NEWS Have you met your fitness goals for 2022?

health and fitness

Have you met your fitness goals for 2022?

Monday, December 19, 2022

Pent House Gym trainer Winston Musa and his client Davie Achola, right, do bicep curls on Dec. 16, 2022. Photo | Diana Njila | NMG

Of those who made fitness goals part of their New Year’s resolutions, most gave up, while others missed their goals. But a few have made it, and are counting their harvest for December this year.

Which category do you belong to? BDLife talked to some people about how they developed a fitness program that works.

Betty Irungu, a lawyer in Nairobi’s central business district, started the year with a goal of losing weight, toning her hips and building strength.

“I want to lose weight around my stomach and reduce the size of my cheeks. I’ve been exercising five days a week for the past year. It’s also my way of unwinding after a long day at the office. I’ll Say I’ve achieved my fitness goals. I’ve lost three kilos. I’m 65kg now. I’ve gotten stronger and I can deadlift 100kg,” she said.

She is most proud of the changes in her arms, legs, butt and stomach.

What makes her consistent?

“I sit in an office all day, so I look forward to doing something active in the evening. I also like value for money, so once I pay for the gym, I have no choice but to keep exercising. I also note Realized that if I took a break, my body would slow down and it would be hard for me to get back on track,” she said.

Her trainer, Winston Musa (known as Stoney in the fitness world), pushes her, especially on days when she feels too lazy to work out.

“I called him and he encouraged me to go to the gym. He also called to check on my progress.”

Her biggest challenge is her sweet tooth. “My biggest challenge is staying consistent with my diet. I’m trying to enjoy my guilt in moderation.”

She has been doing intermittent fasting.

Ms Irungu, who trains at the Penthouse Gymnasium at View Park Towers in Nairobi, started with simple exercises.

“I started with 20kg deadlifts and gradually increased the number of exercises and the weight I used. I reached 100kg deadlifts this November and for my arms I can now do dumbbells with 10kg Head curls,” she said.

The most effective exercise for Irungu women is the power clean, a type of weightlifting that raises the heart rate and burns fat while building muscle.

The squats and deadlifts worked her arms, legs and glutes.

“I lift weights and still look feminine. There’s a fallacy that lifting weights is bad for women because they can look masculine. Lifting weights is great for exercising,” she says.

Does she hope to continue her fitness journey next year?

“Exercising is like building a relationship with myself and my body. I plan to stick to that. My goal for the coming year is to improve my record and get stronger,” she said.

Her biggest takeaway?

“My mental health. I’m happier now because I work out.”

David Achola is another fitness freak. I met him at the gym doing bicep curls, and he was relieved when his trainer, Stoney, told him to drop the dumbbells and catch his breath before doing the next round.

Four times a week has become the norm, the 37-year-old said. When he starts training with Stoney in August 2021, all he wants to do is add muscle and get stronger.

“When I started I was 68kg and now I am 76kg. Currently, for the deep muscles of my back, I deadlift with about 150kg. For my chest, I can use up to 70kg I can do incline bench presses with 100kg dumbbells and squats. I deadlift up to 130kg. I can also do bicep curls with 40kg,” he says.

“David is one of my strongest clients,” Stoney added.

The father-of-two says his best workouts are chest, back and arm exercises. He’s not particularly fond of sit-ups and burpees.

“I think they’re laborious,” he said.

So what set him on track?

Mr Achola points to his trainer Stoney.

“He keeps an eye on me, calls me every day to ask if I’m going to the gym, and updates me on my workout schedule for the day,” he said.

Most people who fail to meet their fitness goals say they don’t have time to exercise.

Also read: How I lost 21kg by running

Mr Achola said finding time to exercise was not a challenge.

“I run my own business so I can balance things. Time to work, time to exercise, time to be with my family, and time to go to church,” he said.

After the interview, he had more push-ups to do.

At 3pm a woman walks in while on the phone. Stoney told me he had a problem with her. Katherine Wanjiru attended just 13 of the 30 lessons she requested. She started working out at the gym this November.

The 36-year-old new mother said juggling fitness, work and breastfeeding was not easy.

“I can’t work out in the evening because I have to rush home to be with the baby. I can’t work out in the morning because I have to make sure I’m ready for the baby before I get into the office. So I’m stuck at 3pm when the office doesn’t have much work Come to the gym between 1 and 4,” she said.

Most days, she sacrifices an hour of her lunch break to make time for the gym. “Sometimes I have to call Winston and tell him I’m too busy with work and I can’t get out.”

Even though she has to juggle a busy schedule, Ms Wanjiru is determined to keep exercising because it is good for her health.

“I have high blood pressure, so if I don’t watch my weight, I can easily develop other diseases such as diabetes. I have a back pain after giving birth, but after I started exercising last month, the pain has eased.”

Her fitness goals for 2023 are to tone her upper body and lose excess weight around her stomach and arms.

Read: How to deal with knee pain

For a breastfeeding mother, she has lost a lot of baby weight. “Since I started coming to the gym, I’ve lost 4kg. Now I weigh 61kg. I feel lighter and feel better about myself. I have regained my confidence,” she added.

How long did it take her to start working out at the gym after giving birth?

“I started with light exercise because I had a C-section scar. When I started, I couldn’t even lift anything. I would just do general physical exercises like running on a treadmill and some jacking jacks. Over time, I graduated and was able to do more exercises. Now I can do 120 jackpots, 60 deadlifts, and challenging high-intensity interval training (HIIT).”

These workouts helped her tone her thighs and upper body.

“I like that we have a variety of exercises because I get bored easily,” she says.

She thanks her trainer for sharing home workouts she can do on days when she can’t hit the gym.

She hopes to get more exercise as her kids get older.

“I want to make exercise a part of my lifestyle,” she says.

One thing that stands out is the interaction between fitness trainers and their clients, and how they ensure a person achieves his or her goals.

“If a client chooses to pay you, it means they trust you, so you need to make them feel comfortable. At the end of the day, I’m not just their coach, I’m their therapist, friend and brother. They come to you for relief. pressure,” Stoney said.

How does he help his clients achieve their fitness goals?

“I have an app that helps me track the progress of all my clients. I also prepare each client’s workout routine based on their fitness goals. Before creating a plan for each client, I figure out what they want so I can prepare a workout that fits their fitness goals,” he says.

He encourages his clients to stick to a low-calorie diet — which causes them to burn more food than they eat. He recommends intermittent fasting for those trying to lose weight.

“I guide clients step by step into a healthy lifestyle. I have 40 clients and I call every single one of them every day,” he says.

Stoney says that in order to keep fitness enthusiasts on their toes, he has to be both strict and respectful.

“I give them feedback on how their fitness is progressing and let them know what they need to do if they want to improve,” he says.

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