Sweat it out

A consistent workout regime might just be what’s missing from your fitness goals

Physical activity can either be pursued at your local gym/fitness centre or you can engage in sports. Sports like basketball, football, tennis, volleyball, athletics etc. are perfect for those who feel that they have done and crushed the gym routine and are looking for a new challenge. Sometimes you don’t feel the motivation to lift the weights in the gym, but an invitation to play a sport with friends is more likely to get you moving. It isn’t a direct substitute for the focused regime of the gym but it still has a multitude of benefits. Physical exercise in general is beneficial for everyone.

Stress reliever: When you’re at the gym you don’t need to concentrate on what you’re doing. You can pop some music in and get on the elliptical. But with a sport, your mind needs to be 100 per cent in the present so you play to the best of your ability and aid your teammates. This means that you can let go of whatever is bothering you (or channel your frustrations through play). Playing sports stimulates changes in the parts of your brain that regulate anxiety and stress. It increases brain sensitivity for norepinephrine and serotonin, which relieve depression. Also, playing sports stimulates the production of endorphins, known to trigger positive feelings and reduce your perception of pain. Generally, playing sports, especially for fun, will leave you happier.

Weight loss: You can also achieve your fitness goals faster through exercise. To understand the connection between weight reduction and exercise, first review the relationship between sport and energy expenditure. The body spends energy through digestion, maintaining body functions such as breathing and heartbeat, and exercising. While a reduced calorie intake lowers the metabolic rate, regular activity increases your metabolic rate, thereby burning more calories to help you lose weight.

Strengthen bones and muscles: One of the main reasons people engage in exercise and look for innovative ways to up their fitness game is building and maintaining healthy bones and muscles. Paired with protein intake, sports can help you shape muscle and improve your physique and stability. As you age, you naturally lose muscle mass, but you can thwart this through physical exercise and embracing a safe sport. Moreover, odd-impact sports, such as basketball and soccer, have been shown to improve bone density, which helps to prevent osteoporosis, which women are at high risk for at later stages.

Boost brain health: Working out increases your heart rate, improving blood flow to your brain. This stimulates the production of hormones that activate the growth of brain cells. Paired with yoga, warm-ups and cool-downs, sports and gym activity can prevent chronic diseases, and these benefits can be seen in better brain function efficiency.

Flexibility: Our usual day includes a whole lot of sitting/standing in one or a few positions. It makes our bones and muscles stiff and in need of a good stretch. In the long run, this will also prevent injury and keep you supple. Working out the kinks in your body will surely help if you join a gymnastics centre like Stamina11. It specialises in Artistic Gymnastics that follows the United States of America Gymnastics (USAG) curriculum. It has classes for both children and adults.

Let your skin glow: Your skin’s health is affected by oxidative stress, which occurs when antioxidant defences fail to repair damage caused by free radicals to cells. Moderate exercise increases the production of antioxidants, which actively protect cells. Similarly, sports stimulate blood flow, which induces skin cell adaptations that delay the effects of ageing.

Sleep better: Physical activity depletes energy, which stimulates a recuperative process that activates during sleep. Sport also increases body temperature, and this helps to improve sleep quality by dropping the body’s temperature during sleep.

Sports and physical activity is especially important for children. My Sports Academy offers a variety of sports including swimming, netball, football and triathlon training. Additionally, if you're an adult looking for coach certification, the academy provides that too!

Sports and physical activity is especially important for children. My Sports Academy offers a variety of sports including swimming, netball, football and triathlon training. Additionally, if you're an adult looking for coach certification, the academy provides that too!

Along with physical activity, a wholesome diet is necessary to achieve your fitness goal. If cooking isn’t your thing, Be More Keto is here for you. It is a boutique keto meal plan provider that offers more than just freshly cooked Keto food to your doorstep. It offers clients ongoing Keto support provided by the specialised Keto coaches within the organisation.

A person’s goal to become fit and healthy often fails due to their habits or lack of motivation. Luckily, DiFit Lifestyle provides a holistic personal training programme that helps one stay motivated to achieve their fitness goals in the shortest time possible. Its trainers accompany you to enhance your workouts whether your goals are to lose weight, gain muscles or transform your body completely.

If you're looking for a calmer alternative or something to do on your off days, yoga could be your calling. In that case, Body & Mind Yoga Center should be your go-to. It emphasises on activities that positively impact people’s minds, with physical and mental cleansing and strengthening programmes.

Dubai is keen to champion its residents and citizens fitness aspirations. The city wants to focus on the happiness of its residents, and what better way to create happiness than to encourage a better lifestyle for every person in the city?

If you stroll through any community in the UAE, sports and gym facilities are integral to it. Tonnes of courts and jogging and cycling tracks are available to use for free around the country. There are even several jungle gyms that one can make use of at beaches and parks. If you're looking to challenge yourself, check out the fitness events that are due in the winter.

Ivan Vasiucovici, a Dubai-based certified Fitness Coach and Personal Trainer at the Warehouse Gym, who has been involved in bodybuilding and strength training for over 13 years, offers these tips for first-time gym-goers.

* Drink enough water to stay hydrated.


* Avoid eating red meat daily because it causes inflammation in joints.

* Consult a professional coach for advice and to show you the right way to work out. 


* Avoid distractions like using your phone during training.


* Maintain a nutritionally balanced diet, according to your weight and body goals. Include vitamins, minerals and electrolytes.