenge transforms city into an open-air gym

Residents are enthusiastically embracing the Dubai Fitness Challenge (DFC), showing that staying fit can be both enjoyable and diverse. As the fitness fever sweeps across the city, people are finding creative ways to incorporate exercises into their daily routines.

On Saturday, day 1 of the month-long fitness challenge, many took the scenic route to fitness by hitting the beach while others congregated at nearby parks to do yoga or Pilates.

“I started jogging along the sandy shores last year and since then it has become a favorite activity that combines the benefits of physical activity with the refreshing sea breeze. It's not just a workout but a chance to enjoy the natural beauty surrounding the city,” Svetlana Orlov told Khaleej Times.

Svetlana moved to the UAE in January of this year and couldn’t participate in the previous edition. “Though I had heard about it when I arrived here and it’s a great initiative pushing residents to stay fit. I am dedicating an extra hour for fitness during the fitness month,” said Orlov.

Badminton has also emerged as a popular choice for many residents. “A badminton game not only tires you but is the best package to release stress. I had been to a few games with my friends and this month we have decided to go every day,” said Siddique Bilal.

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Indoor exercises

Other residents, meanwhile, opted to work out from the comfort of their homes. “Indoor workouts have become a popular choice as there are a lot of trainers sharing tips on workouts on social media. As it was a weekend, I wanted to sleep a bit extra as I had a tiring week,” said Firas Hamdan, a Syrian Expat residing in Al Nahda.

Hamdan is a regular gym person in the evenings, but due to the start of DFC, he wanted to invest another half an hour in his daily routine for a month. “My home exercise included from simple routines to high-intensity workouts. I did Yoga and resistance band exercises, which I am planning to make it a part of my early morning routine. It was refreshing,” said Hamdan.

The challenge is undertaken by diverse age groups of residents, from children as young as 5-year-old to 80 years old. Muhammed Aqil, a retired resident, participated in the challenge at home. “My son, Muhammed Abid, was very keen on working out together as a whole family for at least half an hour a day. So we decided to partake by home exercise for today and when the temperature decreases, we have decided to go to a nearby par,” said Aqil, a resident of Al Warka.

Proud to workout

Many took to social media to show the start of their fitness journey.

Julia Chisliuk, a fitness trainer posted a video on her Instagram handle. She started the challenge by doing some Pilates exercises at a park.

Vinayakumar Mukundan started his Dubai Fitness Challenge with a jog in a deserted patch of land.

Andrew Ellis posted a video explaining his first day of the challenge and his workout routine.

City-wide fitness hub

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