If you walk into any gym today, chances are you’ll see a woman sweating away on the treadmill or lifting considerably more than her own body weight.
These women aren’t shy about showing off their toned muscles; many willingly trade traditional soft curves for a leaner, stronger shape.
They display their hard-earned progress in sleeveless tops, short skirts, and open-back dresses that reveal hours of discipline and pure grit.
‘She’ is reclaiming her body not for validation, but for longevity. One such woman is Abigail Ajuma who says that her fitness journey has never been about looks.
‘When people think about fitness, they think about strength and gym, but I think of it as a holistic wellness of a human being,’ she says.
Still, her gym routine has given her an impressive form, especially her quads.
‘I always start with mobility for warm-up. Currently I’m on a high intensity training program where I do little weights to start and then build up until my legs can’t take it anymore.’
Growing up in the US, her high school required participation in sports to graduate.
She was placed on the track team courtesy of the stereotype that ‘all Kenyans are athletes’.
‘They signed me up to start running. My introduction to fitness happened sort of by force. I was running cross country, running track and I was doing dance.’
While some people catch the fitness bug to lose weight, Ms Ajuma’s struggle was quite the opposite.
‘My issue has always been adding weight, my metabolism is quite high. I have always been small, but I desired to be stronger than what I was,’ she says
Strength training became her turning point.
‘It’s through strength training that I was able to change my body composition. I added a bit more muscle and I felt stronger, and in response, the scale went up as well.’
Currently, Ms Ajuma is preparing for a bodybuilding competition in December, a season, she says requires her to reduce her body fat.
‘I am at 55kgs right now but before I started prep for this, I was at 61kgs.’
Besides working out, she is keen on her diet.
‘Most times, the secret is nutrition. It’s really being mindful about what you eat, what your body needs, what are your desires. I changed my plate significantly,’ she says.
‘Proteins are really good for muscle building and muscle repair. Carbs are there to give you energy and I still take a measured amount of fat because as women, we need the fat to balance our hormones,’ she adds.
Sometimes women are shamed for being ‘too muscular’ or ‘too strong’.
‘I have encountered women who say, I don’t want to train so hard because I will look like a man. I am someone who trains that hard, yet I don’t look like a man.’
She goes on to remind women of the science.
‘As a woman your hormone is not testosterone, you will never look like a man. It’s important that women understand the importance of building lean muscle. Muscle is the organ of longevity.’
Not aesthetics, longevity..
‘When you can bend down and get up, you are engaging your core. You need to be able to build the lean muscle so you can have a really full life.chase around your grandchildren.’
When asked how powerful she really is, ‘Deadlift, I can go to 100kg without support. With squats I can do 120kgs but that’s when I have support.’
‘I wanted a banging body’
For Belinda Aura, her gym routine started with a desire to improve her looks.
‘I’ve always wanted to have a banging body. When I started working out I was not consistent with it. I would work out maybe two weeks then stop,’ Ms Aura says.
Looks aside, she had a second motivation.
‘I have never wanted to pay a therapist, so I knew going to the gym would help my mental health as well.’
Fitness became her therapy and in that consistency, she also found confidence.
‘I like my back because it is the first body part that I toned,’ she says.
She explains that many beginners overlook the back, yet to her, she believes it is the foundation of feminine body structure.
‘ Once you have a big back, you will definitely have a smaller waist,’ Ms Aura says.
Her commitment has also brought significant change to her weight, from 67kgs starting weight to her current 82kgs. The mother of one carries the weight gracefully. She has a disciplined routine especially around cardio.
‘Cardio helps with the fat burning, if I go and do legs today, after I’m done, I have to do cardio. I have to maybe walk on the treadmill. I used to avoid cardio when I started but now that is the one thing that I have to do,’ she says.
Cardio naturally burns a lot of calories so people think it makes you loose weight and muscle, but cardio does not destroy muscle on its own. Muscle loss happens when you don’t have enough food, protein or strength training to maintain it.
Like many women who lift weights, Ms Aura is familiar with the negative comments.
‘I get that a lot, people assume that when you lift heavy weights, you will look like a man. Everything is just associated with men.’
Even her food choices are criticised.
‘For breakfast, I eat like six eggs, sweet potatoes and milk. For me to add weight and muscles, I have to eat. Fitness is not just about lifting weights. It’s what you eat, and for me I still want to add weight so I have to eat.’
And what’s on her plate the rest of the day?
‘For lunch I can have something like omena, ugali and vegetables. Then for dinner I will go for rice, chicken breast and vegetables. I try most of the time to avoid ugali but I eat a lot of chicken and eggs.’
When asked what transformed her body, Ms Aura says,
‘I’m disciplined and consistent. Even when I don’t feel like going to the gym, I just find a reason to because for me to achieve whatever I want, I have to be disciplined.’
While toned bodies are at the centre of attention on social media, Ms Aura believes the motivation is shifting from image to intention.
‘I would say 80 per ent of women are working out for themselves.’
What advice would you give to women who want to be confident with their body?
‘Every woman is beautiful in their bodies, whether you’re plump or skinny. You start by, accepting yourself the way you are. Then if gym doesn’t work for you, you can do home workouts. I would always advise the fitness way because apart from you just getting a good body, it helps with mental health.’
‘I love walking’
Walking is not just an activity for Marion Benta; it is her therapy.
‘Walking gives me clarity and peace of mind. Sometimes, when I’m not able to make it to the gym, but walking ensures I move my body. It has boosted how I look. I was a little bit smaller. So I decided, let me bulk a little bit, and I love it here.’
She has noticed that women are showing up in fitness activities outside the gym, including walking.
‘If I’m statistically guessing correctly, the number of women who have been in my walks is more than men. What really amazes me is we have women of all different ages, because most of them want to lose weight.’
She echoes the sentiments shared on watching what goes on the plate. In her house, a crate of eggs barely makes it to three days.
‘I eat high-protein meals, at least 10 eggs a day,’ she says.