KEEP YOURSELF ACTIVE

Brazilian jiu jitsu and mixed martial arts athlete Caileigh Stap, a trainer at Evolution MMA gym in Port Elizabeth’s Baakens Valley, gives tips for fitness ahead of race day

I BELIEVE that if you change the shape of a woman, you change her life. I’m a qualified counsellor and I use exercise as an intervention to get to the psychology of changing self-esteem. It gives me a door to change far more than the body. There are a few different areas to focus on.

1. Active movement

Get out and get moving, whether you are going to the gym for an intense training session or just going for a walk.

2. Healthy food

What you fuel your body with is important.

3. Sleep and rest patterns

Do not overtrain. You can break your body down instead of building it up, so be careful.

One of the big things I would like to get across, is that every single person can be active. There is no reason to feel intimidated by people who are fit. I’m not a runner – it’s not my forte – my best friend actually walks alongside me while I jog because I am so slow!

It’s not about how much you are doing but that you ARE doing it.

At Evolution we do a 30-minute walk-run that is suitable for anyone from beginners to advanced, ranging between 2 and 5km, twice a week. It is free of charge and open to the public. It’s time-based: 15 minutes in one direction and then we turn around and come back, at your own pace, so we have walkers, joggers and sprinters.

For people who are seriously unfit and are not looking to join a gym, that would be your starting point.

I see the SPAR Women’s Challenge as a chance to reach out to people as it’s a lovely opportunity to interact with those who may be intimidated by a gym.