The high price backsliders pay on fitness track

This may involve periods of intense activity or prolonged sitting for different exercise followers, says Dennis Okaka, a physical therapist and certified fitness trainer in Nairobi.

“Most people stop achieving their fitness goals when they do a routine in the gym, in the pool or on the track, but over time, some regress and start losing the gains they made during their routine exercise,” he says.

Dennis has been a fitness trainer in Kenya and Sweden for the past nine years, and over time, he has condensed the exercises into three categories.

“There are those who are just starting out; I call them beginners, anything between zero and two years falls into this category. The next category is intermediate, which are those who have done between two and five years of active exercise. The last group is advanced. These are people who have Over five years of active sports discipline. In my experience, the group that declines the most is the first group: “Unmet expectations rank first among the reasons they give for decline,” says the expert, who has 17 years of active work.

The causes of delusion vary. For some, it’s a change in their career or family commitments, relocation, feeling like they’ve already achieved their fitness goals, or a lack of enthusiasm.

In 2014, Emma Waigwa started running to get fit.

“It was out of personal choice. I was what many would consider fit. Thin and in great shape. Gradually, I started to achieve higher personal goals, and could do 10km runs early in the morning without stopping.

That was her in college. After she graduated and moved on to work and family life, she gradually abandoned this routine, which led to her gaining weight like never before.

I gained about 30 kilograms and started to feel increasingly unfit; Walking became a challenge, and simple tasks like climbing the stairs became difficult.

When she returned to regular running about four months later, she could barely do a kilometer of continuous running.

“The gains I had previously made were washed away. I wasn’t even unfit before I started exercising. This was all the motivation I needed to get back on the road again.

Work-related travel and long working hours were the main reasons Michael Mwema, a Nairobi-based financial executive, gave up walking.

“I started exercising in 2017 after my doctor’s advice. My job involves sitting for long hours. Add to that a hands-off approach to diet, and I was looking at a lifestyle disease if interventions were not made. I signed up for a fitness class, Visible changes began in the following months: “I can breathe easier, exercise without extreme fatigue, and feel less muscle pain after exercise,” Michael says.

As his body transformation became evident, his gym attendance began to suffer from gaps.

“I started traveling a lot, and when I wasn’t traveling, I would extend my work hours,” Michael says.

When starting out, one needs to calibrate their journey with intention.

“I believe that fitness is an intentional, never-ending journey. To maintain it, one must keep at it even when they don’t feel like it. There are definitely times when it is impossible to go to the gym or keep up with a regular regimen. For these people, I Recommend Basic Workout Routines “I usually say that if you can have a space where you can move two steps in all directions, then you have everything needed to do a simple routine that will help you not lose your gains,” says Dennis.

This sounds easy coming from someone who’s been in fitness circles for nearly two decades, but how hard can it be for others?

“I had to make deliberate decisions to get my body back. This meant waking up early and making plans for the next day in advance so that my workouts weren’t interrupted by other early morning activities. It took time for me to gain the stamina I once had,” says Emma. “It took me several months to get there, and many more months to get into the physique I wanted, which is something I think I wouldn’t have had to do if I hadn’t fallen.”

Even after getting the horse back on the road, she has not yet returned to her full potential or the heights she used to reach in terms of her training. The body fell hard and refused to rise to that level again, but she was pushing. the BDLife Catch her right after her morning jog.

“Right now, I just have to run seven kilometers without stopping. I can say I’m in good shape, but this is not my best.

This also applies to Michael, who, after declining, struggled with the time and desire to get back into the gym.

“Seeing your gains go to waste is painful. It fills you with guilt while working out, but mastering the urge to come back is just as hard. I dare say it’s harder for us rebounders than it is for first-timers. I’ve gotten back to consistency, although it’s “It’s a little frustrating to know that I’m working on the same goals I had before instead of achieving higher goals.”

Both Michael and Emma agree that there is a high price to pay when one returns to an exercise routine.

Can fitness enthusiasts avoid a fitness slump when they can’t keep up? The simple answer, Dennis says, is yes.

“Everyone has different goals and fitness needs. Fortunately, there is a science to assessing and identifying an individual’s needs. Seeking the services of qualified trainers can help you plan an alternative regimen that works for you and can give you more wiggle room to do other things. Everyone needs to,” says Dennis. “Recognize that striving for fitness does not put you in a vacuum. Life goes on, and achieving balance is part of your mental fitness.”

He goes on to say that there is a need to get rid of the idea that intensity is greater than consistency.

“A daily routine is greater than high-intensity activity once a week. In addition to helping you stay fit, it teaches you discipline, which is the greatest component of fitness.”