The Interview Editors
Call it the positive fallout of the city’s well-designed streets with clearly mapped out pedestrian paths and you will certainly be right.
Truly, Abuja can boast of many fitness enthusiasts. You see them every morning walking for health, fitness and beauty.
Others, however, prefer to daily exercise their bodies in specific locations like parks.
One of the favourite locations is Jabi Lake.
Everyday of the week you will find the lakeside filled with different shapes and shades of the city’s residents keeping fit in whatever way they are comfortable with.
The Interview caught up with four of them who shared their fitness journey stories.
Enjoy!
Jeff Umeh – Entrepreneur
The beginning…
I started my fitness journey about four years ago on October 1, 2012.
Goals…
I want to keep fit, have a fit body and lose a few kilos.
I was weighing between 74-75 kg but now I weigh 66kg. That means I have lost about 9kg.
Challenges…
I think old age is catching up with me. My knees are giving me problems
Why Jabi lake…
I like the whole idea of outside workout routine. I don’t like the enclosed feeling of gyms. In a place like this you meet different kinds of people with different challenges. I also like the way the coach lays out the workout routine so that it is not monotonous.
Last Word…
For me it has become a lifestyle and I don’t see myself ever stopping.
Nkechi Ikedinobi– Health management worker
In the beginning…
I started December 2015. I have been at it for six months.
Goals…
Want to be fit and healthy. My target is to be strong.
Achievements…
Lost about 10kg.
No longer pants while walking or climbing stairs
Some of my friends see me and marvel at how I was able to do it.
Challenges…
It is not easy, especially with keeping up with the routine because you have to keep at it to see results. It is challenging with the appropriate meals to complement the exercises. It is not easy to deal with the meal plan.
Last Word…
It is necessary for us to be fit and healthy
Nkem Umeh
In the beginning…
I started about three years ago
Goals…
I just wanted to be fit and healthy
Achievements…
Over time I am healthier
Challenges…
Sometimes I gain back the weight after losing it.
Last word…
No matter what happens, just keep going; keep pushing, one day at a time.
For me it is a lifestyle. It is something I want to be able to do all the time.
Grace Noah- Businesswoman
In the beginning…
It’s a little over two years when I began this journey
Goals…
I was weighing 125kg and I told myself that if I could come down to 90kg that would be very satisfying.
Achievements…
Presently I weigh between 85kg and 90kg.
The state of my health has so greatly improved that I feel so good.
Challenges…
It wasn’t not easy. There were so many challenges. People were making fun of me and wondering if I was just playing or meant business.
Last Word…
Once you have decided on this fitness journey, do not listen to anyone trying to discourage. Just be focused and consistent.
