Wasn't it Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) who said that she couldn't make the switch to shopping online because visiting all those stores was her cardio workout? Well, she was ahead of her time, because shopping workouts have become the latest exercise fad, with hundreds of fitness fanatics squatting, curling and pressing their way around their favourite shops and supermarkets in an attempt to stay fit.
In fact, if you join this bunch of clued-in shoppers, you could be burning your way through up to 800 calories during an average shopping expedition. That means twice-weekly shoppers can burn 1,600 calories a week, or 83,200 calories per year. Experts from the British shopping website Promotional Codes have come up with a few cool exercises for those who want to feel the burn while indulging in retail therapy.
Squats – bending to the bottom shelf
Instead of bending over to reach the lower shelved items in the supermarket, try sitting back into a squat for 10 minutes.
• Calories burnt: 51 calories (or one cookie)
Calf raises – reaching up to the top shelf
When reaching for items on the top shelves, do some calf raises to strengthen the backs of your legs and shoulders. The 10-minute exercise will also tone your calves.
• Calories burnt: 34 calories (or a single piece of treacle toffee)
Arm curls with tinned food
Arm curls aren’t only for lifting heavy weights in the gym. Pick up a couple of tins (opt for the heavy ones) and pump away for 10 minutes to improve your posture while strengthening and toning your arms.
• Calories burnt: 80 calories (or a chocolate digestive biscuit)
Lunge – push the trolley
Pushing a trolley around for an average 40-minute shop burns up to 160 calories. However, to help tone your legs, thighs and quadriceps, try performing lunges while walking around the supermarket; use your shopping trolley to lean against. Filling it up first with the week’s groceries will offer more resistance (and therefore burn more calories).
• Calories burnt: 317 (or one cheeseburger)
Side lunges – reach into the chiller cabinet
Side lunges are a great exercise for working your side abdominals, thighs, bum and hamstrings all at the same time. This doesn’t burn a lot of calories but is great for toning those muscles. Just don’t try it on a busy day at the local hypermarket.
• Calories burnt: 20 calories (or one mint)
Leg raises while browsing
Leg raises work your thighs and quads. Try it out while in the queue at a checkout counter or browsing items. It also does wonders for your core stability and balance. For a tougher workout, try lifting your legs up as high as you can to crunch your abs at the same time.
• Calories burnt: 70 calories (or a scoop of vanilla ice cream)
Arm raises with bottles of water
Arm raises with bottles of water is a great alternative to lifting dumb-bells in the gym and will tone your biceps a treat. Get more out of this exercise over a period of time – gradually swap smaller bottles for bigger ones.
• Calories burnt: 105 calories (or quarter of a box of chocolates)
Central Bank's push for a robust financial infrastructure
- CBDC real-value pilot held with three partner institutions
- Preparing buy now, pay later regulations
- Preparing for the 2023 launch of the domestic card initiative
- Phase one of the Financial Infrastructure Transformation (FiT) completed
The specs
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder
Power: 153hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.3L/100km
Price: Dh106,900
On sale: now
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.”
65
Directors: Scott Beck, Bryan Woods
Stars: Adam Driver, Ariana Greenblatt, Chloe Coleman
Rating: 2/5
Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'
Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.
Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.
"Moral education touches on every aspect and subject that children engage in.
"It is not just limited to science or maths but it is involved in all subjects and it is helping children to adapt to integral moral practises.
"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
If you go
The flights
Return flights from Dubai to Santiago, via Sao Paolo cost from Dh5,295 with Emirates.
The trip
A five-day trip (not including two days of flight travel) was split between Santiago and in Puerto Varas, with more time spent in the later where excursions were organised by TurisTour.
When to go
The summer months, from December to February are best though there is beauty in each season
GOODBYE JULIA
Director: Mohamed Kordofani
Starring: Siran Riak, Eiman Yousif, Nazar Goma
Rating: 5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Haltia.ai
Started: 2023
Co-founders: Arto Bendiken and Talal Thabet
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: AI
Number of employees: 41
Funding: About $1.7 million
Investors: Self, family and friends
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Almouneer
Started: 2017
Founders: Dr Noha Khater and Rania Kadry
Based: Egypt
Number of staff: 120
Investment: Bootstrapped, with support from Insead and Egyptian government, seed round of
$3.6 million led by Global Ventures
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
