The key to achieving your fitness goals is to start small

It is easy to get demotivated when you see the “FitFluencers” sharing pictures of their hard-earned bodies on social media.

I hope to bring you some comfort by telling you that we all start somewhere. Today I may have toned arms, toned legs and abs but I too started somewhere.

For many years, I wasn’t active, and my eating habits were inconsistent. I cooked and ate without putting much thought into it. I was a seasonal weight gainer, especially after winter and after the festive season.

In December 2011 my family and I were on holiday when my then six-year-old said: “Mommy, are you going to have a baby?”

Surprised by this question I replied: “No my baby, why do you ask?” That innocent voice said: “Because your tummy is big.”

The shock that my child could see me as out of shape was what motivated me to change my unhealthy ways. This freaked me out so much that in January 2012 I started changing my habits.

Khethiwe Mlangeni. Picture; Supplied

From no exercise to training five days a week. I just knew that’s not how I wanted to be and that was my biggest drive. I joined a gym, found an amazing personal trainer from a friend and I started running.

It wasn’t easy and I remember my first gym session like it was yesterday. My chest was burning, I was out of breath and I thought I was going to die. Same as my first run around my neighbourhood. I must have covered only 1km but it felt like forever, my chest was on fire and I stopped every few metres to catch my breath.

A few months down the line I was puzzled by not seeing results. Although I was training a lot, I was still eating badly. I then consulted a dietician who helped me with understanding healthy portion sizes.

I wanted to keep eating foods that were culturally familiar, so I had to explore how to cook the meals I’m used to in healthier ways. This was a journey, but once I married healthier eating with exercise, the results started to show.

This philosophy of healthy eating and exercise also came handy with my recent pregnancy. To draw the picture for you, in my previous pregnancy (2006) I picked up an extra 35kg but during my 2018 pregnancy, I picked up only 17kg. The difference was that I was much healthier.

Khethiwe Mlangeni. Picture; Supplied

There are so many elements that can stand in the way of leading a healthy and active lifestyle. Time, work, career, children, family and the list is endless.

I wanted the fit and healthy “new me” so badly that I still to this day keep a “fit-schedule” on all my calendars. This is a personal appointment I make with myself. I set aside an hour daily for exercise, and I change the activities weekly to keep it exciting.

This week’s “fit-schedule” for example is weight training on Monday, 5km run on Tuesday, high-intensity interval training on Wednesday, kick on Thursday and another 5km run on Friday.

This kind of planning has really worked to keep me motivated and accountable to the body that I want.

We all start somewhere. Sit down and ask yourself what kind of body you want, make plans for it and implement those plans.

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