Fast Facts:
Pursuit: Celebrity fitness expert, ‘The International Sporty Girl’.
Definition of success: “Lead the life that brings you the most joy while helping others improve their quality of life in some way.”
As a journalist I often imagine that serendipitous situation: bumping into a prospective guest on the street, firing off a few extemporary questions, retreating to the keyboard to commence transcription. It doesn’t happen like that, and it’s certainly not how I got to speaking with Basheerah Ahmad, celebrity fitness consultant to the likes of Carrie Underwood, Jordin Sparks and Steve Harvey to name but a few, and fitness guru on Dr Phil’s The Doctors, VH1’s Hollywood’s Hottest Bodies and the Discovery Channel’s National Body Challenge. For someone with so many irons in the fire, I didn’t imagine this would be an overnight process.
I wasn’t wrong. These things take some engineering – I have a busy and fluid schedule, my guests likewise. I know where they fit into mine but – until now – I had no idea how I fit into theirs.
“My typical day,” Basheerah explains, “if I’m not filming, consists of waking up at 4am (if I’m teaching) or 6am if I’m not. I begin my day by eating a small meal, then generally jumping on the treadmill for 45 minutes of cardio. After that, it’s time to go over my to-do list for the day, and start returning emails. By late morning, I’m usually in a meeting or training a client or on a conference call of some sort.”
So that was me. Sandwiched in I reckon somewhere between the 45 minute cardio session and the client meeting. But the point is I’m fortunate she found time at all, because to say my interview was one among several of Basheerah’s priorities would be an understatement. I am, let’s face it, just a fraction of that vast group who are interested in what Basheerah has to say: we’re talking a personality with over 640 thousand Twitter followers, someone described by American Idol winner and country-pop superstar Carrie Underwood as ‘vastly experienced…encouraging and supportive’, and by daytime TV host and comedian Steve Harvey as ‘the real deal.’ A winner, too, of the Zora Brown Award for services in Health and the Arts, the founder of Not My Legacy, a charity Basheerah established with a mission “to prevent obesity and improve academic excellence among youth throughout the country and abroad.”
I could go on. I could go on and on. Take a glance at her website and you’ll see an almost illimitable catalogue of experiences and contributions. I got tired just reading it (does that count as a Basheerah Ahmad training session then?) The point is, I appreciate being granted a small slice of Basheerah’s time among her burgeoning to-do list. A list, I should point out, which looks set to continue its expansion. Before we talk present and future though, I’d like to know where it all began.
“I was blessed to be introduced to the Health and Fitness industry through my own desire to lose weight in my early 20s. In addition to taking aerobics and weight training courses I also took many nutrition, anatomy, and physiology courses. From this point on I fell in love with having the ability to change people’s health. My inspirations were my parents, and my desire to live my best life.”
Such wholesome influences doesn’t mean Basheerah is today immune to the idiosyncrasies of commercial success though. “On filming days, I’m normally on set the entire day, and if I’m not in hair and make-up, I’m rehearsing.”
Despite that she has found time to pursue objectives of the heart. As well as Not My Legacy, Basheerah has also put her fitness to a more direct application. “Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in 2013,” she replies when I ask of her proudest achievement to date, “to raise money and awareness for clean water wells in Africa.”
In fact Basheerah’s life is replete with achievements, right from her early twenties. “When they first announced that I had won the Miss Black America crown,” she says, recalling the moment she won the title in 1996, “I thought they had called someone else’s name. It was such a surreal moment. I had never been a pageant kind of girl, so winning that prestigious title will always be dear to my heart.”
If that moment opened a few doors to Basheerah, they were but tantalising glimpses of further opportunities to be had. The hard work would be hers alone. “I have many times questioned why I chose the entrepreneurial way of life. Paving your own road takes a tremendous amount of courage, perseverance, and tenacity. I’ve had hundreds of so-called failures, but the few great successes I have had completely overshadow any hardships. I never regret the decision I made to lead this life because it is who I am. I, without any doubts, know that I am living in my Purpose.”
Needless to say then, Basheerah has some sage advice for you if you’re looking to find your own Purpose. “The best advice I can give is two-fold. One: trust your gut over all others. Two: be fearless as you pursue your endeavours.”
My thanks to Basheerah Ahmad for her time. You can find a wealth of free motivation, nutrition tips and fitness advice, not to mention information on her charity Not My Legacy on her website: www.basheerahahmad.com. And if you’re interested in taking your fitness to the next level, you’ll also find details of Basheerah’s Four, Three, Two, One nutrition plan and her 360 Transformation workouts. For the latest tweets you can follow Basheerah @Basheerah_Ahmad. (Go on, two thirds of a million people can’t be wrong). Finally, you can find Basheerah’s Love yourself enough to be healthy on Amazon by clicking the link below.
