Dubai Diaries: Nothing beats a walk in the park

The best choice is often the simplest one - walking.

By Gopika Nair

  • Follow us on
  • google-news
  • whatsapp
  • telegram

Top Stories

Photo/Wam
Photo/Wam

Published: Sun 7 Nov 2021, 9:10 AM

The sneakers are laced, the leggings are on and the ponytail is tight enough to survive three sets of burpees. It’s workout time.

Or, at least it is for those in the city who are committing to the 30x30 fitness challenge. Me, I haven’t properly exercised in more than a year, all the way back when gyms closed and my personal training sessions came to an abrupt halt — just around the time I thought my triceps were starting to resemble horseshoes.


Early 2020 seemed like a productive time for the world. The online fitness community, in particular, was thriving. Almost everyone I knew abandoned their gyms and turned to YouTube to get abs in two weeks. Even the ones who had declared their deep-seated hatred for exercising had succumbed to home workout videos.

The transformation testimonials made the mountain climbers and side plank crunches look deceptively easy, so I, too, followed the herd.


I tried a version of Pilates, but the soft music and slow, controlled movements didn’t compare to the rush of running outside with Kendrick Lamar blaring in the background. I gave barre a shot and liked the long stretches enough to do it for two days, but later made the executive decision to cut my wobbly toes some slack.

The one that eventually stuck was Chloe Ting’s workout videos, which have garnered hundreds of millions of views on YouTube. The exercise programmes on her website are free, time-efficient and tell you exactly what you need to do every day. I committed to her 25 Days Hourglass Challenge for less than 25 days before falling off the wagon.

Do I need a trainer to keep me accountable? Am I not disciplined enough to commit to home workout videos? Are hefty gym membership fees the best kind of motivation?

Perhaps I’ve just forgotten that the best choice is often the simplest one — walking.

I was once an overweight teenager who discarded gym memberships like they were candy wrappers. Working out felt traumatic; I didn’t have the endurance to run or perform any high-intensity exercises, but it seemed like the only way to lose weight.

Finally, a trainer came along and told me to walk on the treadmill for an hour. In the beginning, there were no burpees, no weighted lunges and definitely no jump squats. Rather, I walked at a speed of 4km/hr; anything higher meant my heart rate blew a gasket. It was dull, but it was achievable, which was motivation enough to keep going.

Now that temperatures are slowly dipping, I’m abandoning the home workout videos. I’m also going to stop toying with the idea of joining a gym I’ll inevitably end up quitting and try to rediscover the magic of walking instead.

My Nikes are laced, my leggings are on, my ponytail is tight enough to conquer the humidity and I’ve got Kendrick Lamar all queued up. Here I come, Zabeel Park.

gopika@khaleejtimes.com


More news from