Mall walkers during the morning leg-stretch at Mall of the Emirates in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
Mall walkers during the morning leg-stretch at Mall of the Emirates in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

#healthyliving: Dubai mall walkers say rising temperature no excuse for not exercising



DUBAI // The temperature outside may be nudging 50°C but fitness advisers say the heat is no excuse to abandon a healthy routine by staying indoors at home throughout the summer.

Hot and humid weather is often an excuse to abandon regular outdoor exercise, but one family is showing how staying active can be easy to work into a weekly routine by taking regular walks around malls in Dubai.

Joy Santiago, 36, takes her three children, Iona, 11, Io, 9, and Juno, 6, to walk around Dubai Mall for two hours, three times a week after school.

“I have a busy schedule with three young children, so walking around the malls is an easy way to stay fit,” said Mrs Santiago, a Filipina who lives in Al Nahda.

“It is too hot to go to the park but I don’t want them to be sitting at home all day throughout summer, so we all go on regular walks to the mall.

“It is good exercise and we walk for up to two hours after school. The kids love walking and it is good for them when it is so hot outside.”

Mrs Santiago was advised to go mall walking by her nutrition and health coach, Minnie Bustamante, who said many people worry about overheating so avoid exercising in the summer. “The summer period is a long time and it can get really hot, but it is important to stay active,” she said. “I work on new ideas for people to keep working out, without going to the gym or staying in the house.

“The most important thing is hydration. People exercising should drink three litres a day during the summer months.

“It is even important for sedentary people to keep their fluids up, because they are sweating even at home trying to keep cool.”

Ms Bustamante said acclimatisation to fitness in hot conditions can take as little as four days, but most people should expect to increase the time they spend outside over a period of two weeks.

Rehydration is also an important part of the acclimatisation process, and replacing salts and electrolytes are as important as topping up fluids.

Exercising early in the morning or in the evening at sundown is the safest time to exercise outdoors. “I have encouraged my clients to go for a brisk walk or light jog around the mall in summer,” she said.

“Mall of the Emirates is famous for people running around it because it is cool and the terrain is amazing, not slippery. Having targets are good, like steps in a day or a week.

“People can challenge themselves to walk around a mall to cover the same distance as a marathon or up a famous mountain.

“Technology, like step counters on smart mobile-phone apps, can make mall walking fun, and are easily accessible now.”

Majid Al Futtaim Properties, which manages Mall of the Emirates, said although there were no plans in place to organise mall runs or walks, there were no restrictions on people running or walking.

Cedric Betis, chairman of Dubai Holdings’ Wellness Committee, who has a master’s degree in sports science, said it was easy for people to make simple changes at work to stay fit during summer. “The sad reality is life is too easy for some and people get lazy,” he said.

“The weather is an excuse for some, but even in summer people can exercise. Walking is also very important – 10,000 steps a day, or 30 minutes of daily exercise. There are plenty of solutions to stay active.”

nwebster@thenational.ae

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest

Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.

Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.

Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.

Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.

Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.

Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia

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