As part of her passionate endeavour to embrace a fitter, healthier and balanced lifestyle, Red Bull athlete Shaikha Al Qassemi shares her advice to take you a step closer to living better.
As we transition into winter in the UAE, exercising outdoors becomes more viable. Outside my gym and at the back of it as well we have an area we usually use during the winter.
We do a lot of flex pushes and other strongman workouts. We also start running outside again. Sometimes we take the roads outside to get some Vitamin D and train in the nice weather.
There are a lot of benefits to training outdoors. Number one would be the benefit of getting some Vitamin D. It is very important. In Dubai we spend most of our time indoors. We don’t really get exposed to a good amount of sun to get Vitamin D.
Also, there are studies that prove training outdoors is better than working out indoors both mentally and emotionally.
Just a public beach or running track are great places to get your workouts in. Public beaches are really nice. You can do open water swims and mix it up with some CrossFit movements like burpees under water.
We do push-ups and we do runs on the sand. Sometimes we’ll take some equipment like kettlebells and dumbbells and do some exercises on the public beaches and tracks.
As far as my diet goes, it pretty much stays stable. I count my macros. I count my carbohydrate, fats and protein intakes as well as the calories. I count that everyday except on Fridays. This is usually an open day for me.
My diet doesn’t change but is a little flexible depending on the volume of workouts that I do. If I workout more then I would increase my carbohydrate intake by 25 to 50 grams to get better sleep and recovery but usually my diet remains the same.
It’s always important to stay hydrated throughout the year. It doesn’t matter if it’s winter or summer. Yes, in summer you will need to drink more water because you sweat more, but in winter you have to remain consistent in staying hydrated.
I recommend that for people who don’t usually drink much water, maybe have one bottle of water and add some electrolytes, perhaps with a can of Red Bull, just to increase the hydration.
Climate change can often lead to illness so it’s important to boost your immunity by getting some Vitamin D. I recommend that people check their Vitamin D levels, their Vitamin B6 and B12 because that’s what helps with energy levels and immunity as well.
To take advantage of this weather, it’s all about getting outside more, getting some fresh air and getting some sun each day. I think that’s very important. That keeps us mentally and emotionally healthy. Try to walk more outside than stay inside.
