Fit as a fiddle

woman @ work

This week You! talks to Lahore-based trainer Nosheen Shaffi  who is passionate about her fitness goals and offers unique workout routine...

Being fit is not an easy task. It is something that requires one to put in a lot of effort and pay extra attention to one’s lifestyle. And there are some women who make the task of being fit sound easy due to their sheer dedication. Nosheen Shaffi is one such woman who has changed the lifestyle of many girls. She is a blend of both beauty and brains and an inspiration for girls who want a unique workout routine. “We cannot create self-love and a loving body image with a forced diet, lifeless exercise and hurtful thoughts,” says Nosheen.

A mother of two, Nosheen works alongside her husband Adnaan Farooq as one of the head trainers at CORE Functional Training Systems. “Love your body, love your soul and understand the divine connection between the mind and body,” shares Nosheen. This week You! talks to her about her unique workout routine...

 

You! What is the right way to lose weight?

Nosheen Shaffi: It is about making the right choices - take your fibre, essential proteins and alkalized food. Plastic bottles should be avoided, organic food should be consumed, avoid broiler chicken. The average consumption of protein in women is not above 30 gms and for the liver to properly function and detoxify you need 60 to 80gms minimum. The goal is to increase lean muscle in a body. This is called being toned and also making your body more functional. If you are fit but you can’t climb a flight of stairs than there is something wrong. If you take balanced diet then you don’t need detox.

You! What’s your take on people who join gym for weight loss?

N.S: Obesity is one of the most common problems. And to be honest losing weight is not difficult but what is important is that you do it right. One can hire any trainer, do workouts daily and cut back on calories. The results will start to show but that weight loss is not healthy and sustainable because you will lose a great deal of lean muscle in the process and compromise on metabolism resulting in the body getting weaker while the hormones will get out of whack. All of this is happening inside the body while the trainer will proudly boast that you have lost ten pounds in such a short time. But the moment you stop that programme the weight that you recently lost will come back with vengeance.

 

You! Is stress one of the major factors of weight gain?

N.S: Stress brings with it inflammation of the body. Acute stress is not a problem, chronic stress is, so if you are under a constant wave of stress that’s bad for you. So, with changing your lifestyle you should also say goodbye to stress.

You! Tell us about metabolism?

N.S: On the most basic level, metabolism is the process by which your body converts the food and water you consume into energy for immediate use or to be stored for later. So, if you move your metabolism two notches up, your body will start burning twice as much calories. Fix your metabolism as it is the key to losing weight and keeping it off. Your metabolism may be damaged and that is one big reason why you have not been able to lose weight or keep it off. 

You! What kind of workouts do you go for?

N.S: Work outs tend to get boring so I don’t just use dance moves but weight training as well. The U-Dance at our fitness centre has received raving response from the participants and all slots have been taken even before the start of the programme.

You! Tell us more about the programmes of weight loss?

N.S: My clients (age bracket between 20-45 years) have reduced in inches which is a great thing. ‘Endure’ is a culmination of weight training and cardio training. You get the best out of your work out in this one. This category have many workouts like the posture which is low impact but high density but there will be no jump movements - nothing drastic but you are holding yourself in certain postures like yoga and Pilates. Yoga is fast gaining momentum and we also offer cardio workouts using minimal equipment and intelligent programming.

You! What is the next programme that you are working on?

N.S: Well, the next programme is the ‘six week hormonal reset’ that is designed according to your hormones. This programme is based on six week duration in which dietary charts and handouts are given while the programme is based on a simple philosophy that everything happening is because of the large role of hormonal changes in the body.

This type of programme is meant for both men and women yet females have a harder time dealing with hormonal shifts. We address this issue from the angle of improving metabolism. You will be surprised that we have a thing called ‘menstrual protocol’ and what that simply means is that seven days prior to beginning of your cycle you are supposed to do your certain set of things that will not only improve mood but also improve energy so that you become less reactive. PMS or Post menstrual syndrome is not something that we mock about but it’s a physiological shift so when oestrogen and progesterone hormones dip simultaneously it’s where you become more edgy. This sort of programme is for the well being of your mental health. If you are chronically depressed it means that you have depressed levels of progesterone, hence we have designed the fitness regime accordingly. So the fitness goals become more realistic and achievable.