Dear Reader,

Words cannot describe how excited I am to share with you this feature. Welcome back to episode sixteen of Tizi Talks with the beautiful business mogul Anne-Marie Burugu! She is the Co-founder & Director of Vivo Active Wear, runs a distribution business in Kenya, and she previously worked as a regional spa manager for Serena hotels.

On top of that, she is also a qualified pilates instructor and teaches HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) to private groups; who ever said you can't do it all? After following her fitness journey on social media, I had to get her on this series to inspire and encourage you to stay active. With her busy schedule I was curious to hear how she balances it all and how she stays motivated. We got to chatting while she was on way in Bali and this is what she had to say...

TIZI: How old are you?

AMB: I am 45 years old?

TIZI: How long have you been working out?

AMB: I have been active most of my life. I swam competitively and to a high level all through school. In my 20's I took up squash which I played until about 5 years ago. My love for the gym developed in my early 20's, and has remained constant (although I loved aerobics from the early 80s during the Jane Fonda days). I took up pilates in my mid 30's, and recently started practising yoga. I also play golf and run from time to time.

TIZI: What made you start?

AMB: My parents, and particularly my dad, encouraged me and my siblings to participate in various sporting activities when we were growing up. This instilled a strong love for fitness. I haven't always kept it up to the same degree (I have gone through periods if laziness) but rarely.

TIZI: Do you feel like it has made a difference in your life? If yes, how so?

AMB: Most definitely. Exercise makes me feel great!! I find that I sleep better, feel happier, stronger, more energetic, and that I metabolize my food better when I exercise. I also feel more productive, mentally alert and generally much more balanced. It has also greatly helped my posture, something I feel is extremely important, especially the older we get.

TIZI: Can you please take me through your daily fitness routine on a weekday? And the weekend?

AMB: My weekday routine varies but I like to incorporate both cardio and strength training throughout the week. I enjoy variety as this ensures that I never get bored. On some days I run (either 5km outdoors, or on the treadmill where my focus is on sprint intervals); attend spin classes or do HIIT; and combine these cardio sessions with weight /strength training, core stability, yoga and pilates. I have #my365challenge running this year; I am trying to work out twice a day on weekdays, and once a day on Saturdays and Sundays. On weekends I typically will do a spin class on Saturday, and yoga on Sundays.

TIZI: Do you find it difficult to include your workout in your daily routine?

AMB: Not at all. I consider my workouts a priority, but because I also recognise how busy life and work can sometimes get, I choose to work out first thing in the morning. My favourite time to work out is at 5am and be done by 6am, leaving the rest of the day for everything else. It's honestly the absolute BEST way to start the day!!

TIZI: What keeps you motivated?

AMB: Variety. By nature, I get bored very quickly and easily so I like to vary the kinds of exercise I do.

TIZI: What can you advise people who want to start their fitness journey?

AMB: My number one piece of advice is to find an activity that you enjoy because you are more likely to stick to it and reap the results. It's no point deciding that you want start running if you hate it (just because you believe that it might be the best way to lose weight, for example). You are better off taking a dance class if that's what you enjoy; then doing that really well. The other piece of advice is to incorporate whichever activity you choose into your day; if you choose to join a gym because you enjoy group fitness classes or weight training, then ideally, you want your gym to be located as close to either your home or office as possible - that way you are not trekking unreasonably to get to your exercise, which means you are more likely to not miss your sessions. Lastly, any bit of exercise is better than no exercise- so just keep going and appreciate the baby steps. The human body is amazing and adapts very quickly if one is consistent and keeps challenging it.

Yours in Wellness,

@tizitalks

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