When Zena Habi was recently appointed ambassador of Reebok in the Middle East, the move was dubbed a perfect fit. Habi, a health and fitness expert, always wanted to be associated with the established sports name. And Reebok, which was positioning itself as a women's fitness brand, was looking for someone like her to represent it in the region.
“I wanted so much for this to happen,'' Habi told XPRESS.
Dream job
As founding member and managing partner of Fitness02, a pioneer in boot camp work-outs and health and fitness programmes in the UAE, she was already a name to reckon with. But, as she candidly pointed out, the association with a sports brand lent a greater credibility to her underlying mission.
A self-proclaimed feminist, the 31-year-old Jordanian who moved to Dubai five years ago, yearned to reach out to Arab women and empower them. And the first step towards this, she said, is to keep fit and be in good health. “Things can only get better for them from here,'' she said.
“Arab women need to be educated about health and fitness as they take care of their homes and their families,'' she said.
“I am the only career woman in my family which is proud of what I do,'' she said, recalling how her father had enrolled her in gymnastics classes as a little girl when he discovered her penchant for cartwheels in the hallway of their home in Jordan. A qualified trainer in personal training, group exercising, kickboxing and dancing – Caucasian and Latin – Habi is a versatile fitness expert. Sharing tips on fitness, she said people should enjoy the programmes they undertake and not be intimidated by them. It is also important for them to understand the shape of their feet which must be checked for flatness, supination, pronation or higher arches so that the right kind of shoes can be worn. “Make sure your running shoes are half or one size larger than your shoe size because your feet tend to expand when you exercise,'' she said, adding that balanced spokes within the shoes help the muscles work more.
Affordable
But what about their cost? “Unlike designer bags and shoes, sports shoes are not expensive, especially if you consider the amount of technology and research that goes into their making,'' said Habi, a former presenter of Biggest Loser, a reality TV show on weight loss in Jordan.
Asked to comment on the need for medical supervision at gyms and other fitness set-ups, she said, “It would certainly be a good idea to have doctors and nutritionists on board.''
All set for Reebok's Jukari-Fit to Fly, a fitness regime being created with Cirque du Soleil for women in the region, she said the first of its enabled gyms will be launched in Dubai shortly.
