Luyanda Mashaba writes::
I started exercising in my first year, second semester at res where I was staying. It started out as something we were doing for fun as friends at night after studying and doing everything. We didn’t set any goals or anything we were just doing it. During that time, I became addicted to sleeping pills for two months I couldn’t let go of them until my roommate noticed and took them away.
I then started getting very sick; I had bad migraines. I went to the hospital and lost a lot of weight, and then came back and saw the need for me to exercise. I started setting my body goal, and the goal was to gain weight through the gym. That went on until November last year and I went home for the holidays. I had no gym equipment and I had to use whatever was in the house to maintain my body shape.
I went on until I received my school results and everything went back to square one – back to sleeping pills again but I was able to pick up myself. I found a new place to stay and thankfully it had a fully equipped gym that motivated me to exercise again. With a few lazy days here and there, all I can say is that the gym has been my friend, academically and emotionally and obviously health-wise.
Just 30 minutes a day on the treadmill means a lot to me because I know I have done something. I may not see the results soon, but eventually, as time goes by it gets better and better and you start seeing the changes as do other people. My self-esteem and confidence have improved and I am thankful to the friends who introduced me to the gym. Who knows, maybe I would have gone to rehab or died.
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