Check your tatas, check your mind, check our wellness lowdown 🎀🎃

Hi friends,

Can you believe we’ve made it to October already? The pumpkins are out, the cobweb décor is up, and Dubai is already plotting a month of Halloween parties. But before spooky season fully takes over, a quick reminder that October also carries some very important reminders.

Firstly, it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month — so first things first: check your boobies. Book a check up, do a self exam, and remind your mum/sister/friends to do the same. Early detection saves lives. And if you’re looking for a fun way to show support, we’re loving the Bee Yourself Habibi ribbon tees (a portion of every sale goes straight to breast cancer charities 💕).

And this Friday 10th October, marks World Mental Health Day — a powerful reminder to check in on yourself and your people. And always, always - in a world that is loud, fast and overwhelming…please, be kind. Mental health matters every bit as much as physical, and small acts of care can make a big difference.

With both of these meaningful moments in mind, we’ve rounded up the best wellness happenings across Dubai this week - a few of which are honouring these occasions in very special ways.

Let’s get into it..👇

With love (and a gentle reminder to squeeze your tatas)

📍 Karve, Alserkal Avenue

They call it Transformer Pilates - and once you try it, you’ll know why.

Brought over from London (with a side of New York loft energy), Karve delivers a reformer-style class like no other. Dark studio, exposed brick, banging playlists, and the kind of burn that stays with you (in a good way).

Each 50-minute session is designed around endurance-based strength training, using custom-built reformer machines that target slow-twitch muscle fibres to build real strength and boost your metabolism. Expect controlled resistance, mindful movement, and yes - results.

It’s intense, but still gentle on your joints. And every class wraps with few minutes of breathwork and mindfulness, so you leave feeling as calm as you are strong.

We’ll admit it - we’re biased. Katie was Head Trainer at Karve until last month, so this one’s close to home. But if you’re looking for a reformer-style class that actually gets you stronger, this is the place.

Plus, shoutout to the front-of-house team (angels), the coffee and smoothie bar (dangerously good), and the instructors:
→ Sarah K for excellent programming
→ Olivia for the sass and energy
→ Ann for the afrobeats and fire

If you’re ready to be humbled in the best way — book a class.

As October unfolds, the city is filling with soulful events designed to move your body, calm your mind, and reconnect you with what matters most. From mindful mornings to yacht flows and full moon rituals, here’s your line-up for the week ahead.

👟 The Mum Run
Every Tuesday, 8:45 AM
Dubai Hills Park (meet behind Angel Cakes)
A 30-minute social walk/run followed by coffee. All levels welcome. No booking needed - just bring AED 35 on the day.
👉 More info via @shedaresrunclub

🤍 Your Morning to Pause
Wednesday 8 October, 9:30–11:30 AM
M Gallery Retreat, Palm
In honour of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, join Dr Neeta Bhushan and Dr Jenna Burton for a wellness pop-up with soulful conversations, a chai experience, and grounding rituals to come home to yourself.
👉 Book here

🛏️ Pyjama Jam
Sunday 5 October, 6–7 PM
HWH Studio, Delano
A slumber-party state of mind: Pilates in your PJs, glowing under Rejuv red light and 111Skin eye masks. Cosy moves and radiant vibes - ladies only.
👉 Book here

🤝 Pilates & Networking
Sunday 5 October, 5–7 PM
SculptDXB
Move, style, connect. An evening of mat Pilates, beachwear styling, networking, and one free drink - all in one empowering package. Limited spots.
👉 DM @baebeachtribe to book

🧘‍♀️ Lululemon x Samadhi: Deep Stretch Yoga
Friday 10 October, 8:30–9:30 AM
Samadhi Wellness
In honour of World Mental Health Day, Lululemon and Samadhi bring you a restorative deep stretch class designed to calm the nervous system, release tension, and restore inner stillness.
👉 Book here

⛵ Sunset Yacht Yoga & Wellness Retreat
Friday 10 October, 4:30–8 PM
Dubai Marina
Dynamic yoga on deck, restorative sound healing, and a wellness bar at sea with adaptogenic cocktails, kombucha, and light bites. All set to live DJ sounds and intimate networking vibes.
👉 Book here

🧠 Nervous System 101
Saturday 11 October, 10 AM–1 PM
Achievher Studio
Learn how to calm your mind + body, understand the role of your nervous system, and gain practical tools to reduce stress, balance hormones, and build resilience.
👉 Book here

🌕 Goddess Awakening
Sunday 12 October, 6–7 PM
HWH Studio, Burj Al Arab
A full moon ritual to awaken the divine within: heart-opening yoga flow, breathwork, sound healing, and affirmations to seal intentions with clarity and strength. Ladies only.
👉 Book here

Your weekly whip-smart scroll through what’s hot (and not) in the world of wellness.

 INDUSTRY TRENDS AND NEWS

📊 Strava vs Garmin: Fitness Frenemies Face Off
Workout data just got messy. Strava is suing Garmin, claiming it copied signature features like segments and heatmaps — the stuff that keeps runners and cyclists hooked. The lawsuit could force Garmin to strip key features from its devices. Garmin’s clapping back, saying its mapping tech predates Strava’s patents, so expect a fight. The twist? Strava relies on Garmin for a huge chunk of workout uploads, making them both partners and rivals.
Outtake: Leaderboard competition is fun — courtroom competition? Not so much. Fingers crossed your Sunday long run data doesn’t end up stuck in legal limbo.
📖 Read More

🩸 Bloodwork Is the New Step Count
Wearables are moving from tracking steps to tracking your cells. Oura just rolled out Health Panels, letting users book blood tests through Quest Diagnostics and see results right in the app. For $99, you’ll get 50 markers — from cholesterol and HbA1C to kidney and liver function — decoded by Oura’s AI Advisor, which explains what each biomarker means and ties it back to your sleep and activity data. They’re not alone: WHOOP, Levels, and Ultrahuman are all layering diagnostics into their platforms, while Apple’s rumored “AI doctor” could take it even further.
Outtake: Bloodwork is becoming the new step count — but don’t get too excited just yet, Oura’s Health Panels are US-only for now. In the UAE, we’re seeing players like Ultrahuman expand their biomarker testing here (hello, 60 markers across 8 panels), so the diagnostics-meets-wearables race is very much underway. The future? Fewer mystery numbers, more actionable insights — and hopefully a rollout beyond the US soon.
📖 Read More

🏋️ Peloton’s Big Relaunch
Peloton just unveiled its “next chapter” - swiveling screens, AI coaches that build custom plans, and even menopause courses via Halle Berry’s Respin Health. They’ve added mindfulness (thanks to Breathwrk) and HYROX-style training too, trying to be less bike brand, more wellness ecosystem. The catch? Hardware, app, and membership prices are all climbing - and well, investors weren’t impressed. Shares slid, and churn is still high. The real test? Proving that Peloton can be more than a machine and actually deliver results people stick with.
Bottom Line: Fancy screens and AI coaches are cute, but unless Peloton nails results and keeps prices in check, this relaunch risks looking more like a glow up filter than a true transformation.
📖 Read More

💊 Creatine’s New Crowd
Once seen as the domain of bodybuilders and gym bros, creatine is suddenly everyone’s supplement. Women and older adults are driving sales, with new research linking it not just to strength and muscle, but also bone density, cognitive health, mood, and even menopause support. Its appeal is clear: creatine is inexpensive, well-researched, and one of the safest, most effective performance enhancers around.
Our Thoughts: Forget the “just for lifters” label — creatine’s moving mainstream as a foundational wellness supplement across life stages.
📖 Read More

🩻 AI + Ultrasound: A New Front Door for Breast Screening
Breast cancer rates in women under 40 are rising yet in may countries, insurers don’t cover screening until later in life - leaving a gap in care. Mammograms also miss cancers in women with dense breast tissue, (an estimated 40m women in the US( where ultrasounds can be more effective. Enter BeSound, a new LA-based startup offering $350 AI enhanced breast ultrasounds designed as a “front door” to hospitals: quick scans, faster results, and referrals if something’s flagged. The bigger vision? Expanding AI powered ultrasound to cover broader women’s health needs.
Punchline: Traditional infrastructure isn’t built for 40M+ extra screenings a year — but innovation like this could bridge the gap in areas where infrastructure doesn’t allow for easy screening, making early detection more accessible, faster, and less intimidating.
📖 Read More

TREND TO WATCH

💪 Trainers in the GLP-1 Era
As GLP1’s reshape bodies, personal trainers are reshaping their jobs. A new NASM survey shows 60% of fit pros now see clients less worried about the scale and more about saving muscle. With GLP-1s linked to lean mass loss, trainers are evolving into strength + longevity coaches, not just calorie burners. Nearly 70% say this shift is permanent, and most agree collaboration with medical providers is no longer optional.
Our Take: Trainers have always been the guardians of strength, longevity, and confidence, but in the GLP1 era, this is more than important that ever. Are you a personal trainer seeing this shift firsthand? We’d love to hear from you.
📖 Read More

RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

🌱 Fibre: The Underrated Longevity Hack
A massive umbrella review (17M+ people, 33 meta-analyses!) just confirmed what grandma always said: eat your fibre. The study found higher fibre intake slashed risk of cardiovascular disease, pancreatic cancer, diverticular disease, and even offered strong protection against all cause mortality. The catch? Most people are wayyyy under target - averaging 15g daily when 25g+ is where the magic happens. And the benefits hit hardest with fiber-rich foods (veggies, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds) over supplements.
Our Take: Fibre is the unsexy wellness lever we can’t ignore - cheap, accessible, and powerful. In the hierarchy of healthspan habits, it belongs right next to strength training, sleep, and obvs, solid relationships.
📖 Read More

📩 SHARE IT, SAVE IT, SEND IT

💾 Save it — for when you need wellness that’s more than skin deep
📲 Share it — with the friend who always “forgets” their check-up reminder (boobies + bloodwork, bestie).
📤 Send it — to your gym buddy / Pilates partner as a nudge that muscles matter more than the scale.