Dubai: The Ministry of Health launched the second phase of the ‘MoveitUAE’ initiative on Sunday by urging residents to engage in physical activities for at least 10 minutes, three times a day.
The initiative, which was launched in January 2016, will carry out its second phase until April 29, and will place active stalls across malls and centres in the country to encourage residents over 18-year-old to include physical activities in their daily lives.
“Studies in the UAE have shown that below 50 per cent of residents exercise. We want to increase that number through this campaign by raising awareness about the types of physical activities people can practice anywhere at any time,” said Dr Fadila Mohamad Sherif, director of health education and promotion department at the Ministry of Health.
She explained that physical activity differs from exercising, which often includes a specific sport, equipment and schedule. “Physical activity can be any activity that raises your heart rate. It can be as simple as a few exercises in the office or cleaning the house, to dancing or walking,” added Dr Sherif.
The World Health Organisation also advises people to include at least 30 minutes of exercise a day into their daily routine — which can be practised in 10-minute sessions, said Dr Shreif.
The health education and promotion department at the ministry held several focus groups prior to the launch, to explore the challenges and barriers facing residents when it comes to incorporating physical activity into their lives. Dr Sherif pointed out the most common challenges among residents include not having enough time to exercise, assuming physical activity should be done in 30-minute chunks a day, and being unaware of the types of exercises to practise. Through the initiative’s website and social media pages, residents can learn more about simple activities they can practise at home, the workplace and anywhere else daily. Such activities include taking the stairs instead of the lifts, parking further away and walking, and going out for a walk as a family.
Just the same, Dr Hussain Al Rand, assistant undersecretary for health centres and clinics pointed out, the initiative’s strategic goal is to build a healthy society by empowering individuals to adopt a healthy lifestyle that would reduce the spread of non-communicable diseases.
“Regular and adequate levels of physical activity can reduce the risk of many chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol, heart diseases, bones diseases etc. There is no doubt that physical activity becomes a key requirement that helps people maintain good health and keeps them happy,” he said.
Dr Al Rand told his audience during the launch that a healthy person is able to work effectively, play a constructive role in society, achieve more personally, and contribute more widely to the future, making physical activity is a focus of the Ministry of Health and Prevention.
‘Move it to the moon’ challenge
The ‘MoveitUAE’ initiative will also include the ‘Move it to the moon’ challenge, which is calling on residents to make a pledge to walk at least 30 minutes a day for the next month. The aim of the challenge is to encourage more than 6000 people to make the pledge, so that the total number of steps can reach 2,486,484 steps, which equals the distance from the earth to the moon (384,400km). Interested residents can make their pledge on www.moveituae.ae
Box:
How to exercise for at least 10 minutes — three times a day by practising an activity that increases your heart rate:
- Take the stairs instead of the lift or elevator
- Park further away from work, and walk
- Go for daily walks with family or friends
- Play with your children in the garden
- Clean or hoover your whole house
- Cycle for 10 minutes
- Skip for 10 minutes
- Dance for 10 minutes
- Carry out simple core exercises at work or at home for 10 minutes
Make a pledge by visiting:
- www.moveituae.ae
