Teaching fitness in Pakistan

For four years during the late 1980s, my exercise classes included two foreign countries, England and Pakistan.

Two exercise students from my evening aerobics classes took a four-year leave of absence from teaching school in Nevada to teach in Islamabad and Lahore, Pakistan. Both of them, husband and wife, were interested in bringing aerobic exercise to the local populace as a side line to their regular teaching schedules.

It was a large undertaking because the area where they were to teach was so different from here and the local people at that time were new to Western music and aerobic exercise. These two dedicated school teachers practiced their exercise moves diligently for days before they departed for Pakistan, so they left with a good idea what type of fitness moves they wanted to teach.

Last weekend while I was cleaning out my exercise closet, I found the letters I received during their four-year stay in Pakistan. Reading them was an experience all over again, reminding me what they had to go through to insert musical exercise into the lives of the local women and young girls.

For one thing, the women dressed differently for the exercise classes. The amount of clothes they wore during class impeded movement, and students overheated easily, especially during the afternoon classes. Muscle building, upper-body strength and coordination were some of the key areas that they concentrated on.

Then there was the expected amount of interest and unease from the men to accept this type of musical exercise for women. In spite of the problems encountered, the classes went well and were well-attended.

The teachers enjoyed their time in Pakistan so well that they signed up for another stay. During the years they taught there, I sent them numerous videos of my exercise classes and audiotapes to supply them with Western music and new exercise moves.

Because of the nature of the exercise dress for our Western women, the videos had to be censured and sent in a round about way to get them accepted into the country. The music had to be carefully chosen to keep out any offensive language or suggestive phrases.

It became harder and harder to send the videos or tapes. And following a devastating earthquake in the area where the teachers were, I lost contact with them.

I often think of them and wonder if they are still living in Islamabad, Pakistan; another country; or have returned to the United States. My last letter from them, in 1989, indicated they were in an area close to the border of China.

Both of these dedicated individuals were enamored with Pakistan and its people, and they may have decided to stay. I hope it was an interesting time to be in the fitness field, especially to be so closely involved with fitness education in a different country.

-- Jerry Vance is owner of The Sweat Shop/Wet Sweat. She offers classes through Carson City Recreation and Aquatics Center and is a fitness instructor for the senior center.