I registered for a gym membership at Virgin Active in 2023 because I was quite overzealous about my fitness and looking like a gym bro. Two years later, I’m far from reaching my goals.

Lack of discipline is what pulled me back from achieving my summer body transformation. I may have disappointed myself in the past, but I feel like I’ll achieve the results I’m aiming for this time around.

I’ve noticed that there are quite a lot of factors involved in fetching a summer body — your diet, the gym you go to, the company you keep, and most importantly, consistency. I’ll start with the diet.

Diet

It’s been 3 weeks since I went back to the gym and discipline has kept me away from unhealthy food and alcohol. I haven’t had a drink in at least 16 days. I was tempted during the roast of Helen Zille by a friend — see, this is why you need to choose your company carefully.

But seriously, my friend and I are on the same journey, so we just decided to break our own rules and have a little fun. And that’s important.

At least once a week, break your own rules to reward yourself for the good work you’ve been doing the whole week. Just don’t overdo it.

What do I eat?
My mornings are quite simple. I have oats for breakfast and coffee — no sugar or milk in my coffee. I also mix Mass Gainer protein and milk as a pre-workout. I usually add it to the oats after cooking them for 3 minutes.

After working out, I take the Mass Gainer protein again with milk (sometimes with water). I’ll also get a protein smoothie from KAUAI if I’m feeling fancy.

But on a normal day, I have rice and chicken breasts, or rice and mince, or pasta (usually penne or spaghetti) with chicken breasts or mince.

I also add 2 eggs to these meals. What I have for lunch is usually what I have for dinner. I always try to have more meat than rice or pasta.

Remember to drink lots of water — at least 2 litres a day.
I must confess, I usually fail to hit this goal, but I’m trying.

Am I seeing a difference with this diet?
Yes. I’m noticing some face fat loss, I’m also gaining muscle on my legs, and my chest is beginning to look ribbed.

The Gym You Go To Matters

I have a national membership at Virgin Active, but I work out at the Waterfall branch. It has stunning views of the Waterfall Estate, Mall of Africa, and surrounding areas.

Your mind won’t feel stifled as you do difficult workouts. Plus there’s a Kauai right there.

I train during the day when the gym isn’t as packed as it is during peak hours (usually 06:00–09:00 and 17:00–20:00). My friend and I jokingly call our workout hours the “Housewives period” because that’s literally when all the housewives are at the gym.

The good part about this is you don’t have to fight for machines with anyone. No one will be bothering you asking how many sets you have left, and you don’t have to deal with unclean bathrooms or crowded change rooms.

They actually have a lot of machines — some of which I haven’t even used. But my go-to machines are:

• The treadmill
• The Smith machine (for squats and core workouts)
• The Stairmaster – twice a week, non-negotiable, for 10 minutes
• The ab bench – it’s becoming my favourite.
• The ski machine
• The chest press

Remember to stretch — stretch before and after your workout.
Sometimes, you might even have to stretch in between workouts.

The gym you go to matters because it contributes to your gym consistency. If you’re like me and hate crowded changing rooms, you’ll probably get discouraged easily.

I love the Virgin Active Waterfall branch because there’s a level of professionalism from the staff — among many other things.

I do think they could improve a bit when it comes to cleaning the changing rooms more often. Also, I need the water to be extremely hot — it’s winter now, warm water won’t do the trick.

But Here’s Another Issue They Could Try Solve… KAUAI

I’m not a difficult consumer. Very few things upset me as a customer. As a business, your staff must be friendly. A simple “hello, how may I help you?” is okay — and KAUAI Waterfall staff easily pass that one.

Secondly, your service must be timely. Not a lot of people want to hang out at the gym. KAUAI Waterfall gets this one right, too.

But third — and most important — serve your customers a high-quality product, especially if it’s food. And this is where KAUAI Waterfall keeps failing me.

Their smoothies, in my experience, are not the best. I’ve always found stuff in there that doesn’t belong. Some odd, jelly-like residue that clearly didn’t belong in my smoothie. My guess? Cross-contamination between blends. Not cool.

KAUAI Waterfall — I give you a 4/10. Please improve the quality of your products.

Consistency & The Company You Keep

The cold season we’re in now doesn’t help at all when I’m trying to be consistent. But what fuels my zeal for gym is the ultimate vision to be a better person than I was. I don’t want to look at myself at the end of the year and still think, “That needs to change.”

Another motivational factor is that I don’t feel like myself when I don’t go to the gym. Working out has become an integral part of my life.

Something feels off when I skip — it affects my mood, my general outlook, and how I take on the day.

The company you keep is important in reaching your gym goals. I have one friend who’s as enthusiastic about gym as I am (I absolutely need more gym friends — hit me up in the comments).

A gym partner is like an accountability partner. You won’t just be disappointing yourself if you skip the gym — and I know many of us don’t like to disappoint our friends.

What’s My Ideal Body Goal?

I want to be lean. Not too buff and not too thin.
My goal is to achieve a body like that of @nathanlawrence_ — check him out.

@nathanlawrence_

Do these workouts if you want to grow a bigger chest 💪🏽 If you want to get shredded for summer check my profile for the summer shred 🔗

♬ original sound – editing audios

I’m looking forward to achieving this goal, but most importantly, I’m looking forward to being healthy and fit.