Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.
Hi, I am Saba Qais Khan from Islamabad, Pakistan. I am 36 years old and a mom to 3 adorable kids aged 8, 5 and 3. I started my fitness journey as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor after completing my Personal Training Certification from IFPA in 2019 with the goal of understanding my body mechanisms better and training smarter. Before that, I had been following different online programs in hope of resolving my back issues and losing weight after giving birth to the babies.
Why were you looking for a program like Sarah's? How were you feeling physically/emotionally? How are you feeling now?
It was only during my 3rd pregnancy that I noticed my diastasis recti and got really worried about it, as I had zero knowledge about what was happening to me. In Pakistan, there is no concept or awareness of prenatal or postnatal care. Women are not properly prepared before, during or after giving birth, and have little knowledge of how to take care of themselves and the baby. Seeing my DR was a very novel experience for me. I was shocked, worried, and most of all, clueless about the thing that was protruding out of my ab line (linea alba) every time I got up from the bed. Moreover, I had hurt my back after getting up quickly when I was 7 months pregnant with my 3rd child, and I spent the rest of the time walking like an old lady as I couldn’t stand up straight at all. I went to a lot of doctors and physiotherapists to resolve the issue and relieve my pain, but got zero help from anyone. That’s when I decided to help myself and started researching vigorously for good online resources, and that’s how I found Dr. Sarah’s course and my life and training style completely changed after that. I loved learning about how our bodies work and how everything is interlinked. I was amazed at how easily we can bridge the gap between conventional training and rehab exercises to avoid injuries during normal training days.
How has this program changed the way you train your clients?
Not only did I help myself, but I also started training my clients according to the knowledge I had gained from the course. I am so proud to say that, now, I not only help my clients shed the unwanted weight but also improve their back, knee, SI joint, tight or loose pelvic floor, leaking, tight neck/shoulders, and pain issues by incorporating proper breathing and posture techniques. I do not think there are many programs available online that teach you about breathing, which is the most important thing before starting any kind of program as it makes a HUGE difference to your health. I didn’t know that pelvic floor dysfunction was a thing and that issues related to it could be resolved. I always thought that’s the price you have to pay for giving birth to the babies and I will have to live with these issues all my life. I have not only healed my 4 fingers wide diastasis gap, but have also strengthened my back to the level that I can hip thrust and deadlift heavy weights easily without hurting my back, and I can't thank Dr. Sarah enough for this! I’ve had lifelong problems with my shoulders tightening and trigger points in my back, and it was only after doing this course that I learned it was because of my shallow breathing and what to do about it. It has become my passion now to help other women in my country. I can’t wait to deliver this message to as many women as possible so they don’t have to live their lives with pain.
Do you feel your clients are getting better results because of what you learned in PCES? How do you incorporate it?
I start with noticing their postures in different positions, by looking at their pictures from different angles, and asking questions about their issues, and then I customize programs for them accordingly. The first and foremost thing for me is to teach my students about the core basics before starting any kind of program. In group sessions, I make sure I am incorporating exercises that are not going to create problems for them if I am not able to pay face-to-face attention. I try to combine corrective exercises with traditional weight lifting. If I feel that any one of my students needs special attention on a specific muscle or muscle group, I give them additional corrective exercises that they can do in their spare time.
What was your favorite part of the course?
My favorite part of the course was learning about proper breathing, as it helped me and my clients to get rid of our shallow breathing patterns which was the main cause of us staying in panic mode the whole day. It was so refreshing to learn that we don’t have to stay in this fight and flight mode and we can actually do something about it. Another favorite part was of course learning how to address diastasis recti, especially after experiencing this issue and not knowing how to resolve it. Dr. Sarah gives so many cues that make it easy to gain a full understanding of the concepts.
What did you expect to get out of it versus what you got?
To be honest, I didn’t expect the course to be this thorough and detailed when I first thought of enrolling myself. The only thing on my mind was to learn some rehab work for my DR issues and to teach my clients as well. I was amazed at the amount of information that was provided in the course. I watched a lot of videos to learn the anatomy of the muscles and joints to better understand everything, as I didn’t want to miss anything that Dr. Sarah was teaching us. I feel super confident when I talk to my clients about their issues now, as I know that I will have all the answers. Dr. Sarah has provided so much science-backed evidence in the form of PDF files that it's hard to miss anything important related to women’s health.
What is your goal now that you are a PCES graduate?
I am looking for different ways to reach as many women as possible in my country, as this is going to be a challenge for me since there isn’t much awareness about it and a lot of women don’t have access to social media. This has become my passion now to reach and help the maximum number of women as I can.
We wish you the best of luck helping as many women as possible, Saba! Thank you for sharing your experience with us!
Here is Saba's information if you would like to contact her:
Instagram Handle: Instagram.com\sabaqais
Contact Info: [email protected]
+92 323 5579067
