From Sheila Mwanyiga to Tallia Oyando: Success secrets of 6 super fit women

We know you need that inspiration to stick to your fitness goals this year...that's why we sent SHIRLEY GENGA to talk to six career women for some tips.

Let's be brutally honest. Exercise is hard!

It's fine and dandy to come up with colourful and elaborate exercise resolutions every New Year, but it's not easy to walk the talk.

Most people begin the year with gym memberships at hand. They start out committed and on fire hitting the gym daily, but soon, their conviction to stay fit begins to dwindle; daily turns into once a week, then once a month, and eventually by mid-year they stop trying all together.

Yet exercise is becoming a necessity in today's world where lifestyle diseases are on the increase. In fact, research has shown that people who exercise regularly have a lower risk of many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and some cancers.

Further that physical activity can also boost self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy, as well as reducing your risk of stress, depression, dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

We sat down with women who have mastered the art of a successful exercise regimen to find out there secrets and this is what they had to say:

1. Start with small steps, small goals and move towards them a day at a time

Name: Sheetal Kotak aka "Strong"

Occupation: Logistics and Imports Manager

Workout: Weight training for body building 6-10 times a week at Muay Thai Colosseum Fitness Centre - Adams Arcade

Sheetal's fitness journey began in 2012, at the time she was trying to lose excessive weight, and for therapeutic reasons to cure depression that she suffered from for many years. However, she slowly found herself training competitively.

"I started small and with time and patience I was able to move from one level of fitness to the next. I first started as a bikini competitor in Uganda then progressed as a figure competitor. I have placed first overall in all my competitions to date thanks to the Almighty and hard work I have been able to put in.

Weight training for bodybuilding is a great sport, more women should do it; the feeling of strength and the fact that we can mould our bodies to the shape of our liking is a great control anyone would be happy to achieve.

Women look tighter, sexy and fit through weight lifting; I have a nice butt, nice tummy, I have a six pack, great strong back, tough legs, and an overall 20 times younger metabolic age than my actual age, and no one can say I am a mother of two grown up boys," she says.

Sheetal trains in the mornings from 5-7 before heading to work at 8 am until 5pm. Six pm onwards is family time.

2. First see a nutritionist

Name: Sheila Mwanyigha

Occupation: Media personality

Workout: Mixed regimen 4-5 times a week at Serena gym - Maisha Club

About a year and a half ago, Sheila found that she had no energy at all.

"I was always tired and it did not help that I had so much on my plate. I knew I had to change my life, so before embarking on exercise regime, I saw a nutritionist first. I now try to eat clean. I used to love pizza but currently it has been a year since I had any.

I also have a sweet tooth but now when I have cravings, I simply increase my daily portion of fruit. After about a month of adjusting to my new diet I started exercising," says Sheila who has, since late last year, taken a break from an 11-year stint as a media presenter.

For fitness, Sheila mixes a little bit of everything. "I do Zumba, I jog in Karura forest, TRX suspension training, yoga, and Pilates. When it is muddy and I cannot go jogging, I do the treadmill and lift weights.

I do different workouts because I get bored easily and so I like to mix it up. It has been over a year and I could not be happier with the results. I am not only more energetic, I also feel good and have lost about 17 Kg."

3. Don't' be afraid to try new things

Name: Tallia Oyando

Occupation: Broadcaster/Singer

Workout: Kickboxing (Muay Thai)

Tallia Onyando first started hitting the gym after having a son; she had gained 32 kgs during pregnancy and wanted to shed it off, but now keeping fit has become a part of her life, so much so that she hosts a fitness show on Homeboyz radio on Tuesday mornings from 11am called #FitTuesday.

"I began with cardio and weights. I used to work out 5-6 days a week for an hour and a half. I lost the weight but I got bored and I needed something new.

Doing different work outs shocks your body and when you stick to one thing constantly your body stalls and adapts, and that is why when a friend told me about a form of Kickboxing called Muay Thai, and at first I was scared but after a class, I was hooked. I have now switched to kick boxing and I'm loving it. I now go to the Coliseum at Adams Arcade four times a week for an hour," she says.

Tallia does not diet. It is something she has tried and failed at so, instead, she watches what she eats and stays away from candy which is her weakness.

How does she motivate herself? "It's not easy hitting the gym consistently. There are days I line up excuses on why I should not go. There are days those excuses work but then I feel terrible about myself. It's for my benefit and nobody else.

I rest better. It's a stress reliever. It helps with balance. I can keep up with my son, and I also don't visit the doctors a lot," she says.

Her motto is: in 4 weeks you see the change, in 8 weeks your friends and family start to see it, and in 12 weeks everyone will.

4. It's the secret to a nice bum

Name: Winnie Atieno Okoth

Occupation: CrossFit Coach and Personal Trainer

Work out: CrossFit and Olympic weightlifting, 5- 6 times a week

According to Winnie, a fitness coach with a bachelor's degree in sports and exercise, keeping fit has given her a nice and firm bum, a toned body and helps her get into a good mood.

"By keeping fit one actually gets to be in that good mood, it keeps me young and healthy and gives me the motivation to inspire people I coach to keep fit and stay healthy," she says.

"The reason I chose CrossFit (a core strength and conditioning programme) is because of its uniqueness and the fact that the exercise varies each day. There is, therefore, no time to get bored of the same thing over and over."

5. Find the regiment that works for you, not someone else!

Name: Wambui Thimba

Occupation: Stylist

Workout: CrossFit, 3-4 times a week at the CrossFit Box in Gigiri

"I have never had a problem with my weight. However, I began to realise that when I played with my niece and nephew, I would be left feeling tired and breathless and simply going up the stairs was difficult.

I originally tried the gym but it was too monotonous, then running around Kileleshwa and Jeffrey's Academy but I got bored, and although Yoga worked for my sister, it did nothing for me as I am naturally flexible. Then a friend told me about CrossFit. I went for a class on February 17 last year and I have never looked back," Wambui says.

What she loves most about CrossFit, an exercise regimen that combines Olympic lifting progressions, basic gymnastic skills and high intensity cardio with many other movements is the fact that every session is something different. Further, she loves the community aspect of it, plus the competition involved as it helps her improve and become better.

"My results have not been necessarily physical but more internal, I feel strong and fit, I am growing and doing things I never thought I would do, example I now can do a dead lift of 80 Kgs. I am a better and healthier eater, I am not a breakfast person but now I make myself eat it so I can have energy," she says.

6. Balance it with being a mother and wife

Name: Pinky Ghelani

Occupation: Media personality and entrepreneur

Workout: Mixed

"I do pilates, yoga, gym, swim and run or walk - it varies. The key is being active most of the time - be it dancing with my kids or taking stairs instead of a lift. I try and go six days with some sort of activity although out of the six, three will be the most intense.

Aside from my routine workout that I limit to 45 minutes due to time, playing, carrying and dancing with my kids is extra workout I get."

Pinky says she is able to exercise because she makes it a priority and because of the support she gets from her husband.

"I leave home to exercise when my kids are asleep or at school or being cared for by caregivers. As far as balancing it with being a wife, my husband insists I work out. He too is a lover of sports and is aware of his health.

When it comes to diet, I am strict 80 per cent of the time. Food is so important to skin, hair and bones and brain, so I eat healthy, but I have cheat days," she says.