As the Dubai Fitness Challenge encourages all of us to complete 30 minutes of exercise for 30 days (30 x 30), we’ve compiled 30 healthy lifestyle tips from 30 fitness and wellbeing experts.
1. Listen to your cravings
Natassia Dsouza, emotional and behavioral weight loss coach
“We have stopped listening to our bodies when they tell us that we’re hungry, thirsty or full. This is especially true of people that suffer from overeating. We’ve been falsely taught that cravings are bad. But we need to accept and trust these feelings.”
2. Don’t aim for perfection
Chervin Jafarieh, co-founder of supplements brand Cymbiotika
“You shouldn’t worry about every little thing. You just need to have a passion for good health and a desire to understand how your body works. It’s all about building momentum in the right direction. If you start doing little things here and there, you start creating more space for self-love. Whether that’s reducing processed foods or screen time, or going to bed earlier, you are creating a practice and doing everything right.”
3. Remember supplements aren’t everything
Suzan Terzian, clinical nutritional consultant
“It doesn’t matter what supplement you take, if the main pillars of health — nutrition, sleep, exercise, rest, hydration, and social heart connections — are not present, your supplements will do very little towards taking you to where you want to be.”
4. Take rest days
Dr Hasan Baydoun, Chief of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine at Healthpoint hospital, Abu Dhabi
“People need to realise that it’s okay to take a couple of weeks off and slow down. To enjoy casual jogs without recording every single metric. It’s imperative that you always do a warmup before exercising. Studies show that if you don’t, there’s a much higher risk of injury.”
5. Shop from local independent brands
Kate Hardcastle MBE, TV star and business consultant
“When you shop for independent brands, your money is going into a circular economy. Educate yourself on the true cost of a product — where has it come from, what is the carbon footprint? Kibsons leads the way in the region as a sustainable supermarket. They label their imported produce, and this makes it so easy for the customer to see the supply chain details. It of course also offers the famous blue box that can be recycled and reused. The way that they use and recycle water at their farms and warehouses is admirable too.”
6. Share your parenting struggles
Alfred Gull, German Clinical and Healthcare Psychologist at the German neuroscience center in Dubai
“New parents dealing with difficult emotions should be able to reach out to the person they trust the most, open up about their worries, and explain how changes in their life are making them feel. They should also speak to those people who they assume expect them to behave in a certain way. Having these conversations helps to correct other people’s assumptions and improve their own self-esteem by demonstrating that they are ‘enough’. Above all, parents need to talk about their feelings, because hesitation, indecisiveness, and procrastination on this front will only increase insecurity and anxiety.”
7. Learn to recognize hidden sugars
Sedra Jundi, Dietitian at Valiant Clinic & Hospital, Dubai
“As a consumer it is important to know that sugar can have many different names. Food labels can use more than 70 different ways of referring to it. As a rule of thumb, many of these names often end in ‘ose’. Some artificial sweeteners or synthetic substitutes to watch out for and limit include: high fructose corn syrup, agave, aspartame, saccharin, sucralose and acesulfame potassium.”
8. Believe in yourself
Youmna Khoury, founder of Youmi Beauty
“Love yourself and believe in yourself. Write down what you need to do and put your plan into action. Don’t give too much to people that don’t really care about you. Surround yourself with business-minded people and ones that really love you. Don’t spend your time on silly stuff. Use your time to build your future. Time is precious so you have to use it on the right things.”
9. Ground yourself through meditation
Jyothi Hulmani, partner at The Mediation Space
“There is a lot of uncertainty in the world nowadays, but meditation practice helps an individual to be grounded. When you are able to embrace the here and now, you find strength to deal with difficult situations with more clarity. Meditation is a place where people can sit in silence, and reflect.”
10. Heal by spending time with animals
Dr Minu Mathews, Heriot-Watt University in Dubai
“Animal Assisted Therapy is a powerful tool in modern healthcare. It can effectively address a range of conditions such as stress, anxiety, loneliness, abusive behavior and depression. It has been used effectively with those diagnosed with autism, and ADHD, and also in vulnerable populations like cancer patients, stroke survivors and the elderly.”
11. Encourage kids to strength train
Josh Davies, head of strength and conditioning, Wellfit
“The idea that kids shouldn’t lift weights because it stunts their growth is just not true. There’s no evidence to prove this. As long as they are competent enough to follow instructions and can move well, children of all ages can lift weights. It helps improve limb control and their brain-muscle connection. Plus, research shows there’s no better prerequisite for injury prevention than being strong. This is fundamental for children, especially if they are partaking in things like contact sports.”
12. Eat fermented foods
Dr Abhinav Gupta, Specialist in Internal Medicine at Life Medical Centre, JVC, Dubai
“Fermented foods are rich in probiotics, the beneficial bacteria that supports a healthy gut microbiome. Eating fermented foods can help alleviate digestive issues and increase the bioavailability of nutrients, making them easier for the body to absorb. By improving the gut barrier function, reducing inflammation and stimulating immune cell production, consuming fermented foods can also create a stronger immune system. The vitamins and enzymes in these items also support various metabolic processes, and they can benefit individuals with food sensitivities as they aid the process of breaking down complex proteins and carbohydrates.”
13. Adjust your diet to cure eczema
Dr Nasr Al Jafari, DNA Health and Wellness Clinic in Dubai
“Eczema is a condition caused by inflammation and like so many things, it starts in the gut. Seventy percent of our immune system cells are either in the gut or in the vicinity of the gut. If there is a disturbance in the gut barrier or an imbalance of bacteria — that is, more bad than good — the immune response will become irregular and a localized reaction can become systemic. Inflammatory foods to avoid include soy and wheat, while fish, leafy greens, beans, lentils, colorful fruits, turmeric and cinnamon are all anti-inflammatory.”
14. Drink camel milk
Dr Abdelaziz Sanad Awad, vet and production manager at Al Ain Camel Farm
“In recent years, demand has really grown a lot. More people than ever before are invested in their health and wellbeing and are turning to camel milk for its medicinal benefits. There’s been a lot of research into camel’s milk, and studies show that it can be beneficial when treating autism and diabetes, and it can improve immunity.”
15. Swap regular potatoes for sweet potatoes
Nutritionist Laura Holland
“Sweet potatoes are rich in fiber, which helps to promote healthy digestion, reduce cholesterol and balance hormone levels. They also contain beta carotene, more than four times your daily vitamin A allotment, and antioxidants. Easy to digest, comforting and nourishing, eating sweet potato helps to calm your body and mind and relieve stress. They simultaneously strengthen your immune system and provide lots of sustainable energy that won’t upset your blood sugar balance. They make a good toast swap because they’re nutrient-dense, gluten-free and much easier to digest than your regular bread.”
16. Ditch seed oils
Dr Nasr Al-Jafari, medical director at DNA Health Corp
“Seed oils like soybean, corn, canola, sunflower and safflower produce high levels of free radicals when heated. These can cause damage to fatty tissue, DNA and proteins, and lead to various diseases over time. Preferable oil choices are minimally refined, cold-pressed, organic, non-GMO fats and liquid oils, such as extra virgin olive oil and extra virgin coconut oil. These are oils of the best quality.”
17. Use boxing as therapy
Cyrus Rustom, founder of Boxica fitness studio, Dubai
“Boxing brings loads of benefits. It improves agility, coordination, power and strength. But I think the biggest reason why it’s so popular is because of the way it boosts mental health. There’s something special about punching a bag. When we opened after lockdown, people were stressed out and they kept telling us ‘this is my therapy’. I didn’t just hear it once or twice, I was consistently hearing it. So eventually we changed the tagline to ‘Boxing is therapy’.”
18. Don’t ignore pain or discomfort
Daryl Grigaravicius, Founder of autoimmune support group Stride UAE
“Trust yourself; if you feel that something is off, you’re probably right. Do your research and don’t be afraid to speak to people and put yourself out there. That was the mistake that I made. Don’t ignore it. Not being able to sleep and suffering in chronic pain is not a normal way to live. Track your symptoms too, because they can be quite sporadic. Even if it’s intermittent bloating, bowel movements or joint pain, go to a doctor and take notes.”
19. Alcohol and smoking can damage your brain
Dr Florian Roser, neurosurgeon at Cleveland Clinic
“Alcohol is very, very bad for the brain. Smoking is too because it means your brain doesn’t get enough oxygen. If you don’t take care of your vascular system, the vessels leading towards the brain will narrow. We can see this when we do surgery on unhealthy brains. With your brain you don’t even feel you have a problem until it’s too late and there’s no way of reversing it. It’s such a beautiful organ and you have to take good care of it.”
20. Go zero-alcohol
Paul Beavis, founder of non-alcoholic sparkling wine brand Wild Idol
“People are more health conscious these days. Many of us live busy lives that are very psychically and emotionally demanding. Our holiday and relaxation time has therefore never been more precious, and we all know that true relaxation comes from giving your body a break.”
21. Get curious about your family
Laura Ghita, Systemic Family Constellation Facilitator at SEVA Experience
“We are all part of a family system. Whatever happens in your family system happens inside you as well, and every change or step you make impacts your family. We are all connected in this huge energy field and state of consciousness. Our genes, or biological inheritance, comes from the experiences of our ancestors. All of their understandings, traumas, knowledge and skills become part of our genetic system. I use it to help clients work out why they demonstrate certain issues, patterns or behaviors.”
22. With exercise, start with the basics
John Bromley, Abu Dhabi 360
“Going from doing no exercise to many intense sessions a week can be really harmful. Not only in the short term due to injuries, but also because it might put people off exercising in the future. It can potentially more damaging than doing nothing. If you’ve not exercised for two to three years, or if you are basically sedentary, then you need to start at a foundation level. Some young people could easily do five hours of CrossFit a week and become super fit. But not everyone is like that.”
23. Abandon your addiction to blame
Denis Liam Murphy, high-performance coach
“I hear a lot of people say that they have a self-sabotaging pattern or that they don’t have the capacity for commitment. People don’t realize that’s blame. The only pattern you take from one relationship to the other is your blame addiction. People say if my boss was different, I’d be happier. Or it’s my girlfriend, my wife or my husband that’s making me upset. It’s almost like a distraction from doing the internal work that you need to do. We are reliant on blame as a healing mechanism. We’re pushing all of our problems under a rug and using all of our energy to keep a lid on it. That’s why there’s so much chronic illness, tiredness, exhaustion, and burnout.”
24. Walk as much as possible
Harjit Bahia, founder of healthy lifestyle subscription service Longevity
“There is a direct correlation between the more you walk, and the better your health is. Walking is brilliant. It’s the best form of exercise and it brings so many benefits. It lifts your mood, and gets you outside and into natural light. It’s so good for just keeping mobile, too. Your joints are lubricated when they’re moving. When you get stiff joints, that’s when you have problems. Studies show that on average, people walk around 3,000 steps a day. There’s a lot of good data out there to say anything above 8,000 a day is a good amount.”
25. No caffeine after 3pm
Futtaim Beljafla, instructor at Crank Abu Dhabi
“The enemy of good sleep is caffeine! No matter what bedtime rituals you follow, if you’re having caffeine too late in the day, then you’re keeping your brain alert throughout the night and affecting the quality of your sleep. I am also guilty of having caffeine at night, especially before teaching my evening classes at Crank. Coupled with the adrenaline I get from teaching, there’s no way I will get to sleep before two in the morning. My advice, before anything else, is to curb caffeine after 3pm.”
26. Manage your weekend jet-lag
Jeffrey Zorn, founder and managing director at Nourishing Dubai
“As people who live abroad, we all know what jet lag is, but few people realize that they give themselves jet lag every single weekend by going to bed two to four hours later. That’s like flying to London every weekend and coming back for the working week. You don’t need a fancy watch or ring to diagnose your sleep. You already know if it’s great or if it’s in desperate need of improvement.”
27. Keep track of your gratitude
Mariam Farag, entrepreneur, media specialist and motivational speaker
“Everyone can benefit from writing down five things that you’re grateful for every morning in a gratitude book. We need to put less pressure on ourselves and put more focus on appreciating what we do have. One of the things that made me fall into the trap of anxiety was my overarching fear that I wasn’t achieving enough or doing enough. We tend to create our own anxiety.”
28. Check your chakras
Jane Elizabeth Muff, healer at Miracles Abu Dhabi
“Chakra-balancing reduces anxiety, lowers blood pressure and eases pain. It can even prevent panic attacks. People often come to me when they are severely stressed. I use my intuition to work out what the cause of their unhappiness is and work with them to overcome it. I’ve helped people come off their anxiety medication. I want people to realize that they don’t have to put up with feeling unhappy. There is something you can do about it.”
29. Consult a counselor
Dr Saliha Afridi, psychologist and founder of The LightHouse Arabia
“Every great person had a life coach. Even King Arthur had a counselor on his roundtable and we are not meant to navigate through life alone. I have a personal board of advisors, including coaches, Reiki healers and spiritual teachers. I also have a therapist who connects the past, the present and the future. This is essential, because if you don’t understand your history, you will continue to repeat it. We all need a support network.”
30. Use manifestation to help you find happiness
Esther McCann, UK-based manifestation coach
“Manifesting comes from within us, it’s not just about the tools and intention-setting rituals. It’s a blend of energy, trust, belief and action. Who you are, determines what you create and attract. I help people release their subconscious resistance to love, money, success and more. In doing so, they create new and empowering belief systems that allow them to create a life of happiness.
The Dubai Fitness Challenge is runs from October 28 to November 26. For more information, go to @dubaifitnesschallenge.
