Urban Pakistan's Shaping Up

As a Pakistani who hasn't lived in Pakistan since her pre-teen years, I have keenly observed developments in city life on my visits home to Karachi. In the past five years, my outsider gaze has seen a burst of health and fitness in urban Pakistan - a delightfully positive and necessary progression. I'll be presumptuous in saying that Pakistani food is the most divine food you'll ever taste and it could challenge an international Michelin star restaurant any day. Alas, as with all things that seem too good to be true, a typical Pakistani dish is carb heavy. With hot breakfast and carb filled lunches and dinners, you're looking at a practically all-carb diet that's an integral part of our culture. Add driving as the norm and you can forget about FitBit's recommended 10,000 steps. Or maybe not ...

Zainab is the face of the modern, fitter Pakistani woman. Yes, she's a mother and a domestic goddess, but she's also an advocate for female empowerment and just turned her passion for health and fitness into a business. She calls Impact Studio her baby, an endeavour she's sharing with her business partner and childhood friend,  Nida. Unlike larger fitness clubs and chains, Impact Studio gets to know each client personally to understand their motivation. The studio offers yoga, training and Pilates six days a week. It's ongoing program caters to any fitness level. Zainab finds art in fitness and considers exercise and yoga "therapeutic".  She enjoys the connection with each client and being able to help them through their personal journey. Impact Studio isn't succumbing to the societal pressures of being skinny; instead,  it endeavours to strengthen the mind, body and spirit.

Zainab Muhammad Jamal

Nida shares this sentiment - "For me, a healthy lifestyle is the only lifestyle. It's a choice you make every day to treat your body with respect.  It's about finding inner peace and balance in your life. I went from being a chubby kid and a yo-yo adult dieter to the realization that it wasn't sustainable. I needed to take charge and that's how I fell in love with fitness. Helping other women through fitness became my mission. Luckily, I have a childhood friend who's just as passionate about fitness". 

Our discussion on health and fitness made me wonder why it took Pakistan so long to get here. Zainab hit the nail on the head when she reminded me that we always had Jane Fonda home videos and wanted to be fitter but just didn’t know how to get there. A certain awareness was lacking. I was taken back to my own childhood in Pakistan when my mother would take us to the park in the evenings for a very brisk walk. I remember having to run just to keep up. She also had a Jane Fonda video which I watched with much amusement. I realize now that I was actually supposed to work out to it. Zainab also spoke of the sedimentary lifestyles of Pakistanis and discovered on a recent holiday in Turkey how liberating getting around on foot can be -  “Walking is denied to us here", she told me.

Here's what Nida had to say about Pakistan's boom in fitness -"Starvation and extreme dieting is finally transforming into healthy eating and physical activity. Women are opening up to challenging their bodies. They've moved from short term goals like looking their best for a wedding or party to incorporating healthy living in their lifestyle". 

 

I wanted to learn about the challenges, if any, of starting a business in Pakistan as a woman. Yes, the country has evolved by light years but it isn't yet up to par with the West. I was pleased to hear from Zainab that “Karachi and Pakistan are progressive; people have been doing great things already and been successful at them. [She] was inspired by them”. And how does she achieve that nirvana work-life balance? I know, I know, men are never asked the question of juggling home and work but let’s face it, it’s because they really don't have all that much to juggle. No matter how progressive we become, roles will always be predominately traditional in Pakistani culture. As with most working mums, Zainab has learned how to compartmentalize.  “I wake up very early to drop off my six-year old son to school. Then I teach and also train myself. I spend the afternoon at home with family. I alternate evening slots with Nida and share the morning classes as well."

What advice do these fab entrepreneurs who've got it all figured out have for the fitness hopefuls out there? 

Zainab shared these words of wisdom - "Eating healthy saves you from problems in life. What you eat is what your mind thinks. There's less likelihood of depression. You are in control of your own thoughts".
 
I guess it's time to dust off that Jane Fonda home video! For the Karachiites out there, make sure to get in touch with these fabulous ladies on theimpactway@gmail.com.

Nida Shahbazker