Having lost 29kg of excess weight through a natural process within one year, Adesola Odukomaiya, managing director, Blossom 45, a health coach and wellness mentor, gives tips to a healthy lifestyle, writes Funke Olaode
The drastic change in her physical outlook is visible. If you had known her for years, there is tendency to walk past her without saying hello because she is a familiar stranger who had dropped from 94kg to 65kg in recent time.
In fact, the entire household now enjoys healthy lifestyle. Her husband, Biola Odukomaiya, who used to weigh 124kg, now weighs 95kg while their children have also followed suit. Adesola and Biola Odukomaiya now get second glances from their neighbours at their mainland residence who are still baffled at the once massive Odukomaiyas.
Welcoming Glitterati into their Maryland residence, they look younger and trendy, both could pass for a couple in their 30s.
Alas, the Odukomaiya and his wife Adesola are both in their 40s. The healthy lifestyle they embarked on 12 months ago has taken 15 years out of their age. Excited and happy, she is set to help millions of Nigerians overcome weight through Blossom 45, an outfit floated when she turned 45.
Blossom 45 is a lifestyle change consultant that helps people to identify the problem and to be ready for a change in their lifestyle. Through her outfit, she counsels and encourages her clients to achieve their goals and stay healthy. She also recommends and cooks food by cooking calories controlled meals and healthier meals. Clients can also order their preferred meals from Blossom 45. In doing this, she will address the person’s life generally and help them overcome their challenges.
Narrating her journey into self-discovery, Odukomaiya, 45 and mother of two said losing excessive weight was a personal decision she battled for several years. “I have always been big and as a child I was tiny but at age 10 I looked chubby and started adding weight. When I was in the university I was struggling with the weight problem. I dealt with it until I got married and had my son. After my son I was watching it and visited the gym. My husband too was obese but didn’t count it as anything. I was going to the gym but not with the entire family. Now the entire family is aware of their weight because the lifestyle has to change. My 10-year-old son used to be big but now enjoys a weight-free life. I used to wear British 18/20 before and now I wear 10/12,” she said.
How long did it take her to overcome her weight problem? I asked. Gazing into her photo albums as if looking for an answer, she said, “It took me less than 12 months. It was a personal decision that I took having lost close relations between 2009 and 2013. You know, sometimes, one needs to deal with personal misfortune and get out of it fast. My mother died in 2013 and prior to that I had lost two close relations. By end of that year I said I want to turn my life around. I was going to church, listening to spiritual tapes and all that.
“It takes a lot of determination. I was determined and I kept on doing what I know how to do best, watching my mouth and going to gym. Then I had made up my mind because I wasn’t happy with my weight. I have been to different gyms trying to ward off weight but in overcoming it, it has to come from you. My husband and I and the entire household decided to turn our lifestyle around”.
Enumerating different tips to achieve a weight-free life, Odukomaiya said “if you want to lose weight make up your mind and attend to certain issues which are primary issues: relationship, exercise, spirituality and career. Also, you need to know your body system. Being on a diet is not good enough but a complete total change of lifestyle.
“That doesn’t mean you are going to deny yourself of good life. It has to do with doing everything in moderation. You have to be observant of your body and know what suits you. Do your food and blood count to be sure that your blood and energy life are right; 70 per cent food and 30 per cent exercise. You also need a lot of fluid such as water and vegetable and the last meal counts for the stomach”, she advised
Why are people going back to the same old problems? The answer, according to her, is simple. They get easily carried away and after three months they are back to square one. Weight loss, according to Odukomaiya, varies because there are some people with different genes and DNA. Just know what suits your body and be consistent, and above all, be disciplined, she advised.
Apart from health, she says a person with healthy lifestyle feels better, happier with himself or herself. “Above all, it boosts and improves your sex life. My husband used to weigh 124 kg and has come down to 94 kg. Now, he is more agile, active, higher performance, and looking attractive. The weight loss has taken 10 to 15 years out of his age,” she concluded.
THIS DAY
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