11 Feb 2018

Fitness fanatics on Saturday gathered at Letlhakeng to launch the first fitness club in the village, Letlhakeng Fitness Club.

Welcoming the aerobics fanatics at the launch, Kgosi Tumelo Puleng of Letlhakeng commended the club for taking seriously the issue of body fitness.

He said that it complements the objectives of government of having a healthy nation as indicated by the introduction of Wellness Fridays.

Kgosi Puleng also encouraged the club to keep up the good work and recruit more members to its fold from the community.

He said the village had been lacking people knowledgeable in aerobics, adding that it was consoling to note that now Letlhakeng has a few fitness instructors born and bred in the village.

He said that would keep the fitness club running even if the civil servants currently at the helm were transferred.

Kgosi Puleng said that fitness activities such as aerobics could also act as entertainment, and had the potential to curb the rural-urban migration in search of entertainment.

In an interview, one club pioneer, Ms Nyaladzo Kgetse, who is also the head teacher at Gothibamang Primary School where the club is based, said the club started last year in February.

“It all just started as a result of my passion for jogging, then one day the idea of starting a club crossed my mind. So I engaged one of the teachers to start the club and later someone recommended a fitness instructor and that is how we got off the ground,” she said.

Ms Kgetse said that slowly people in the village, mostly civil servants showed interest in the club and started joining.

“As the numbers grew more instructors came forward willing to assist, and today I can proudly say that the club is not only for teachers because other government departments and even members of the community have joined,” she said.

Ms Kgetse said the only impediment to more membership was that the school where the club was based was outside the village and not easily accessible for those without vehicles.

She said at the moment the club has 30 active members.

She appealed to members of the community across all ages to join the club to help curb lifestyle diseases such as obesity.

She said the club’s activities were from Monday to Thursday after hours. One of the active members, Ms Kebabaletswe Mariri said aerobics worked wonders for the body.

“Before I joined the club I was a perennial visitor to the clinic as I had unpredictable high blood, but ever since I joined the club, my high blood has since stabilised and even the doctors have noted that,” she said.

She said she had now been advised to keep exercising as a remedy.

She also indicated that she was also struggling with her body weight and could not travel a long distance without tiring, but that had changed as she was much fit.

Other fitness clubs from as far as Lobatse, Mochudi, Molepolole, Gaborone and Gabane also came to the launch. Ends