A busy life can take it’s toll on one’s mental and physical wellbeing. Lack of time leaves most busy individulas without enough time to exercise. This, coupled with bad diet is the reason why we see a sharp increase in lifestyle diseases. The ladies featured in this article all have 2 things in common. They all have very demanding jobs and they all place tremendous value on their wellbeing.
The active lifestyles they live help them cope with the pressures of work and certainly have a positive impact on their health and overall wellbeing.
Abongile Ngwabe, a 30 year old lecturer at Walter Sisulu University has been living an active lifestyle since November 2019. She is a member of the 5am club and an avid runner, running 4 to 5 times a week if the weather permits. Her early morning runs which last about an hour help her start her work day early with a refreshed mind.
“Exercising is the best thing to do. If you wish to develop an active lifestyle, first do your research. For instance, if you want to run, it’s important to have the right running kit, join running teams or clubs just for motivation. Working out helps in many ways, your mental health will be improved. You will look young and fresh. Above everything, exercising is fun! You meet new people and socialize!“ – Abongile Ngwabe
Being a runner means that Abongile does not have to really stress about going on any special kind of diet since her cardio work ensures she burns a lot of calories. She however remains watchful of what she eats, keeping her intake of sugar, starch and alcohol to a minimum and ensuring a healthy consumption of vegetables and protein. To ensure a good running experience she avoids heavy meals the night before and that on its own controls the amount of food she consumes.
Abongile tracks her progress using the Garmin app and links it to Strava.
“Thando Vee Vanda” (35), Child care worker.
For Thando, who chooses 2 be active, planning her workouts a week in advance helps her find a healthy balance between her work and exercise schedule. She works out 5 days a week and focuses mainly on strength training. Her cardio work gets done on one of the days when she goes for her run. Listening to music by Makhadzi and Dj Zinhle helps fire up her work outs.
Having started living an active lifestyle in 2018, Thando had this to say regarding staying on track with her fitness, “I do not have any apps, I have been lucky enough to be able to be very disciplined and take full accountability for my lifestyle. I can’t imagine cheating on myself.”
Thando is not so strict with what she eats, however, she is mindful to eat as much protein as possible, drink plenty of water and add lots of veggies and fruits. It’s about having a healthy relationship with food. She doesn’t believe in restricting herself when it comes to food. Education is key when it comes to diet.
“Never start your fitness journey from a place of hate, love your body and have confidence that you are able to sculpt it to whatever you want as long as you are consistent and believe that you can. Forget about the person next to you, run your race at your pace and stay in your lane…. Progress will follow.” -Thando “Vee” Vanda
I think this lady here definitely fits the profile of super mom. She manages to find time to juggle family, work , running….and gardening. Her home-made shakes made from spinach and beetroot from her garden fuel her body for her long runs which are sometimes as long as 21km. Her goal is to do 42.2km by the end of 2021 and she is using Strava app to keep track of her progress. As much as this goal scares her, she feels she is ready to level up!!
I live a very busy life but because of exercising and a good diet I’m coping very well. My mind is clearer and I perform at my peak in everything I do. I feel lighter, happier and my energy levels are usually high.
Elsie Mazibuko
Elsie mazibuko started training in 2014 after giving birth to her first child. She had diabetic issues during this pregnancy and she came to the realisation that if she doesn’t train or live a healthy lifestyle it might lead to health complications in future. Driven by a desire to live a healthy life and to lose baby fat, she started taking walks, taking her 6 month old son along with her. She eventually started running, doing 4km, then 5 ,then 8km until she ended up doing 10km. She entered many races including the Spar 21km race. The birth of her 2nd baby did not slow her down as she continues running even to this day.
Elsie’s jam for her runs is Level up by Ciara
Elsie’s job in the customer service industry, dealing with international clients, is very demanding and also requires her to work shifts. In addition to this she has to find time to tackle the final year of her Bachelor in Business Administration studies. Her active lifestyle helps boost her energy levels and refresh her mind making it easier for her to cope with the workload.
“Start slow, the most important thing is starting, you can start by walking and eventually you’ll see yourself slowly running. My advice is to start slow not only to lose weight but also for health purposes then the rest will follow.“ – Elsie Mazibuko
Lindiwe’s gym playlist
Lindiwe Mahlangu is no newbie when it comes to being active. She started training almost a decade ago in 2013 . Since the Covid-19 outbreak she started working out at home about 6 times a week. It is this lifestyle that has helped her cope with her job as analyst in a fast paced, demanding environment at one of the big four banks.
“Being active helps with relief of anxiety and stress, keeps my cholesterol low and I always feel more positive, energised and capable of dealing with pressurised situations.”
Her day usually starts with a morning run before work and the frequency and consistency of her training helps her get a good amount of cardio work done. Lindiwe uses run keeper to keep track of mileage and time when running .
Lindiwe does not do diets and, according to her, she has bad eating habits, which she seems to get away with… ”I gym more and I eat anything, I love my pap!” This is a good approach as we believe life is meant to be enjoyed and not endured.
If you want to live an active lifestyle this is what Lindiwe suggests
- Consider your fitness goals.
- Create a balanced routine.
- Start low and progress slowly.
- Build activity into your daily routine.
- Plan to include different activities.
- Try high-intensity interval training.
- Allow time for recovery.
When you have a routine it becomes easier to plan your day and have a balanced life. Nomfundo Mkhwebani, an HR officer at mining company, Canyon Coal, hits the gym 5 days a week before starting her work day. Monday to Thursday is weight training. Her cardio days are Friday and Saturday when she does high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and running, respectively.
Mind over matter, don’t procrastinate, work on yourself today as tomorrow is not promised.
Nomfundo Mkhwebani
Judging from her eating patterns and choice of foods it’s clear to see that Nomfundo is getting it all..
- Breakfast : Oats or all bran with a banana, snack with peanuts,
- Lunch: I’ll have any meat (all types, I love my meat) and I’ll add vegetables, I’ll have boiled eggs with tuna around 15:00,
- Dinner, 6:30: Vegetables and white meat
Apple fitness app and apple watch help her keep track of her progress… We are not sure if her healthy dietary choices influenced her decision to go with the “apples”.
Nomfundo’s gym tracks
Umusa’s Power Playlist
Umusa Ngidi ,28, is a legal Administrator at Mshengu Insolvency Practitioners. Umusa started training around 2019, although not consistently.
Umusa prefers working out at the gym. Home workouts have proven impossible with a toddler around. So in the event she cannot make it to the gym, she opts for evening jogs instead. She was particularly dedicated to jogging during the times of strict lock down where gyms were closed.
Her routines usually gravitate more towards cardio training than weight training. Cardio training allows an increase in exercise tolerance.
“Train at your own pace. An active lifestyle is about striving for good health and body esteem. Understand your training goals before pursuit and avoid comparison.” – Umusa Ngidi
Umusa does not consider herself to be as committed to gym life as most. Good health, achieving weight goals and body strengthening are her motivators for leading an active lifestyle . With that said, she prioritizes gym in as far as her time allows. Working, schooling, and parenting place quite a huge demand on her time. “Gym is leisure and I dedicate what time I have left in my schedule to either gym or relax.”
Umusa’s diet fluctuates quite often. ” I am never on a strict healthy diet, that’s boring. When I am strictly on a low carbs diet or high protein diet, the minute I come off the diet I over indulge in the foods I was longing for, then it’s just self sabotage. “ Umusa prefers a low carb diet usually but is lenient on herself during weekends. It’s all about finding a balance for her. She loves protein salads, smoothies and shakes. Unfortunately the minute the weekend arrives she somehow always finds herself washing down the weeks’ diet with a glass of white wine.
Nike Training Club app helps her with her training routines,…” It’s great and user-friendly.”
