HYDERABAD: Tell us, were you the reason behind Katrina Kaif’s jaw-dropping Kala Chashma abs?
(Laughs) What do you think? Yes, of course I was.
You can quite easily qualify as the poster girl of pilates? How do you think this niche fitness form has evolved in India?
Even ten years ago, not many people were aware of pilates, but my clients put their trust in me and started trying it out. In the last ten years, so many Bollywood actors that I train, took up pilates -- Deepika (Padukone) has been doing pilates for six years and so has Katrina (Kaif) and Alia (Bhatt) took it up around two years ago. So as people continued following the fitness regimes of their favourite stars, and saw their physique evolve, the awareness and recognition for pilates also increased by leaps and bounds.
How does working out help in inculcating a positive body image?
I think negative body image gets ingrained in people when they are young; If you read my book Sculpt and Shape: The Pilates Way, there is an entire chapter on how your body image is built in the childhood, it all starts with how someone in your family might call you “fatty”. They might be joking but somehow you internalise it. Even when girls attain puberty and get their periods, they become uncomfortable while working out, hesitate to tell their male trainer. There’s so much taboo about such a natural body function! However, one thing that can really help is working out. as it alleviates negativity and inculcates positive ideals.
You are the woman behind so many hot bods in the industry, but do tell us what is your fitness routine right.
You know my celebrity clients have this joke, they say come what may, “Yasmin will never give her workout time away.” I set my workout time and I don’t give it to them even if they ask for it. But I have a body too and if I don’t work out, I won’t feel good, so I won’t be able to train my clients at my 100 per cent. I keep an hour or two for myself, despite what my routine looks like. Sometimes I fit in my exercise time, with my clients. For instance Katrina likes to work out with me so we do it together at times. My work out six days a week is a must.
Your book is a hit with fitness freaks, what else is coming up?
I just came up with a YouTube channel “Be Fit With Yasmin Karachiwala”. In fact before I went I finished for my surgery, I finished my shoot for Tata Sky for Active Fitness( a fitness training service on a DTH). There’s a lot of new stuff I am coming up with soon.