FITNESS SPOTLIGHT WITH MRS ‘YEMISI AYENI

right after graduation, followed by 1 year in PW Lagos. After leaving PW, I spent 2 years as a partner in a consulting firm, before joining Shell Nigeria in 1994. I spent 21 years in Shell, doing a wide range of interesting jobs, retiring as Managing Director of the Pension Fund in2015.

“In my spare time, I love travelling (I especially enjoy cruises, which are a fantastic way to see the world), reading (though I don’t read as much as I used to) and doing puzzles (crosswords and Sudoku).”

In my spare time, I love travelling (I especially enjoy cruises, which are a fantastic way to see the world), reading (though I don’t read as much as I used to) and doingpuzzles(crosswordsandSudoku).

What does ‘living healthy’ mean to you?

The term ‘living healthy’ means being keenly aware of the need to live a balanced life, and incorporating this balance into my daily life. One of my guiding scriptures is 1Corinthians3:16 “Doyounotknowthatyouarethe templeofGod,andthattheSpiritofGoddwellsinyou?”

As a Christian, I believe the bible is the breathed and inspired word of God, and I take it seriously. So, my belief that my body is a temple of God housing the Holy Spirit,leadsmetoseektolookafteritbylivinghealthy.

When did exercise become a routine for you and how did you start your fitness routine?

I started exercising regularly in my mid-20s, when I movedbacktoNigeriafromtheUK.

I was quite chubby in primary school, and apart from compulsory school PE lessons, the only exercise I did was swimming, but to be honest, this was more for fun than for exercise, more marco polo, than laps! By age 10 when I started secondary school, I had lost all the puppy fat, and through secondary school and university, I didn’t do much exercise. Like many slim people erroneously believe, I didn’t see the need to exercise, as I didn’t have a weight problem. However, even though I didn’t do any formal exercise, I’ve always been a very active person, and so I wasn’t leading a sedentary life. I first joined a gym when I was working in PW London, but my attendancewasrathersporadic!

It was after I returned to live in Nigeria aged 25 that I started exercising regularly, attending aerobics classes. My return to Nigeria ushered in the start of an intensely traumatic period, with my beloved mother going home to be with the Lord within 6 weeks of my return. On reflection, I think I turned to exercise as a way to help me cope during this period. I found that a good aerobics session tired me out, released much-needed endorphins, and helped me sleep better, and so I went regularly. In the intervening 32 years, I have continued to exercise regularly.

“Like many slim people erroneously believe, I didn’t see the need to exercise, as I didn’t have a weight problem. However, even though I didn’t do any formal exercise, I’ ve always been a very active person, and so I wasn ’t leading a sedentary life.”

How often do you work out and what is your workout routine like?

On average, I work out 2-3 times a week. For the past 5 years, I’ve been a member of an African-inspired fitness club, that offers a range of classes (dance, toning, flow), online and in the studio. Prior to Covid, we had the classes in our home gym 4 times a week, but the classes went online during Covid, and I’ve remained with the online option since. Over the past 2 years, I’ve also been taking golf lessons; and in the past few months have finally “graduated” from the range to the golf course.

Going on the course means at least 3 hours of brisk walkinginthefreshair,andisagreatformofexercise.

How important are food choices in your fitness journey? How do you balance eating healthy and working out?

I love working out and I also love food, and to be honest I would rather work out than deprive myself of food. I have a sweet tooth, and will usually have dessert if I go out for a meal and if there’s chocolate at home, I will definitely eat it! But, having said that, I generally eat quitesensibly.

Luckily, I actually enjoy fresh fruit and vegetables, so having a green-vegetable smoothie or a large saladaren’t things I have to force myself to do, they are things I enjoy. Also I don’t drink alcohol or soft drinks, two areas where it’s easy to pile on empty calories. I drink a lot of waterandusuallyhaveabottlewithme.

A few years ago, an elderly gentleman who I admire greatly (he is now 103) told me that one of his life mottos is “everything in moderation”, and he illustrated this by saying that he would have a glass of red wine, but not the bottle; a square of chocolate but not the whole bar etc. I think thisis excellentadvice,andI havetriedtoadoptit.

Many people struggle to stay motivated and keep to their fitness routine. How do you motivate yourself on days when you do not feel like working out?

I really enjoy working out, so it’s not a challenge to stay motivated. The challenge I have is when I simply can’t find the time to work out because of other commitments. For example, I was traveling a fair bit in May, and ended uphardlyattendingmy fitness classes.

Now whilst I remained active, and was doing other forms of exercise and exceeding my 10,000 daily steps goal most days, I really missed the routine of my classes, and I wasgladtoresumewhenI gotback.

My advice to people who struggle to stay motivated to keep to their fitness routine, is to keep searching until theyfindaformofexercisethattheyenjoy.

Someone I know who loves dancing used to struggle to go to the gym, until one day her husband said, why not just put on music and dance? And that’s been her daily exercise routine since then, she dances for 45 minutes every morning; at the end of which she is pouring with sweat and energized for the day. Exercise comes in all shapes and sizes. If it’s walking you enjoy, then take a briskwalkandusethatasyourexercise.

We all have a finite number of waking hours every day and we need to juggle to fit in what’s important to us, in a way that works with our lifestyles. For example, when our daughters were younger, my main exercise was swimming with them at the weekends. I had a full-time job, and there was no way I was going to come home in the evenings and head out to the gym. So I spent my evenings with them, and when they were having their swimming lessons on a Sunday, I did my laps at the same time. In addition, for the past 20 years, we’ve lived in houses with a lot of stairs,so really even the daily activity of moving round the house, already gives me a decent workout!

“...when our daughters were younger, my main exercise was swimming with them at the weekends. I had a full-time job, and there was no way I was going to come home in the evenings and head out to the gym.”

Can you share three essential tips that make your workout routine effective?

1. I take my workout sessions seriously, I recall working out with a friend once, and she was so amused at how seriously I was taking it, she was like “are you going to do an exam at the end of it?”. I’m not one to spend half the class checking my phone and kidding myself that I’ ve done a 1-hour class. I diligently follow the routines from the start of the class until it is over. Another of my guiding scriptures is Colossians3:23 “Whateveryoudo, workatitwithallyourheart,asworkingfortheLord, notforhumanmasters”. That’s my philosophy with my workandalsowithmywork-outsessions.

2. I see working out as a gift I’m giving myself, so my attitude isn’t that I’m being compelled to do something I don’t want to do, and I’m doing it grudgingly. My attitude in a work-out session is gratitude to God that I’m able to move about easily, and that God has blessed me with good health such that I’m able to give myself the gift of a healthy lifestyle. Over the years, I’ve had very dear family members/friends who’ve suffered serious illnesses; and I know what they would have given to be able to get up and do a dance class or swim a few laps. So I know without a shadow of doubt, that being well enough to work out is truly a privilege, and I don’t take itlightly.

Busy executives can they re-purpose a spare office into a gym, and arrange evening fitness classes at work, that staff can also attend?; can they wake up 1 hour earlier and work out before they start work? can they watch less TV and work out instead?, or can they put the treadmill infrontofTVandwalkwhenwatchingTV?

Basically, the solution will differ between individuals, but if there is commitment to staying fit, then I believe that everyone can find a creative way to fit it in. The benefits ofbeingfitareenormous,andworththe effort!

3. Finally, I ensure that the exercises in my workout routines are activities that I enjoy. I sometimes played squash with my parents as a child, I didn’t enjoy it; and I knew that racquet games weren’t my idea of fun, and so I didn’t turn to them when I started exercising regularly. On the other hand, I started swimming as a toddler, and have fond memories of swimming regularly at Ikoyi Club with my mother and brothers through my childhood, and swimming has remained a part of my fitness regime over theyears.Basically,working outshouldbefun!