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Make fitness a habit and lifestyle

The latest edition of wknd. conversations saw the importance of fitness amidst the Dubai Fitness Challenge

In a fast-paced city like Dubai, where the buzz of technology and life is at its brim, at times it’s important to slow down and prioritise your health. Well known for going all out with its initiatives, this month the Dubai Economy and Tourism has brought back the sixth edition of the Dubai Fitness Challenge 30x30, bringing along 30 days of fitness and wellness for everyone. Be it your office warehouse, your school greenfield, or your local beach or park, the initiative gives you a chance to take out 30 minutes of your day to get those muscles moving.

Set alongside the breezy waves of Dubai, the latest edition of wknd. conversations in association with Fitbit, and the consumer fitness and wellness platform GoWell from Etisalat UAE branded as etisalat by e&, took place at the Kite Beach Fitness Village, centred on the importance of fitness and a healthy lifestyle in today’s day and age. The panelists for the day were Prateek Kewalramani, Head of Marketing, Fitbit - MEA at Google, Lee Corrigan, Senior VP, Vitality Global partner of GoWell and Nitinn R. Miranni, award-winning comedian, actor and host. Readers of Khaleej Times and wknd. magazine attended the event along with members from the Fitbit community. David Amehame, regional sales manager - MEA, Fitbit at Google and Alreem Yousuf Ahmad Alredha, representative from Dubai Economy and Tourism, also graced the occasion and delivered the welcome keynote.

Fitbit, now part of Google family, is known for making advanced health wearables and wellness experiences accessible to millions of people across the globe. Prateek Kewalramani, Head of Marketing, Fitbit - MEA at Google, said, “At Fitbit, our mission is to help everyone in the world become healthier, and it has never changed. Millions of people around the globe use Fitbit every day — from checking how well they slept to doing a workout or mindfulness session in our app.”

With the Dubai Fitness Challenge, it is not only about individual growth, but the motivation found through an entire community coming together to work towards a healthier body. “Community-wide initiatives are very important in today’s world, as it not only helps you to be motivated and committed to a fitness activity for 30 days, but it also helps in finding a fitness buddy for building a community that can keep you motivated beyond these 30 days,” added Prateek.

Incentives are harmonious with motivation in human nature, the more we’re rewarded, the more we are inclined to work towards something. Apps and websites, like the newly launched GoWell app, rewards their users as they track their fitness goals and unlock healthy behaviour change targets. Lee Corrigan, senior VP, Vitality Global partner of GoWell, said, “We’ve seen the advent of technology and wearables really transform the way people exercise. So programmes like GoWell make personalised goals for you taking into account your fitness data from wearables like Fitbit, and then incentivises people to keep going. We want people of Dubai to make sustained activity, and help them become a better version of themselves, just the way Dubai Fitness Challenge is giving people a chance to stay motivated and keep hitting the 30 minutes activity target for 30 consecutive days.”

Every individual should have their own wellness goals and should find out what works best for them, pertaining to their current circumstances and routine. “We are holistic beings. It should not be just about one aspect or one month, but it should be about your body and mind as a whole. The key is to respect your body and do things consistently,” said Lee.

The pandemic changed the way we think about our bodies and minds, and also made people prioritise their health and emotional wellness like never before. Award-winning actor and comedian, Nitinn R. Miranni emphasised, “Pre-pandemic , people had a lot of misconceptions about overall wellness and fitness and would often question if they’re actually healthy or not, despite looking fit physically. But now, the biggest currency we have is our health. Be it physical or emotional health, that is all we have,” said Nitinn.

With social media, it may seem many have joined a race to look a certain way. “If you compete, then you won’t feel complete. The idea is to feel complete. That is what I believe one should do to find their pace of working out and feeling good, and one should just learn to listen to our bodies,” added Nitinn.

The evening ended with a token of gratitude for the panelists, followed by a refreshing and calming chair yoga session, and the audiences who had joined the conversation from their intense workouts at the Kite Beach Fitness Village got a chance to stretch , relax, and ponder on the interesting perspectives from the conversation between the experts.

wknd@khaleejtimes.com

wknd. conversations is a monthly interactive platform where influential leaders from different industries come together for an interactive session on a variety of subjects.