I’m a big believer in focusing on progress, not perfection. No matter how small the progress is, I deam it bigger and more worthy in my eyes than those who strive for unattainable perfection and this cuts across all sectors of my life, including lifestyle changes.
One of the most popular New Year resolutions is to lose weight/work out more/change aspects of one’s lifestyle; which I am all for btw. So where do you even start? I’ve personally decided to cut down on my sugar intake which was alarmingly high considering the tonnes of gummy bears/worms receipts from this cute little store in Westlands. This is my first boss move, as Marcus Karanja, the fitness trainer at the Intercontinental Hotel Nairobi would call it.
He likes calling his clients bosses, because we are in fact bosses; in charge of our bodies, in charge of what we eat and in charge of how we’ll look like in the next 50 years. This was my first lesson as we (me and my best friend Le Anne Peris) toured their Fitness centre.
Located in the basement area of the hotel, the centre is fully equipped with the latest in gym equipment, swimming pool, sauna, steam room and jacuzzi.
With his help, he can tell which exercises are best suited for your body and how best to exercise according to your work schedule, how and what you eat and how soon you want to see results. You should also expect him to breathe down your neck (but in a good way).
One of the things that he takes very seriously is what you eat, so expect to have a food journal where you track down what you eat on a daily and also expect a couple of phone calls from him if you don’t show up to the gym. Of course he does all this with your best interest in mind and a lovely smile on his face.
Spa session
After a gruelling workout session with him, which I’m sure lasted 57 hours, we had a beautiful spa session which was the perfect antidote for sore muscles. Each of the products, scrubs and oils used is made to nourish the skin, calm your muscles and delight the senses. The ladies are also well trained in reflexology to know your body to a point where if she touches your foot, she’s also gotten to your stomach, which is weird and also kinda cool if you think about it.
There are different packages you can choose from: for example, I had the body scrub and Swedish massage that goes on for 60 minutes which helps get rid of toxins, dead skin cells and helps stimulate your body to grow fresh, new skin cells. When done together with a Swedish massage, it helps kneading down tensed muscles which was perfect for my body after the gym session we had had.
You also get to enjoy time in their sauna/steam room as you refresh, relax and sweat.it.out. Btw, this part wasn’t a joke. I know I had already been to their sauna before but I always underestimate how you come out of there feeling like a new human being. As well as being incredibly relaxing, there are a number of health benefits to using a sauna, such as detoxing the body of toxins and purifying the skin.
I love how their fitness center is about health and wellness; a place to rest, relax and recuperate and how they are implementing a culture of wellness from the top down, which is the only way to ensure sustainable lifestyle changes.
(I forgot to mention this amazing orange-infused water they provide in the gym. Like guys, wow!!! 😍😭)
