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Innocent Choga: Fitness

Why is it that most people who exercise do not do so with their spouses? Why is it that most of them do not care to introduce their spouses to the fitness lifestyle? We all agree that our spouses are the wind beneath our wings so why do we not use them to boost our workouts. It is not a secret that psychologically, just the presence of the opposite sex pushes us men to work beyond our limits.

I am also a culprit in that aspect, I am not perfect. Although my wife has always expressed interest in exercising at home I lack the patience to take her through the paces.

Personally I will honestly say first of all I lack the patience to help her in my own exercise time.

Secondly, there is a large gap in our competency levels in exercising .But the good thing is I leave the task to my young son, who at times takes her through the paces, that is, when she is up to it, which leads to the third reason, the fact that she is not consistent, and as a trainer I am motivated by results.

An exercise partner who is not consistent will not get much results. I occasionally go through the paces with my son who is also into rugby, so she is well catered for. It is just her lack of consistency that makes us exercise separately at home.

We have often discussed that exercise partners who do not share the same inclination and energy towards exercise would rather exercise separately because the weak one will be a drawback to the strong one and the strong one will push the weak one to quit.

However, I have observed that there are couples who are both into exercise and fitness. Even though they share the same energy, the majority of them do not exercise together as couples.

There are couples who exercise in the same gym but they will never exercise together; the wife trains on her own and the husband on his own.

The husband can be using his own instructor and the wife her own instructor or perhaps they can even engage the same instructor but still train separately.

In other cases the wife works out with her friends and the husband with his own friends. It is normal to see the husband working out on his own at one corner in the gym crowd and the wife working out on her own at the other end.

These are the usual cases. I am not judging and I am neither saying it is ideal, nor am I saying it is not ideal but it is the usual. This is just my observation. This week I witnessed an unusual case of a couple doing the right thing. They are not the only couple who does that but they are one of the few.

I had the opportunity and honour to meet and talk to Steven Sanders and his wife Kudzai Sanders. Steven Sanders otherwise known as DJ Stavo is a popular figure in the music industry and he needs no introduction.

After all he has worked with the likes of the great superstar singer Oliver Mutukudzi and the late great Mandoza among other artists. DJ Stavo and wife exercise together at Xcel gym at the Harare Sports Club.

The couple hails from Kwekwe but they have since relocated to Harare. They have upgraded their exercising a number of notches higher.

The couple said they have been exercising seriously for approximately one and a half years. I recall the first time I heard of DJ Stavo was when he did collaboration on the single “Sweet Love” with Ex Q and Rocky. Back then I think DJ Stavo was a bit on the heavy side and now he has scaled down. DJ Stavo says he used to weigh 101 kilogrammes but now he is weighing 92 kilograms.

Apparently this was his first day back at the gym after a month lay-off. The lay-off was due to a busy schedule and an injury that required him to rest for a while. DJ Stavo says his work schedules can be so hectic but exercise enables him to be more active and helps him concentrate more on his work.

DJ Stavo is no stranger to exercise having played soccer in division one for a team called Chrome Stars in the days gone by. After that he also played social soccer.

The couple has two children a boy Jamie who is 5 years old and a girl Skyler who is 2 years old.

According to their personal trainer the couple strives to work out five times a week. They do both aerobics and weight training. Their trainer says he also prescribes some cross fit training in their workout schedules. He feels a sense of accomplishment because DJ Stavo has lost 9kg and his wife has lost a bit. She did not need to lose a lot but she is much fitter.

When I asked the couple who between them initiated that they should get into exercising and join the house of pain (gym), DJ Stavo was quick to point at his wife “She did, she steers the fitness ship”. Mrs Sanders was also quick to accept the blame “I did, I initiated that we should exercise”. DJ Stavo said exercising with his wife presents the challenge he needs, so there is a healthy competition between them.

He said results are the criterion that determines the winner not strength, for surely he would win this one and not aerobics as she would certainly take the price in this category. At the moment it looks like it is a tie and they are both winning.

Food Facts —Brown Rice

Brown rice and white rice are both good grains to include in a healthy diet. They are both necessary in a weight loss program. Brown rice is said to contain more nutrients than white rice, but it is less tasty that is why it is not popular.

When we have to eat to survive, brown rice is a better option. Brown rice is rich in fibre and minerals and the rate of digestion and absorption is very low.

White rice is absorbed at a faster rate and provides quick energy. The fact that it is digested slowly does not mean brown rice is not digested efficiently and optimally.

On the contrary its digestion and absorption rate can be at maximum level depending on our system.

Diabetic athletes and exercisers will benefit a lot from eating brown rice because it is not starchy it does not cause spikes and since it is digested very slowly it provides constant energy throughout a workout .

But for individual who have no such condition, there is need to be wary that the digestion process does not interfere with exercising or athletic performance.

The digestion process requires energy and so does the working muscles, so it has to be eaten well before an exercise session or a match. It is encouraged to eat less at night, but brown rice would be the ideal food to eat for supper as it encourages weight loss.

The most interesting fact to note is that the brown rice glycemic index rating is very low; brown rice is digested so slowly such that it requires a lot of energy to digest it.

Actually it takes more energy and calories to digest it than the calories it ultimately supplies us. This means the body has to rope in extra energy from stored fats in the body or energy consumed from other foods, so whilst you are asleep the body will be burning the fat instead of accumulating fat.

Still it supplies us with a lot of nutrients we need just to mention a few like manganese which helps in synthesising fats and the high fibre content it has which makes us full therefore making us eat less .

Brown rice is not starchy and therefore does not retain water. So for body-builders and other individuals it helps to avoid the bloated look they despise so much and it is also ideal for athletes who have to make it into lighter weight categories.

Inspiring Quotations

It looks like it has been a year since I started making contributions to this column. I would like to express my gratitude, to the readers of the column and the guest who have featured in this column.

Not leaving out the Herald management and its staff for giving me the opportunity to share fitness ideas.

I introduced guests in the column because I realised that I am neither the only person who has a passion in fitness, nor do I know it all but there are a lot of people out there who know some things more than I do, so the idea is to share what we all know and do in order for us get fit and to stay fit. If I was relying on my own ideas only I would have run dry.

So I would like to thank all the people who write positive emails asking fitness questions and discussing ideas, the guests who are willing to share ideas as well as the friends I meet that provide feedback.

Just as in all situations in life I think there is need to reflect on, evaluate and recap some of the things we have been discussing.

Below I have listed an excerpt and inspiring quotation from previous articles that I think are motivational;

“By making physical education an integral part of the school curriculum the authorities are making a good move.

Physical education resulting in fitness lifestyles is relevant in this information age, which, compounded by the effects of labour-saving gadgets, is making some of our children less mobile than they should be . . . It is no longer enough to just tell these smart kids that exercise and sport is good for their health, but there is need to teach them how’ .

“This is what women need, but because of the misconception that weight training automatically builds big muscles, most of them shy away from this activity. That is not true; I am what I am because I want to be that way. I like looking big and muscular, so I train and eat likewise” – Lurdes Moura aka Lulu on weight training.

Email: [email protected]. Innocent Choga is a six time National Body-building Champion with international experience. He is studying for a science degree in Physical Education and Sport.