We had the amazing opportunity of meeting fitness expert and celebrity personal trainer Yasmin Karachiwala. The creator of Mumbai training studio Body Image, and two success fitness franchises, Yasmin and her team have just launched ‘The Pad’, a new fitness studio in Dubai which will focus on body movement through Pilates and dance. Here are some excerpts from our chat with the illustrious master instructor.
You have been seen in NDTV Goodtimes’ bridal based television series; ‘Band, Bajaa, Bride’ wherein you have specialized in training brides for their wedding day. How does this differ from regular training?
Regular people are not all getting married, but the brides are! Actually, it doesn’t really differ. My goal is, when we get a bride, I like to have at least three months to work on them. However, most of the times I have three weeks because brides will suddenly wake up just before the wedding there will be a realisation of ‘Hey! I need to do something about the way I’m going to look’ and that’s when they come to me, so we try to do the best we can. I don’t believe in starving or going on all these crazy diets. Also, not over working out is something to take into consideration because eventually with the body that they want to have, their face needs to look rested and refreshed. I mostly try to give them three days of strength training, depending on what their fitness level is and three days of Pilates so that they have that leanness and their posture looks great. More than my brides losing weight, it’s a lot to do with the way they carry themselves which makes a big difference and of course, depending on whether they have weight to lose, I recommend cardio vascular exercises.
As a certified personal trainer you must be a go-to for questions on health and fitness. What are some questions from various brides to be that are the most frustrating?
You know I don’t think any question is frustrating because each person is entitled to their question. My responsibility as a fitness instructor is to be able to answer the silliest, stupidest, craziest questions asked to me. Everybody comes from a very different space and because of what is out there in the market or what has been out there, people develop their own notions about fitness. Another thing that I’ve been noticing recently is that google has become every bride’s best friend! That’s where people get very mislead, because putting together a bunch of different sources that aren’t credible can be detrimental to one’s health and wellbeing. I am a master instructor, so I essentially train instructors on how to train and deal with clients so for me it’s very interesting to break people’s perception related to fitness which are meaningless.
Ideally, when should a bride enroll for workout training?
They should have already been enrolled! Physical activity is extremely important for the body, mind and soul. It helps create positivity and that is always something to strive for. However, as I said previously, for a bride, a minimum of three months would be ideal to see and feel a change within your body.
What are some good ways to boost general wellness and relieve the added stress of wedding planning through exercise?
Breathe. To deep breathe. I think that’s the most important thing. Sometimes, I just tell my clients who are either planning their own wedding or their daughter’s wedding, sister’s wedding, brother’s wedding, etc. to just breathe. In all of the chaos, you forget to take a breath to calm your mind down.
Are there any specific food and nutrition requirements that you recommend a bride to include in her diet during the training?
Fruits and vegetables. Definitely things like beetroot, kale and spinach, if they are not allergic to it. I always include a vegetable juice within their diet daily because I think that really helps bring the glow back on their face if they don’t already have it. However, fresh juices have to be consumed within three minutes of it being prepared to ensure all the nutrients and minerals get absorbed by our bodies. We now have cold pressed juices and juicers which are a great alternative as they can be stored for approximately twenty-four hours without losing its nutritional value.
What are your top 5 workout tips for brides?
Hydrate, drink lots of water.
Move, any kind of movement is great. It doesn’t necessarily mean, go kill yourself in a gym to achieve certain body goals. You just need to find the right movement which will work for your body and be beneficial in the long run.
Strength training should be added to all brides’ fitness regimes. That doesn’t necessarily mean lifting weights. It can also be resistance training, Pilates or free hand training.
Cardio vascular exercise is important for blood flow and to make sure that all brides have the signature ‘bridal glow’.
Above all else, eat smart. Don’t eat either too little because you think you need to lose that much weight, or too much. So, balance your diet with the right kind of nutrients.
After the wedding festivities, how should one be consistent with their fitness routine? What motivates you to stay fit and healthy long term?
Enjoy your wedding, enjoy your honeymoon, come back and set a goal. Know that you need to get to the workout that you have planned for yourself without procrastinating. Create a mindset of getting there without any excuses before it takes the better of you.
Could you tell us an experience of a real bride who came to you for your expertise before her big day.
Shaazia Qureishi, my niece and co-founder of The Pad Dubai. She just got married last year, and all her life she’s been struggling with getting herself to the gym for a workout. I got into fitness when she was born, and I think sometimes when it’s so close to home, it’s the furthest thing from what you do but Shaazia’s always made the effort to get herself there but just didn’t find the interest and the motivation. So, her special was coming up and she had decided what she wanted to wear and how she wanted to look in all her bridal glory and I think that was a major incentive. We did chalk out a plan where she practiced a different kind of strength training as she gets extremely bored of the gym. We made follow a more functional, very practical routine for her to feel at her fittest best. I think after the Bachelorette most brides start finding it very difficult to manage life because then everything is happening all together, guests from abroad are pouring in and the last-minute fittings happen so it’s very important to be at your goal at least two weeks before your wedding. The great thing is that if you work really, really hard those two weeks leading up to your wedding, you don’t gain weight. In fact, you lose weight because again you are shocking your body by not doing something that you were doing so regularly.
Do you know of any specific products that can be incorporated in a bride’s routine in order to get the signature bridal glow?
I highly recommend all that natural goodness you find in spinach, beetroot, kale, almonds and coconut oil. I really believe that if you consume enough natural products, you don’t need think about what nutrients are coming your way. Along with that, when you are getting married, it’s nice to get facials and massages just to get your toxins removed. I think brides need to be pampered! Honestly, the pampering is also vital, not just for the glow but because life is so stressful for them right before the wedding because there is so much happening. Similarly, subconsciously you know that your entire life is no longer going to be your own, there’s going to be a definitive change. So, all these luxurious spa sessions are basically ways to detoxify all the toxins that they are adding into their lives without even knowing it.
Do you have any final advice for our gorgeous busy brides to be?
Enjoy your wedding day! Don’t get caught up in planning the perfect wedding. Once everything is done, just let go. You have done your bit, now all you need to do is focus your energy on having a good time.
Yasmin Karachiwala’s motto in life is one to live by: #BeFitBecauseYouDeserveIt
Sign up for some stellar fitness classes at The Pad DXB located in in The Greens, Onyx tower 1, Unit 906.
Be sure to follow @thepaddxb and discover the magic of movement!
All photographs are courtesy The Pad DXB and Imprint Studios.
