Yasmin Karachiwala: The Right Way To Exercise At Home

Yasmin Karachiwala is the celebrity fitness trainer who has trained some of the biggest names in Bollywood from Katrina Kaif to Deepika Padukone and helped them achieve the fit and well-sculpted bodies you see on the silver screen.

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With over 20 years of experience under her belt, she believes in working out hard and eating right. Women don’t always find the time to head to the gym. But staying fit and active is extremely important.

We’ve put together 5 Yasmin Karachiwala exercise videos that can be done at home and work different parts of your body so that you can look good and feel good.

Stretch That Spine

#TwistedTuesday Spine Stretch: Our spine runs down the midline of the trunk from the base of the skull to the coccyx (tailbone), playing an extremely important role in our body, as it supports the upper body’s weight; provides posture while allowing for movement & flexibility & protects the spinal cord. The spine, also known as the vertebral column or spinal column, consists of 26 bones separated with cartilage. âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨ ♦ï¸_x008f_Cat & Cow Stretch: This stretch is used to mobilize the spine by flexing and extending it. It also stretches the front part of the torso. The lifestyle we have today, sitting in front of the laptop for hours or hunched over a mobile, leads to lower back stiffness, pressure on the neck and curved upper back. This stiffness comes from breakdown of the cartilage of the joints and discs, putting pressure on nerves causing weakness and pain. To avoid ALL of the above its very important to keep it supple and moving. âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨ Tips: ♦Neutral spine: Make sure you start on all fours with a neutral spine, imagine a thread going through the top of your head to the tailbone & keep it lengthened. Always go through this position while transitioning from cat to cow. ♦Flexion: Create an equal curve by initiating the scoop of the abs and curling the pelvis in as the tailbone & top of the head start relaxing down towards the floor. Remember to form an equal curve of spine & do not hunch at the upper back. ♦Extension: Now start taking the tailbone & head away from each other through the neutral reaching towards the ceiling. Open your chest forward without collapsing the neck at the back and do not arch your lower back leading to a crunch. Again! Keep an equal extension between each bone of the spine. âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨ #befitbecauseyoudeserveit #YasminsBodyImage #yasminfitnessmantra #BeFitwithYasminKarachiwala #Pilates #PilatesMasterInstructor #PilatesIndia #BalancedBody #FletcherPilates #CelebrityTrainer #fitnessgoals

A post shared by Yasmin Karachiwala (@yasminkarachiwala) on Apr 17, 2018 at 6:29am PDT

Stretch Your Sides

#FormisFoundation #Week 9 #LateralFlexion #SideBend My co author of our book #SculptandShape, the Pilates way, @zeenadhalla and I are teaming up to make sure you maximize your workouts by using proper form. âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨ When you move incorrectly, it not only causes injuries, but it makes the exercise ineffective.So we believe that form is THE foundation of every exercise we do. âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡ We will post a video every Wednesday choosing a topic that we have found that most people struggle with and show you the right way to correct poor form and build a foundation of strength. âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨ Wrk 9: Lateral Flexion. Side-Bend Side bend is one of the most ignored spinal mechanics. As we very commonly bend forward for our day to day activities & counter stretch it with backbend. It tends to shorten & tighten our muscles from the sides. Also muscle fibers are formed in a criss cross manner, hence its important to work them in their direction. Our today’s exercise is: ????Z-Sit Side Bend: This position is called the Z-Sit, in this position its very important to have the sit bones on the floor, hip square while arms are shoulder height (T-arms). This movement works on quadratus lumborum, latissimus dorsi, gluteus medius. It can also be done kneeling or standing with feet in turned out position. âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨ Some tips: ???? Reach up and over to side bend. Do not collapse on either side.Think of length & equal bend of the spine. Use core for stability. ???? Do not shrug at the shoulder or lift up your hip. ????Try using focus to guide the position of your neck. ???? If hip is elevated at neutral position, support it with a small cushion or a rolled towel. âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡ We are posting from across the world:India to California and we’d like you to be part of this journey with us.Join us by posting a version of your own throughout the week and help us spread the awareness to encourage people to improve their form. Do tag a friend and follow us @yasminkarachiwala and @zeenadhalla using the hashtags #FormisFoundation and #SculptandShapePilates so we all see your posts. #befitbecauseyoudeserveit #yasminfitnessmantra #YasminsBodyImage #BeFitwithYasminKarachiwala #Pilates #PilatesMasterInstructor

A post shared by Yasmin Karachiwala (@yasminkarachiwala) on May 2, 2018 at 6:35am PDT

Tone Your Abs

#FormisFoundation #Week 7 #Abdominal Curl My co author of our book #SculptandShape, the Pilates way, Zeena and I are teaming up to make sure you maximize your workouts by using proper form. âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨ When you move incorrectly, it not only causes injuries, but it makes the exercise ineffective. So we believe that form is THE foundation of every exercise we do. âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡ We will post a video every Wed choosing a topic that we have found that most people struggle with & show you the right way to correct poor form & build a foundation of strength. âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨ Week 7: Abdominal Curl The curl/crunch is one of the most common abdominal exercises. It not only works on rectus abdominis (six pack muscle), but also helps us understand how to flex the torso keeping the stability of the shoulders & keeping it relaxed while doing the movement. âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨ Some tips: ♦ï¸_x008f_Begin by lying face up on the floor, knees bent hip width apart and hip neutral with pelvic bone parallel to the ceiling. Keep your hands behind the head, elbows apart, chest open and neck long. ♦ï¸_x008f_The movement starts by lifting the head, chest and shoulders towards the pelvis till the bottom edge of the shoulder blades. ♦ï¸_x008f_More than thinking of a crunch in the front, Think of the back lifting you up and over. ♦ï¸_x008f_Do NOT pull on the neck as this could lead to a pull in the back muscles and no work happens around the abs as the effort is wasted around the neck, leading to neck pain. ♦ï¸_x008f_Its very important to keep the hip stable. Do not let it curl in as you crunch. âœ¨Beginners: User the modification video, start by supporting your neck with a towel, for you to understand width at the chest and back. It also helps you to relax your neck and focus all the efforts at the abdominals âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡ We are posting from across the world: India to California and we’d like you to be part of this journey with us. Join us by posting a version of your own throughout the week and help us spread the awareness to encourage people to improve their form. Do tag a friend and follow us @yasminkarachiwala and @zeenadhalla using the hashtags #FormisFoundation and #SculptandShapePilates so we call see your posts.

A post shared by Yasmin Karachiwala (@yasminkarachiwala) on Apr 18, 2018 at 6:26am PDT

Work Those Glutes

#SundayBUNday!!! This is an exercise I make @katrinakaif do atleast thrice a week!!! Glutes or booty, are not there on our body to just look pretty (Haven’t met anyone who doesn’t wants a good pair of buns????) but helps with hip stabilization, balance, and power. Strong medial glutes guide you through every step, stabilizing you, propelling you, and protecting your knees and lower back from unnecessary strain by taking on much of the workload involved in lower body movement. That includes any side-to-side action that you might take in an agility workout. âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡ï¸_x008f_ Today I’m showing you a very effective Glute exercise which challenges your balance and makes your glute activate! ♦ï¸_x008f_Single Leg Squat to Reach♦ï¸_x008f_ Position: Stand on one leg with the bent knee in line with the other. Make sure you spread weight equally under your foot. Place a cone, kettlebell, dumbbell (I’ve used a bottle for all of you doing this at home) in front to give you a benchmark for a deeper squat. âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡ ????Purpose???? Gluteus maximus, florid mediums, core, quadriceps, ankle stability and balance. âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡ ???? Tips ???? ???? The body is challenged to balance over a narrow base of support during one-legged squats and must find a center of gravity and connection to the ground. Core activation is important. ???? Focus! One-legged squats, when part of a regular routine, can help you build better balance, coordination and body awareness. ???? Posture alignment of spine is important. Keep it neutral and do not hunch. Bend from the leg and hinge forward from the hip. ???? Send elevated leg slightly back as you bend, for better balance. ???? do not forget to recruit glutes and abs as you press up from your foot. ???? Imagine you are sitting on a stool behind you to avoid leading too far forward. âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨ #befitbecauseyoudeserveit #YasminsBodyImage #yasminfitnessmantra #BeFitwithYasminKarachiwala #Pilates #PilatesMasterInstructor #PilatesIndia #BalancedBody #FletcherPilates #CelebrityTrainer cfitnessgoals

A post shared by Yasmin Karachiwala (@yasminkarachiwala) on May 5, 2018 at 11:09pm PDT

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Ease The Muscles

#FormisFoundation #Week 8 #ThoracicExtension My co-author of our book #SculptandShape, the Pilates way, @zeenadhalla and I are teaming up to make sure you maximize your workouts by using proper #form. âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨ When you move incorrectly, it not only causes injuries, but it makes the exercise ineffective. So we believe that form is THE foundation of every exercise we do. âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡âš¡ Week 7: Thoracic extension The main function of Thoracic spine (between bottom of the neck & top of the lower back) is to hold the rib cage & protect the heart & lungs. The range of motion in thoracic spine is limited. It is very easy to get the muscles around this area stiff by sitting for too long, using electronics like laptop and phones etc. The Swan: It is one of the best exercises you can do as a counter stretch for many forward flexion/ bend movements and exercises. It opens the front torso by expanding chest & stretching abdominals, hip flexor & quadriceps. It also strengthens the lower back. âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨âœ¨ Tips: ????Lie down on the mat face down, with arms extended overhead in a wide V, palms facing each other and legs hip width apart ????Press the pubic bone down on the floor and pull abdominals in & away from the floor. This helps stabilizing the hip and lengthening the lower back while being supported by the tummy ????Start the movement by imagining to roll a marble from the nose and reaching the crown of your head up & away from the torso to lift up ????Roll shoulders back to avoid shrugging of shoulders, open the chest forward and stretch the abs ????At the back, draw shoulder blades down, engage the latissimus dorsi (sides), lower trapezius muscles and of course core to lift up further up ????Avoid putting pressure on the hand as it is there to just guide you with length and help activate the right muscles which we tend to ignore by doing a push up, when we use palms under the shoulder ????Equal curve of spine from head to tailbone is important. That also means the cervical spine (neck). So do not break or crunch at the back of the neck. It does NOT help with extra extension but only strains it ????Focus is very important. Try using focus to guide the position of your neck.

A post shared by Yasmin Karachiwala (@yasminkarachiwala) on Apr 25, 2018 at 6:40am PDT