How Facebook group helped me reset fitness button
Young woman working out. Although it sounds like a lot of work and too many rules and regulations, it is actually a fun challenge. PHOTO| FILE| NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Over the following months, I started developing diets of my choice, workout routines from YouTube and occasionally hitting the gym.
- I was out of touch with Fitgirl program for a year or so but the foundation had been laid right. There was no turning back.
- Inspired by my initial weight loss, I begun creating fun healthy recipes and joined several fitness groups on Facebook to add spice to my fitness journey. At the moment, I am a die-hard subscriber to the Low-Carb High-Fat (LCHF) dubbed Banting.
The first time I heard of Fitgirl Kenya founder Jane Mukami was in 2015. I had just resolved to get in good shape and while surfing the internet for affordable healthy lifestyle diets when I bumped into her detox program.
Two months later, her detox smoothies and workout cards saw me lose close to 25kgs. This motivated me to keep pushing my limits, a journey that is still ongoing.
That was the first time I ate raw spinach and kale. The detox recipes included a leafy green, a fruit, a handful of oats or flax seed or a slice of avocado, a dash of lemon and clean water all blended
together. They were surprisingly very delicious and the perfect dinner idea.
DIETS OF MY CHOICE
Over the following months, I started developing diets of my choice, workout routines from YouTube and occasionally hitting the gym.
I was out of touch with Fitgirl program for a year or so but the foundation had been laid right. There was no turning back.
Inspired by my initial weight loss, I begun creating fun healthy recipes and joined several fitness groups on Facebook to add spice to my fitness journey. At the moment, I am a die-hard subscriber to the Low-Carb High-Fat (LCHF) dubbed Banting.
I will share what that entails in subsequent series of this blog.
My resolution for the month of January was to shed off the few kilos I accumulated over the Christmas holiday.
The usual diet and workout routine would have been effective but I have the rest of the year to do that. Every good resolution has a time frame and mine is within the month of January. I needed something to motivate me to knock off those five festivity kilos.
As I was surfing for options, I bumped into Jane Mukami once more on Facebook. This time round she is hosting the Transform 21 Challenge beginning from January 15 to February 4 specifically aimed at helping people jumpstart their fitness goals for this year. I was game.
TAKEN INTERNET BY STORM
The challenge has taken the internet by storm with participants being drawn from across the country.
The main platform for interaction is Facebook but we receive emails from Jane Mukami at the beginning of every week for the workout cards and meal plans for the week.
Week one was amazing. All we had to do was to cut out wheat from our diet. This was a walkover for me given that I reserve wheat for special occasions and cake.
The workouts took a toll on me at the beginning but my muscles remembered to stretch out in exercise after a month of merry making without much strenuous workout.
At the end on week one on Sunday, I was tempted to weigh myself but then again we have agreed on this platform that weigh scales are not always such a great idea.
I did however manage to fit in a dress that couldn’t go past my thighs last week. At least am guaranteed of having knocked off some stray inches on my thighs.
WEEK TWO
We are in the middle of week two. This week we are eating more vegetables, reducing our meal portions, taking in more water, exercising some more, having healthy snacks in between meals and abstaining from carbs past 4pm.
Although it sounds like a lot of work and too many rules and regulations, it is actually a fun challenge. With over 10,000 members in the Transform 21 Challenge Facebook group, the journey so far has been quite an adventure.
Some members post their after workout sweaty selfies and that is enough motivation to make you exercise in case you were feeling lazy.
Others share pictures of what they are eating and the rest get to advice accordingly. Criticism and praise are dished out in equal measure, all coming from a place of love and support.
For me, the challenge is like hitting a reset button for a more exciting and fulfilling fitness lifestyle for 2018.
The time frame of 21 days adds spark to the challenge as we cheer each other on and avoid falling off the wagon. I am looking forward to seeing my transformation and that of many others by the end of the challenge under the able coaching of Jane Mukami.
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Fit&Fab is a blog series by Marion Maina who lost 30kg during her weight loss journey that started two years ago and is now in pursuit of a healthy lifestyle. Do you have feedback on this story? E-mail: [email protected]
