42 days: shortcut to a long-term solution?

KARACHI: 

Nusrat Hidayatullah and Torsam Tajik have taken fitness in Karachi to another level by introducing ‘The 42 Day Challenge’ where they take 250 participants in each spell and help them get into shape.

It has been almost two years since they started the project, reaching out to people between the age of 13 and 65 year.

“It just takes six weeks to transform your body,” Nusrat told The Express Tribune. “We have all kinds of people, from skinny to obese to those with medical conditions or physical injuries,” she said that the ‘The 42 Day Challenge’ applies to all body types.

The workout sessions take place six days a week at Moin Khan Academy from Monday to Saturday at 7:30pm for 40 minutes. The first 20 minutes tend to focusing on cardio and abdomen workouts while the last 20 minutes are  devoted to weight training.

Every week, the exercise changes as participants keep building stamina and on Monday mornings, the participants are asked to measure their inches and see the difference for themselves.

Hailing from different professions, 24-year-old law student Nusrat and 23-year-old medical student, Torsam met at a Motorcross show held at the Moin Khan Academy. A week later they met again at the gym. But the average workout was not working for them.

“I had 26 percent body fat and I kept losing weight,” said the law student-turned -rainer. They learnt that it’s not just the body fat you need to rid yourself of but also the additional inches.

Upon realising this, they stopped going to gym altogether and just started working out at home after researching various workout regimens and programmes like the P-90x and Insanity.

“We also tried various meal plans since most of your body is dependent on the food you eat,” added Nusrat.

Submission forms for the ‘The 42 Day Challenge’ are available at The Pantry: a restaurant in Zamzama. After registration, participants have their BMR tests done and the trainers e-mail them their six meals a day diet plan, which they need to follow religiously from day one of the workout.

Having said that, Nusrat does acknowledge that  she and Torsam were put in a quandary when one of the participants started throwing up after exercise. This was a clear sign that in individual cases, there is a fair chance of the participant not responding appropriately to the workout routine and meal plan.

However, a majority of the participants have been optimistic about the results.

Fahad Tahir, the owner of a textile company spoke of how the challenge got him into shape helping, shed 15 kilograms and lose four inches in a single spell, thus motivating him to carry on for a third time. “It really makes my life so much better and healthier,” Fahad told The Express Tribune.

Women and men stand in lines in front of the two trainers; Torsam leads the men, while Nusrat leads the women. “First, they hate us and then when they finally see a difference, they love us and remain motivated throughout the challenge,” says Nusrat.

There are some girls who wear burkas to the workouts and when they are asked not to wear them, they usually clad themselves in burka-style attires. “These girls do not like it if I do not show up at the workout as they say they get scared of the domineering personality and physique of Torsam,” elaborates Nusrat.

After the completion of the ‘The 42 Day Challenge’, the participants are given a CD in which their entire workout has been recorded.