By Norah Aleisa
A one-on-one with founder of Tima, the Saudi-based Brazilian made sports apparel brand.
Being inspired by women around her, Fatima Batook (Saudi fitness instructor and business woman) created the brand Tima. We had the pleasure of talking to her about the growing awareness of health and fitness amongst women in Saudi and her newest fitness venture, Studio 55.
Your biggest difficulty when launching Tima was people pre-judging the brand. How has that changed lately?
People are definitely becoming more aware. I see more women, especially the younger generation, increasingly being interested in exercise and fitness. People understand that I’m creating something that I know I could wear and be comfortable in while working out; it gives the end product more credibility.
Can you tell us more about Studio 55?
Studio55, based in Khobar, is a new concept of women health club in Saudi where we focus on small group training with two studios under one roof. We have a spinning studio and another functional training studio.
What advice do you have for young fitness enthusiasts in Saudi who want to pursue a career in fitness?
I’d say the number one thing is go to an entity where you can pick the knowledge and certification to be able to perform the safety of teaching fitness. That’s the first step, to be certified.
You have a strong presence on social media. How are you using it to empower women?
It helps us reach out to all types of women who are searching for fitness tips, healthy recipes or even products. Social media is a great platform for us to promote our brand, share our values and inspire women all over.
What are the Tima brand values?
Well, there are five different values we always talk about. Motivation, self-love (emotionally, mentally and physically), determination, strength (and positive energy) and finally, to love life and embrace all its ups and downs.
