Trainer to the stars, Yasmin Karachiwala chats with Hannah Cardozo about her fitness lifestyle.
When it comes to fitness, Yasmin Karachiwala is a name that commands respect. A trailblazer in her field, she has spent over three decades shaping the way India approaches wellness, earning the title of the ‘Pioneer of Pilates’ in the country. From helping Bollywood’s biggest stars achieve their peak physical form to building a fitness empire with her renowned studio, Yasmin Karachiwala Body Image, she has redefined the industry on her own terms.
With a clientele that includes some of the most celebrated names in entertainment and sports, Yasmin has mastered the art of sculpting strong, agile and healthy bodies. But beyond the star-studded glamour, her philosophy is simple: Fitness should be a way of life, not just a passing trend.
Excerpts from our chat with Yasmin…
Her Journey
We know Yasmin as this force of nature in the realm of fitness, but we asked her to take us back to where it all started.
Getting Started…
“I was the laziest person growing up. Even in school, if there was athletics, I would do shot put and javelin because it involved no movement, just strength. While in college, a health spa had opened in Bandra and they were giving a really good deal – ‘two for the price of one’. So my friend convinced me to join – it was peer pressure. I went into the aerobics room not knowing it was choreographed – when people went right, I was going left, when they did knee-ups, I was kicking. I was so embarrassed at the end of the class and thought, ‘Okay, I have to nail this, because how can I be bad at anything?’ So I started going to class every day. I would go late and then stand in the front.
“A month-and-a-half later, my instructor asked if I could teach her class. The entire class laughed, they thought she was joking, but I agreed. I realised that I knew the entire routine of 10 songs from the warm-up to the cool down. I just knew what to do and I could also mimic what instructions my instructor was giving. I realised that I enjoy telling people what to do. The instructor came back the next day and said people loved the class. She asked if I wanted to teach the afternoon class and I said, yes. That’s how it all started.”
Finding Pilates…
“I’ve been in this industry for over 30 years. I started with group fitness and then grew into a personal trainer. I wanted to do something different because I realised that after I had my kids, whatever I did, I wasn’t losing that little belly fat that you get after pregnancy. I did 1,000 crunches sometimes and it wouldn’t help. I started reading about what I could do to lose belly fat and I found Pilates which works the core.
“I called the first school that showed up on Google for Pilates teacher training. They said that since I had no experience with Pilates, I couldn’t be an instructor as it’s very intense. Nobody in India teaches Pilates so there was no way I could try it. That’s how I ended up in Orange County, California, learnt Pilates and became the pioneer of Pilates in India.”
Fitness Advice
Of course, we had to ask her if she had some advice to share that could help all of us be more in tune with our fitness goals.
Start Small…
“Set short-term goals to make sure that you don’t dive into fitness with your entire body. Test the waters. If you hate exercising, don’t set a goal to exercise an hour, even three times a week. Do 20 minutes and build it up. Don’t jump into it because as quickly as you jump into it, you’re gonna jump out.”
Staying Motivated…
“Find a form of exercise that you enjoy. Don’t do something that somebody else has lost weight doing, or gotten fit doing, or gotten six-pack abs doing. Find what your body likes because what works for me will not necessarily work for you.”
Eating Right…
“Plan your meal. When we are hungry, we see what’s there to eat and eat anything. So one of the main tips is to plan what you eat and plan for the week, so that it’s not a daily hassle. You know what foods are good and bad. We all know sugar is bad and fried stuff is harmful. So, try to find alternatives. When you plan on a Sunday, it literally takes 10 minutes to sit and plan the whole week’s meal. Make sure you drink enough water during the day.”
Keep Moving…
“Move. A lot of times, people who go to the office, don’t move enough because they’re sitting for hours behind a desk – set little alarms/ reminders on your phone that make you get up every hour.”
Training With The Stars
Yasmin has been the go-to trainer for some of the biggest names in entertainment and sports. Her clientele has included Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Katrina Kaif and Hardik Pandya to name but a few. Here, she shares with us some tidbits of her experiences working with them.
Deepika Padukone…
“For Deepika, if she’s got a 7 a.m shoot, she’ll get up at 5 a.m and work out. Even when I went to the Oscars with her, she had a full day but we worked out at 6:30 a.m because for her, working out is not just to lose weight; starting the day with a workout makes her feel good.”
Katrina Kaif…
“Katrina, even when she has long hours of work, will still make time to come after she finishes her shoot to work out. There are days she’ll work out at 11 p.m because she wants to get that workout in.”
Alia Bhatt…
“With Alia, during her pregnancy, we were very mindful and, of course, I am certified in prenatal care and postnatal care. When you’re pregnant, you have to make sure you’re doing exercises that are good for you and the baby. You’re doing exercises that are going to help you during your pregnancy and at birth.”
Hardik Pandya…
“Hardik came to work with me when his back was really bad pre-surgery. He was playing at that time as well. So Pilates helped a lot with his injuries and managing them.
