Prioritise health before money
‘Make it a way of life before you pay with your life’
GETTING into shape and living healthy moves to the top of many people’s New Year’s resolutions as the end of year draws closer, something health and fitness professionals believe should be the way we live each day.
According to the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR), a 2013 study by the Medical Research Council indicated that one third of all black South African women are obese. Men are doing better, with less than one-tenth being obese.
Some 18% of white men are obese, followed by 9% of Indian, 8% of coloured and 6% of African men,” said SAIRR.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) obesity was previously associated with high-income countries but it is gaining prevalence in middle- and low-income countries.
In October 2011, Compass Group Southern Africa – a food services company – placed South Africa third in the world in obesity rankings after the United States and Great Britain.
Founder and coach of Hercules Bootcamp Singwa Silinga said healthy living should not be a luxury for the affluent, but a way of life for all. “You always get seasonal trainers or people that are health conscious for a season.
“These are the types who jump on the bandwagon because everyone else is doing it. They lose focus around the first quarter of the year – if it even lasts that long.
“Training shouldn’t be something you only do when you have money or when you have a moment to spare from your busy life – it needs to be part of your everyday life and should not have a monetary value attached to it.”
Silinga, a personal trainer at Body Culture in East London by day, said people who did not stick to exercising daily and eating healthy ended up paying with their life.
“It's shocking how many overweight people believe they are healthy and eating right despite weighing about 200kg. Just because they have become comfortable and dress well for their bodies doesn’t mean they’re healthy.
“Deep down inside they are hurting, thinking of the reality that they are overweight and can’t fit into the clothes they would like to wear.”
SAIRR researcher Lerato Moloi said obesity was linked to lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, both among the top 10 causes of death in SA.
The WHO estimates that globally about 2.8-million people die every year as a result of being overweight or obese.
Silinga, a BCom law graduate from the University of Fort Hare, said food is fuel.
“One can lose weight just by changing eating habits and diet, although nutrition and gym go hand-in-hand to tone the skin and keep it from sagging.
The charismatic trainer admits that his passion for fitness was inspired by girls when he was a first-year student, before he got hooked on the science of nutrition and physique and began pursuing a diploma in exercise science.
“When I was younger, a good-looking guy with a great body always got the best girls and that was my motivation back then.
“But as I became older my motivation changed and I became hooked as I read more about eating right and staying healthy.
“The more I read the more inspired I became about the art – and the more people believed in me to start the bootcamp in 2013.
“It came up over drinks among friends but grew into a life-changing movement in King William’s Town, Mdantsane and East London.”
Singwa said his bootcamp made exercise fun.
Another “fitness freak”, Zwelandile Mayaya, who was a finalist on the 2013 Bar One Man Hunt, show on SABC1, also runs his own bootcamp – “Z-abs” at Police Park.
Mayaya said staying fit and healthy was much easier when done collectively with friends or better still, family.
“When you are surrounded by people who share the same goals it’s easier to support each other and keep each other on track, instead of being tempted and derailing into bad habits of unhealthy living.”
The father of three said his lifestyle had been adopted by his wife, which was a huge motivator for him to keep doing what he does.
The police detective, who is also a fitness trainer based at Fitness Joint at Hemingways, said being healthy and fit should also be maintained throughout holidays and the festive season.
“It’s a lifestyle and shouldn’t change because of the season, despite the many temptations.”
Mayaya said there were many benefits of staying fit. “When you are healthy and in good shape, your blood circulation flows better, your skin is naturally radiant and you sleep better. You also feel so much better about yourself. — mbalit@dispatch.