Prancercise, a hilariously unusual aerobic routine involving prancing while wearing ankle weights, was created by the Florida social worker Joanna Rohrback back in 1989. Courtesy Joanna Rohrback
Prancercise, a hilariously unusual aerobic routine involving prancing while wearing ankle weights, was created by the Florida social worker Joanna Rohrback back in 1989. Courtesy Joanna Rohrback
Prancercise, a hilariously unusual aerobic routine involving prancing while wearing ankle weights, was created by the Florida social worker Joanna Rohrback back in 1989. Courtesy Joanna Rohrback
Prancercise, a hilariously unusual aerobic routine involving prancing while wearing ankle weights, was created by the Florida social worker Joanna Rohrback back in 1989. Courtesy Joanna Rohrback

Wellbeing

Fitness briefs: prance your way to good health and eats and treats

Prancercise, an unusual aerobic routine; Health Eats and Treats (Heat) Cafe on Jumeirah Beach Road; Beyond Health Club in Abu Dhabi has just begun offering ultra-intensive functional fitness classes at the facility in Khalifa A.

Ann Marie McQueen

June 04, 2013

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In prancing good health

A bizarre exercise that was invented more than two decades ago has arisen from obscurity to become an internet sensation. Prancercise, an unusual aerobic routine involving prancing while wearing ankle weights, was created by the Florida social worker Joanna Rohrback in 1989. After recovering from an illness that prevented her exercising, Rohrback uploaded her original Prancercise promotional video to YouTube in December. Since then, the clip has attracted more than 4.5 million hits. Rohrback has even appeared on NBC's

The Today Show

to demonstrate her workout, where she told host Natalie Morales that she was "flabbergasted" by her newfound internet celebrity status.

Eats and treats

The personal trainer and champion weightlifter Derrick Branford has launched a new cafe in Dubai specialising in nutritious food. The Health Eats and Treats (Heat) Cafe on Jumeirah Beach Road offers dishes that contain no more than 400 calories each. Branford, a former US state champion who qualified for Olympic trials in 2004 before injury forced him to retire, has set up the business with the Emirati fitness entrepreneur Abdul Aziz Al Tayer. "There's nothing on offer here that will make you feel like you cheated your diet," says Branford. "If you're on a diet, it's probably the simplest place you can go for a hearty meal."

Functional fitness classes

The Beyond Health Club in Abu Dhabi has just begun offering ultra-intensive functional fitness classes at the facility in Khalifa A. The workout involves using numerous muscle groups to replicate movements you would complete in normal day life. So, exercises such as press-ups, squats, crunches and lunges feature prominently in the routines. The classes are held at Beyond Health Club in Khalifa A at 5.30pm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and cost Dh75 for non-members and Dh30 for members. Call 04 435 6988 or find them on Facebook for more information.

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6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah Group Two (PA) US$55,000 (Dirt) 1,600m; Winner: Rasi, Harry Bentley (jockey), Sulaiman Al Ghunaimi (trainer).

7.05pm: Meydan Trophy (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,900m; Winner: Ya Hayati, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.

7.40pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Bochart, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.

8.15pm: Balanchine Group Two (TB) $250,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Magic Lily, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.

8.50pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: Waady, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson.

9.25pm: Firebreak Stakes Group Three (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Capezzano, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.

10pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m; Winner: Eynhallow, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby.

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption. 

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks. 

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes. 

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion. 

8. Pillar 2 implementation 

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations. 

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity. 

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

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UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves. 

The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.

Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.

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