New Health Forum in Abu Dhabi Inspires Lifestyle Changes

New health forum aimed at improving people's lifestyles in Abu Dhabi hears from several speakers including British Olympian Dame Kelly Holmes.

ABU DHABI // Making healthy lifestyle changes requires a change in behaviour and guidance by a mentor, according to double Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes.

“I’ve worked with young people, older people, people who are really energetic and fit,” said the British former athlete.

“I’ve also worked with those who ask me ‘how do I lose this weight? How do I get motivated? How do I get inspired?’

“I’m not a doctor but I can talk through experience about how you have to change behaviours and think about situations you’re in – what you believe and what you want and how to make small, positive steps.”

She was speaking on Friday at the inaugural Health X at Yas Island, a forum focused on ways to empower the community to lead more active lives, engaging community health leaders and exploring the latest practical innovations in health and fitness.

“I started my charity about six years ago and what we do to change behaviours is actually work with people in disadvantaged environments,” said Holmes, who is the founder of the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust that creates opportunities and life chances for young people.

“Many young people in my programme actually have type 2 diabetes. We try to stick to that 30-minute a day of activity to help combat the diabetes issue. For me, mentoring – having somebody there just to help, to say it’s OK – is actually what it takes sometimes. Sometimes, it takes one person to make those big changes in someone’s life and that’s what we do in my charity.”

In addition to cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes are emerging as major public health problems in Abu Dhabi, with 18.9 per cent of the population reported to be suffering from diabetes.

Nick McElwee, sales and marketing director at Yas Marina Circuit, where the forum took place, said: “Thirty per cent of schoolchildren are obese and 50 per cent are overweight.

“All of us here also share a willingness to take action and are doing something about the problem, be it big or small.

“The point of Health X is to bring us together and enable us to better organise our efforts by providing a platform for sharing ideas and initiatives to better promote healthier, active living in Abu Dhabi.”

People must seize the opportunities to reshape their environment to have the desired healthy behaviour, said Dr Farhana bin Lootah, a specialist of internal medicine at the Imperial College London Diabetes Centre.

“I promise a patient that I will be with you along the journey, and you should promise to yourself that you’re responsible for your own behaviour,” she said. “Through the years that I’ve been practising in Abu Dhabi, I’ve seen a considerable amount of weight loss, reverse diabetes, high compliance rates, happier people.”

A diabetes survivor, Mark Henaway, shared how he decided to make a major change to the way he lived so that he would be around to see his son grow up.

“I’d gone away from the traditional food and taken on more of the processed foods and the sugary drinks,” he said. “So the first thing I had to do was change what I ate and to have a more balanced life.

“I replaced fast food with fruits, vegetables, nice portions of meat, soups and drank a lot of water. And I started walking with a pram. The whole thing for me was my child.”

Since 2006 Mr Henaway has participated in several sprint triathlons, half marathons, Dubai Marathon and, in February, completed the 4 Deserts 250km multi-stage ultra-marathon from Wadi Rum to Petra, in Jordan.

The other speakers were Adrian Hayes, a record-breaking polar explorer and advocate of social and environmental sustainability; Marcus Smith, founder of the InnerFight brand; and Rayan Karaky, Google agency head for the Mena region.

“This is only the start,” said Mr McElwee, who moderated the forum.

“We want the conversation to continue. Please check us out in our platforms #HealthX on YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn. Let’s work together, let’s make Abu Dhabi healthier and more active.”