< Previous70 HOT 1OO 2O19 | THE HEALTH HEROES ZAHRA LARI The first figure skater from the United Arab Emirates to compete internationally My 2019 highlight was competing at the Winter Universiade in Russia. I made history by being the first to represent the UAE at this competition. Another highlight was adding more coaches to my training team to help me reach my goals. I had a great opportunity to train over the summer with world-renowned coach Rafael Arutyunyan. The UAE is very special to me because it’s my home. I do what I can to raise the UAE flag all over the world. I make sure to use a reusable metal water bottle, instead of plastic ones. I always turn off lights and electricity switches when not in use. Of course, I use recycle bins when available and I re-use paper. Next year I’m looking forward to doing more competitions and getting better results. PETRINA VOS The cancer survivor who inspired us during her battle I’m humbled to still be alive in 2019. There was a stage where it looked very bleak for me but I was able to have lifesaving surgery in March and I remember the sheer gratitude as I walked into the operating theatre then waking up in intensive care realising that I was going to get another shot at life. I’m inspired by regular people facing extraordinary circumstances with grace and dignity. I would love to see more coffee chains addressing the plastic straw issue and creating single-use coffee cups that can be recycled. Buy now. On sale now. 800tickets.com DIDO Friday December 13, 7.30pm The world-famous singer makes her long-awaited Dubai debut – expect hits like White Flag, Thank You and Life For Rent. From Dhs295. Dubai Media Amphitheatre, Dubai Media City. LARA FABIAN Friday December 20 The Je t’aime singer celebrates her 50th birthday with a huge world tour, and is heading to Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena. From Dhs295. Coca-Cola Arena, City Walk. COMEDY BOXOFFICE: BAHOT HUA SAMMAN Saturday November 30 Massive Indian comedians Rajiv Nigam and Shyam Rangeela take to the stage for a one-off, intimate comedy show. From Dhs49. Emirates International School, Jumeirah. WHY NOT! MAZZIKA FESTIVAL Friday November 22 Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena hosts its first Arabic indie music festival, featuring some of the genre’s biggest underground acts. From Dhs250. Coca-Cola Arena, City Walk. ABHISHEK UPMANYU Friday December 6 The best of Indian comedy is back. Following his last sold-out show, Abhishek Upmanyu returns to Dubai. From Dhs150. Emirates International School, Jumeirah.72 HOT 1OO 2O19 | THE HEALTH HEROES MARCUS SMITH The endurance athlete who traded the rugby pitch for the world of fitness The last 12 months have been wild, and at times surreal. From running 30 marathons in 30 days to spending huge amounts of time with my wife Holly, I have literally had the best year ever. This year, I have run over 5,000km in seven different countries, so I have been exposed to a lot of different landscapes and have got to spend time thinking about climate change. At home we recycle. The socks I wear are made from 100% recycled materials which I think is pretty cool. Without shirking responsibility, I think current issues need a bigger approach than single humans. ERIC AKOA The super star model from Cameroon simply loves life in the UAE The UAE is special to me cause of its diversity of culture that I don’t have in my country. Living here has taught me a lot and changed the way I see life. The best advice I have been given is to have patience and to be persistent. Everything comes to those who know how to wait. I turn off the lights when I’m not in the room, I don’t waste water when I shower, and I try to recycle as much as possible. 73 THE HEALTH HEROES | HOT 1OO 2O19 My highlights of this past year was starting a new business, Dance Body DXB, with two friends of mine, being promoted to regional fitness manager of Orangetheory Fitness, being published in a few publications, and seeing my family. That’s always a highlight as they are far away. The UAE is special to me because it is a place that I feel so welcome in. The UAE is rich in it traditions and yet it’s ever-growing and I have seen so much of it. It is a place of innovation that offers many opportunities to people like myself. There is a love and respect that is given to everyone that comes here and I am so happy to be able to call it home. The word ‘selfish’ has been made to seem as if it is a bad thing. I was at a point in life where I was completely depleted mentally and emotionally from trying to help and give to others. My friend told me that I needed to be more selfish. I was so busy trying to help everyone when I was not fulfilled. He said if I took time to give more to myself, then I would be completely full and I could freely give without feeling so depleted. This changed my life. I would like to see more education on sustainability and more sustainable housing. I think education on the subject of sustainability and how to improve it is really important. Most people aren’t really sure what it is, how to help, and how to actually make a difference. NELITA VILLEZON Martial arts trainer @nelita_v talks about her secrets to success and her thoughts on sustainability74 HOT 1OO 2O19 | THE HEALTH HEROES Helping others to become the fittest, healthiest version of themselves is what motivates and inspires me. I love watching people change their habits and routine so as to allow them to have a better all-over lifestyle. I came to Dubai on holiday six years ago and fell in love with the city and the opportunities in the fitness industry. Dubai is one of the fastest-growing cities with regard to health and fitness. This excites me and I’m proud to be a part of the journey. I’m currently reducing the amount of single-use plastic I use and recycling as much as possible. I’ve made a lot of small changes too, such as not using straws, plastic cutlery, lids on my takeaway coffee, and so on. If everyone does a small bit, globally it will make a massive impact. One of my best highlights of 2019 was bumping into Barack Obama at a gym in San Francisco. It was a brief chat, but very memorable. In the next year I am excited about a few projects I have been working on. I will be launching an app which will be a training platform with workouts, nutrition plans and programmes to help people stay motivated and accountable on their fitness journey and ensure they achieve their goals. I am also working on a book. This has been a personal goal of mine for a long time, so hopefully I will be able to release that in 2020. PETER BARRON @peterbarron is a personal fitness trainer, who helps people lead a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise and good nutrition 75 THE HEALTH HEROES | HOT 1OO 2O19 The highlight of this year was embarking on an inward journey of self-discovery and self-love and meeting each other. We got engaged and are now embarking on a journey of helping others living more fulfilled, peaceful lives through meditation and the art of living. We recycle plastic, tin and paper every day as we have it installed at our apartment building. The next step is to start planting more trees and eliminating single-use plastic. We’d also love supermarkets to become more conscious about single plastic use, especially wrapping fresh fruits and vegetables in plastic that is non-recyclable. Nadine: I’ve lived in the UAE for 16 years, from my early 20s and now I’m almost 40. It feels like I grew up with the country and seeing it evolve into a world leader in many industries, I’m truly am so proud of this dynamic place that we call home. Ricardo: The UAE is special to me because it has enabled me to experience abundance, while fulfilling my life’s purpose. Before arriving in Dubai with the intention of teaching fitness and meditation at Platform Studios, I had been living in India with my guru, studying spiritual texts and possessed only US$30 in my bank account. Our highlight next year is travelling the world for six months, and maybe even eloping somewhere. NADINE DU TOIT & RICARDO VARGAS @glorygirlfit and her fiancé @fitlikeric are keeping the UAE fit while finding inner peace along the way76 HOT 1OO 2O19 | THE HEALTH HEROES 2019 has been a massive year for me! On a business front, the highlight would be launching FightClub DXB, my own personal fight endeavour that takes place at the gym almost every weekend. The gym has grown by 134 percent this year; I have clients that are closer to me than family. I’ve helped transform so many lives and they are in awe of themselves. The UAE is my home – it has given me everything and made me the person I am – from my first car, and my first job, to my first company. I am honoured to live here, and grateful to have been a part of its growth into becoming a major international player in such a short space of time. I would never want to live anywhere else. I’m most inspired when I see people transforming their lives, and surprising themselves. It takes such courage to change and to raise your standards because it forces you to look at yourself honestly and make the necessary changes to demand more from yourself. I’m vegan. By reducing my consumption of animal products, I am able to contribute to the reduction of mass farming, which is destroying the planet by being a major contributor to deforestation, toxic seepage into the earth, and the wasteful use of water and energy. I am very keen to see more zero-waste shops; as plastic bags and packaging are unnecessary. I would really like to see more options for that here in the UAE and throughout the world. MICHELLE KUEHN The Real Boxing Only founder is helping women become more comfortable with the sport 77 THE HEALTH HEROES | HOT 1OO 2O19 ABEER ALKHAJA The Lululemon ambassador will have run 33 races by the end of 2019 I recently Joined Dubai Sports Council as media manager and I was selected to be in the National Experts Programme launched by the Crown Prince’s Court earlier this year as an expert in the sports sector. I tend to use public transportation such as the metro whenever possible. I also avoid using plastic bottles during training and runs, and often carry my water bottle with me. I also avoid using plastic bags while grocery shopping. It would be great to install solar panels in universities, schools, housing and commercial projects. Also, food outlets should use more sustainable packaging. RAHA MOHARRAK The first Saudi woman to summit Everest and then seven other peaks I’m so fortunate to have had so many awesome moments this year, one of the coolest is representing Saudi women in my very first travel show! It’s been a dream come true! The UAE is one of the most diverse and tolerant countries in the world; it gives you the lifestyle you desire and it’s great for a sports lover like myself. Besides simple things like recycling and being eco- conscious, I try my best to minimise waste and avoid single-use plastic as much as I can. The best advice I’ve been given is that there’s no shame in failing; the only shame is in giving up and never trying something new. 78 HOT 1OO 2O19 | THE HEALTH HEROES We have lived in the UAE for over 20 years, we have made special friendships and connections here; friends who have become family. Our children were born here – it is our home! The country is developing in fast forward mode all the time and we see the progression with inclusion for People of Determination, which is so important to us. My family inspires me and teaches me, daily, in so many ways. My son, Rio, who, despite his disabilities and struggles, is always happy; he has found his passions in life. He lives in the now; he doesn’t harbour resentment or worry about tomorrow. He is pure. Rio cannot talk, so he has not given me verbal advice but he has been a role model for me from how he lives his own life – living in the now. After yesterday has happened, Rio leaves it, he never seems to contemplate tomorrow, and he just appears to live the moment he is faced with. That has to be a magical way to live. We live in The Sustainable City, Dubai. Just being a resident here, within nature, and infrastructure it has incredibly created, you know you are living amongst a project that is hugely helping with environmental issues. Next year, I look forward to more corporate support, the success and growth of #TeamAngelWolf, to help us help support our community more. We look forward to engaging more with the community, with our inclusive activities and races. TEAM ANGEL WOLF Nick and 12-year-old son Rio are Team Angel Wolf, who take part in extreme races to raise awareness of children with special needs 79 THE HEALTH HEROES | HOT 1OO 2O19 This year, I was one of the athletes featured in Nike’s ‘Dream Crazier’ campaign. I ran two major marathons, back-to-back, and also took 14 women representing 11 different nationalities to Everest base camp to spread a message about our cause, ‘Surviving Hijab’. I moved to the UAE at 31 and have spent nine years blossoming into the best version of myself, who I was meant to be. My motto in life is ‘what goes around, comes around’. What inspires me? Being told that I won’t be able to do something, to seeing myself surpass all limits and inspire the younger generation along the way. I am almost completely vegetarian or vegan most of the time, and I cycle to the gym instead of taking my car when I can. I don’t leave the AC on while I’m away and I hang dry my clothes. We should all be spreading more awareness about sustainability. People still get confused when they hear the word sustainability. Plastic recycling is still new and people don’t understand the why or what of it, like the direct impact plastic pollution has on our oceans and marine life. In 2020, I want to complete six world major marathons in 2020 and start focusing more on my mountaineering. MANAL ROSTOM Egypt’s @manirostom climbs the world’s highest mountains for charityNext >