New Contributor
The Hybrid Approach
By Candice De Mendonca
To say that health , wellness and fitness have been a part of my whole life is an understatement , and my journey to date is an elaboration of this , leading to me becoming The Fitness Hybrid .
I
started running at the age of five , and that is where my life adventure and discovery began on how to better myself physically , mentally , emotionally and spiritually . My first coach was Mr Scott – my first influence and role model – and he said to me , “ Quitters never win , and winners never quit .” That profound statement has stuck with me , and today I can look back on a sporting career that included attaining SA colours for cross country , as well as Gauteng colours for hockey , athletics and swimming , all before the age of 18 .
Making it a Career Path
Even at a younger age I realised that health , wellness and fitness are interlinked – the modern catchphrase is holistic – and I need to apply myself in all these spectrums in order to reach my goals . So , when I went to the University of Johannesburg ( UJ ), I decided to study a degree in Sports Development , as I felt South Africa needed more developmental programmes to discover and help young athletes . I participated in athletics and swimming for UJ , but later dropped out of both teams in order to focus on my academics .
As part of my degree , it was compulsory to do Personal Training Studies as well as Sports Massage ( through the HFPA – Health and Fitness Professionals Association ), and we also had to do 40 shadowing hours at a gym of our choice . I therefore joined a private PT training gym called Xtreme Fitness , owned by Dorian Cabral , to do my shadowing hours , and there I absorbed all the knowledge I could possibly get . I was completely hooked by this line of work , and made it my goal to get a job offer at the gym , working under Dorian , when my hours were completed . I got the job !
Xtreme Fitness then merged with Planet Fitness Village Walk , and that ’ s where I started pushing myself to expand my experience and skills . I tried my hand at writing and my first feature article was published in Heat Magazine , and I landed some modelling jobs with FHM magazine , as well as a clothing brand called Tomboi , which in turn saw agencies signing me up for more modelling work
through 3D Model Management and Abstrakt Model Management . Since then , I have done freelance modelling – mainly pictorial , but also one ramp gig ( I ’ m not the tallest human !) – but I am always changing and reinventing myself , which is how I came to realise that I wanted my focus to be my training and my clientele . Whilst at Planet Fitness , I trained my first celeb , radio host and TV presenter Pabi Moloi , and I have been privileged to work with some amazing people over the years .
My journey into private gyms started with Wellness in Motion in Sandton , and from there I moved to Splice Gym in Killarney . That ’ s where my new role and identity The Fitness Hybrid was born . I decided to study Sports Nutrition and Advanced Sports Nutrition through Shaw Academy , and align my training knowledge with nutrition . I was so inspired by the change it made to my own life that I applied this with my clients , and three years later I started my own Meal Prep Brand called GI Jane ( focused on low-GI food , hence the name ), and I make meals for clients , too .
The Message I Share
My approach to health and fitness is based on finding balance between work and life , nutrition and diet , meditation and stress management , relaxation , and quality sleep . By adopting healthy habits across all these areas , I believe that you can ensure your mental health remains balanced , which directly contributes to your physical wellbeing and readiness to tackle challenging workouts . But it ’ s really important to realise that nutrition plays a fundamental role in overall health and fitness , as nutrition accounts for 80 % of overall health , while exercise contributes 15 %, and genetics play a minor role of 5 %.
I also believe in the importance of diversifying one ’ s training . By dedicating time to various training methods such as strength , functional , HIIT , muscular endurance , aerobic , anaerobic , plyometric exercises , balance , proprioception , and even brain exercises like playing drums , I can help my clients achieve optimal fitness , while focusing on aging healthily , promoting longevity ,
However , something that frustrates me is that throughout my career , I have encountered misconceptions about health and fitness , and I have made it my mission to debunks these myths , such as an intolerance being the same as an allergy , that dairy and gluten are universally bad , or that weight-lifting makes one bulky . I also emphasise that the number on the scale is not the sole indicator of overall health . That said , my work has brough me great joy through the years , helping people to live their best lives , and I am excited about contributing articles to Modern Athlete to reach an even wider audience .
Images : Pexels & courtesy Candice De Mendonca
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