Plenty of gym-goers rely on a good tune to get themselves through that workout, but in South Korea their musical options have just reduced significantly under new Covid-19 rules.
To the standard restrictions such as social distancing and travel curbs, South Korea has added a requirement that gyms do not play music with more than 120 beats per minute (bpm) during group exercises such as aerobics and spinning.
Health officials say the measure was intended to prevent breathing too fast or splashing sweat, while avoiding having to close such businesses entirely
Health officials say the measure was intended to prevent breathing too fast or splashing sweat to other people while avoiding having to close such businesses entirely, as they have during previous waves.
The rule has invited ridicule from some opposition policymakers, who called it "nonsense", and gym owners see the rules as barely effective or unrealistic to maintain.
For Kang Hyun-ku, an owner of a gym in northern Seoul, lining up fast, funky K-pop songs on his playlist was his morning routine.
"Playing bright tracks is to cheer up our members and the overall mood, but my biggest question is whether playing classical music or BTS songs has proven to have any impact on spreading the virus," Kang said.
"Many people use their own earphones and wearable devices these days, and how do you control their playlists?"
The government imposed its highest level of distancing rules in Seoul and neighbouring regions starting from Monday, as the country battles its worst Covid-19 outbreak.
The rules also limit treadmill speeds to a maximum 6 kilometres per hour, ban the use of showers at gyms, and restrict table tennis matches to two people per table, among other measures.
"So you don't get Covid-19 if you walk slower than 6kph?" said Kim Yong-tae, a member of the main opposition People Power Party. "And who on earth checks the bpm of the songs when you work out? I don't understand what Covid-19 has to do with my choice of music."
When asked about the actual effectiveness of the workout music speed guidelines, a health official said authorities came to the decision after taking into consideration a broad range of opinions.
President Moon Jae-in on Monday said he felt heavy-hearted when thinking of small and medium-sized business owners and others burdened by the rules.
"I can't help but feel very sorry to once again ask the citizens for a bit more patience," he said at a special Covid-19 response meeting.
Whang Myung-sug, 62, a member of Kang's gym, said the government had applied a double standard in restricting gyms.
"The regulations are just bureaucratic, as if those who devised them had never worked out at a gym," she said.
Don't worry: the 120 bpm rule means you can still listen to Eye of the Tiger by Survivor, or K-pop sensation BTS's latest hits such as Dynamite and Butter. But if your favourite workout song is Psy's Gangnam Style – the 2012 South Korean hit that went viral the world over – you're out of luck.
Company profile
Name: GiftBag.ae
Based: Dubai
Founded: 2011
Number of employees: 4
Sector: E-commerce
Funding: Self-funded to date
The specs: Macan Turbo
Engine: Dual synchronous electric motors
Power: 639hp
Torque: 1,130Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Touring range: 591km
Price: From Dh412,500
On sale: Deliveries start in October
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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The Lowdown
Us
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Rating: 4/5
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Our family matters legal consultant
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Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
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The tours
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Favourite Quote: Prophet Mohammad's quotes There is reward for kindness to every living thing and A good man treats women with honour
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The bio:
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1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
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Day 1
Toss: South Africa, field first
Pakistan (1st innings) 177: Sarfraz 56, Masood 44; Olivier 4-48
South Africa (1st innings) 123-2: Markram 78; Masood 1-4
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Difference between fractional ownership and timeshare
Although similar in its appearance, the concept of a fractional title deed is unlike that of a timeshare, which usually involves multiple investors buying “time” in a property whereby the owner has the right to occupation for a specified period of time in any year, as opposed to the actual real estate, said John Peacock, Head of Indirect Tax and Conveyancing, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates, a law firm.
