Fatima Zara Mallick Talks To HELLO!
1. Tell us a little about yourself; your education, upbringing, where you grew up, and went to college?
I went to school in Karachi, at CAS and Lyceum. However, at 17, right after my AS, I moved to Rome to study Art History and Art Management followed by Masters in Luxury Brand Management and Fashion Merchandising at Polimoda, Florence. While in Italy, I got certified and began working part time as a personal trainer at local gyms. I’d always been a dancer and fitness was a hobby. However, once I moved back to Pakistan, I quickly grew disillusioned with the local fashion scene and sensibilities. I began having fitness classes on a small scale and soon after, FZM Boutique Fitness was born.
2. How long have you been in the fitness field for? What made you become a fitness instructor?
I’ve been in the field since I was 18. I’ve been lucky to have worked as a trainer internationally. When I moved back, I quickly realised that there were very few qualified fitness professionals in the field. Today, everyone and the neighbours cat is a ‘trainer.’ It’s a hip thing to do. But I feel that customers need to differentiate between professionals and enthusiasts.
3. You were recently in Milan to attend a top fitness conference; tell us a little about the trip. Why did you go and were you the only one representing Pakistan?
I’m lucky to be working with a lot of international companies. I attended Rimini Wellness, a huge wellness trade fair on the Italian Riviera. I was representing Goflo, a company I have been collaborating with to introduce Bungee Fitness in Pakistan.
Additionally, I was there alongside XBody, our international EMS partners. FZM Boutique Fitness is proud to bring EMS to the Pakistani market. Electrical muscle stimulation or electromyostimulation (EMS) originally comes from physiotherapy and is 100% safe. It uses low-frequency electrical impulses to stimulate those muscles that are often ignored by conventional fitness. Each session lasts 20 minutes and is as effective as three regular gym workouts. Results are incredible. We have the best and safest Hungarian EMS technology. I really feel like EMS is the future because people want results fast and no one has time to slog at the gym anymore. In four sessions, you see a difference, in 10 sessions you transform!
4. You will be introducing bungee suspension fitness to Pakistan; tell us about this.
At FZM, we believe in constant innovation and growth. Bungee fitness is like suspension fitness on steroids! As a master trainer, I will be certifying professional trainers in bungee fitness in Pakistan. Why bungee? It’s efficient. Each session burns up to 700 calories and makes you feel like a superhero!
5. What other fitness or equipment’s have you introduced in Pakistan from other countries?
We are the only studio in Pakistan offering 60 different training modalities under one roof. We offer Kangoo (USA), a creative rebound fitness class done with Kangoo shoes. We are also the distributors for RAD Mobility and Recovery Tools (UAE and USA) in Pakistan. As a certified rehabilitation trainer, I feel that recovery and personalised manual therapy sessions are key in preventing, managing and curing injuries.
We are also the only studio offering pole fitness and aerial hoop in Pakistan. Additionally, we do reformer, chair, aerial and motr pilates. There’s a host of other stuff too that you can discover on our official Instagram page: fzm_boutique_fitness.
6. Three people you’d love to train with?
I’d love to train under Annie Thorisdottir, an amazingly fit CrossFit athlete; Jason Walsh and Brie Larson's trainer for Captain Marvel.
7. Three tips on staying healthy and fit?
Set realistic goals. Don’t have an all or nothing attitude. It’s okay if you fall off the bandwagon sometimes, get back on and double up the hard work.
8. What’s your guilty pleasure?
Travelling.
9. In your opinion, how do you think Pakistan can change the fitness game?
We are not there yet. Our industry is full of amateurs and under-qualified trainers. We can’t change the game but we can aspire to meeting international standards first.
10. Three things you want to achieve by the end of the year?
I guess you guys will find out ;)