Health & Beauty

Tips for a bikini-ready body

There are many myths around training. We’ve all probably been brought up under the age-old theory that men need to lift heavy to get huge and women need to lift light to get “toned”.
However, training experts agree that isn’t the case; women also need to invest a lot of time and energy to get their bikini-ready bodies.

This month the importance of women’s fitness has been a common talking point with many corporates and social media influencers trading their lavish dinner nights and dates for the gym or fitness session to celebrate their womanhood.

We caught up with several fitness fanatics to find out the latest fitness trends this year and what are some of the myths associated with women who love exercising.

Mapule Ndhlovu, known as Queenfitnass on social media, is fast becoming one of the leaders of the female fitness campaign.
She briefly explains the origin of the name Queenfitnass.

Mapule Ndhlovu

She says “Queen” came from her name Mapule, which means “the queen of rain”.

“Fit” came from the love for fitness, while “ass” was inspired by many compliments that she received about her firm and well-shaped behind.

We asked her about her go-to healthy meals.

“I eat pretty much the same thing every day – eggs, avocado, chicken and vegetables as well as almonds.

“Yoghurt and bananas are my go-to. I am a protein and veggies girl”, says Ndhlovu.

She deals with myths and misconceptions in the gym and says some of the most common myths about exercise and weight loss are claims that you can eat anything you want as long as you exercise every day.

Another myth is that if you lift heavy weights your body will look like a man’s.

Khethiwe Mlangeni, co-founder of the PopUpGym, who gave birth five months ago and went back to the gym six weeks after having a C-section, says her current fitness goal is to get her fitness levels up to a stage where she will be ready to run the Soweto Marathon on November 4 and ride the 94.7 cycle race on November 18.

Mlangeni addresses some the biggest misconceptions when it comes to losing baby fat.

“As women, we tend to put ourselves under pressure to quickly lose the baby fat. We forget the beautiful miracle that we’ve performed of bringing a life on Earth.

“We also forget that it took nine months to put on the weight and that it will take some time to lose it again,” said Mlangeni.
Botle Kayamba, a fitness trainer and Adidas ambassador, said fitness gave her a sense of freedom and boosted her confidence after she was diagnosed with an ameloblastoma type 3 tumour, which led to swelling in her face and the loss of her left jaw.

The tumour, which occurs during tooth development, is most common in the lower jaw.

“Having to deal with losing my left jaw in the process was one of the most challenging phases of my life.”

The tumour eventually ended her modelling career, says Kayamba.

She adds that knowing why you have started your fitness journey will make it easy for you to maintain your fitness goals.

“I know why I started my fitness journey. I’m internally motivated because I love what I do, and because I look good. It helps to keep going to maintain my good looks,” says Kayamba.

She also believes that one needs to be realistic about one’s fitness goals.

“Stick to what works for you alone. I’m not competing with anyone else but myself. I take my time so I get to enjoy the maintaining process,” adds Kayamba.

Source: eNCA

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