Ten days after she discovered skipping while in self-isolation, Naomi Barrett decided to document her progress on Instagram, “just to track” how she was doing.
The 29-year-old had recently come in contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19 and was quarantining at home.
“I couldn’t go to the gym or for a run, and I had this really cheap PVC skipping rope lying around the house,” she recalls. “So I picked it up, headed to my building’s terrace and began skipping.”
Barrett, it turns out, was a natural. Inspired by videos of others she’d seen on Instagram, she began to post her sessions daily last October.
As her posts grew, so did her followers. And it wasn’t long before brands took notice and sponsorship deals started to come in.
"I really don't know how it all happened. I don't understand algorithms or how any of it works. All I do is just post videos and interact with as many people as I can," Barrett tells The National.
Her account, @rai.jumps.rope, now has more than 7,400 followers.
Barrett, who works as a school teacher in Dubai, says she chose the name so her students wouldn’t find her.
“My fiancee calls me Rai so I picked that name to be more discreet. But some of my students have found me anyway,” she says, laughing.
Barrett fell in love with skipping because “it’s fun and there’s always something new to learn”.
“I do find going to the gym boring. Skipping is almost like dancing. It might look like just jumping up and down on a rope, but there’s a lot more going on in your brain because co-ordination is a huge part,” she explains.
The health benefits are another positive byproduct of the activity.
“It’s good for your endorphins. Even if it’s just five minutes, it makes you feel happy. And skipping for 10 minutes is apparently equivalent to 30 minutes of running,” Barrett says.
“If you have a short amount of time or no access to a gym, it’s something you can do at home if you have the space. You can do it anywhere.”
Instagram has also introduced Barrett to the UAE’s growing jump-rope community, which includes members such as Fatima Joy Ablen, who also discovered the activity last year.
Ablen, 30, started skipping at home in July because she didn’t feel safe going to the gym yet. She also began to record her progress through her Instagram account, @hophop_hurray.
"I never thought it was possible to make cardio look so cool until I saw people posting their Instagram videos," she tells The National. "Jump-rope workouts are so broad and a lot of fun; you will not easily get bored because there are a lot of things you can do.
"You can do it as HIIT workout, make flow sequences, tricks, releases, shuffles, wraps and dance sequences, and a lot more.”
The Filipina hotel administrator says skipping helped take her fitness to the next level.
“It not only helps me test the limit of my physical skills but also my mental strength, especially during these stressful times,” she says.
Skipping is great for socially distanced workouts, she adds, as you can do it alone.
“It’s a low-maintenance workout; you just need that rope and enough space to jump,” she says.
Ablen skips two to three times a week, for at least 30 minutes, and often joins meet-ups with fellow jumpers on weekends.
A growing community
Friends Airaj Isaacs and Michael Latti started Jump Rope DXB in June last year, a few months after the coronavirus pandemic broke out.
“A lot of my friends and family were not able to go their usual gyms and play their normal sports because everything was closed. I encouraged them to start skipping at home so they could preserve their fitness until they were able to go back to their gyms and participate in their normal sports,” Isaacs recalls.
“Michael and I then discovered that we were part of many global online jump-rope communities and there was not one in Dubai. We decided to come together and start a community of like-minded enthusiasts.”
Starting with just five members, the group now has more than 50 active jumpers who meet up for weekly sessions around Dubai.
"We organise group workout sessions for jump-rope enthusiasts, as well as people who are new to the sport. We aim to do a weekly session which happens over the weekend,” Latti says.
Sarah Mirza, a school teacher in Dubai who has been skipping for three years, says she’s been encouraged by the growing number of jumpers in the UAE.
"When I see this huge community on Instagram, it inspires me to do more,” she says. “I’ve already convinced my sister to get into skipping. I have also been pushing my friends to start and I'm not giving up.
"It’s such an exciting form of exercise and the fancy footwork can make it challenging, too.”
Barrett, whose followers include fans from the US and her home town in the UK, as well as the UAE, says she wants to make her Instagram page more educational.
“I get so many messages from around the world with people saying ‘you inspire me’ or ‘you encouraged me to buy a rope’ or that they didn’t know you could do so many things with a rope,” she says.
“I’d like it to be a place where people can learn. I want to be able to inspire and teach people.”
How to start skipping
Naomi Barrett shares her top five tips for beginners
1. Purchase a beaded rope and a PVC rope as they are both useful for different skills
2. At first, jump only for five to 10 minutes a day until you train your muscles (trust me, your shins will thank you)
3. Work on your form before anything else. Your hands should stay in ‘pocket position’, that is, in line at your sides, where trouser pockets would sit
4. Interact with other people in the jumprope community – they are all friendly and supportive.
5. Try not to compare yourself to others. You are on your own journey and it’s your progress that matters
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- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
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- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
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Saudi Arabia – 103 infected, 0 dead, 1 recovered
UAE – 86 infected, 0 dead, 23 recovered
Bahrain – 210 infected, 0 dead, 44 recovered
Kuwait – 104 infected, 0 dead, 5 recovered
Qatar – 337 infected, 0 dead, 4 recovered
Oman – 19 infected, 0 dead, 9 recovered
The%20specs
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Champions parade (UAE timings)
7pm Gates open
8pm Deansgate stage showing starts
9pm Parade starts at Manchester Cathedral
9.45pm Parade ends at Peter Street
10pm City players on stage
11pm event ends
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Favourite sport: beach volleyball
Favourite holiday destinations: Turkey and Puerto Rico
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- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
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match info
Maratha Arabians 138-2
C Lynn 91*, A Lyth 20, B Laughlin 1-15
Team Abu Dhabi 114-3
L Wright 40*, L Malinga 0-13, M McClenaghan 1-17
Maratha Arabians won by 24 runs
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Al Ain 2 Al Duhail 4
Second leg:
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Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Coady, Marc Guehi, Reece James, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Luke Shaw, John Stones, Ben White
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, Mason Mount, Jordan Henderson, Declan Rice, James Ward-Prowse
Forwards: Tammy Abraham, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Raheem Sterling
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- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Two-step truce
The UN-brokered ceasefire deal for Hodeidah will be implemented in two stages, with the first to be completed before the New Year begins, according to the Arab Coalition supporting the Yemeni government.
By midnight on December 31, the Houthi rebels will have to withdraw from the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Issa and Al Saqef, coalition officials told The National.
The second stage will be the complete withdrawal of all pro-government forces and rebels from Hodeidah city, to be completed by midnight on January 7.
The process is to be overseen by a Redeployment Co-ordination Committee (RCC) comprising UN monitors and representatives of the government and the rebels.
The agreement also calls the deployment of UN-supervised neutral forces in the city and the establishment of humanitarian corridors to ensure distribution of aid across the country.
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Label: Warner Records
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Rating: 4/5
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Transmission: eight-speed automatic
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Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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