Wellness Challengers: Turning walkers into keen explorers

Walking is often described and practiced as an answer to the growing threat of lifestyle diseases. But, Wellness Challengers has gone an extra mile by developing walking as a tool to explore Qatar. Under the aegis of Wellness Challengers, walkers often try to enjoy the serene beauty of local places while walking for a healthy lifestyle. “Walking or running is not a mere affair to get physically engaged. We try to explore while enjoying and taking beautiful pics that are shared among our fellow Wellness Challengers members,” said Sameer Vakean, the key functionary of the group. The members use Strava, which is an American internet service for tracking human exercise which incorporates social network features. Status of physical engagement is shared in the application along with pictures of the location. Wellness Challengers has around 80 members spread across Qatar. For walking, the members pick different spots rather than going for a regular place. “Katara, Al Bayt Stadium, Aspire Zone, Al Sadd Stadium and Doha Corniche are all favourite spots of our members. We draw them towards different places by sharing experiences and pics of various new spots through Strava while exploring them during the morning walk,” Sameer said. The members track the health status of each other on a daily basis while sharing tips and getting suggestions by using the application. Besides, there is a weekly meet during which experts hold awareness sessions. Members from across Qatar come all the way to Doha or other places to meet each other during the weekend. Apart from Sameer, the activities of the group are run by Faisal Perambra, Abey Abraham George, Santhosh Desmond Paul and Noufal Thikkodi. The initial motive of forming the collective was to promote a healthy lifestyle among the residents while contributing to the implementation of the objectives of the Qatar National Vision 2030. “In Qatar, there is an ideal atmosphere that helps walkers stay active. The parks as well as other spots are well equipped with basic amenities. This draws more people towards walking and jogging,” he said. Since its inception, Wellness Challengers has been active in promoting walking. The group has held competitions for students in order to encourage a healthy lifestyle among the younger generation. The functionaries are now looking to ensure the involvement of women in daily activities. “We have so far held family meets. And now the focus is on forming women collectives or making them part of our programmes,” Sameer added. Wellness Challenges is an active participant in sports events in Qatar and it has so far taken part in various activities including the Ancient Greek Virtual Marathon 2021, Ooredoo Doha Virtual Marathon 2021 and IIM Calicut Virtual Marathon 2021.