• Fazal Hakeem, limousine driver for Careem
Average daily steps: 3,995
My day: I don't have a desk job, but I spend a lot of time in the car. On average, it's about 10 hours a day. I keep fit by going to the gym a few times a week, mostly on the weekends, and doing weights to keep my strength up. I also love cricket – being from Pakistan – and play the game with my friends early in the morning and at night when we can.
Wearing the Jawbone Up: I was not surprised by the number of steps I do each day and if I wasn't driving so much, I would love to walk more. I am active when I can be – it's all about finding the time.
• Stuart Keane, senior-owners representative, Tourism Development & Investment Company
Average daily steps: 4,142
My day: I have a desk job, so I am sitting most of the day. I do, however, try to make time for some exercise.
Wearing the Jawbone Up: Wearing the fitness tracker made me think more about the number of steps I take and it encouraged me to try walking more during the work day. I was a little surprised by the low number of steps – I thought I would walk more. Unfortunately, I'm not sure my desk job would let me achieve 10,000 steps.
• Sue Doshi, housewife
Average daily steps: 7,911
My day: I'm a reasonably active person. I normally exercise four or five times a week, but tend to be a bit lazy at weekends.
Wearing the Jawbone Up: On the first day, I thought a lot more about my steps and whether I needed to use the car for a short trip. It made me realise that I need to exercise more at the weekends, which tend to be my chill-out time. I was surprised and really pleased that when I do my morning walk, it smashes my target for the day.
• Sinead Rose , primary-school teacher, Abu Dhabi, Educational Council
Average daily steps: 9,046
My day: In a typical day, I am on my feet, but not continually walking. When I go home though, I am sloth-like and rest. I don't have a regular exercise routine, but I would like to incorporate something since I am now more aware of how inactive I am.
Wearing the Jawbone Up: I was really excited to see that on my first day I had reached over 10,000 steps, but I soon realised that was due to a school field trip where I was walking a lot. This trial week helped me to see what my general step count is and from here on in I will aim to increase my daily activity.
• Silvia Razgova, photographer, The National
Average daily steps: 10,171
My day: I tend to move around throughout the day while I'm shooting, but the challenge to remain active is the post-production work, which ties me to a computer for hours on end. To avoid sitting, I have switched my desk to a standing one, and I also exercise three to five times a week, combining metabolic conditioning with strength training and cardio.
Wearing the Jawbone Up: I wasn't surprised by the number of steps I do, but I thought it may have been more considering how my body feels after a long day of shooting. On the fourth day of wearing the "gizmo", as I call it, I was ill and so my step count was a lot lower, which was disappointing. This exercise has made me more aware of the importance of staying active overall, rather than just exercising for intensive bursts of time and then lounging around.
• Justin Galea, director of food and beverage, Le Royal Méridien Abu Dhabi
Average daily steps: 9,981
My day: I spend long hours at work and have mixed days of activity. My role is split between the office and operation – there are days when I do not spend any time in the office and days when I am at my desk for up to 14 hours. My level of activity outside of working hours is very limited – it is mostly made up of short walks.
Wearing the Jawbone Up: It made me aware when I needed to walk more. To reach 10,000 steps a day, I would need to be more aware of the days when I do a lot of sitting and block times in my diary to allow me to be more active. There are also a few of us in the building with a Jawbone, so we compete to see who has the higher step count.
• Ayoub Omar, relationship manager, banking
Average daily steps: 10,210
My day: I spend a lot of time out of the office going to meetings, but about 60 per cent of my day is spent at my desk.
Wearing the Jawbone Up: It gave me greater awareness of what I do on a day-to-day basis and what can be achieved with some extra effort. I initially had no idea of how many steps I would normally take, but I was able to pass the goal of 10,000 steps each day, except for the days I was unwell. Wearing the Jawbone encouraged me to think about the ways I can increase my daily level of activity, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, when I can.
• Yamuna Tamang, restaurant captain, Anantara Eastern Mangroves
Average daily steps: 17,251
My day: Normally I work six days a week from 2pm to 11pm, and I am usually standing or walking around. The restaurant is quite big so there can be a lot of walking back and forth to seat people when they arrive, check on drinks orders, etc. Outside of work, I don't exercise and use my time to relax. I only averaged 2,000 steps outside of working hours.
Wearing the Jawbone Up: I hadn't really given much consideration to the number of steps I take per day, although, since I am always on my feet, I assumed it would be reasonably high. I wasn't aware before the challenge that there is a recommended number of steps per day, so it's interesting to realise that I unintentionally surpass this almost every day.
• Ajab Khan, activity guide, Qasr Al Sarab Desert resort
Average daily steps: 22,461
My day: As an activity guide, I spend most of my days outdoors doing physical activities such as desert walks and camel treks. Sometimes I stay at the activity desk for a few hours, but not on a daily basis.
Wearing the Jawbone Up: Given my job, I was not surprised by my step count, but it was interesting to know how many steps I do compared with other people, such as those working in an office. Before wearing the Jawbone, I had never given much thought to the number of steps I do and I did not know that 10,000 steps a day is the recommended amount. It was also interesting to see that I walk twice as much when I am working, but it makes sense because on my days off, I go to the city to relax and visit friends.
• Mohammed Khalifah, registered nurse, Imperial College London Diabetes Centre
Average daily steps: 20,477
My day: My job as a nurse involves a lot of activity, especially walking. I spend very little time sitting down during the day and normally exercise outside of working hours, too. I make sure I have some form of physical activity every day.
Wearing the Jawbone Up: It encouraged me to walk more and with the app allowing me to see the progress of others, it appealed to my competitive side. It made me think of bigger challenges, for example, walking from Abu Dhabi to Dubai. Twenty-thousand steps seems like a lot of steps, but it is my normal daily routine of work and a little exercise.
