Maahek Nair is a celebrity fitness coach having an Internationally recognized Nutrition certification from Exercise Science Academy. She is well known for her customized nutritional diet plans for celebrities which have helped them to achieve their fitness goals at the right time.
We often are left fascinated by the gorgeously shaped bodies of our big screen celebrities but little do we know about the people who work hard to get their contours right.
Globally renowned Nutritionist, Reformer Pilates, Crossfit and Celebrity Fitness expert Maahek Nair has actively been a part of the fitness industry for more than 10 years.
We have with us this month on Women Fitness India, the super-fit Celebrity Fitness coach, behind actress Shraddha Kapoor’s extremely fit body, Maahek Nair.
NN:
Your journey as India’s most sought after fitness trainer started with your own journey. Walk us through your interest in fitness and choosing it as a full-time career, was it accidental or the subject in itself?
MN:
I come from a background of Postgrad and MBA in Finance. Like every other teenage girl, I wanted to look good, fit etc. so I joined various gyms. Got different tips and advice from various people I came across. As a person, I always go and cross-check a lot of information on google. Then I realised there was no scientific approach in it. Then I planned to study this subject as my mainstream. Currently, I hold a lot of international certifications in various fortes of nutrition and coaching.
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar, President womenfitness.org and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2018 Women Fitness Org
NN:
Being a fitness trainer to top Indian actress and celebrities is a demanding task. Running a fitness gym ‘BodyProCoach’ calls for a big responsibility, introduce us to a day in your life.
MN:
Yes !!! (Smile) I am happy and proud of what I am today but still have to achieve a lot more.
My day starts at 5 am with my own physical training, moving ahead with my client coaching, YouTube video shoots, nutrition coaching, Pilates coaching and training and sums up to evening. I try my best-reaching home by 9 pm to spend quality time with my kids and have dinner with them.
NN:
Women tend to lose muscle after 30 and need to maintain their muscle strength to stay fit & strong. Sharing glimpses from your fitness training regime, tell us how one can maintain a strong core at 40?
FA:
I personally Practise Pilates 4 times a week and I believe it’s one of the best programmes for balanced muscular strength and tone, particularly for your abdominal muscles, lower back, hips. I also Practise Crossfit as it Improves agility, balance, and flexibility. I am quite a fitness freak, I may not have time to sleep but Workout is a must.
Lastly, I believe age is not the bar, the mind is the most important part for achieving any fitness goals.
NN:
Eating a wholesome meal plays a significant role when it comes to building a lean physique. Vegetarians often face an issue with optimum protein intake. Your 5 tips to supplement protein in a vegetarian meal. What would you advise fat over protein and carbs or the other way round?
MN:
5 tips for vegetarians:
1) Use the 1.2–1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.
2) Incorporate plant-based protein like Ace blend, Plix etc.
3) Choose whole foods containing the aminoacid leucine daily like Spirulina, cottage cheese, soy, kidney beans, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds.
4) Choose healthy carbs like Amaranth, Quinoa, Almond flour, coconut flour, cauliflower rice.
5) Incorporating these in the diet will make a great change Almond milk, coconut milk, Greek Yogurt, chia seeds, lentils, cottage cheese, hemp seeds, edamame Avocado etc.
NN:
You are also a certified Reformer Pilates instructor, how would you explain Pilates as an exercise form that can help to transform a body? Pilates studios are hard to locate all over India and are accessible in only a few cities, what alternative exercise form would you suggest getting similar results?
MN:
Pilates as a Programme is Fabulous. It increases Muscular Endurance, Core Strength.
The increase in deep core muscle strength helps to make your abdominal muscles look tight and toned. It also improves your flexibility and posture, which can decrease your chances of injuring yourself.
Anybody practising Pilates will reap the below benefits in a span of 10-12 sessions: Improved Posture, Increased Flexibility, Improved Breathing, Reduced Body Fat.
Lastly, the beauty of Pilates is anybody at any age can start this Programme.
Other options if people can’t access Pilates is to do HIIT videos on the YouTube channel Bodyprocoach they focus on complete fitness in 35 minutes with no equipment.
NN:
Share 5 most popular fitness myths that need to be busted. Your input on them.
MN:
Myth 1:- THE MORE YOU SWEAT, THE MORE FAT YOU LOSE – Sweat has nothing to do with intensity; it’s your body’s way of getting rid of heat. Fat is oxidized inside your body, and it is not going to vaporize because you’re sweating!
Myth 2:- FRUIT IS A HEALTHY SNACK THAT CAN’T MAKE YOU FAT
Fact is Humans eat food because it gives us nutrients and fuel, but any kind of food, no matter how healthy, can make you gain weight. The fruit has a lot of easily accessible carbs. When you provide your body with easily accessible carbs, you’re basically telling it to stop burning body fat for fuel.
Myth 3:- DOING CARDIO BEFORE WEIGHTS WILL HELP YOU GET SHREDDED FASTER
Fact is If you run on a treadmill before you hit the weights, you’ll be too fatigued to train as heavy as you can. You need muscle, not miles to burn fat.
Myth 4:- HIGH-PROTEIN DIETS ARE BAD FOR YOUR KIDNEYS
Fact is Protein taxes the kidneys because they have to work harder to process it. Healthy people without a preexisting kidney condition are fine to eat a lot of protein as long as they drink a lot of water too.
Myth 5:- SPOT-REDUCUTION
Fact is Spot-reduction is not possible unless you go for liposuction. Without such surgery, your body will draw fat from different regions at different rates depending on your genetic makeup. If spot reduction was possible by training and diet, you’d seldom see women with lower-body fat deposits or men with big guts.
NN:
During Saaho, you had put Shraddha Kapoor on a diet which comprises of a good amount of essential fat. Can you elaborate more about this diet and how it helped her?
MN:
- Shraddha was on a diet which comprised of essential fats from the source of Avocados, MCT oil and Feta cheese.
- She was on plant-based protein.
- Food high in sugar and carbohydrate was completely eliminated from the diet.
- She eats most of the meals home-cooked. Shraddha is a very simple person and does not show any tantrums with food choices.
NN:
Every individual is unique with a specific body-type. Also, people complain that they are hard-pressed against time. You recently helped actor Kartik Aaryan to get leaner for a role, what kind of workout worked best for his body-type? And, how do you design their workout during their outdoor shootings?
MN:
I strongly believe that fitness can be only achieved when you start prioritising exercise and eating pattern… that is the reason most of athletes and actors look fit all year round.
Kartik is highly focused when it is about workout and nutrition, but the shape and muscle quality highly depends on the character-based.
Generally, with Kartik, we always pre-plan the gym and I used to visit the gym and see the availability and quality of the gym that we can get a great workout.
Kartik has great genetics wherein the body shows some great results in almost no time… we have been following the routine from the last few weeks…
10 mins of mobility and movement-based training this takes care of warm-up and range of motion of the muscles.
20 mins isolation, focused more on muscle quality and shape.
20 mins high-intensity compound movements based training, where we focused on heart conditioning and speed.
(Praveen & I did the training program together for Kartik).
NN:
For women who are not able to make it to a gym or fitness centre, what would be your best exercise tips to adopt for a high-intensity, home workout?
MN:
Please subscribe to my channel BodyProCoach on YouTube and give me your 35 minutes for a month and I promise to make you realistically very fit.
NN:
Women Fitness has been there for more than the last 16 years working with a goal to help women with the best in health & fitness. Share a word about the website (Womenfitness.org) and a message for our followers?
MN:
Women Fitness is doing a great job spreading correct awareness and the help and support of Heath experts. I am proud to be associated with women fitness for the well being of women.
My message to all followers is “ we live our life’s in a comfort zone. Hence Life becomes predictable. If you don’t go beyond your comfort zone, you will never be able to become the person that you aspire to be.”
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This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar, President womenfitness.org and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2018 Women Fitness Org