Dubai expat 'endures' fitness challenge after day 1 injury

Indian resident Humayoon Kabeer badly injured his shoulder on the very first day of the Dubai Fitness Challenge (left)

Dubai - The doctor said it was minor muscle spasm and that he would need to bandage the hand so that its condition improves.

Fitness enthusiast and Indian national Humayoon Kabeer was one of the first participants to arrive at the first Dubai Fitness Challenge opening carnival at Safa Park a week ago.
A few warm-up exercises later, Kabeer tried his hand at an obstacle race. While jumping over a high ramp, he ended up injuring his shoulder as his entire body weight fell on one set of muscles. Though he completed the race and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the festivities, it was only the next morning that Kabeer realised that something was wrong with his shoulder.
"The doctor said it was minor muscle spasm and that he would need to bandage the hand so that its condition improves," he added. After deciding that a minor injury should not stop him from reaching his fitness goals, Kabeer, with the help of his doctor, devised a series of low-impact exercises such as walking on a treadmill, stationary cycling, and yoga to complete the rest of the 30-day challenge.
"I was really disappointed because I wanted to ace the Dubai Fitness Challenge," said Kabeer, a media professional. The 41-year-old moved here over three years ago and is very impressed with the city's commitment to keeping healthy. "Even as a child, I always participated in sports activities in my hometown of Wayanad. After I moved here, I got more interested in fitness and started investing time for it," he said. A mall walker, he trains with the Adidas running crew every weekend.
Though he does not recommend exercising with an injury, taking help from medical professionals is really important. "If my doctors did not recommend these low impact movements, I would never do it. The low-impact exercises prevent bigger damages to my body and keep me going, even though I have a bad shoulder and arm," he added.
Kabeer clocks in his daily 30 minutes of movement and does a few additional kilometres to hit his targets. "After discussing the situation with my doctor, I am now able to walk long distances on the treadmill, perform stationary cycling, and do some yoga to improve flexibility," he said. Kabeer practices yoga a few times a week and does cardio on the remaining days to improve his speed and endurance.
The fitness challenge, according to this resident, is a fantastic initiative. "The entire city is moving. everyone from small children to older adults. They've taken it upon themselves to get fit and that is just great," he said.

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