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Be it Katrina Kaif's 'Chikni Chameli' abs, Deepika Padukone's 'xXx: The Return of Xander Cage' physique or Alia Bhatt's bikini outing in 'Shaandar', what ties these three successful stars together is their commitment and dedication to get the job done.
These words are not our own but those of their fitness trainer, Yasmin Karachiwala, who says she's eager to pull Dubai into shape and 'A-Tone' for its sedentary lifestyle that plagues a large portion of the city's population and has resulted in obesity levels hitting alarming heights.
Speaking to 'Emirates 24|7' at the launch of A-Tone fitness studio in the emirate in partnership with founder Anjali Chandiramani, Karachiwala says her Body Image Pilates programmes are fit for everyone, "from 10 to 100 years old".
She says: "Body shaming or judging is not what I am in the business of. What I do is work with people's personal goals and make them healthy."
Does that mean Katrina's killer abs that stole the show at the opening ceremony of the IPL cricket tournament could be a goal anyone could achieve?
"Why not?" responds Karachiwala.
Emirates 24|7 brings you the fitness secrets of the stars:
Movement is everything
Chandiramani, who met Karachiwala on a flight and decided to atone for her days as a fat kid sweating it out with her Jane Fonda workouts, says: "It takes a while to come to this juncture and level of enthusiasm towards fitness.
"The problem with the Dubai lifestyle is that it is very slow. Movement is everything. But how much do we actually move here?"
She continues: "People say, 'I don't eat anything but I just don't lose weight'. Well, that's only because of your lack of movement. We limit it largely to walking to our air conditioned cars and perhaps the malls.
"Start by moving and get fit."
Eat right
"Combination is key, between movement and nutrition," says Karachiwala. "Nutrition is 70 per cent of your journey to be fit. The remaining 30 per cent is your workout."
The fitness trainer continues: "If you are coming to workout just three hours a week out 166 hours and you are expecting us to change your life, this is not going to happen. How are you being held accountable for the remaining 163 hours? That makes a big difference to your life. Nutrition and workout is a package deal."
Set a life goal
Karachiwala says: "We hear this a lot, people approaching us to set fitness goals for special occasions - be it a cousin's wedding, a holiday or what not.
"Set your goals, yes, but not for occasions. We need you to set a life goal. Out workouts are not about short-term goals; it is not about being the strongest or the fittest. It is about being healthy and putting fitness as a lifestyle choice."
Quality of workout
"Dubai moves in the mall. But with the movement in the malls, you are also putting in a lot of junk in the body," says Karachiwala. "Movement has to be mindful.
"Ask yourself, why am I doing this exercise? There has to be a reason. Pilates gives great results, yes. We have celebrities such as Katrina, Deepika, Alia who prove that. But we need to go much deeper. Why are you moving? How much do you need to move? Answering these questions are important."
She continues: "My personal target is 10,000 steps daily. But I can take 10 classes of Pilates but I won't achieve my 10,000 steps."
Cheat days
Quiz the fitness to the stars and she says there is no cheat days ratio to the days you workout.
She explains: "There are cheat days only if you are good with your food throughout. It all depends on how good you are and how much you want to cheat.
"Are you cheating with your eyes or cheating with your tastebuds? It's not like you are good six days a week and I tell you one day can be your cheat day and from the moment you wake up to the moment you sleep, for all those 12 hours you are just cheating."
Set yourself a realistic goal, even for cheating.
"You want that donut, eat a bite. Don't eat that full donut," she says.
Body types and restrictions
"Everybody is a challenge," says Karachiwala, adding: "Dubai is no different than India. We work with pre existing conditions. People come with slip discs, with blood pressure issues. You know what your limitations are and you work with it, as do we."
Karachiwala recalls her workout with Katrina before the shoot of her song, 'Chikni Chameli'.
The fitness trainer reveals Katrina wasn't too flexible initially, but had approached Karachiwala saying: "I want killer abs in a month or you are dead."
"We took her limitations into account and worked with her by cutting out sugar from her diet, carbs, meats and used Pilates and other exercises that could work for her to make her look the way she did in that song."
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