Qacha’s Nek, Feb. 24 — A fun-filled Saturday in Qacha’s Nek as Melele team dubbed Cardio Health and Fitness hosted the third annual aerobics and fitness festival for both local and international teams.
Local teams included Lesotho Defense Force (LDF), Tboss Fitness while international teams featured people from Malawi, Swaziland and South Africa.
Exercises focused on HILO, box, step and functional inclusive of teams challenges where winners walked away with trophies.
Cardio Health and Fitness owner Mr. Thabo Setlaba popularly known as Bustiz defined aerobic exercise as an activity that uses large muscle groups at the same time usually in a rhythmic way for an extended amount of time.
He said the objective of the event was to engage both local and international communities in fitness activities to promote health, wellbeing as well as encouraging potential new members to join.
Mr. Setlaba said Lesotho teams have to collaborate to grow the not so popular sport locally.
“This will not only keep people fit but also promote our country as we work with international teams,” he said.
He thanked all those who supported the initiative.
In an interview with the Agency, Eswatini team Instructor, Ms. Fikile Mziyako said the event was good.
She said participants were also good. However, they need instructors to keep the love of the sport only.
“They had good composure. Aerobics is not about weight loss but fun and stress relieving,” she said.
One of the participants, Mrs. Jane Zazaza (69) of Armstrong Tabankulu team based in Eastern Cape said she joined aerobics as a hobby in 2019 when she retired.
“I like touring so I wanted to do something to keep my body fit as a pensioner good in sports (netball and running),” said pensioner Zazaza who said she has won several elderly medals and cups since she joined.
She plans to participate in aerobics as long as she is still fits.
“Aerobics are interesting and I am happy that I joined today’s event.”
She encouraged people to keep fit while enjoying themselves even if it is a means of distressing.
“Be as happy as possible,” she said.
Aerobic exercise is said to be wonderful for overall health with benefits including decreasing depression, improving your cognitive function, lowering blood pressure, maintaining a healthy weight or losing weight, managing diabetes, regulating blood sugar and relieving stress amongst others.
