Inspire, motivate, educate

Viwe Ndongeni-Ntlebi

Our cover girl, fitness guru Obakeng Makapan,speaks to us about her fitness journey

OBAKENG Makapane, 26, popularly known as @obakeng_ fitobi the plant-based girl started her fitness journey in 2014 when she was in varsity.

She says she started her journey because she needed a way to destress from varsity work. “When I started off, I enjoyed running and that was my main form of training, I then moved on to the gym but running remains my first love. I think it is such a therapeutic form of training and the fact that I get to do it outside is an added bonus.”

In 2016 she started being a flexitarian then moved to a vegan diet a few years later at the end of 2019.

“Plant-based fitness is important to me because it has taught me the importance of balance. Before, I used to think that meat and vegetables were the only important elements in nutrition. However, being plant-based has given me a broader understanding of food and the relationship between my body and what I consume.”

With the knowledge she has, she creates content through her social media platforms for others to be inspired, motivated and even educated.

Makapane posts meal prep inspiration, plant-based recipes, and guides for both home and gym workouts on her Instagram page for her health and fitness community.

We spoke to her to get to better understand her lifestyle and what keeps her motivated.

Why did you choose the plant-based lifestyle?

Initially I was pescetarian because I really enjoyed seafood, then I moved to vegetarian because back then it was a bit challenging and costly to find dairy substitutes but as soon as accessibility was not a problem, I moved to a vegan diet.

What was the most challenging thing about your plant-based journey?

It was finding suitable substitutes but now the challenging thing is finding a balance between diet and supplements to complement my training.

Where does your passion for fitness and living a healthy lifestyle come from?

My passion for fitness started after I gained weight due to losing my gran. I lost my gran at the age of 12 and between the ages of 12 and 14, I ate my emotions away.

Everyone in my life commented on my weight and this bothered me a lot, but I did not do much about it because I was still grief-stricken.

At the end of my Grade 8 year, I decided to start running. At the time, I did not know much about fitness or weight loss. I did a bit of research and incorporated it into my routine.

Back then, Facebook was the most popular social media but there was a limited amount of information about fitness on it.

When I reached varsity, I finally had access to an actual gym for the first time and I started sharing my journey online.

MAKAPANE shares her food and fitness tips..

What’s your go-to meal preand post-exercise?

I actually train on an empty stomach, it’s something I did when I started training and it has been that way ever since.

After a hectic training session I usually grab a banana before getting home and making either a smoothie or oats. I add my plantbased protein powder on both.

What does your morning routine look like?

I’m an early riser, I think this is something I took from home. No one at home sleeps in, we struggle to stay in bed past 8am.

I wake up at 4.45am, journal, pray and prepare for the day. Then train my clients or go for my own session which now includes doing a bit of yoga, shower, drink lots of water, check my emails and meetings for the day.

Then I have my breakfast around 10 or 11.

For those who don’t know, outside fitness I have a corporate job as an economist.

What one thing do you never skip in your workout?

Warm up and stretching – those are very important.

What are the three must have accessories in fitness

A water bottle to help you keep track of your water consumption, this may seem obvious but it’s so easy to fall off the tracks during winter.

So a cute water bottle that you can keep with you on your desk helps keep you accountable.

Resistance bands – these are such an easy accessory to carry around wherever you go and they are one of the most effective tools when doing weight or body weight training

This last one is a bit hard but if you can afford it a fitness watch/ smart watch is a good accessory to have. I love that technology keeps getting better and better which allows us to better track our progress and hold each other accountable through all these technological devices.

Please share your go-to vegan meals.

Chickpea and butternut curry. My guilty pleasure, I enjoy it so much and the people in my life seem to love it as well.

Mexican bowl with brown basmati rice, sweetcorn, red kidney beans in a pasta sauce, tenderstem broccoli and avocado topped with some hummus.

Any parting words?

Whatever fitness journey you decide on, always remember your why. That will carry you through and through.

Also remember to be open to trying new things and don’t forget that we are all unique.

Therefore, it is important that you embark on your own journey and fully embrace who you are.

MAKAPANE postes on her Instagram page for her health and fitness community.