Meet the 60-year-old birthday girl who ran 10km to celebrate her new lease on life, health and fitness.
Maria Baloyi decided to commemorate her 60th birthday on 14 August in tremendous fashion by running 10km.
The decision to run was Baloyi’s way of applauding herself for changes and improvements to her health.
She said, “I realised in 2015 that my weight and blood pressure was a big problem, I couldn’t control it at all. Doctors had told me I needed to make changes to my diet and most importantly to start exercising. I didn’t know where and how I would exercise until I thought of walking and running.”
After slowly getting into walking and light running, Baloyi was able to turn her life around and lost 21kg since 2015.
Baloyi admitted that the beginning of her fitness journey was more difficult than she could’ve thought but she had a strategy to commit to her wellbeing.
“I knew I’d get tired quickly so I decided to start small, walking around the pool and slowly extending the distance over time.”
This was a winning recipe for her as over time she entered and completed two 21km marathons. As she increased her range she began to notice physical and mental improvements.
She said, “I’ve lost weight, my blood pressure is low and in control, I eat well and I’m happy. Before I started running I was rarely happy with myself.”
The excitement over Baloyi’s health and fitness was also shared by those back home in the Free State.
She said, “My children are so proud to see me change for the better. Now they too are running and walking to stay fit and healthy.”
Baloyi hopes that her recent successes will inspire others to do the same.
She advises people to take control of their health before it’s too late. She said, “Start small, with things you can manage and slowly add more and more and never give up. I never thought I’d be able to achieve what I did but here I am.”
ALSO READ: Five runners disqualified in SPAR Women’s Race in Pietermaritzburg
