It's all about doing things in moderation.
"There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophies."
— Friedrich Nietzche
It's eight in the morning and the Mall of Emirates looks deserted. Shutters are down, and security is tight. Not the ideal place, you would think, for a brisk early-morning walk. Deborah Dixon, however, likes to think otherwise. Dressed in her walking gear, she waits patiently by the food court on the ground floor. A minute later, she starts counting heads. First one, then two and three and after a couple of minutes she has more than half-a-dozen men and women ready to start "mall walking".
Dixon, a Dubai resident, and founder of Stride for Life, started her mall-walking sessions in September 2006 to give back to the community "a sense of well being".
Considering that heart attack is the number one killer in the UAE, and risk factors like diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and smoking are extremely high in the Gulf, Dixon's intensions are definitely noble.
Exercise routines
"I always had this passion to get people moving. Most of us don't stick to our exercise routines. We end up doing too much too soon, and then we are completely exhausted. At one stage of my life I was very unfit and I soon realised the need to find my own pace to get back in shape," says Dixon, who started her power walking classes in collaboration with the Mall of Emirates.
With her band of enthusiastic walkers, Dixon covers the Mall's one kilometre loop both on weekends as well as on weekdays. "Physical inactivity is the biggest risk factor for coronary heart diseases. We have to keep physical fitness as one of the top five priorities of our lives."
When asked how she maintains her balance in life, Dixon's answer is simple: "Balance is all about doing things in moderation. My sense of wellbeing comes from eating healthy, regular exercise, lots of laughter and time spent with friends."
Like any growing city, Dubai has its share of stress and health problems. Carole Spiers, a UK-based leading international authority on stress management, says: "Stress is everywhere in Dubai's corporate circles. In a commercial environment where growth is spiralling faster than anywhere else on the planet, those working within it have to run fast to keep up with the competition.
"Population growth in Dubai is expected to double again in the next few years, and already the road network cannot bear the existing traffic. Crawling along in a traffic jam for over an hour every day to get to work is undeniably stressful. People in Dubai rarely have a good work/life balance, and many still work on their weekends. A long work culture also means there is little time for family life, so relationships can suffer as a result. Another major problem in Dubai is the rapid increase in the cost of finding a place to live."
Sanjiv Kapoor, an IT professional, finds life pretty stressful in Dubai. "The nature of my job is such that I often have to carry work home, even after having put in eight-and-half to nine hours daily on an average. There is a lot more competition in Dubai, and definitely far greater expectation from your employers than in other countries."
Kapoor's idea of relaxation includes his weekend breaks, when he goes out for dinner and films with the family and an annual vacation overseas.
"Companies in Dubai need to become supportive of workplace wellness," says Dixon, who feels that even when it comes to corporate socialising, everything revolves around eating and drinking. "This can really get quite unhealthy in the long run. After all, we lose fitness twice as fast as we gain it."
Healthy working environment
Spiers, who has visited Dubai almost four times in less than a year to speak on work-related stress, says: "Each time I come to Dubai, I meet more and more people whose businesses have experienced the damaging effects of work-related stress — exactly the same situation where UK organisations found themselves 10 years ago. My main advice to employers is to create a healthy working environment. When employees are treated with respect and their work appreciated, then there is a better team spirit. Dubai is admired and envied for its commercial revolution. But it will lose its head in the clouds, if that success is not rooted in the secure foundations of a healthy corporate culture."
Dubai-based life coach Nic Woodthorpe, says: "Today's employee has far more to juggle than his or her parents ever did. Our time is being squeezed more and more, resulting in an increase in stress-related illnesses, more personal relationship problems and higher levels of depression."
Research has shown that the most productive economies are not those that work the longest hours. It has also shown that the way to attain higher levels of achievement and satisfaction is to have regular breaks and to balance out our work life with other key areas, such as family, community and self.
So, how does one go about redressing the balance between work and self? Woodthorpe says: "First ask yourself if you have found a balance you are happy with. If the answer is no, then you need to change the situation. Two core concepts are relevant to everyone: achievement and enjoyment. The more you can combine these simple human requirements of achievement and enjoyment in your work, community, family and self, the greater the sense of well being you will feel."
The American Academy of Family Physicians has developed a document that offers some valuable tips for maintaining life balance. They are: eat healthy; exercise; stay connected with friends and family; find a mentor; maintain a sense of humour; meditate; reduce stress by giving something back to society; enjoy a break with friends and family; find time to do what you love. Derek Younge, a UAE-based Canadian doctor, who teaches at the UAE University in Al Ain, makes it a point to either run or swim or bike every day. His routine hasn't changed in the last 2,046 days.
"I haven't missed a day, even though I am in my 60s now," says Dr Younge. He adds: "The Middle East is particularly good for outdoor activities all round the year. In Canada, where winter is a difficult time, it's hard to get motivated. Not so much in Dubai. But, surprisingly, people here don't go out often."
According to Suzanne Costello, Recreation Manager at the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club: "The weather is a great excuse for many people in Dubai to allow their activity levels to drop and it takes a lot of will and discipline to overcome this. If gym and exercise classes don't work for you, then it's best to walk around the park or even join a running club or a sailing group. Dubai offers us so many choices that it seems a shame not to be doing anything."
Fighting depression
Exercise, Costello feels, helps to fight depression. "Exercise releases endorphins (stress chemicals), so you will feel much better after a workout. The hardest part is the first two minutes. Find something that you really look forward to doing and use it to keep you going."
Costello's words echo an old saying: "Treating the body really is about treating the mind."
In Dubai, where there is a lot of emphasis on personal care and grooming, people sometimes develop an unhealthy relation with food.
Two groups of people have become common in Dubai — overeaters and those who develop the tendency to be anorexic. The Overeaters Anonymous in Dubai follows a 12-step programme to help addicts cut their emotional ties to food.
Kathleen Farren, Nutritional Therapist at the Gulf American Clinic, Dubai, says: "Food plays a major role in our well-being. It provides us with the building blocks for a healthy body. In the UAE we have a fast food culture. The portions are too large, and there is a lack of understanding of what is written on labels. The popularity of Friday brunches, where guests can choose unlimited food and drinks, coupled with a lack of physical activity, affect one's general well being."
At the Chaslu Dubai Wellbeing Centre, Dr Li Xiau-ling speaks of balancing the life forces, Yin and the Yang which, according to ancient Chinese philosophy, not only oppose but also complement each other.
"People in Dubai complain a lot about shoulder and back pain. They have to work very hard, and sleep in an air-conditioned environment. We are fully booked for acupuncture treatments on almost all days of the week." Li, who studied painting and medicine in China practices the Qui Gong everyday to maintain her body balance.
"People living in Dubai have more of the Yang time in their lives, which interpreted can mean more time spent worrying about money, and more hours spent at work. If people can control their urges, and eat and sleep on time and do some physical activity, then the Yang and Yin will balance each other," says Li.
Dubai-based Emotional Intelligence Development Specialist Beryl Comar advises that the key to overall wellbeing can be achieved by spending an equal amount of time in the mind, body and spirit.
Comar, who is a life coach, says: "I help people get rid of the devil's triangle of fear, anger and guilt. In Dubai people experience a lot of panic attacks. There is the fear of flying and the fear of driving. Some come to me with very high expectations of this place.
Children also live with a lot of stress here and it is reflected in bed wetting, stammering and screaming."
For Comar, who has been living in Dubai for more than 30 years, "People actually have their own answers to their problems. I just guide them in the right direction."
