Whilst E and the kids enjoyed the first part of their Summer down in Bristol, I returned to Dubai for 5 weeks of work and sunshine (or more accurately, intense heat!). Actually, it was not all work as I also invested in a fitbit (basically an exercise tracker)and managed - with the exception of one day, to hit the "recommended" 10,000 steps per day that seems to be the benchmark for "proper" exercise in the 5 weeks or so I was back in Dubai on my own.
This was actually no mean achievement given my almost exclusively sedentary working environment which makes achieving even half that figure a real challenge. I was however assisted by the fact that we moved office in early July so that we were much closer to the WTC with its cavernous - and more importantly air-conditioned - conference halls which were perfect for lunchtime walks designed to increase the number of daily steps.
Even with this facility on my door step, hitting 10,000 steps a day was not possible unless I also planned a walk (which increased to a fast walk and then a fast-ish walk with intermittent slow jogging as July wore on) either around the streets of Al Safa near our Villa or on the running track down along Kite Beach/DOSC. Given the heat and humidity, even a relatively short walk gave rise a decent sweat. This coupled with a very close eye on my diet - the Fitbit dashboard allows the recording of all foods as well as related calories so I was able to eat reasonably healthily, and the avoidance of too may after work drinks (which is a major feature of HK and Dubai expat life when the families are away for the Summer holidays!) meant that not only did I feel about as fit as I had in years but also I had lost around 4kg by the time I headed back to UK for the rest of the Summer holidays in early August. Part 4 to follow shortly.
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