ONE MORNING AT KITE BEACH CHANGED HOW I SEE EXERCISE

The 30x30 Dubai Fitness Challenge's free classes reshaped my idea of workouts

- BY ZAINAB HUSAIN | Features Writer

On Saturday, November 1, I traded my beloved weekend lie-in for something I never thought I would say yes to: Waking up at 6am to work out. Instead of snoozing through the morning, I laced up my sneakers and headed to Kite Beach to cover the first day of the Dubai Fitness Challenge. A section of the public beach had been transformed into a massive open-air gym — the DP World 30×30 Fitness Village and I was there to experience it for myself.

I'll be honest, I hate working out. I'm not the most active person. So, when I arrived and saw crowds of people already sweating it out before sunrise, I felt a pang of regret. My first class of the day was morning yoga at 7am and I was nervous.