In Gulf countries, laziness is predominant. It is why we are so vulnerable to many long-term illnesses, and why we don't have that special zest for life we once had in the 1970s and 1980s, when going to the desert was a carnival-like experience, and shopping was a reason to celebrate. I will attempt to discuss some of the reasons why remote controls became heavy and why the second floor feels like Mount Everest!

Is it all due to that fact that our very generous sun burns more of our already-scarce oxygen? Factually, food plays a tremendous role in this - the lowering of our pH levels and hormonal dysfunctions from eating junk food and sugars.

Plus, our tradition of using bread as spoons and adding meat to everything as if it is a salad, and not the other way round! In think our terrible nutritional habits were magnified by the sudden shock of wealth. The transition of any society from poverty to wealth has its ups and downs, but the fantastical boom in our luxurious lifestyle - and our shift from working hard and moving around a lot to sitting and being waited on hand and foot - stunned our society. This tremendous surge of wealth made us staggeringly numb to lead an active life.

Nevertheless, housemaids and drivers in every house is not the only reason for our deadly laziness that has caused us physical and psychological misfortunes.

There are environmental and sociocultural reasons as well, such as the shaming of girls who wear sports attire and run around in parks and the odd stares a guy in his 30s gets every time he hops on a bicycle. Let's not even mention the dress code of long dresses for both sexes that hardly helps me climb the stairs. Add to this the merciless humidity and sizzling sun that helps teens get YouTube hits by preparing their morning omelets on cars!

Moreover, the technology of television with its hypnotic waves threw our brains into a meditative wavelength of alpha, in which the body relaxes and the lower lip expands, making word articulations more difficult. Limbs become sluggish and eye pupils widen, all due to the magic of our friendly TV screens. Now screens are everywhere, with worthless viewing experiences of advertisements and boring movie "fillers" strengthening the hypnosis our brains are cast into.

So how can we deal with all of this? Realistic approaches are certainly needed to push for more sports for women in a manner that does not go against our customs, not to mention increasing our pH levels by drinking larger amounts of water mixed with lemon or cucumber, which was a rarity for our ancestors.

We also ought to cut down on all forms of carbs, such as baked products. Finally, we always have to spread the word that an active life is actually more pleasurable than all the luxuries of this finite world!

By Jeri Al-Jeri

[email protected]