Fitness expert brings his A-game to 30-day challenge

Dubai - Marcus Smith eats, breathes and sleeps fitness, so the Dubai Fitness Challenge is another step in his journey

Twenty-one hours. That's how long Marcus Smith spent riding his bicycle last week.
Covering a total distance of 631km, he is one resident who's taken the bull by the horns when it comes to the Dubai Fitness Challenge (DFC).
But for Smith, fitness is something he eats, sleeps and breathes. In fact, it's his job, and that's why he is one of the official influencers who have become an integral part of the 30-day challenge.
You often hear stories of people transforming their life through fitness after a shock health scare, or by looking in the mirror one day and not liking what they see. That wasn't the case for Smith.
"I've always been active. Actually, my mum thought I had learning difficulties when I was a child, because I always had to be out doing something active. I couldn't sit still. I got a lot of joy out of being up and about."
So naturally, when he first heard about the DFC, it was yet another reason to remain fit and healthy - something that's very important to him. "I first heard of DFC about five months ago and instantly thought: 'that's just what the city needs'. It's such a simple challenge and so accessible too," he told Khaleej Times.
Although Smith's career path means his daily quota of physical activity goes above and beyond the 30 minutes of exercise required from DFC, he said no amount of movement is too little.
"I find that people tend to over complicate everything in life, but this challenge eliminates that risk. All you have to do is move for 30 minutes a day. And it doesn't even have to be for dedicated exercise."
If you look at movement, Smith said there are plenty of things people who are averse to exercise can do, like parking your car further away and taking the stairs.
"Living in Dubai has bred this habit in people where they rely on cars a little too much. If we want to go to a shop, we feel this need to have to park right outside the door. Even I am guilty of that. But all we need to do now is change that habit."
To break it down, he said if you go to a particular shop four times a week but park 200m away, that's almost a kilometre walked in one week. "It's that easy."
What DFC does is makes fitness easy, he said. But it also encourages people to make better decisions.
"People say they don't have time, but I bet they have time to go on social media. We have a lot of energy for the things we want to do, but no enthusiasm for the things we don't want to do. That needs to change, and it will change with this challenge."
kelly@khaleejtimes.com

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