Dubai neighborhoods for fitness enthusiasts
Dubai has many credits to its name, like the City of Gold, home to the tallest skyscraper, the largest aquarium globally, world’s deepest swimming pool, and a lot more. And the most coveted one is that it is a city that loves fitness aficionados. There is enough motivation for an active lifestyle, from women-only gyms to meditation, yoga, and contemporary workout programs. Not just amateurs, the city is loved by fitness professionals too.
Dubai is not just a city that is characterized by progressive economic growth and prosperity. Residents here are as much committed to healthy living as is the government. A lot is going on here, such as the Dubai Fitness Challenge sponsored by the government every year and awards gold for reducing weight.
While the entire city resonates with the fitness formula, some specific spots or neighborhoods are known for being fitness-friendly. Below are the top not-to-miss areas in Dubai if you are a fitness enthusiast.
Best fitness friendly areas in Dubai
Dubai Sports City
The name says it all. If you are a fitness lover, this is one of the top spots in Dubai of your interest. Be it a native Dubai resident or an expat; the Dubai Sports City attracts people with vivid sporting interests. Especially if you are actively into sports like golf or rugby, this place is for you.
Located on Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai Sports City is home to a multi-venue sports complex. Dubai Land Development has developed the entire area with the sole objective of meeting residents’ fitness needs. Below are some of the key sporting avenues of interest.
- The Dubai International Stadium is part of the three multipurpose stadiums in the UAE. With a crowd capacity between 25,000 and 30,000 people, the venue was primarily constructed for cricket matches. Designed by Awsam Matloob, a Canadian architect, the Sports city boasts an impressive 350 floodlights affixed on the roof, offering an amazing live sports experience.
- The ICC Academy, offering cricket training to residents, is another fitness venue in the Sports City. The not-to-miss features include a state-of-the-art indoor facility, gym, machines for bowling practice, one-day international ovals, and a conditioning center. The place is home to a 6-bay cricketing cage boosting floodlights and a 3-continental bay belonging to Asia, Europe, and Australia. The Academy also has a virtual bowling training center.
- The Football Academy has three full-size indoor pitches with many league programs ongoing for kids and adults.
- One of the popular clubs here is the Els Club, designed by Ernie Els, the South African golfing legend. Spread over 60,000 sq ft., the place has a 72-par course, a Mediterranean-styled clubhouse, two restaurants offering South Asian and international cuisines.
- The Sports Park witnesses several sporting events being organized year-round. With the capacity to accommodate about 2,000 people, there are two rugby pitches, tennis courts, basketball courts, netball courts, and an Olympic running track.
Dubai Marina
Besides high-rise buildings and a famous waterfront area, the Dubai Marina also offers abundant opportunities for an active lifestyle. The Dubai Marina Towers are equipped with two gyms, one for all and especially for women. Besides, there are three lap pools – the one at Angsana Spa is a 25-meter lap pool. There is a temperature-controlled pool at Ocean Heights with a sauna, jacuzzi, and spa. There are courts for badminton and squash in the Marina Promenade.
There are thousands of things to do in Dubai Marina. The Marinascape Towers have the Aquacentro, which is a health and leisure club. The club has an indoor pool, an outdoor infinity pool, a gym, squash courts, a meditation room, and a steam and sauna. Besides, there is a well-developed area for people keen to run, jog, walk or cycle along the Marina Walk. For watersports enthusiasts, this place is a haven. There are multiple options to indulge in, including swimming, windsurfing, banana boating, waterskiing, and wakeboarding, right on the Arabian Sea.
Jumeirah Village Circle
Popularly known as JVC, The Jumeirah Village Circle is another fitness hotspot in Dubai. The Circle is the proud home to several fitness centers offering state-of-the-art indoor facilities to Roots Camp for outdoor enthusiasts. The apartment complexes have communal fitness zones, including common swimming pools. Despite being one of the poshest places to live in Dubai, the newly-built landscaped JVC has everything in one place for fitness lovers.
Downtown Dubai
The Downtown area in Dubai is home to the iconic Burj Khalifa. But, besides this, the place is also a sports connoisseur’s dream come true. The entire area has been built based on the concept of ‘live, work, and play.’ For people who love to walk or indulge in indoor activities, the Dubai Mall offers them multiple opportune walking corridors in an air-conditioned ambiance. But, not just indoor, in the outdoors too, there are wide pavements constructed around the dancing fountain for joggers and runners. The paths are mostly shaded in the Old Town and made in a pedestrian-friendly manner. The Downtown area is a fantastic place to walk and leave your car behind.
Most of the residential complexes have in-house fitness facilities. Swimming pools, gyms, squash and badminton courts, steam rooms, billiards room, and aerobics rooms are standard features of all apartments.
Palm Jumeirah
This is another place that is frequented and loved by fitness enthusiasts. While Dubai is home to the world’s best parks, the Al Ittihad Park is one of the favorite places for people zealous about fitness. Ittihad meant union in Arabic and was built to offer the multi-cultural residents of Dubai a common ground to mix and socialize. Covering an area of about 1.1 million sq. feet, the place is known for its diverse indigenous flora and fauna, including sixty different species of herbs and trees. These plants are mostly desert and mountain plants, known for their medicinal use, and require minimal watering.
The Park, besides offering a 3.2 km long running track, is also the home to several workout stations bordering the trail. What makes it stand out is the foliage-covered scenically beautiful running location. The best times to visit the Park are sunrise and sunset when the sky is filled with natural colors. There is a small playground dedicated to kids, making the Park one of the best places for the family. Besides, it is open for 24 hours.
DxBike
This is a cycling track, 8.4 km long, and known for its picturesque backdrop. It is located in the District One Project in Meydan, next to Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum City. The track is open for riders from early morning till 10 pm.
The key features of the cycling track are:
- Tree-sheltered avenues
- Eco-friendly path with a low-impact surface
- Solar panels light up the track.
- Washrooms and changing rooms across the way.
- Vending machines and dedicated benches at various spots for resting and relaxing.
Endnote
Dubai ensures that its residents and visitors are as fit and young as its effervescent spirit. At every nook and corner, there’s some or the other fitness-related feature to celebrate this psyche. If you are part of these neighborhoods listed here, nothing can stop you from staying fit. If not, then you could stop over once in a while to reinforce your fitness goals!