Shehrbano Iqbal,  Certified Yoga Teacher

Tell us about your training and area of expertise.

I’m a 200-hour certified yoga teacher. I did my training from Vikasa Yoga in Koh Samui, Thailand in 2017. I’m certified in Hatha & Vinyasa.

What would your advice be to someone working on improving their stamina?

Consistency is key. In order to reap the benefits that yoga provides, one must try to establish consistency in their yoga practice. To gain benefits like improved stamina, increased strength and flexibility, one should aim to practice yoga three or four times a week.

“Abs are made in the kitchen,” they say. What’s your take on diet vs. exercise?

Diet and exercise are both crucial for our physical and mental wellbeing.

Losing weight, increasing strength, increasing flexibility, increase in energy, stress relief are some of the reasons why people want to show up to a yoga class. No matter what our goal is, it’s the combination of both that leads to a healthy and happy lifestyle.

Do you recommend fad diets like keto?

I personally feel one should have eating habits which are sustainable in the long run and can help improve your health.

A balanced diet is important and if you’re looking to lose weight, it comes from the amount of calories you’re consuming.  Also, not every diet works for everyone so one should do their research and consult an expert before jumping onto a bandwagon.

For people with busy schedules (or those who are lazy) what’s the best workout to do at home in 30 mins?

Start off with some pranayama (yogic breathing exercises) to help calm your body and senses for five to ten mins. Tune into the physical body by practicing Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations) afterwards. It’s a great way to energise. There are a series of postures that warm up, strengthen, align, help increase blood circulation and improve heart health. Four to five rounds of Sun Salutations can be done daily if you’re a beginner and you can gradually go up to as many as you can comfortably practice.

Dedicate the last five to ten minutes to meditation, where you breathe, bring awareness to your thoughts and feelings and learn to observe them without judgement.

Practicing this routine daily would not only help you feel energised, but also help you feel calm, centred and happy.

In your opinion, what’s the single best change someone can make for their health?

I feel the best change one can make for their health is to strike a good work/life balance. Get enough rest to be able to deal with all the challenges life throws at you the next day. Make time for yourself, it’s important. Eat well. Sleep well. Do yoga. Repeat.

HASEEB MIRZA: CEO, EVOLUTION FITNESS

Tell us about your training and area of expertise.

I started training for Mixed Martial Arts when I was sixteen years old, trained for it for six years and then later fell in love with lifting weights. I have an ISSA certification for personalised training sessions.

What would your advice be to someone working on improving their stamina? 

Consistency is key. Show up every day and give it your all, you’re bound to get results.

“Abs are made in the kitchen,” they say. What’s your take on diet vs. exercise? 

The process to getting fitter involves 70% nutrition and 30% exercise

Do you recommend fad diets like keto? 

Not at all, unless you want to shed weight fast for a something temporarily. If you want a long-term transformation, these diets are pointless because they can’t be sustained. Try opting for a lifestyle change rather than a quick fix.

For people with busy schedules (or those who are lazy) what’s the best workout to do at home in 30 mins? 

100 Jumping jacks

Squats 5 x 15

Push ups 5 x 12

Planks 45 seconds x 3

Finish these off with core exercises

In your opinion, what’s the single best change someone can make for their health?

Drink more water.

KOMAL ALI: GROUP EXERCISE TRAINER

Tell us about your training and area of expertise.

I do an amalgamation of high-intensity cardio and strength training. My main area of expertise is group exercise training.

What would your advice be to someone working on improving their stamina? 

I can’t emphasise on this enough — consistency is key. If you’re regular and focused, there’s nothing you can’t achieve.

“Abs are made in the kitchen,” they say. What’s your take on diet vs. exercise? 

Diet contributes 80% to your fitness journey. Working out only facilitates the goal. You could workout four hours every day but if your eating patterns are unhealthy, all other effort will be futile.

So yes, It’s true, abs really are made in the kitchen.

Do you recommend fad diets like keto? 

Absolutely not. Anything you can’t sustain long-term acts as a shock to your system and lowers immunity. It’s a pity to see people rely on fad diets. They don’t realise the adverse ways in which they’re ruining their health and quality of life. Getting in shape requires a lifestyle change. There are no shortcuts.

For people with busy schedules (or those who are lazy) what’s the best workout to do at home in 30 mins? 

You should be your number one priority. Sparing forty to sixty minutes out of twenty-four hours shouldn’t be a problem — it’s essential.

Running is the best workout one can do outside the gym. Believe it or not, a good 30-minute run really does transform your day. If you don’t have the space to run, do three rounds of burpees & mountain climbers, forty sets for each exercise — repeat thrice.

In your opinion, what’s the single best change someone can make for their health? 

Getting the right amount of sleep at the same time of the day, every day. People who have irregular sleeping patterns are cutting decades from their lives and will always be struggling with weak immunity. As soon as you start getting that right, literally everything related to your health starts falling into place.

FATIMA ZARA MALLICK : CEO, FZM BOUTIQUE

Tell us about your training and area of expertise.

FZM Boutique Fitness has always been about fusion and offering a range of training modalities under one roof. It’s meant to be a one-stop solution: we offer 67 different types of classes alongside lifestyle and nutritional coaching.  I am an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and hold 48 fitness certifications: from Reformer Pilates, to Zumba, to Olympic lifting, to Pre and Post Natal wellness and many more. We recently introduced bungee fitness in Pakistan and as a Master Trainer, I will be holding certifications for aspiring professionals in the market. We are also the first ones to introduce European EMS (electronic muscle stimulation) technology, which allows clients to get the benefit of a 90 min workout in 20 minutes; it’s completely safe and shockingly effective. Two 20-min sessions per week are all you need for transformative results. Finally, I would also like to highlight the importance of smart training, rehabilitation and even pre-hab. I am a trained sports massage therapist and a mobility and myofascial release coach representing RAD Mobility, USA, in Pakistan. We also offer physiotherapy and therapeutic training because 90% of clients have muscular imbalances and postural misalignments that can lead to injury if unaddressed.

What would your advice be to someone working on improving their stamina? 

Don’t ignore weight training. You’ll get fitter faster if you lift and do cardio. High intensity Interval training is also great to build up your stamina.

“Abs are made in the kitchen,” they say. What’s your take on diet vs. exercise? 

As an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach (IIN, New York), I have a holistic approach to wellness. I don’t believe in ‘diets’ and ‘exercise.’ It’s about creating a lifestyle that nourishes your body and training that you enjoy. Don’t sign up for Zumba if you enjoy weight training or yoga. Find something you love, and stick to it. Likewise, don’t do keto or silly restrictive diets that will put you in a vicious yo-yo weight loss and gain cycle. Find healthy foods that you love, do your research. Consistency is what gives you abs for life.

Do you recommend fad diets like keto? 

I believe I answered that above. Never do fad diets because they kill your metabolism and the weight ends up coming back.

For people with busy schedules (or those who are lazy) what’s the best workout to do at home in 30 mins? 

30 minutes is actually all you need. Do 100 burpees. It’s a full body exercise and the best go-to for a quick yet efficient workout.

In your opinion, what’s the single best change someone can make for their health?

Be positive. Love your body and understand that bringing yourself down won’t accomplish anything. Fitness is about becoming the best version of you. It’s all about bio-individuality so what worked for someone else will not always work for you. Take time to understand your body rather than starving or punishing it.

MOHAMMAD BILAL MUNIR: HEAD COACH, SPARTAN FITNESS

Tell us about your training and area of expertise.

Being a competitive athlete meant staying in good shape was always an integral part of my life. I began Spartan Fitness with the aim to help other people who were looking to achieve similar fitness goals. As a trainer, I have 27 certifications and have come to believe in a simple philosophy – balance is key.

I teach my Spartans a combination of specialised functional fitness. I like to give them individual attention and encourage them to focus their energies on adopting a healthier lifestyle instead of fixating over a certain aesthetic. I try to inculcate strong fundamentals through good mechanics in my workout sessions because that’s what fitness is for me — being comfortable in your skin, being able to challenge your limits and feeling stronger as a result (both mentally and physically).

I’m not a big fan of boot camps and extreme programmes, as they’re breeding grounds for injury and bad exercise ethics with no sustainable outcomes.

What would your advice be to someone working on improving their stamina and strength?

I believe in spacing out cardio and strength training by dedicating separate days for each. In the pursuit of achieving a lean and athletic physique, you need to be able to give form of exercise your 100 percent. By splitting your focus, you also divide the amount of energy you dedicate to each activity. If you do weight training on Monday, followed by interval cardio on Tuesday, your body is able to recover overnight so it can perform at its peak during the Wednesday workout. If you must do a training mash-up, I suggest doing weights first, then cardio. If you do cardio first, it uses up much of the energy source for your anaerobic work (strength training) and fatigues the muscles before their most strenuous activity.

“Abs are made in the kitchen,” they say. What’s your take on diet vs. exercise? 

Like anything worth achieving in life, getting a six-pack takes both work and knowledge. Doing 1000 crunches and 1 hour of cardio a day won’t help you see your abdominal muscles any faster if you don’t make the right changes to your diet. First, determine your body composition goals. If your goal is to lose fat and gain more definition, then you’re going to have to eat at a calorie deficit. If your goal is to increase lean body mass and lose fat, then your diet and exercise regimen may look different.

At the end of the day, the best exercise/nutritional plan is the one that is sustainable. Once you find the right approach for you, you can make it a lifelong habit.

Do you recommend fad diets like keto? 

Not at all. Not only does it make your meals less fun and cooking more difficult, it also deprives you of essential nutrients, while setting you up for failure.

With all the side effects and complications this diet has, I’m truly surprised by the popularity it has gained — it’s unbelievably unhealthy and unappetising.

It’s also not easy to get into ketosis, which means many people don’t even truly accomplish it. I’ll always recommend a balanced, nutritious diet over a restrictive, potentially dangerous one.

For people with busy schedules (or those who are lazy) what’s the best workout to do at home in 30 mins? 

You may not have time to go to the gym, but you can still be physically active and boost your metabolism.

Take the kids for a walk or just go by yourself. If you’re accompanied by someone whose pace is too slow, add some lunges, jumping jacks, or running in place every few minutes.

Always take the stairs instead of the elevator, practice stretching or light yoga moves, do push-ups or sit-ups before going for a shower.

In your opinion, what’s the single best change someone can make for their health?

Consistency is everything. I can’t stress enough on understanding the importance of time when striving to create the perfect physique. I’ve seen people train for a couple months, get discouraged by their slow progress, and quit before seeing what they’re capable of achieving.

If you want a good built, get yourself ready for a marathon at a long thousand mile road. If you train unswervingly and eat clean, there’s no way you won’t maximise your potential and speed up your journey drastically.