31 Aug 2015

When he walks he trudges as many people do nowadays, but normally he is nimble footed like the boxing legend Muhammad Ali with his ‘Ali Shuffle” movement of legs that left many boxing heavy weights asking themselves where his next punch is going to come from.

This is none other than the pint-sized James Tamora of Sir Seretse Khama Barracks Training Department of the Botswana Defence Force who takes soldiers through the paces in aerobics and other physical fitness activities to ensure that the army boys are in top physical condition. Alongside Otsile Molefe of Beauty and Slimming Spar in African Mall in Gaborone, they have come up with the concept of “Summer Bodies are Made in Winter,” that is if one wants to look good and on tip-top physical appearance in summer one should train and work hard during winter.

Tamora says it is normal that in winter people crawl back into their cocoons and curl up in their couches, eat, drink and watch television instead of going to the gym or getting involved in physical activities that ensure good health and physical fitness.

He says the concept is meant for the urban middle-aged individuals who tend to live sedentary lifestyles due to the demands of modern living where people do not have time for exercise. Tamora notes that during winter people gain weight and in summer they feel out of place and wonder what to do to get into shape, adding that some cannot even walk in public with confidence.

“At the Beauty and Slimming Spar we have an electric therapy machine which is vibrated around fat gathering areas such as the tummy,” says Tamora.

In those areas, he says, the fatty tissue is melted into the blood circulation and later turned into sweat through physical exercises leading the body to rapid fat loss. The army man, who enjoys watching people losing fat, says they kicked-off the “Summer Bodies are Made In Winter” campaign in July with a total of about 21 people with seven males and the rest being female.

“Some of them were over-weight while others had high blood pressure, but most of them are now making outstanding progress,” he says.

He says participants get involved in a number of humanitarian exercises, and that just recently his team participated in welcoming Modise Koofhethile who walked from Francistown to Gaborone to raise funds for the Diabetes Association of Botswana at the Airport Junction.

 “ My association with the fitness industry in the country is not about making money but ensuring that people live worthy lives to avoid life style diseases, if money happens to flow in it is just a bonus,” he adds.

He said the campaign will finish in September, but that the participants will continue exercising so that when the country celebrates 50 years of independence next year they will be paraded as testimony of the success of the campaign. Tamora says the campaign is also in line with the national Vision 2016 pillar of a healthy and productive nation, and that their fitness levels will show others that the is real.

Having visited one of their training sessions, it came to light that they have become a family and every time they finish training they hold hands and shout “Summer Bodies Are Made In Winter,” and jump high into the air.

It is a group of hard workers doing everything they are asked to do without complaining and they could not go wrong with characters like One Rabantheng of RB2 and Gbz FM fame in their midst as the brand manager. There is also the visually impaired Patience Kgetse who has blended into the group so much that an outsider would not realise her problem unless if they are told.

The brand manager says having Patience is just to draw attention to members of the public that disabled persons also need to take care of their physical fitness requirement,  “just tell me if you have ever found a gym that takes care of the needs of the disabled.”

 The group also has former Miss Botswana Lorato Tebogo and other city socialites who need to tone up for a better physical appearance.

Tamora says in October he will be launching Fitness Botswana Boot Camp to take national fitness overtures to other countries within the SADC region such as neighbouring South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Namibia and others. Tamora says boot camps are an essential component of training as people are taught a variety of survival skills so that they should not easily give up under challenging circumstances such as being lost in the bush.

At the boot camp participants are taught group dynamics and that every member of the group is an essential component of the group to achieve whatever assignment.

“Any country without a cultural heritage is a lost nation and that is why we teach aspects of the national culture such as diketo, morabaraba, koi, mhele and others at boot camps so that such games can be passed on to other upcoming generations”.

When the Minister of Youth, Sport and Culture, Thapelong Olopeng was launching the National Fitness Day at the National Stadium recently, Tamora’s group was voluntarily taking part in a similar event at Molepolole Sports Complex where they did aerobics, Zumba dance, kick and jab and other activities.

Tamora, who walks with a swagger due to his immaculate physical conditioning, says he applauds Superfit Gym Management at Molapo Crossing for always supporting his efforts to turn Batswana into fit individuals who would in turn comprise a healthy nation. Ends