Our health writer caught up with comedian and dancer Siv Ngesi.
You don’t work in a conventional industry with standard working hours. How do you keep your body fit and when do you find time to rest?
I can rest when I am dead. Just kidding. Jokes aside though, my secret is daily naps whenever I can because they recharge my body and mind. Working out is like your day job, find something you love and enjoy and you will never work a day in your life. Boxing is so much fun. I have always hated gym but last year I started boxing and now gym seems like a distant mirror-filled-ego-driven-nightmare.
What does being fit mean to you?
Being fit is like being body rich, it’s an incredible investment… So start investing like yesterday.
What health tips to do you have to share with our readers who might not always have access to a gym or gym equipment?
Anything around the house can be turned into gym equipment and if you can put one foot in front of the other, you have no excuse. Go for a walk or a run. But I find working out with a friend keeps you motivated. Being fat is so last season!
Strictly come dancing is a completely different work out compared to standard gym. How did you train for it?
I have new found respect for dancers, they should have it in the Olympics. I started boxing four days a week for two months before I started Strictly Come dancing and as fit as I was, all that work didn’t help at all. Dancing is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life because we dance seven to eight hours a day, for a full week. I have a band that counts my steps and in a day I take 17 500 steps, which is equal to 13.5km.
What is a healthy meal to you?
“A meal with as many different colours as possible”, is what my mother used to say.
I say that a healthy meal is one that gives the body what it needs, something from all the different food groups.
You work in an industry where your life is public. Are there pressures to keep fit and look good at all times?
Yes there is a lot of pressure to look good but I keep fit for myself.
Pap, samp and bread are a favourite African meal. Do you indulge or do you follow a strict diet?
I love my African meals, which is one of the reasons why I miss living with my mommy. I hardly ever watch what I eat, unless I am training for a shoot or a personal challenge. My trick is, eat whatever if you can and work super hard to burn it all off but once a year I do a full month diet (low carbs, no fat, no sugar and high protein), in the final week I have an all juice detox to clean my body.
Ladies love men with six packs and you’ve shared pictures of yours on social media. How hard is it to get and keep?
Correction, I put up pictures of my eight pack and not my six pack, lol I just had to say that. The secret to perfect abs is to follow a good diet, do intense cardio like running and do ab exercises like crunches and sit-ups. Abs are like a lady, one wrong move and they could leave you and the pictures are the only proof that you ever had them.
