Coach Hina Laeeque works to help South Asian women stay active
When Hina Laeeque was young and trying a home workout routine with her sister, a friend told her, “I don’t know why you bother. You’re brown, you’ll never have abs.” The comment stuck with her so much that she just assumed people of a certain background couldn’t get fit. But after a period of working hard in the healthcare field and having children, she found her way back to home workouts, and soon found herself feeling better than ever.
“I had an assumption that I had to go to the gym and be there for an hour working out every day,” she says. “That just didn’t work for me as a busy mom that worked 9 to 5. It didn’t make sense to go to the gym for an hour, come back home to make dinner and handle bedtime. It just wasn’t feasible for my lifestyle.” But when she tried home workouts, she realized that a combination of good dumbbells, bodyweight movements, and cardio, she could get in the best shape of her life.
Since then, she’s been on a mission to help South Asian women live an active life with her Empowered Fitness coaching. “We pour into others a lot, our family or children or career,” she says. “These are highly intelligent, brilliant women, but they don’t fill their cup up first. I’m really trying to change that narrative in our community that you can be fit and active, and you can be all the things you need to be. But it starts with you and filling up your cup.”
Here are a few of her favorite tips for women looking to get started on their fitness journey:
- Start With Your Why. This often might start with a typical “I want to lose 20 pounds,” but it helps to really understand what Laeeque calls “the deeper why” like wanting to run around with your kids, take care of elderly parents, or have energy after their 9-to-5 job.
- Commit to a Plan. “Goals are great, but you need to have a plan,” says Laeeque. “You could have the best gym or best home workout, but if you don’t know what you’re doing you’re not gonna get to your end goal.” That’s where a coach can help get you started and design the ways best fit for your lifestyle.
- Adopt a Back to Basics Eating Plan. Skip the fad diets in favor of ensuring you have a balanced macro-driven diet, loaded with whole foods and lots of water..
Box:
Studies show that South Asians who engage in regular physical activity can reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease by up to 50%.
