Day in the life: Flexibility at work and home for Physique 57 owner in Dubai

Life is busy for entrepreneur and mother of two Maryam Fattahi Salaam. But with a long day, there is enough time to master all her business and family needs.

Maryam Fattahi Salaam believes in the saying: “Take care of yourself, and you will be the best caregiver”. Antonie Robertson / The National

Maryam Fattahi Salaam is the owner and chief executive of Physique 57 – a luxurious workout studio at CityWalk in Dubai’s Jumeirah area. The signature Physique 57 class was founded in the US and incorporates cardio, strength training, stretching and recovery for a 57-minute workout that improves flexibility and endurance. Ms Salaam, 31, who has an Iranian background but has lived in the UAE her entire life, is also a qualified attorney.

5.45am

I’ve always been an early riser, and my body clock wakes me at quarter to six every day. I catch up on the news and my emails, usually sent overnight from my partners in New York. I enjoy a little me time and get ready while everyone in the house is asleep.

6.15am

My two boys, Ali, aged six and Rashid, three, are up and we get ready for school. Rashid is obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine, so he’ll build his railroad and play with trains, while Ali and I revise a French poem he has memorised for school.

6.45am

Breakfast is the one meal my husband, Talal Salaam, our boys and I always sit together for. I’m a creature of habit and wouldn’t mind if I had the same meals day in and day out. I start with a green smoothie, and alternate between my breakfast staples – a bowl of Greek yogurt topped with wheatgerm, bananas and Manuka honey, or almond butter on a slice of seven-grain.

7.30am

As hectic as Dubai’s morning traffic is becoming, I still enjoy school drop-offs for the special quality time it allows the boys and I on the journey over.

8.30am

I arrive at Citywalk, and make a pit stop at Starbucks for my first coffee of the day. I almost always run into a few clients while waiting for my drink, and we catch up before I head to work and they go to class. When at my desk, I quickly scan through more emails before getting to the real work. I’m incredibly passionate about what I do, and feel blessed to be working in a setting where I’m surrounded by inspiring women day after day.

10am

I believe in the saying: “Take care of yourself, and you will be the best caregiver”. Married with two young children, I have found that I’m a better mum and wife when I work out regularly. I try to squeeze in three to four classes a week, and usually decide to jump into one five minutes before it starts. Lucky for me, my office is 10 steps away from one of the studio rooms where classes run throughout the day.

11am

Back at my desk for more work, including a meeting with our studio director and master trainer to discuss upcoming workshops and changes to class schedules.

12pm

I head off site with my husband for a meeting. My husband and I are business partners, and we work closely together on what we call our “third child”.

1.30pm

I do school pickups most days, unless I have an afternoon meeting with my staff in which case my husband takes over. My boys and I lunch at home, except for Mondays. We call it “Mana’eesh Monday” and we go to Al Reef Bakery, the oldest Lebanese bakery and a childhood favourite. It’s special to be reliving, on a certain level, my own childhood with my boys in the country I was born and raised in.

3pm

Back on my BlackBerry catching up on work emails while the boys do their homework. I’m blessed to have found a job where I’m satisfied on a personal level, yet enjoy the flexibility that allows me to play an active role in the day-to-day lives of my children. Flexible means I’m busy most of the time, and happiest as a result.

4.30pm

My boys are football fanatics. We head to football class twice a week. I’m proud to say I’ve officially become a football mum.

6.30pm

My husband and I make it a point to be at home by this time to feed the boys their dinner, bathe them and tuck them into bed. Hands down, my favourite time of the day.

8pm

Telephone calls with Physique 57 in New York happen at this hour, sometimes later. I jump on a conference call with the marketing team in New York to discuss new branding guidelines, social media statistics and upcoming marketing initiatives.

8.30pm

My husband is an incredible cook, and he will occasionally surprise me with my favourite margherita pizza. We unwind post-dinner with a TV show; these days, we’re shamelessly addicted to Shameless.

11pm

I catch up on the day’s news and more work-related emails, trying to get my inbox to zero before calling it a night. I will only fall asleep knowing I have a clean slate for the next day. Lights out.

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