You know the drill: Your New Year’s plans gave way to, well it’s summer now and you are still figuring out how to embark on a sustainable and reasonable health and exercise plan. Even though you may feel you are in a rut, motivation is actually only a few workouts away. Take these tips from Ali Syed, regional fitness manager at Fitness First, for getting back to a healthy exercise routine any time that you happen...
It was a concern for parents before the pandemic and it’s only gotten more paramount: what are the dangers of children and young people being brought up on a diet ever-increasing screen-use and passive, digital content consumption? The reality is that the rapid increase in screen use during the pandemic continues, and runs the risk of causing a surge in mental health conditions in young people, according to Dr Ateeq Qureshi, a psychiatrist from the...
Did your relationship suffer during the pandemic? Still struggling to recover? You are not alone. Priory Wellbeing Center in Dubai reports an 11 percent increase in patients seeking help with relationship issues in the last year. And according to a UK poll conducted by The Priory, which now has a location in Abu Dhabi too, one in four people (26 percent) think their relationship with their partner worsened over the period. Mandeep Jassal, a behavioral therapist...
President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has passed away at the age of 73. The Ministry of Presidential Affairs announced that the UAE will suspend work at all ministries, departments and federal, local and private entities for three days from Saturday, May 14 to Tuesday, May 17. That period will be followed by 40 days of official mourning, with the flag flown at half-mast. forty-day national mourning with the flag flown at half-mast starting today,...
For as long as we can remember, our parents have always told us to finish off our plates before leaving the table. Every crumb, every dollop of sauce, and the last piece of pasta must be chowed down. Yet not everyone in the Kingdom has lived this way, clearly. As of 2021, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture has estimated that food waste costs the Kingdom US$10.6 billion annually. A nationwide field study...
Ramadan is known to be a month full of kindness and gratitude, as well as to detox and reflect. From my experience with Muslim clients, many continue to work out throughout the Holy Month, even while they are fasting. However, everyone reacts to fasting differently, particularly the first few days or workouts. That is why it is important to take it easy, see how you feel, and not be too hard on yourself. If working out while you are...
Heaping dishes of rice are a staple in Middle Eastern cuisine, especially during Ramadan. But rice is not always an ideal choice for our bodies.
We searched the Livehealthy archives for the best mental and physical advice for Ramadan: everything from what to eat, to when and how; when to workout and what to do; how to be more sustainable, more mindful and more meditative, and how to clean out your closets – and your mind. Go easy on high-intensity cardio One thing that can happen during Ramadan is that the body can enter a catabolic state. This is when the...
Fasting has been around for centuries, adopted by many cultures and religions as a spiritual act designed to purify and heal the mind, body and soul. In recent times a variety of fasting diets have been touted not only as a popular mechanism for weight loss, but a route to overall better health, too. There are some key differences between fasting during Ramadan and intermittent fasting, however. Ramadan fasting periods are specified by the sun...
Can people with Type 2 diabetes safely attempt Ramadan fasting or should they avoid this practice? And if they do go ahead and fast, how can it be done safely? This is an even more relevant question in the MENA region and throughout the UAE, where the total prevalence of diabetes is high: 16.3 percent, compared to 9.3 percent worldwide, according to a report by the International Diabetes Federation in 2020. According to a 2019 study in Dubai,...
We checked out some of the most-hyped about indoor cycling classes in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.