As Iraq rages with protests and the death toll mounts, a fitness revolution is happening in Baghdad's uptown Karrada district.
Australian fitness chain F45 has set up shop in the city, seeing an opportunity in an increasingly open and driven young population.
The gym is carving out its place not only as somewhere for people to improve their health but also be part of a community.
"With so much negativity around us, it's nice to create something where people are able to vent and get positive vibes from a healthy environment," Yazen Al Timimi, owner of the F45 branch in Baghdad, told The National.
The US-led invasion that toppled former dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003 opened Iraq to the world after a quarter of a century of political and cultural isolation. Healthy living was never a priority for the country while it was cut off from the international community.
It was followed by years of civil unrest and conflict, most recently a wave of anti-government protests that has rocked the country for the past four months.
But the surge in health and fitness clubs is a sign that Iraq is slowly emerging from the hardship.
“It’s a place where people can come in, block everything around them and focus on their exercise and sweat out all the negativity,” Mr Al Timimi said.
F45 has become a "mini community" where people can come and feel safe, he said.
Although members come to the gym to relieve their stress, there are some who come to train and then join the protests, Mustafa Salam, one of F45's personal trainers, told The National.
Despite their daily encounters with road closures, traffic and protests, people are committed to attend the classes, he said.
“When we first opened, people were surprised when they saw the gym, because it’s a new concept in Iraq,” Mr Salam said. He's been involved in the fitness sector for 10 years.
Since the early 2000s bodybuilding has grown in popularity in the country and is practised in more traditional gyms.
But F45 differs from other gyms in the capital, with upbeat music, no mirrors on the walls and friendly hosts. High intensity group workouts for both men and women last for 45 minutes.
Before the start of any class, new members are introduced to each other with a round of applause.
“Members have a lot of encouragement and motivation from us, to help them improve their fitness level, lose weight, and maintain their health,” the fitness instructor, 30, said.
But security is still an overall concern for residents across the capital. Some people have let that get in the way of maintaining their health and fitness.
Mr Al Timimi says Iraqis are resilient.
“Some days when I hear there’s been a bloodbath on the streets I think that no one will show up, but I head to the gym and I see the classes are full,” he said.
Years of hardship have left people with a feeling of “numbness”, he said.
As the protest movement has normalised the mixing of men and women on the streets, F45 has attempted to do the same with fitness.
The gym contrasts sharply with the Iraq's cultural norms, where women's freedoms have been restricted in recent years.
Gyms were not seen as a place for them, with men and women traditionally training in segregated areas. Some gyms have women-only hours.
“F45 is breaking that cultural barrier, women and men are working out together comfortably in the same room,” Mr Al Timimi said.
The gym is on the expensive side, however, and costs 150,000 Iraqi dinars (Dh460) for men and 120,000 Iraqi dinars (Dh370) for women.
Despite the positive start the gym has had, Mr Al Timimi said the country’s security situation and public services had already taken a hefty toll on the business.
Iraq’s electricity sector never fully recovered from the damage it sustained in the First Gulf War, the 1990s sanctions, chaos and looting that followed the US invasion, or the poor reconstruction efforts that came after that, leaving the country with frequent power shortages.
“Our work out depends on exercises displayed on a TV that is connected to the internet. Our music and workout videos are directly streamed from F45 so we are very dependent on electricity,” Mr Al Timimi said.
The gym has a generator as a backup in case of an electricity cut. "The set up was expensive from an electricity and internet standpoint," he said.
Nevertheless, F45 members have found a way around the chaos of the streets and shortage of public services to ensure they never miss a class.
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
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Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
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Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
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1 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 10 wins 387 points
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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Lexus LX700h specs
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World ranking: 15 (will rise to 5 on Monday)
Date of birth: October 8, 1993
Place of birth: Caracas, Venezuela
Place of residence: Geneva, Switzerland
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Career singles titles: 4
Grand Slam titles: 2 (French Open 2016, Wimbledon 2017)
Career prize money: $13,928,719
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1 Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 3:48:53
2 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team -
3 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott -
4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:00:04
5 Ilnur Zakarin (RUS) CCC Team 0:00:07
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1 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 20:35:04
2 Tadej Pogacar (SlO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:01
3 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team 0:01:33
4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:01:48
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