CAIRO: With different backgrounds and interests in their past, sisters Amani and Amal Hafez joined forces to open Body Works, a women-only gym and studio.
According to Amani, “This part of town [Heliopolis, where the studio is located and where the two sisters live] is a womenonly-area, whose residents are more conservative than those living in other Cairene districts. Thus a women-only venue caters to the needs of the district’s female population regardless of individual differences.
This insight was spot on; the studio’s clientele is as diverse as it could be. There are housewives, working women and students. Some are in their 50s, others have just celebrated their 16th birthday. Some are physically fit and others are struggling with their weight. But inside, all differences and inhibitions disappear; according to Amani no one is checking out anyone or is worried about what other people are thinking about them. Even veiled women can change into more comfortable sports outfits.
Body Works’ classes cater to this diversity; they range from different levels and types of Pilates to intense cardio exercises. The class schedule includes power yoga, kickboxing,dance, step and body toning.There are even classes for pregnant women and mini ballet courses for children in the 3-5 age bracket. Amal and Amani, along with other professional instructors, lead the classes.
Both sisters pointed to the importance of loving their job, making it a requirement to become an instructor.They said an interest in teaching people and taking care of them is a must.
For their part, they do love the job – they have even developed friendships with their students, relationships that often start out with simple questions about their students’ health status and their progress. Although the two sisters share their passion towards their current job, their backgrounds are quite different.
Amal, a psychology graduate, was working managing her father’s nursing home in London. Amani, a mass communication graduate, was nurturing an interest in fashion design by developing her own line of clothes and a shop she coowned. Fitness, however, has always played an important part in their lives.While Amal has worked out regularly throughout her life,Amani, the older sister, has been teaching aerobics since she was 18.
Amani decided she wanted to own the studio she taught at instead of being an instructor in different venues around town. So she called her sister and asked for her help.Amal agreed to join the project but on the condition that it would only be for a year.Amal took a course in massage to add to the services offered by the first Body Works Studio. Amani brought her extensive experience in the field as well a number of her clients.
“[We] took it one step at a time, Amal said. They explained how they started with basics and gradually added to the studio they opened in October 1999. Two years later they moved to another location, also in Heliopolis, almost double the size of the first one. Throughout the elapsed six years, the two kept upgrading the place and adding to it.
These years also witnessed a change of careers. From the beginning, Amani decided to put all her efforts into it and focus her attention on fitness, putting an unlimited hold on her fashion design career.When she got pregnant,Amal stepped in as an instructor leaving her interest in massage behind. Both are certified instructors.
The Hafez sisters are not the only people who have changed; their clients and the general level of awareness of the importance of physical fitness have changed as well. They noted the increase in people’s awareness of physical fitness, compared to when they first opened the studio. However, people “are [still] doing it for the wrong reasons, Amani said. She explained that a considerable percentage of her students just come for specific reasons like, “I’m getting married in a month and I want to lose 15 kilograms, she explained.
Health is the right reason, Amani stressed. She explained the numerous health benefits of working out regularly,noting that gyms or studios are not the only places to play sports. Tennis, cycling and jogging are just a few of the options. Adding, working out helps in relieving stress, by releasing what she called “the happy hormones.
But such benefits are mainly recognized by the older generation. Amal said that it is only when women get older that they realize the importance of physical fitness.With that in mind, the center’s morning classes are usually more advanced than the evening ones, as their attendees’ visits are more regular and frequent. The morning classes are usually filled with housewives and women older than the evening regulars.
The younger attendees usually come in the evenings, but Amal noted that a number of them put a priority on their social lives, whereas their older counterparts have daily set schedules that include workout times.
Yet, the awareness of the importance of keeping a healthy fit body is increasing on both sides – both sisters have even seen a number of their students become instructors. There are still obstacles though; Amani noted that some nutritionists advise against exercising while on a diet, spreading the misconception that fat turns into muscle. “That’s a tissue and that’s a tissue. It’s like saying jelly turns into yogurt, she said.
Noting the decisive role of exercise in raising the metabolic rate, Amani explained that practicing sport builds muscle weight, making it seems that no fat was burned and no weight was lost and physicians don’t take the time to explain this.As a certified nutritionist herself, she advises against using the scale to keep track of lost weight and recommends recording changes in terms of body measurements.
