Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 105, April 2018 | Page 29

I train too hard to be on a bad diet, as poor food affects my
energy levels.”
To those who also dream of accomplishing a sporting goal,
Dumi says: “Have a plan and stick to it. Remove ‘I can’t’ and
‘I don’t have time’ from your vocabulary. I also find having
a buddy or training with a group makes you disciplined,
even on days when you don’t feel like training. You become
accountable to your training partner, you motivate each other,
and it becomes more fun. Do something that you love and
enjoy, and I promise you, you will meet your goals. You will see
results.”
MAKE IT FUN
She adds that you need to focus on maintaining a healthy
lifestyle every day, but you should still make it enjoyable. “If
it’s fun, you are more likely to continue with it, and Discovery
Vitality has made this healthy lifestyle more fun. I have Vitality
Active Rewards and this pushes me to train in order to meet
my weekly targets. My team members and I check up on each
other achieving our targets, so it goes back to the idea of
accountability – you’re in it for the team.”
“I’m a Discovery Vitality member on Diamond status so the
rewards help a lot in that you get cash back and discounts on
many of the items that you need to achieve your goals, such
as training gear, fitness devices, healthy food, travel discounts,
gym memberships and so on. Added to this, the annual health
screening tests make you aware of your health status and if
you’re not within healthy ranges for things like cholesterol,
blood glucose and blood pressure, you get a wake-up call to
change your unhealthy habits.”
Since starting training, Dumi says she is more energetic and
more focused. “I now look after my health, as I know the
consequences if I don’t. I’m doing things that I never thought
I was capable of. I am trail running in breathtaking places
that I never knew existed; I have met incredible like-minded
individuals and made valuable friendships. I feel so much
more confident, and it’s amazing to focus on something, see
great results, and as a bonus, have fun doing it!”
READY FOR THE NEXT CHALLENGE
Besides the Cape Town event, Dumi has also done her first
international event this year, at the Ironman 70.3 Dubai. “It
was also an amazing experience, with the race village full of
athletes from all over the world. The organisers really went
all out. The best part for me was getting through the swim,
because the water was very choppy and a lot of swimmers
pulled out, but I told myself I am going to keep going. I decided
that they can cut me off if I don’t make it in time, but I won’t
give up, because if I keep pulling out of races when the going
gets rough, I will never know if I am winning or losing.”
In spite of swallowing a fair amount of salt water and feeling
a bit sick when she came out of the water, Dumi powered
through the bike and run legs to add yet another tri medal
to her growing collection, as she continues to smash old
boundaries and new goals for herself, which include the
Ironman 70.3 Turkey this coming October. She now sports
a leaner frame at 69kg, and dramatically lower cholesterol
levels, and says her achievements have attracted the support
of friends, colleagues and family. “They are thrilled that in the
process of pushing my body to new limits, I have found new
happiness and joy.”
29