Fitness
We know exercise is good, so why don't we do it?
Almost all of us, anywhere in the world, need to exercise more. It’s not something we don’t know, but there is good reason to remind people of the dangers of being inactive.
High blood pressure is a common global health issue that can often be deadly. More than a third of adults in the UAE suffer from high blood pressure – or hypertension – and a large percentage of people don’t even know it, which partially explains why it’s called a silent killer.
One in four men, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), have the condition. It can lead to multiple health crises, including strokes, heart attacks and kidney disease. The more encouraging news is that the condition can be prevented or reduced by eating a sensible diet, maintaining a healthy weight and exercising regularly.
These lifestyle changes are often more difficult to accomplish on a long-term basis. But we can build healthy habits and exercise into our routines.
Let’s start by reminding ourselves of why we should all move more. The WHO recommends at least 150 minutes (about two and a half hours) of moderate exercise per week, but studies show that more than 80 per cent of adolescents and 27 per cent of adults globally fall short of this mark.
In the UAE, only one in five UAE school children achieve the recommended amount of physical activity. Sedentary lifestyles lead to chronic illnesses, including diabetes and heart disease and this is an issue parents need to take more seriously. More parents need to ensure that their children go out to play a sport for half an hour a day, at least.
At NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) we encourage students to prioritise and engage in their well-being so they may flourish in academics as well as in their extracurricular activities. All our undergraduate students are required to take two physical and health education courses. The benefits are evident.
We’ve noticed a measurable improvement in more than just our students’ health and fitness thanks to a curriculum that focuses on the wider learning outcomes across four areas: physical activity, nutrition, mindfulness and sleep.
These are principles that we hope will stay with them for life. For starters, exercise does far more than help prevent disease. It triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals that can combat symptoms of anxiety and depression, which leads to improved mental clarity and focus.
Stressing the endocrine system spurs the body into regulating itself through better sleep and rest, to repair itself and grow new cells.
There are also many benefits of team sports, which offer a platform for social interaction and fostering a sense of belonging and community. This is especially important today, given the WHO reports a rise of over 25 per cent in depression and anxiety since 2020, affecting nearly a billion people globally.
The camaraderie of a group also counters loneliness, which is also on the rise and has been shown to be as damaging to physical health as smoking. Belonging to a team or a group provides a support system that can be invaluable – especially in a nation that hosts a diverse population, who all come from different backgrounds and are often away from family.
While exercising is a personal journey, there are steps that can help everyone.
The first is to reframe the language around exercise. Instead of focusing on weight loss as the sole motivation, there should be a celebration of the joy of movement.
People are advised to explore activities they genuinely enjoy – a brisk walk, a swim, a dance class or an outdoor game. Exercise is not solely for those seeking to lose weight. It should be a daily habit for everyone.
The usual advice is to start slowly and gradually increase intensity and duration. One should aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise most days of the week to get into a regular habit. Good habits are vital to success in any venture. Exercise can often have a positive effect on different aspects of life apart from physical fitness, whether work or relationships. People new to exercise will notice the increased energy they have, even at the workplace.
Group activities can add a layer of fun, so people of all ages could consider joining a local sports club or signing up for a community fitness event. There are many activities in Abu Dhabi that are accessible to people of all fitness levels and will appeal to those who are looking for alternatives to a gym workout.
Through Abu Dhabi Sports Council’s Abu Dhabi 360 initiative has a number of accessible runs or cycle rides such as the Al Qana Community Run and the MBZ Fun Ride. There are also a host of Active Parks initiatives and community events attached to the global sports events hosted in Abu Dhabi, such as the World Triathlon Championship Series and the UAE Tour.
My personal preference for a fun approach to fitness is to use the cycle facilities at Yas Marina Circuit, the Corniche and Hudayriyat Island, plus the increasing cycling infrastructure across the city. In Abu Dhabi, there are options for fitness workouts for everyone.
I would also recommend signing up to a challenge, which helps keep one accountable. Setting a goal and share it often makes a person more likely to succeed and deal with demotivation.
Remember also that we are talking about well-being. That might mean getting out into nature, watching a sunset at the beach or sitting by the mangroves for a sense of calm.
Breathing exercises too are especially effective. Apart from movement and calories burnt, a focus on feeling good internally is important. This can help refocus, quiet the mind and reduce stress – all of which are necessary to improve the quality of life, reduce hypertension, as well as the burden on healthcare systems around the world.
Reframing the conversation around health and well-being starts with recognising that every step counts. It’s not about drastic changes but about integrating movement into the day. The goal is not just to avoid getting sick, but to increase well-being and transform our lives.
Published: June 06, 2024, 7:00 AM
Fitness
Steffie Bryant, Alistair Brownlee to Share AI, Performance Insights at European Congress – Health & Fitness Association
From artificial intelligence to elite sport, the HFA European Congress keynote speakers will explore the forces reshaping health and fitness around the world.
By Lia Palazzo, Manager of Public Affairs
Steffie Bryant and Alistair Brownlee are set to offer the two keynote addresses at the 2026 HFA European Congress.
Artificial intelligence and high-performance leadership will take center stage at the 2026 HFA European Congress, where Keepme.ai President Steffie Bryant and two-time Olympic triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee will headline the annual gathering of fitness industry leaders.
The Congress, scheduled for September 24-26 at London Stadium in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, will bring together executives, operators, suppliers, investors, and innovators from more than 35 countries to explore the trends shaping the future of health and fitness.
Bryant will open the event on September 24 with a keynote examining how artificial intelligence is transforming fitness businesses. As president of Keepme.ai, she has helped clubs adopt AI-driven tools to strengthen member engagement, improve operations, and drive sustainable growth. Her session will focus on how operators can leverage emerging technology while maintaining a people-first approach. Her keynote is sponsored by Keepme.ai.
Brownlee will headline the second day of the Congress, sharing lessons from Olympic competition, entrepreneurship, and health innovation. The only athlete to win two Olympic gold medals in the individual triathlon, Brownlee is also founder of sports nutrition company truefuels, an investor in health and wellness companies, and co-founder of the Brownlee Foundation, which promotes youth participation in sport.
The speaker lineup reflects this year’s Congress theme, One Vision. One Voice., which focuses on the role innovation, collaboration, and leadership will play in the next chapter of the global fitness industry.
In addition to the keynote presentations, attendees will hear from more than 40 speakers from the fitness sector and related industries addressing trends, GLP-1 usage and exercise, emerging markets to watch, investment opportunities, retention, payment ecosystems, corporate wellness, community initiatives, and more. The full schedule can be viewed here and includes time to connect with suppliers in the Sponsor Marketplace. On September 26, attendees can participate in club and studio tours across London. The club tours can be added at the time of registration.
Presented in partnership with ukactive and hosted by industry leader David Minton of EVOLVE, the HFA European Congress is the industry’s premier European event, offering business leaders insight into emerging trends, new technologies, and opportunities shaping the future of the industry.
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In 2025, the global Virtual Reality fitness market was estimated to be worth between $30 – $50 billion dollars and by the mid 2030’s, it is likely to be estimated to be worth up to 400 billion dollars. Big name companies like Meta, Apple, Sony, Samsung and Nike, are investing a lot of money into the field.
One 2025 study by the University of Victoria found that more people utilising VR fitness programs were exercising for longer periods of time. VR based fitness users actively worked out sessions that were an average of 34% longer and VR fitness users were also 2.2 times more likely to complete weekly physical workout requirements than users of traditional home workout equipment.
The real question is, how viable is the market and how much of an opportunity is there for VC-funded startups that are working on the future of fitness technology?
Why Virtual Fitness is Worth Watching
VR fitness is built to solve the problem of the dropout of users of home fitness programs. According to studies, traditional home workouts suffer from dropout rates of 50% within three months. Repetitive workouts become boring and are a drain on motivation.
However, exercising in VR allows fitness to be gamified and VR fitness studies have uncovered an important phenomenon: users perceive their heart rate and effort to be lower than it is and are likely to work out even harder than in traditional settings.
Can You Actually Become Fitter With VR Fitness?
There is no shortage of virtual fitness games out there and yes, you can actually become fitter through a faster heart rate and all while ‘playing a game’ that might not seem so exhaustive when compared to the gym. Active VR games can create an effective aerobic workout and burn calories on par with biking or light jogging.
These games produce real results and the research backs it up. Active VR workouts consistently produce heart rates in the aerobic zone. Game examples include Beat Saber, Supernatural, Les Mills Body Combat VR and Thrill of the Fight.
Opportunities to Expand into Mental Well-Being Through VR
VR fitness isn’t just about physical output. Immersive environments have documented effects on stress and mood, exercising in a virtual forest or on a clifftop coastline produces different psychological responses to a gym mirror.
This mental wellness dimension is opening a new product category: VR fitness platforms that blur into mindfulness apps, targeting the significant overlap between corporate wellness programmes and mental health investment.
What Are The Limitations of Virtual Fitness?
Currently the biggest weakness in VR fitness is the lack of options for strength training. The types of movements that build and maintain muscle mass, like squats and deadlifts, can’t be effectively done in VR without some added equipment. One of the few companies that have started to tackle this problem is Black Box VR, which offers gyms combining VR and cable resistance.
Startups Worth Keeping an Eye On in The VR Fitness Sector
There are a handful of innovative startups in the VR fitness industry that are worth watching in 2026 and beyond- from subscription-based fitness tools to interactive challenges that help increase stamina and even strength:
Supernatural
In 2023, Meta completed its acquisition of Supernatural and integrated the VR fitness platform into the expanding Meta Quest ecosystem. The service offers users daily workouts set in immersive real-world locations, enhanced by licensed music and guided instruction.
As a subscription-based platform, Supernatural has consistently demonstrated some of the strongest retention rates in the consumer VR market, highlighting the viability of the VR fitness subscription model. In 2026, Meta announced that Supernatural would be spun off into a new independent company, Supernatural Health, led by the platform’s original founders. Supernatural Health is expected to relaunch in autumn 2026 with higher subscription pricing, reflecting a renewed focus on growing the platform as a standalone fitness business.
Black Box VR
Purpose-built VR gyms seem to be the focus of Black Box VR. Combining resistance machines and immersive environments is an interesting approach, especially with the existing VR home ecosystems providing frictionless workouts. Black Box VR’s franchise model suggests that they believe the hybrid VR/gym model will bring an edge over the competition when compared to only a software solution.
HOLOFIT
HOLOFIT is a virtual reality fitness platform developed by Holodia that transforms cardio workouts into immersive experiences. Using a VR headset, users can row, cycle, run, or perform bodyweight exercises while exploring virtual worlds and completing interactive challenges.
The platform connects with rowing machines, exercise bikes and ellipticals, making workouts more engaging and motivating through gamification, virtual coaching and online competitions.
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