“Do Not Workout With A Partner…” : Nawaz Modi Singhania, Fitness Expert

Qissewale: A series of kahaani-filled conversations returned with wholesome and healthy qisse with Nawaz Modi Singhania. Stories can be told through different mediums and Qissewale by Siyahi in partnership with Hyatt Regency Jaipur Mansarovar will have something for everyone - be it fashion or music, spoken word or food, comedy, or dance. This time Qissewale decided to bring a solution for something which is a recurring theme of the dining table conversations in each household i.e., health and well-being.

The second tale from the Qissewale series was told on 8 October 2023 at the Hyatt Regency Jaipur Mansarovar. Nawaz Modi Singhania, leading fitness expert and founder of Body Art was in conversation with Mita Kapur, CEO of Siyahi.

Nawaz told the audience that she was born underweight and was a weak child. When she could not do things other children of her age were expected to, she decided to change it. That was her first step towards fitness. She also saw her grandmother suffer from cancer and this changed her world view about health. She felt that this was a message from the other side. These life turning circumstances and advice from her father to pursue her heart, to make a difference in the world helped her to venture into Body Art Fitness. Nawaz also spoke about how her upbringing in a Parsi household helped shape her thought process and belief in individual well-being.

Nawaz discussed tips and tricks for ageing gracefully and caught everyone with a disclaimer: do not partner with a friend if you want to exercise well. She specifically told the audience that if they wish to work on themselves, they must let go of the support from a partner. Fitness is a standalone journey about an individual.

Nawaz told the audience the stories from her journey when she started Body Art Fitness in 1992 and the passion which ignited her to work specifically towards well-being. She did not face any issues while setting up her venture because there was no other gym around. She definitely had to create awareness and marketing to sustain a clientele. Her work makes her challenge herself as a parent, woman and individual everyday.

She shared the story behind coming up with the idea of her own book. She had a repository of knowledge in the field of fitness and people used to take her advice. She decided to club everything in detail under one head Pause, Rewind. She also shared the techniques she has developed over her years as a leading fitness consultant which have been recorded in detail in her latest book Pause, Rewind.

Nawaz also discussed how lifestyle, and other factors affect ageing. She also shared how to reverse the effects of age and demonstrated a few facial fitness exercises for the audience's benefit. The session also discussed in detail the issues faced by men and women alike when it comes to ageing and social responsibilities. Nawaz also reiterated the importance of facial yoga and exercise. She interacted with the audience and demonstrated exercises specific to problem areas.

The session concluded with Nawaz Modi Singhania engaging in an exciting rapid fire with Mita Kapur to summarise this chapter which is relevant in everyone’s life and giving a few glimpses into her own.

The qisse with Nawaz Modi Singhania were followed by a meticulously crafted hi-tea of health-boosting foods with seasonal ingredients thoughtfully sourced and carefully served by the team at Hyatt Regency Jaipur Mansarovar.

Qissewale: A series of kahaani-filled conversations will return for its teesra qissa in December.

Nawaz Modi Singhania is a leading fitness expert. She founded the fitness centre Body Art in 1992. Over the years, classes and members have been able to engage in holistic mind-body-spiritual-emotional-psychological fitness programmes. The fitness centres attract industrialists, actors, models, politicians and stage personalities, including Amruta Fadnavis, Harsha Bhogle, Lisa Ray, Dr Swati Piramal, Poonam Soni, Atul and Gayatri Ruia and Sanjay Narang. Nawaz is also a columnist and has appeared on fitness shows as a judge and trainer. She is the author of Pause, Rewind, a book about the role of fitness, nutrition and good mental health in ageing well.

Mita Kapur is the founder and CEO of Siyahi, India’s leading literary consultancy. Her first book, The F-Word, is a food book, memoir and travelogue. She has edited Chillies and Porridge: Writing Food, an anthology of essays on food. As a freelance journalist, she writes regularly for different newspapers and magazines on social and development issues along with travel, food and lifestyle. She has received many awards, including the Femina Women Super Achiever Award (2018) at the World HRD Congress, the Maharani Gayatri Devi Award for Woman of Excellence (2014), and the Karamveer Puruskar (2009) for her work as a journalist in creating social awareness and for being the best literary consultant in the country. She curated Masala Chowk, a food court in street food in Jaipur in 2018, and was a member of the executive council for Jawahar Kala Kendra from November 2016 – October 2018. She is also the producer for the Woman Up! Summit, and Soul Connect Experiences, and was producer for Mountain Echoes – The Bhutan festival of Art, Literature and Culture (2010-2019). Mita is currently Literary Director for the JCB Prize for Literature.