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Man loses 10kg, wins 10 gram gold in Dubai

34-year-old Filipino expat Rommel Manio was one of the over 9,500 people who enrolled for the fitness drive.

Although the Dubai Fitness Challenge has ended, the change that the initiative has brought about in the lives of UAE residents is simply amazing.
34-year-old Filipino expat Rommel Manio was one of the over 9,500 people who enrolled for a fitness drive at the Al Ghurair Centre in Deira, and walked away with 10gms of gold for losing 10kg in less than a month!
And that too without going to a gym.
As part of the fitness challenge, Al Ghurair Centre launched the first season of 'lose to win gold challenge' campaign to further motivate the mall visitors to be healthy. In line with the Dubai Fitness Challenge 2018, the 30-day challenge rewarded health enthusiasts and participants with a gram of gold for each kilo lost during the period of the challenge.
To make this challenge possible for all the participating visitors, the centre held fitness programmes in collaboration with Gold's Gym Dubai on its premises. Numerous free fitness programmes are lined-up every week till November 24, along with free BMI and body fat-muscle ratio tests, on the ground level of the mall.
Rommel, who always wanted to get fit but was unable to follow a fixed fitness regime said when his friend told him about Al Ghurair Centre's 'lose to win gold challenge' , it gave him the push he wanted.
"Before this challenge I would try and run or jog every night after work 3km to 5km but with this gold challenge I increased my distance to about 10km every day. I also changed my diet and went completely vegan for six days a week. I ate only fruits and vegetables during the week and ate meat only on weekends."
Also on the weekends, Rommel made use of the free fitness classes organised by the centre on its premises, where trained fitness instructors would take group sessions for mall visitors.
Talking about life after losing a good amount of weight, Rommel said: " My life has changed 360 degrees as I feel so confident and comfortable with my own body. I was suffering from severe back pain previously which has now completely gone after losing weight.
"My whole circle of friends and family are shocked at my transformation and I have inspired people around me to take up fitness seriously. I am grateful to the Al Ghurair Centre and the Dubai government for organizing such innovative competitions that remind and motivate us to take care of our health."
Talking about his 10gm of gold, he said: "This is my souvenir for life, my trophy that will always remind me of the effort I put in to get back in shape."
Zeinab Badar, Head of Marketing, Al Ghurair Centre, said, "With over 9,500 people registered, the second season of Dubai Fitness Challenge at Al Ghurair Centre has been a huge success. Consisting of a range of free fitness activities for all, the participants were encouraged to lose weight and win gold. This initiative was to support the vision of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai to create a truly inclusive fitness movement across the city and the wider UAE, making Dubai the most active city in the world."
saman@khaleejtimes.com