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FITNESS enthusiasts Alaa Al Shaikh and Noor Al Hulaibi aim to change the way women across the kingdom think about getting healthier and losing weight by teaching them to love themselves first.
Both Alaa, 32, and Noor, 29, endured an intense five-week-course at the European Institute Fitness in UK to become certified Master Trainers and qualified motivational, nutrition and lifestyle coaches.
They excel at working with pregnant women, those reaching middle-age and beyond, as well as people facing health concerns such as diabetes, obesity, arthritis, and osteoporosis. They also specialise in postural retraining and corrective exercises including functional training for sports, rehabilitation and back care.
After receiving their certification, the athletic duo founded FLASH, which stands for Fit Ladies Stay Healthy, and set out to put ladies of all ages and nationalities through their paces at Al Nakheel Fitness Ladies Gym in Budaiya in a bid to enrich their lives both mentally and physically.
Alaa, a public relations specialist by day and a part time freelance trainer, said: “Being healthy is not a phase and it is not a destination; it is a lifetime journey. You never know what your body can achieve.
“Most ladies fitness centres target weight loss but women still end up going to a nutritionist to help them with their diet or they join food delivery companies instead. There isn’t a one-stop shop that offers everything. They do not have someone who is experienced into pushing them, motivating them and teaching them how to eat clean! “That’s what we do. FLASH targets all ladies and our mission is not only to help them lose weight, but also to work on changing them from within. We teach them to love themselves from the inside and then work on the outside in order to introduce them to a healthy lifestyle rather than a diet with an expiration date. We introduce fitness by teaching them self-love, strength, hard work and patience.
“No amount of makeup or beauty regime will make a women realise how beautiful she is if she does not see it deeply within herself. This is why our approach is unlike other personal trainers. While we are training, we will make sure each client realises how loving themselves is extremely important. Without it, you will not have the patience, the discipline, the commitment or the self-respect to start a healthy lifestyle.”
Since almost a year from starting the company, the dynamic duo has a total of 12 clients which they train four to five-times-a-week. Together, the girls provide one to one personal training, group training and can also help clients at home as per their request. They also offer nutrition coaching, teaching them how to eat clean on a daily basis with meal plans based on each individual’s needs; whether it’s to lose weight, gain muscles, to get stronger or just feel great.
The tag team has also provided motivational coaching seminars to private companies, educational sectors in Bahrain and to specific clients.
The concept came about after women kept questioning their motives to hitting the gym.
Noor, a full-time trainer from Budaiya, said: “We were both athletic sprinters in school growing up. We used to work out almost every day during a time where exercising was not very common in Bahrain, especially towards women in our society. We are talking about 2004-2009.
“People used to ask us why we continued going to the gym when we were already fit. It got to a point where we just wanted to change the mentality of women in Bahrain. Therefore, we decided to take things further by getting certified and then together we started showing women that getting fit is not just about weight loss.
“You could be 30-years-old with 60-year-old organs. Just because you are genetically skinny does not make you healthy! We want our clients to know the benefits of exercising in the long run and how it makes them look younger and happier. Also, weight lifting will not bulk you; it will give you that amazing curve and toned up figure. Plus, pregnant ladies can work out as well based on each trimester.”
Alaa, who attended Al Raja High School, had graduated with bachelors in business administration majoring in E-commerce from the University of Toledo, Ohio State, US. She is also a Fulbright scholar and has achieved a master’s degree in Art, majoring in public relations from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, US. Her friend Noor studied at Al Hekma International School and then joined Al Ahlia University in Bahrain to complete a degree in Physiotherapy. She also completed a Kinesio Taping certification in Germany.
The Kinesio Taping Method is a definitive rehabilitative taping technique that is designed to facilitate the body’s natural healing process while providing support and stability to muscles and joints without restricting the body’s range of motion as well as providing extended soft tissue manipulation to prolong the benefits of manual therapy administered within the clinical setting.
Alaa has 10 years’ experience working in the fitness industry having started as a personal trainer in the US while Noor has been a physiotherapist for five years’ with an excellent background in anatomy. According to Noor, this is a plus to handling certain clients facing simple knee injuries or back disc problems.
To find out more, visit www.flashbahrain.com or follow them on Instagram @flash_bahrain
