While the late 80s and early 90s might have been dominated by convenience and fast food, trends have changed in the modern world. Today, people are more concerned about their well-being and health. This change can be attributed to people having more knowledge and information because of the internet and other resources. Asif Munaf is doing his part by helping his clients lead a better lifestyle. And the best part is that he’s doing it by recommending holistic methods instead.
Born and raised in Sheffield by Pakistani parents, Asif was the eldest of six children. He studied medicine and obtained an MBBS. Then, he attended the University of York and obtained a Master’s in Public Health. Moreover, he decided also to get a Level Three Certification in Personal Training. Today, he’s also a certified life coach.
His interest in personal training and nutrition didn’t happen overnight. In fact, he often observed that hospitals lacked quality and nutritious food for patients and staff. This observation prompted him to pursue further education in nutrition. He decided to make his own smoothies and take them to work to keep him nourished during his twelve-hour hospital shifts. Learning more about nutrition naturally made him more interested in health and fitness, prompting him to pursue his personal training certification.
Asif Munaf also noticed the impact good food can have on a person. He experienced his mood, cognition, and energy levels improve when he ate healthily, sparking his interest in food as medicine. So he wrote a paper called Food as Medicine: Just What the Doctor Ordered, published internationally by Rila Press in 2019. Only a few months later, the global pandemic happened. It also sparked his interest in Men’s mental health, especially because he observed many men suffer from anxiety and depression during the pandemic but refrain from getting help because they were too proud.
The health expert’s Master’s thesis was based on barriers affecting men from seeking help for mental health conditions. As a result, he was acutely aware of their reluctance to seek help when they were suffering silently. Asif Munaf wanted to do his part to remove these barriers. Hence, he began appearing on popular podcasts to discuss mental health. This experience would prompt him to start his Mindset Mastery course in September 2020.
Today, this ambitious individual runs multiple businesses. He has a coaching course and provides one-off sessions to help clients strengthen their minds, enabling them to navigate life’s challenges without medication or therapy. His course, Masculine Mastery, is also designed to give men an edge in life, allowing them to persevere when facing adverse mental health problems. In addition, Asif runs a wellness company called AM Wellness, which offers vitamins, supplements, and at-home blood testing for multiple nutritional deficiencies.
Asif Munaf believes people’s feelings towards food can significantly contribute to poor nutritional choices. But unfortunately, most people aren’t taught to have a healthy relationship with food during their formative years, and their relationship with food as children defines their eating behaviours in adult life. Hence, he also tries to help clients reassess their relationship with food when providing counseling. He became interested in nutrition and holistic wellness because he felt most doctors were busy treating illnesses instead of helping patients maintain wellness.
However, the reality is that preserving good health and preventing illnesses are more important because prevention is always better than a cure. Asif Munaf researched and found that most conditions burdening healthcare systems worldwide, like high blood pressure, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, stem from poor nutrition. He believes educating people about nutrition can significantly reduce these ailments.
