Fitness: The Doctor

Our guide for today on this journey of communal actualization is Hana Jafar, a medical doctor, specializing in psychiatry at the University of Toronto, and also moonlights as a successful fitness coach with a thriving online business and multiple certifications.

I want to set the stage for this interview by shining the spotlight on three main points of focus for our dialogue,

1. Hana and her unique human journey.
2. Explore the unique dynamic between Hana's medical profession and her health and fitness businesses.
3. Provide you, the listener, with insights on how to find your active community, regardless of culture or environment

Reach out to Hana at:
Hana @healthwith.hana
Hana @fitfoodiekw
Hana's Website: Hybrid Training

Hana's shoutouts go to:
Dr. Aziz Alkhayat @hybridtrainingkw
Fouz Al Ayar @wellness.with.f

Reach out to broadBand at:
Instagram @broadband.podcast
Email aziz@seedsmedia.org

Reach out to luucid at:
Instagram @luucidkw
Website luucidkw.com
For guest recommendations Email hello@luucid.co

Transcript

Doctor's Orders

Fitness with Hana Rev B

Aziz: Hello, and welcome to broadband here at broadband, we live by the philosophy that one needs other human beings to teach them how to be human. Our guide for today on this journey of communal actualization is Hana Jafar, a medical doctor, specializing in psychiatry at the university of Toronto, and also moonlights as successful fitness coach with a thriving online business and multiple certifications.

I want to set the stage for this interview by shining the spotlight on three main points of focus for our dialogue, the first being henna and her unique human journey. Next, I want to explore the unique dynamic between Hennis medical profession and her health and fitness businesses. And finally, I want to provide you the listener with insights on how to find your active community, regardless of culture or inviting. 

Hana Growing Up [00:00:43] So who is henna growing up in Kuwait?

Hana: so. A lot of people don't know the Swami, but growing up, I was actually a really inactive person. I wish I could tell everyone that I was a super athlete and I was the star of every sports team at school, but I was actually someone who hated fitness and hated. Healthy food. 

 I was much more of a reader. I was much more of a steadier. I was somebody who really enjoyed, just kind of like studying. 

I loved fashion a lot, which is something that I still do. But the whole transition from fitness hating to fitness, loving actually happened late in my college years. And it's something that I've done and never looked back on.

What got u into fitness [00:01:23] Aziz: Well, I mean, I think the studying theme is really important for you since you're a doctor. So I'm glad that you kept doing that, but what got you into the fitness world in college? What was that turning point for you?

Hana: So I think that my journey starts off as many people's journey starts off. I hated exercise, but I wanted to lose weight and I just kind of forced myself to do it just because I thought that like that was going to help me get what I wanted. And then after I started to exercise for the wrong reasons. My mindset shifted from the wrong reasons to the right reasons.

So I stopped exercising because I wanted to lose weight. And I started exercising more because I was noticing how it made me feel in terms of my mood, my confidence, my attention, and all that type of thing that comes with immediate effects of exercise. Plus, I was really enjoying, just like going to the gym, making friends, getting to know new people. It was like a whole world outside of medical school. 

And. I think that when you have an outlet that kind of lets you release that energy, whether it's with fitness, is there anything else that you enjoy doing that really helps you put things into perspective and kind of realize that it's not the end of the world. If you don't get a good grade on an exam, because you do have something else going for you outside of medical school.

Working out for the wrong reasons [00:02:41] Aziz: Phenomenal. I love that. And, and, you know, you said something really interesting. You said I stopped working out for the wrong reasons. It's very difficult for me to wrap my head around the concept of working out for the wrong reasons. What does that mean to you and, what should it mean to the audience?

Hana: So in my opinion, the wrong reasons will be a few exercise because you see it as a chore because you see it as something that you hate and you're doing it kind of to punish yourself. Whether it's because you think that you look bad or that you don't deserve to look the way that you do. And that's why you exercise.

Or even for example, some people who have specific kinds of eating habits, where they. Overeat and then kind of exercise as a punishment or a way to kind of work off that food. So there are a lot of reasons why you could exercise that are not right, in my opinion. And then there are countless benefits and reasons that are right to exercise.

Aziz: Right. 

How are you juggling different things [00:03:36] Yeah, you know, you wear multiple hats and you do so. Very well from being a medical doctor to running your health awareness platform, to creating your own virtual training programs,

but I guess the question is why, what drives you to juggle all these demanding disciplines?

Hana:  Honestly, I just really enjoy it. I have to like say that if you love something and you really truly love what you do, you will push through no matter how tired and exhausted you are

 And I've been doing this for long enough that I know how to manage my time. People just don't understand how I do it. But I think that if you want to make something a priority, you will. And that's the difference between me and people who struggle with time management is that I have very clear vision of what my priorities are and I have to fit that into my schedule.

Overweight Doctors [00:04:24]Aziz:  That's phenomenal, you know Speaking of, you know, the medical world physician health study conducted on 19,000 physicians in the U S showed that 40% of the doctors and the study were overweight and 23% were obese. And Edward Kreegan a professor of medical oncology at the Mayo clinic, writes about the medical profession.

That if one is not psychologically, spiritually and physically fit, one will not go the distance in this profession. Why is it that physicians are so overweight?

Hana: Unfortunately, I have seen firsthand how unhealthy some physicians are, and it's not only in terms of weight, it's also in terms of smoking and in terms of how sedentary they are. And it's a very unfortunate thing. I think it's because of lack of time, I would say that that's maybe the number one factor that, that they just don't make the time for it.

And I do realize that some people might actually not have enough time, but I truly believe that if you want to make time for something, you will have enough time.

It's only an hour of your day. Just like you make time for watching TV and you make time for sitting around on your phone. You can make time to do a one hour workout.

Aziz: Right. I mean, I think people should start breaking it down on a weekly basis. So they say I have 150 minutes of cardio I have to do over the entire week. And I feel like that's a lot less intimidating than saying I need an hour to work out, 

And I think that exercising and living an active lifestyle is a catalyst to so many positive habits. You know, I mean, if you're exercising, you're motivated to eat, right. If you're not bloated by overeating, then you can sleep deeper. If you get enough sleep, you'll be in a better mood and more productive. And then you get like this positive reinforcement. To get you to repeat it all over again. It's a feedback loop.

you know?

Compromised Decisions from Doctors [00:06:08] And I think that's a really good way to, I guess, make it part of your life. 

Are these doctors medical judgments compromised because of their unhealthy lifestyles?

Hana: So definitely.  And it's not just because of lack of exercise, but I did two research studies that I published recently. One of which was about mental health. And a lot of physicians and people who  did not exercise had higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms than people who did exercise.

But funnily enough, not the people who exercise every single day. So not exercising at all. And exercising obsessively have equal amounts of anxiety and depressive symptoms from what we found in Kuwait. 

But then also burnout in physicians is a really big thing.  It's proven to affect your ability to make decisions. Proven to affect your concentration with patients. so many things fall into play. And I think that,  health is not just about your body. It's about your mind, your emotions, your body, and just you as an entire person. And if you're super fit, but then you're also burnt out mentally. That's not a healthy person overall,

Can you take unhealthy doctors seriously [00:07:13]Aziz:  So, okay. Well, let me, let me put a scenario out there for you if the patient is overweight, but the doctor has a higher fat percentage than the patient. Can the doctor expect to be taken seriously when he or she asked the patient to lose weight?

Hana: I don't think that you're likely to take that person seriously. And it just doesn't have to do with weight loss. It has to do with, for example, if you were to go to a restaurant logist who looks like he's a heavy smoker and he tells you to stop smoking, or if you were to go to a dentist who has terrible teeth that look like he hasn't brushed them in years, and he's telling you to take care of your teeth or anything like that.

Things, these types of professions that you can visually see someone and how they look on the outside, they definitely affect how seriously a person would take them, whether we want them to or not.

Aziz: Yeah, and we can, we can, I guess, use that. For the fitness world as well. I mean, everyone knows the phrase, practice what you preach. You seem to flip that phrase on its head and you preach what you practice.

Good Looking Coaches [00:08:12] I'm always skeptical when the fitness coach looks worse than the client. And you're saying that I'm not really wrong in, in judging the fitness coaches based on their looks alone.

Hana: So I wouldn't necessarily say that a coach who doesn't look the part doesn't know what he's doing,  but I think that everyone should acknowledge the fact that we live in a day and age, where we are observed for how we look on the outside. And we need to take that into account if you'd like to be successful in your business.

So for example, if I were to become a dermatologist, but I had terrible skin, am I going to be as successful as someone who has flawless skin? Probably not. So similarly, a coach who has a very chiseled shredded physique is more likely to attract clients than somebody who doesn't look like he even trains to begin with.

So not to downplay coaches that don't look the part for not knowing what they're doing, but simply also, if they implemented what they know for themselves, it would help them in growing their business and attracting more clients.

Aziz: see, that's a really good point. And so you're right. I mean someone might be a little pudgy. Could have like a couple of.  Rolls of fat on them instead of a six pack. Sure. But they might have a PhD in kinesiology and know a lot. 

But we currently live in the world of Instagram models like all these fitness models on Instagram.  And, and it seems like. There is a, I want to get it as fast as possible mentality and that not only goes with muscles, it also goes with weight loss. And that kind of leads me into my next question.  

Obesity in Kuwait [00:09:42] So  how has the fact that who wait, is consistently ranked as one of the most obese countries by the world health organization influenced your choice in career.

Hana: Um, I would say that. Me going into the hospital and just seeing the amount of preventable diseases that Kuwaitis have simply because of living a very, very, very sedentary. Poor diets. Lifestyle is something that is very shocking to me, and it should be shocking to everyone else. 

Our obesity rates are unacceptable, completely unacceptable and completely avoidable. If we were to just implement a good structured approach on how to target obesity and children from school, all the way to adulthood. 

And I think that that's something that. We really need to work on because even though in school, I, for example, I used to have fitness classes. Our cafeteria was filled with junk food and you can't, out-train a bad diet.

A hundred percent fact, like you cannot train for 10 hours a day and then you can in like five minutes, eat away, all that work that you did. So you have to focus on nutrition and then with nutrition will come good performance, good energy levels, good sleep, and the ability to actually train. So I think that we have a lot to work on in terms of that aspect. 

Aziz: Yeah. I mean, I was a really chubby boy growing up and yeah. And, you know, 

I embraced a very healthy lifestyle and in high school, and then I carried it out, you know, throughout college and now in adulthood. And  

Choosing your suffering [00:11:12] And I think,  exercising to a point is suffering, right? And a lot of people are, is not very comfortable with suffering.  And so to a point, I feel like everyone in, in the culture or in the society is a product of the system that we have that says, Oh, no, just stay at home. And, you know, have an air conditioner blasting on high and just watch your Netflix and. Keep eating your gate, you know, and I think that's a big point is people are just not very comfortable with suffering, which it's a huge part of the human journey. every human should suffer at some point.

And some of that suffering should be physical. 

Hana: I agree. And you, And it's always like the, I've seen this so many times you have to choose your suffering. So you can either suffer by exercising and being on a diet, or you can suffer by having medical diseases, stroke, heart attacks, and all these types of diseases, or have. For example, gastric bypass done, and then suffer because you're not able to eat anything and you have vitamin deficiencies for an entire year.

So you choose which suffering you want to have. and it's for me, at least it's a very clear answer, which one I would rather go for, but surprisingly, most people don't pick that route.

Aziz: I love that you choose your suffering. That's a really good message. Either. You do it now, or are you going to have to pay the Piper later? 

Women of the Gym [00:12:28] Okay, well, let's put women on the platform and let's talk about them for a little bit. So I read a vice news article that had a funny opening sentence. It went women of the gym. Who are they? Why are they here? And what do they want? So let's Let's start with 

 why are they going to the gym usually? Is it for purely or canal? And is it for social reasons what's going on?

Hana: so the number one reason is to lose weight. That is the common answer that you will get in 99% of people who go to the gym. Eventually there are some people who shift,  and actually start to exercise for. Strength based goals for endurance based goals, instead of just focusing on the weight loss.

So I think that people should shift away from the whole obsession with weight loss, and start to think more about. Making themselves stronger and making themselves fitter and then weight loss will come with that.

Aziz: Okay. And what do they want out of the gym experience? I mean, do they want just to go until they lose weight and then they can just never see a gym again until they gain the weight or, what is it that they want?

Hana: So I think that there are three types of people, the first person as the person who will never go to the gym in their lives. And who look down on other people who go to the gym. They're like the naysayers like, Oh, you and your gym enjoy while I sit at home. So those are like the first type of people. 

The second time of people are the people that sign up for the gym on either new year's or the summer to get the summer body. So those are the people that will usually come for one month and then disappear for the rest of the year. And those people tend to come back once they have put on some more weight. So they come back when they've gained weight disappear, when they've lost weight, come back when they've gained weight disappear and so on and so forth.

And then the third type, in my opinion are the second type, but that begin to love fitness. So they come in with the same goals, which are to like lose weight, set a new, for example, new year's resolution. But then because they start to love fitness so much and start to develop a different type of way of viewing it. They stay there consistently and just make it part of their life.

Aziz: No, I really like that. You, organized it in a very. Succinct way. I think you're right. I mean, this is what I've seen as well, and it's not only exclusive to women, you know, it goes on with men as well. 

Gender Bias in Fitness [00:14:39]Um, So the fitness industry is often described as male dominated. Two separate studies.  Cited in the journal of sports. Psychology reported that male athletes attitudes towards female coaches were of a negative orientation. And in addition, this is mind blowing, female athletes preferred the possibility of having an unsuccessful male coach to that of a successful female coach.

So where do you think this gender bias is coming from?

Hana: Um, So I would think that the gender bias is coming from a general gender bias, not just a gender bias in terms of. Fitness, 

but in general sports and fitness is seen as mainly a male field. And therefore, if you are a male, you instinctively will know more than a female will know, and that's not right, but that's the way that some people see it.

Fortunately for me and for other coaches in Kuwait, we don't have that gender bias here just because of religious and cultural values. Most  women prefer having a female coach and. Most men, I think if not all men would prefer to have a male coach. So usually it's the males who coach the males and the women who coached the women here.

And I actually feel like because female Kuwaiti coaches are very like small amounts and also unique that they were celebrated a lot. And I never felt like people stood in my way because I was a female actually felt like they were more inclined to hire me because I was a Kuwaiti female who is also a doctor and just kind of gave off that. Credible vibe in their opinion. 

And so I never felt like it was something that stood in my way, but I definitely see it in terms of other people. And I have seen women both in and out of Kuwait who think that male coaches would be better than female coaches, no matter what.

Importance of Female Coaches [00:16:20] Aziz: Okay. And is it this like, I guess ill directed  thought about women being less competent. Is that what  other  female coaches experience?

Hana: Yes. I definitely think that that's something that other female coaches experience. However, I do think that it's important for people to acknowledge the importance of female coaches. So females have a very different body than males and our exercise performance is affected by our hormones, which cycles throughout the entire month.

Unlike males whose hormones more like more or less remained the same for their entire lives. Females have a cycle of hormones and we, we can lift weights at certain times of the month, better than other times we can do cardio certain times of the month, more than other times we can hit PRS and lifting at certain times more than other times. And so as a male it's. No matter how much you read about that. It's kind of difficult to appreciate. Whereas as a female, you really do appreciate those fluctuations. And that's why I feel like having a female coach who's successful and also qualified and understands what she's doing could actually help you as a female athlete.

So I don't know why there's that stereotype, but I hope it starts to 

Aziz: That's mind blowing. I honestly, I never thought about that. The, about how the hormones in the female body are cyclical to some point, and obviously that's going to affect how UPR, how you perform.

So that's really cool. That's a really cool insight. Interesting. Thank you for teaching me that 

How has Covid affect Fitness [00:17:48]Uh, How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the fitness industry?

Hana:  I would say that Jim's being out of business have affected the business aspects of the fitness industry, but in terms of. I would say myself because I can speak only on my behalf as a freelancer, a coach and instructor it's really helped my personal business and career because for me, the number one limit that I had before COVID was time.

But COVID-19 has introduced the world to virtual training where you can actually coach way more people than you could. Face-to-face and that also gives them a similar experience, but from the comfort of their own homes. So now, for example, if gyms were to reopen. Classes would still be limited to around six or eight per class.

Whereas online I'm training 25 people on an online class and some of whom will watch a playback if they can't make it to the real timing of the class. And then I give people online programs and I give them nutrition. And so you're basically set, you don't even need to drive to the gym anymore and look for a parking spot , which takes 

Aziz: Yeah, so, so it seems like you're doing that and businesses booming and you've applied the never let a good crisis go to waste mentality. So that's absolutely amazing. 

Virtual Training [00:19:04] How has your virtual training experience been in terms of like longevity? Do you plan on continuing to do this after the.

Hana: So I definitely think I would continue to do it because  a, because I can reach out to way more people than I could hear and be, because I feel like this crisis has allowed people to realize the convenience of training at home.

And so many people have bought lots of equipment, have built a home gym and realize that it's cheaper for them, for example, than paying for a membership every month at the gym. And also if they have already a background in how to do basic exercises, they can just train themselves at home with a program.

Pain Points of Virtual Training [00:19:42]Aziz: Phenomenal. And So you've painted a picture. Like it's all pros, it's all positive, but there's gotta be some pain points. So what are some of the pain points and what are some of the things that you're struggling with with virtual training?

Hana: So some of the things that I'm struggling with is that. You really can't teach people proper form for the first time virtually. And that's why I really struggle with people who are first timers at the gym who have no background with training whatsoever, because those are people that I'm always anxious about. Injuring themselves. 

I don't really know what they're doing. I always encourage people to turn on their cameras when I coach them, because nobody can see them, except for me. But then some people still prefer not to turn on the cameras. And at the end of the day, I have no idea what those people are doing.

They could be completely demolishing their joints and I'd have no idea just because I can't even see them. And so I prefer if somebody were a full-time beginner with no experience whatsoever to have a proper basic training with a face-to-face personal trainer before considering doing an online program. 

How can avg peope do their part [00:20:43]Aziz:  Right. So Most people don't have the luxury of attending and graduating medical school. What ways can the average Joe or Joanne do their part?

 Hana: So definitely I think learning CPR is really important. I teach people by standard CPR and I think it's something that should be taught in schools. And there are a lot of places in the world that teach CPR in schools. So that's definitely something that's very important. 

Another thing that I just want to highlight is don't bring people down for being healthy. I think that this sounds like common sense, but unfortunately. At least in Kuwait, people will often make fun of you and peer pressure. You, if you choose to order healthy food over unhealthy food, they will peer pressure you. If you choose to go to the gym rather than doing X, Y, or Z. So if you don't want to do it yourself, that's completely fine, but don't bully people into not being healthy as well.

Like you want to keep your bad habits. You can keep them for yourself, but at least that someone who wants to change their life, be able to do that freely.

Like, for example, now, if I'm at work and somebody offers me unhealthy food, I'm always like, no, and I can see the judgment in their eyes, like, Oh, henna with her healthy lifestyle again. But I don't really care because at the end of the day, like I don't have any co-morbidities from being overweight.

So I'm happy the way I am. And you can be happy the way you are, and I'm not going to shame you for eating the way that you do. But I think it's important not to shame healthy people for being healthy. And I think that. It's something that like people need to stop doing. So that's another message that I want to send out to people listening to this today.

Aziz: So stop that shaming, but stop fit shaming too. Okay. I never thought I had this. And I never thought I had to ever say stop fit shaming, but here we are. 

And yet we are so grateful to have had this conversation with you, Hannah, you are going to do amazing things. I can't wait until you go to Toronto, come back and be another influential figure in our society here in Kuwait.

Go out there and be safe. Thank you so much for 

Hana: Thank you so much for having me. This was really a pleasure and I hope that. Anyone listening today, learn something. soon.