Stairs and strides
A heel injury from long ago has kept me from being a runner in the true sense. Sure, I can do the occasional one-kilometre run and could attempt an escape from invading aliens, but I prefer to keep more to the cycling, weight training and HIIT side of fitness. Yet when the chance to run stairs came along, it seemed like it might be a good fit for me. Daman ActiveLife has launched TrainZSC, a free vertical-training programme focused on running the stairs at the National Stadium in Zayed Sports City, and believe me, it's fun. The stadium's seating sections are mapped out so participants run up a set of stairs, across two sections in the concourse and then down another set of stairs, taking the whole course two sections at time. The steps themselves are rather low, which allowed me to bound up them quite easily on my toes, while still offering a decent cardio challenge. The middle third of the course is a short run past a few sections on the outside of the stadium, and then it is brought back inside for the last third, again on stairs, until a total of 884 steps have been covered. I completed two rounds in 15 minutes each and discovered my own "runner's high" through vertical training. At this time of year in Abu Dhabi, the summer heat is hanging in the air, which adds another challenging element, but proves that outdoor fitness in the summer is not impossible. There are warm-up and cool-down sections led by trainers from The Room, the track around the pitch is available for walking and running, and there is a children's play area. Daman also conducts health checks for participants. The initiative is set to run on the last Thursday of each month. The next TrainZSC is on Thursday, May 26, from 6pm to 9pm, National Stadium, Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi, register at www.trainzsc.com or at the door.
* Ellen Fortini
Gear up with Ko8
My personal trainer is always up to speed on the latest tech trends, whether it's a new phone, app or video going viral on social media. So when he arrived one day for our session armed with a string bag with a heap of cables in them, I was hardly surprised. It turns out, it was the KO8, a suspension trainer similar to the TRX but with options for resistance. The resistance bands are the equivalent of 6kg and 10kg and you can add multiple bands to increase the load. The workout options are endless, as are the variety of places where it can be done – inside or out – and with a little bit of creativity, you can work a lot of muscles in one exercise. Take one of our regular movements, for example – stationary lunges with a pull-back row to work leg, glutes, back and arm muscles. What I really like about the KO8 is that it has helped me do things I would have otherwise been restricted from doing because I'm recovering from knee reconstructive surgery. One of these is push-ups. On a TRX, you can use your body weight and vary your angle to perform push-ups vertically, however with the KO8, you can do it horizontally – and make yourself look super strong in the process. To do this, you select a resistance – more weight to make it easier, less weight to make it harder – then put your arms through the handles, a bit like wearing a backpack, and lower yourself into the push-up position. The resistance helps to support your body weight, enabling you to do proper push-ups (albeit supported). You can even add a clap and a bounce for a bit of cardio. My trainer and I aren't the only ones who are fans of the KO8. It's also used by elite athletes and professional sporting clubs such as Liverpool FC, the England cricket and rugby teams and the physios on the European Tour. KO8's parent company, Vitruvian Fitness, held two Functional Movement Certification courses in Dubai – in February and April – so expect to see more of this style of training in the coming months. Visit www.ko8.co.uk for more information.
* Amanda Tomlinson
Getting with the programme
I’ll never hear music in the same way again. In my journey towards becoming a Les Mills-certified instructor, I headed to Dubai for a three-day Gel (group exercise leader) course. The Gel course is a prerequisite for anyone looking to become a group-fitness instructor, whether they choose to freestyle their workout routine or go with choreographed Les Mills ones. There was some serious work that needed to be done. For the practical part, I was taught how to count music, keep with the beat and use visual and verbal cues to call out the steps of a routine. For the theory aspect, I learnt about the physiology of the body. At the end we had to perform our own routines as well as take an exam, putting our knowledge to use. Each class lasted about eight hours, and being around 19 or so other fitness-minded people from around the world was a great experience. Les Mills aims for “a fitter planet” and boasts of its “Tribe” family, which I’m quite excited to become a part of.
* Evelyn Lau
Pedal power
Like many office workers the world over, I'm tied to a desk for most of the week. As much as I'd love to get up and move around frequently, my workday activity consists of trips to the printer (about 10 steps away), visits to the bathroom (about 30 steps away) and, if I'm feeling brave, the short walk to the canteen (about 50 steps). As a result, I have a growing collection of contraptions at my desk to help me be a little less sedentary. This includes a Swiss ball (which I unfortunately didn't put enough air in and is a bit low for my desk), a balance disk (which I often stand on when proofing pages), a pile of books, boxes and newspapers (which I use to create a makeshift standing desk) and for the past two weeks, a DeskCycle. I walked past the little machine in Virgin Megastore about a month ago and added it to my collection. It is designed to be used while sitting at your desk and is silent, so it doesn't disturb others. The devices were previously a little difficult to get hold of in the UAE, but not anymore. I'll admit that when I'm busy, I often forget the DeskCycle is there and use it as a footrest, rather than a foot rotator. For the first few days, I found it strange trying to concentrate while pedalling, but it is becoming easier now. I don't mind if I'm not going fast, or don't have it set to the highest resistance; what matters is that my legs are moving. So far, very few people have noticed it under my desk and no one has commented on my legs moving up and down – in stark contrast to one of my colleagues who bounces up and down on her Swiss ball as she's typing. The DeskCycle costs Dh799 and is available from Virgin Megastore or online through www.deskcycle-me.com
* Amanda Tomlinson
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
HWJN
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Yasir%20Alyasiri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Baraa%20Alem%2C%20Nour%20Alkhadra%2C%20Alanoud%20Saud%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years-of-age
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his/her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30-years-old and able to support the child financially
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
UAE cricketers abroad
Sid Jhurani is not the first cricketer from the UAE to go to the UK to try his luck.
Rameez Shahzad Played alongside Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett in Durham while he was studying there. He also played club cricket as an overseas professional, but his time in the UK stunted his UAE career. The batsman went a decade without playing for the national team.
Yodhin Punja The seam bowler was named in the UAE’s extended World Cup squad in 2015 despite being just 15 at the time. He made his senior UAE debut aged 16, and subsequently took up a scholarship at Claremont High School in the south of England.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
