Fitness First: Aisha Gilani
Aisha Gilani on her fitness philosophy
Aisha Gilani a former IT Consultant at IBM Canada and now a health coach in Dubai spills the beans about quitting her 9-5 corporate job and following her true calling. She speaks to us about her own 35kg weight loss journey, the food items she can’t go a day without and so much more!
How would you describe your fitness philosophy?
Your health and fitness journey should not be a burden on yourself. It should be a journey that you continuously enjoy. Eat what you are used to eating, move the way you want to move but have patience, as it takes time to accomplish this goal.
What inspired you to join the fitness industry?
After the birth of my two sons, I had let go. I had gone up to 85kgs from 50kgs. During my weight loss journey I visited a number of nutritionists for guidance. Every nutritionist would just hand over a diet chart to me and ask me to follow it. I followed it for a couple of weeks but then used to give up. It included many food items I didn’t even like and there was no one to keep a check on me either. Initially, I kept losing motivation because despite of my daily vigorous exercise routine, I was not losing weight. Eventually, I took matters into my own hands and decided to study the science behind healthy and unhealthy foods. I took a course based in Colarado, US about nutrition and health coaching. I passed my US board exam and became a certified health coach. It was a bit challenging to take the course as there was copious amounts of reading daily, weekly assignments and monthly exams, in addition to all the daily homework my sons brought home. I remember I used to start studying at 8am till 12pm and then at 8pm till about 10pm daily. I stayed home for three months and successfully completed the course. What kept me motivated is whatever I studied, I experimented on myself and it worked like a charm. This was a great decision, as not only this career path is very gratifying when you see the results but I can also give time to my children, who are still very young and require quite a bit of attention.
Three things in your diet you can’t go a day without?
Fruit smoothies, chicken salad and eggs- of course everything home-made.
What’s your typical day like?
Wake up for Fajr around 5:30am (my daily five prayers are the best form of meditation throughout the day, if you take your time, pray properly with correct postures, it is the same as doing yoga) - wake up kids by 6am for school- have my breakfast by 7am - attend to client meetings till I leave for the gym - leave for the gym by 9am - return by 11am and have a snack - attend my client meetings or corporate visits in the middle - lunch between 1pm and 2pm - collect kids from school by 3pm - have my snack by 5pm - dinner by 8pm - sleep by 10:30pm.
What is the most effective fitness routine according to you?
The one you enjoy the most! My clients keep asking me the most effective exercises, my answer is always the same: the one you enjoy the most. You will only follow through an exercise routine if you enjoy it. Some people love the gym, some prefer swimming, some prefer walking or running outdoors. Do what you like and enjoy, at least three to four times a week for an hour. This way you will follow the fitness routine forever. Many people get excited and start spending tonnes of money on classes they don’t even enjoy. These are temporary activities that you won’t follow after some time. My suggestion is, don’t do something just because everyone else is doing it. Do what you like and what works for your routine.
What would you say had been your greatest obstacles in losing weight?
Motivation! I used to go to the gym daily for an hour or two hours but I still was not losing any weight. There was no one to guide me, to tell me what I was doing wrong. It was a very frustrating and demotivating phase of my life.
What specific changes did you make that worked for you?
I simply changed my diet! My lifestyle was already a healthy one. I used to wake up early, sleep early, was very active, worked out daily but I just was not eating right. I learned to drink plenty of water, eat five meals a day, incorporate fruits and vegetables to my diet and I started losing a lot of weight.
When it comes to eating healthy, what are your top recommendations?
Top super foods which should be incorporated in your diet almost daily: Greek yoghurt, broccoli, spinach, pomegranate, flaxseeds, salmon, avocados, lentils, beans, garlic, tomatoes, onions and nuts.
What are your favourite foods to eat on a cheat day?
Cheese burgers, saucy pasta, nihari, naan, brain masala, paratha, suji ka halwa, gajar ka halwa, kaddu ka halwa, mango milkshake with ice cream, kulfi and falooda, rabri, the list goes on, but these are my favourites.
Advice you’d give to people looking to attain a healthier lifestyle?
Avoid eating out, exercise three to four times a week and get a good amount of sleep each night. Drink plenty of water and plan your meals to ensure you are attaining as healthy a lifestyle as you possibly can.
What are some common fitness misconceptions/questions you are asked by your clients?
“As long as you burn all the calories you have consumed through exercise, you are good to go right?”
People do not realise that health and fitness does not only mean to lose and maintain your weight but to be fit and healthy means that you also stay away from all other illnesses, like diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s, etc. All these diseases are affected by your diet. No matter how much you exercise, if you do not eat well, you will most likely be diagnosed with the diseases mentioned above.
“If you drink warm lemon water first thing in the morning, you will lose weight?”
In order to lead a healthy lifestyle, only one good habit won’t do the trick. Many people eat such unhealthy food but they believe if they drink green tea right after, everything will be digested. This is not how it works. In order to maintain health and fitness you need to do all: eat clean, workout regularly, sleep well and avoid stress.
“Diets like Keto or Atkins make you lose a lot of weight.”
These diets might make you lose a lot of weight but they leave behind their remnants. I have many clients who are now cholesterol patients after doing Keto or who have gained double the amount of weight after doing Atkins. People need to realise that this not a natural way of eating and every person’s body is different. You might do Keto for three months and nothing would happen to you compared to someone else whose cholesterol might shoot up just after a month. In addition, you can’t sustain these diets. You can’t eat this way forever, there comes a point when your body retaliates, you get sick and start eating a lot more than you did before. I always guide my clients to maintain a balance and guide them through the process of eating on a daily basis, which is different for each and every client.
How is your fitness mantra different from others?
I do not recommend the same diet to everyone. I spend an hour with my client initially, discuss their lifestyle, their likes and dislikes, their fitness goals, after which I recommend a meal plan appropriate and in sync with their daily routine. Not only do I recommend individual meal plans but I also monitor my clients on a daily basis, to keep them in check. When clients know that someone is monitoring them, they make an effort to eat clean. After a month or maximum two months, based on my experience, the clients automatically start eating clean without any monitoring. I also do not incorporate anything new or drastically different from their current diet. I monitor their weekly progress and make changes accordingly, which the client doesn’t even realise. I have a 100% success rate till date but without the cooperation of the client I would not be able to achieve the desired results.
How would you describe your fitness philosophy?
Your health and fitness journey should not be a burden on yourself. It should be a journey that you continuously enjoy. Eat what you are used to eating, move the way you want to move but have patience, as it takes time to accomplish this goal.
What inspired you to join the fitness industry?
After the birth of my two sons, I had let go. I had gone up to 85kgs from 50kgs. During my weight loss journey I visited a number of nutritionists for guidance. Every nutritionist would just hand over a diet chart to me and ask me to follow it. I followed it for a couple of weeks but then used to give up. It included many food items I didn’t even like and there was no one to keep a check on me either. Initially, I kept losing motivation because despite of my daily vigorous exercise routine, I was not losing weight. Eventually, I took matters into my own hands and decided to study the science behind healthy and unhealthy foods. I took a course based in Colarado, US about nutrition and health coaching. I passed my US board exam and became a certified health coach. It was a bit challenging to take the course as there was copious amounts of reading daily, weekly assignments and monthly exams, in addition to all the daily homework my sons brought home. I remember I used to start studying at 8am till 12pm and then at 8pm till about 10pm daily. I stayed home for three months and successfully completed the course. What kept me motivated is whatever I studied, I experimented on myself and it worked like a charm. This was a great decision, as not only this career path is very gratifying when you see the results but I can also give time to my children, who are still very young and require quite a bit of attention.
Three things in your diet you can’t go a day without?
Fruit smoothies, chicken salad and eggs- of course everything home-made.
What’s your typical day like?
Wake up for Fajr around 5:30am (my daily five prayers are the best form of meditation throughout the day, if you take your time, pray properly with correct postures, it is the same as doing yoga) - wake up kids by 6am for school- have my breakfast by 7am - attend to client meetings till I leave for the gym - leave for the gym by 9am - return by 11am and have a snack - attend my client meetings or corporate visits in the middle - lunch between 1pm and 2pm - collect kids from school by 3pm - have my snack by 5pm - dinner by 8pm - sleep by 10:30pm.
What is the most effective fitness routine according to you?
The one you enjoy the most! My clients keep asking me the most effective exercises, my answer is always the same: the one you enjoy the most. You will only follow through an exercise routine if you enjoy it. Some people love the gym, some prefer swimming, some prefer walking or running outdoors. Do what you like and enjoy, at least three to four times a week for an hour. This way you will follow the fitness routine forever. Many people get excited and start spending tonnes of money on classes they don’t even enjoy. These are temporary activities that you won’t follow after some time. My suggestion is, don’t do something just because everyone else is doing it. Do what you like and what works for your routine.
What would you say had been your greatest obstacles in losing weight?
Motivation! I used to go to the gym daily for an hour or two hours but I still was not losing any weight. There was no one to guide me, to tell me what I was doing wrong. It was a very frustrating and demotivating phase of my life.
What specific changes did you make that worked for you?
I simply changed my diet! My lifestyle was already a healthy one. I used to wake up early, sleep early, was very active, worked out daily but I just was not eating right. I learned to drink plenty of water, eat five meals a day, incorporate fruits and vegetables to my diet and I started losing a lot of weight.
When it comes to eating healthy, what are your top recommendations?
Top super foods which should be incorporated in your diet almost daily: Greek yoghurt, broccoli, spinach, pomegranate, flaxseeds, salmon, avocados, lentils, beans, garlic, tomatoes, onions and nuts.
What are your favourite foods to eat on a cheat day?
Cheese burgers, saucy pasta, nihari, naan, brain masala, paratha, suji ka halwa, gajar ka halwa, kaddu ka halwa, mango milkshake with ice cream, kulfi and falooda, rabri, the list goes on, but these are my favourites.
Advice you’d give to people looking to attain a healthier lifestyle?
Avoid eating out, exercise three to four times a week and get a good amount of sleep each night. Drink plenty of water and plan your meals to ensure you are attaining as healthy a lifestyle as you possibly can.
What are some common fitness misconceptions/questions you are asked by your clients?
“As long as you burn all the calories you have consumed through exercise, you are good to go right?”
People do not realise that health and fitness does not only mean to lose and maintain your weight but to be fit and healthy means that you also stay away from all other illnesses, like diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s, etc. All these diseases are affected by your diet. No matter how much you exercise, if you do not eat well, you will most likely be diagnosed with the diseases mentioned above.
“If you drink warm lemon water first thing in the morning, you will lose weight?”
In order to lead a healthy lifestyle, only one good habit won’t do the trick. Many people eat such unhealthy food but they believe if they drink green tea right after, everything will be digested. This is not how it works. In order to maintain health and fitness you need to do all: eat clean, workout regularly, sleep well and avoid stress.
“Diets like Keto or Atkins make you lose a lot of weight.”
These diets might make you lose a lot of weight but they leave behind their remnants. I have many clients who are now cholesterol patients after doing Keto or who have gained double the amount of weight after doing Atkins. People need to realise that this not a natural way of eating and every person’s body is different. You might do Keto for three months and nothing would happen to you compared to someone else whose cholesterol might shoot up just after a month. In addition, you can’t sustain these diets. You can’t eat this way forever, there comes a point when your body retaliates, you get sick and start eating a lot more than you did before. I always guide my clients to maintain a balance and guide them through the process of eating on a daily basis, which is different for each and every client.
How is your fitness mantra different from others?
I do not recommend the same diet to everyone. I spend an hour with my client initially, discuss their lifestyle, their likes and dislikes, their fitness goals, after which I recommend a meal plan appropriate and in sync with their daily routine. Not only do I recommend individual meal plans but I also monitor my clients on a daily basis, to keep them in check. When clients know that someone is monitoring them, they make an effort to eat clean. After a month or maximum two months, based on my experience, the clients automatically start eating clean without any monitoring. I also do not incorporate anything new or drastically different from their current diet. I monitor their weekly progress and make changes accordingly, which the client doesn’t even realise. I have a 100% success rate till date but without the cooperation of the client I would not be able to achieve the desired results.