NAME: Sara Babar
INSTAGRAM HANDLE: sarababar
JOB TITLE: Holistic Wellbeing and Corporate Coach | Sustainable Food and
Beverage Consultant
MOVED TO THE UAE IN: Year and a half.
Sara is a public speaker, certified holistic health coach, spinning instructor and an experienced restaurant consultant passionate about helping individuals feel their best through sustainable food and lifestyle changes. As someone who has struggled with weight and hormone imbalances for most of her life, she understands the powerful effect that food has on our gut health and the body’s metabolic and nervous systems. Having battled PCOS and thyroid issues throughout her twenties, Sara has built a comprehensive understanding of health and well-being that she is passionate about sharing with others facing similar challenges. Sara is an advocate for eating simple, nutritionally additive, and locally-sourced foods that are in harmony with our bodies and the planet.
Through bespoke programs, Sara conducts individual, group and corporate training sessions that are carefully tailored to the needs of the client. Her 15 years of experience in the food and beverage industry and her passion for well-being have led her to work on various sustainable food concepts across different countries. As a Pakistani woman with experience living in Canada, Bahrain and the UAE, she seeks to influence people from different cultural backgrounds, to inspire them to eat and live in a way that is true to their roots and in tune with the needs of their body.
Here’s a look at a typical day.
5 AM: ( Yes I am part of the 5 am Club)- Get out of bed stretch, go downstairs, prep my hot water and lemon, sit outside in the garden and be still for a while. My mornings are sacred, I wake up early to be able to take some time by myself, journal, clear my head and just be. This was the case when I worked a 9-5 job as well, I would wake up an hour before I had to, just for that morning stillness.
6 AM: Personal Training. Morning strength training sessions have changed my world. It’s again something I do for myself before starting the workday. Training bright and early definitely gives me the energy to get through the rest of my day.
7 AM: Make my second cup of coffee, if you know me you will know that my morning coffee is a whole ritual which I absolutely love. Have breakfast, sit down with my emails, and schedule the day. I am an avid planner, so my week and days are planned out in my old school handwritten planner, and I cross things off as I get through them which is possibly one of the most satisfying tasks.
10 AM: Teach a strength and soul spin class - no words to describe the energy I feel during and after teaching. It’s pure magic and nothing beats that post-class feeling.
12 PM: Afternoons are spent working on programs and projects with clients. I like to block off my afternoons until about 4 or 5 pm to get through pending work, write blogs/ articles and keep some time in there for passion projects that I am working on. Due to the nature of my work, I have to be in a clear headspace when I am coaching and consulting so my morning routine sets me up for this.
5 PM: Coaching School. After my undergraduate degree, I just can't stay away from school so I keep picking up certifications and diplomas in the hopes of doing a full master's and PhD soon. Currently, I am studying to become an ICF professional coach and have online classes twice a week.
7 PM: Dinner and family time. This is when I start switching off from my work, phone etc. The dinner table is where we speak about our day, share stories and enjoy home-cooked nourishing food. Everything about this time of the day feeds my soul.
9 PM: I'm trying to read a little before bed every night even if it’s a cookbook. I’ll read get ready for bed and try to have my lights out by 10 pm. This is something I learned during my hormone health certification at Nutrition School was the importance of sleep and timely sleep when it comes to regulating your hormones. It’s not just the amount of sleep but the quality of it too. It doesn’t happen every single day but 80% of the time I make sure to prioritize my sleep.