Staying at home can take its toll on your body, especially if you find that you’ve been spending most of your time lounging on your couch or slouched at your makeshift home office desk. Working out helps, but sometimes it can be difficult to find the motivation to get up and just do it.
Luckily, there are a number of apps designed to help you through such slumps. From those with squawking drill sergeants to the soothing tones of yoga instructors, here are six of the best fitness apps to help keep you healthy while staying at home.
7 Minute Workout
Seven minutes may not sound like much, but this fitness app by Johnson & Johnson will have you drenched in sweat by the time you're done with a circuit. Its smart workout feature will optimise exercise routines to best match your fitness level, continuously updating as you go. There are a number of apps that utilise the seven-minute high-intensity approach – such as 7 Minute Workout, which lets you pick the voices of drill sergeants and cheerleaders to keep you motivated – but what sets this app apart is the fact it is completely free, with no membership fees or in-app purchases to worry about.
Free
MyFitnessPal
MyFitnessPal, which was bought by the sportswear company Under Armour in 2015, uses gamification elements to keep you motivated, which means you’ll be earning trophies and badges as you progress. MyFitnessPal also keeps track of your diet. You can monitor your food intake by scanning the barcodes of various items or manually finding them within the app’s database.
Monthly membership: Dh36.99
Glo
Glo is a yoga app designed to suit varying skill levels and schedules. It has classes aimed at beginners, as well as more intense vinyasa sessions. Glo curates sessions inspired by your interests and your fitness goals, updating them as your skill levels develop. You can also create your own collections based on your favourite classes by theme. The monthly cost may seem steep, but it could also inspire you to keep at it, knowing that you’ve spent a pretty penny.
Monthly membership: Dh84.99
30 Day Fitness
The app designs daily exercise routines to work out every major muscle group in your body. This may sound intense, but 30 Day Fitness takes into account how long each muscle group needs to recover. The app also does well to fend off your excuses to avoid working out by giving you a new set of challenges to beat every day. The aim is to make you stronger and healthier in the span of a month without letting you succumb to boredom or procrastination.
Monthly membership: Dh37.99
Centr
An app designed to help you train like Thor, made by actor Chris Hemsworth. Centr tracks your sleep while offering nutritional advice, and notes from training experts, chefs and meditation teachers. The app includes 20 to 40-minute workouts that you can do at home, taking elements from boxing, yoga, strength training, HIIT and MMA.
“The app was designed to give people the opportunity to access the team that I’ve used over the years, who’ve had a profound positive impact on my life,” Hemsworth explains on Instagram.
The famously buff Hollywood star, best known for his role as Norse god Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, regularly posts pictures and videos of his own gruelling workouts, and founded Centr “to make health and happiness accessible to all”.
Monthly membership: Dh62.99
Daily Workouts
This app is like having a personal trainer with you at all times. Daily Workouts has hundreds of exercises with HD videos to make sure you’re doing them right. It offers a number of tailor-made routines ranging from five to 30 minutes, from full-body workouts to those that specifically target muscle groups. The pro version of the app also offers Pilates and kettlebell exercises, as well as custom workout options.
Free; Pro version: Dh74.99
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed PDK
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 820Nm
Price: Dh683,200
On sale: now
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
