Student inspires his peers to improve their lives through living his best life

Published in 2015

Charl-Stephan Nienaber wasn’t always the healthy, fit young man he is today. Only a few short years ago he was overweight and unhealthy; until one day he made the decision to improve his life and change his habits for the better. This is the story of how Charl-Stephan went from unhealthy child to aspiring triathlete inspiring his university peers.

Fourth-year student Charl-Stephan Nienaber trains twice a day – four days a week. For another two days a week he trains three times a day. “I rest on a Sunday,” says Charl-Stephan. Overall, this young multisport athlete trains between 17 and 20 hours a week. But he wasn’t always as healthy as he is at the moment.

When he was 8 years old, Charl-Stephan started his sporting career by playing rugby. He was overweight and dominated the rugby field because of his size. “I recall weighing 53 kg when I was 11,” says Charl-Stephan. His weight was of great concern to his family; his father is very physically active and his mother is a dietitian.

“Many years passed before I realised the damage I was doing to my body and the unhappiness I was causing my family,” says Charl-Stephan. “Only once I had decided for myself that I needed to change, could I accomplish it. No one can change the situation for you, you have to make that decision for yourself.”

He decided to make a change at the very young age of 14 and lost 17 kg in six months. “This was no easy task,” he says, “and it took serious self-discipline and self-control to reach my goal weight.” His parents supported him throughout by acknowledging his improvements and motivating him. His sister encouraged him to exercise with her and his mother cooked special lower kilojoule foods for him. “By setting a good example for your kids on what a healthy diet looks like and supporting your kids by encouraging them, you can make a huge difference in your child’s life,” says Charl-Stephan.

His father, a keen Duathlete, inspired him to enter an off-road Duathlon in his third year and he did well. The bug had bitten and he entered a triathlon, for which he placed third overall. He joined the Tuks triathlon squad and has benefitted from the professional coaching the team enjoys: he has qualified for the XTERRA World Championships in Hawaii.

Besides his goal to race alongside elite triathletes, Charl-Stephan’s passion is to show young people that the decisions they make now affect their health. He is a student leader, helping younger students to improve their lives by showing them how to live healthier lives.

His success in triathlons has helped him to lead by example and he is often asked for advice by other residents. “This gives me a sense of achievement because it means that they trust my advice and look up to my way of living,” says Charl-Stephan.

Ahead of the Discovery Duathlon Sandton in October, Charl-Stephan went for a Discovery Vitality Elite Fitness Assessment in August. He had recently been injured while training, and having his fitness thoroughly assessed was useful for his future training. “They showed me the areas that are prone to injury and gave me exercises to do to reduce my chance of getting injured,” says Charl-Stephan. In addition, the assessment also provided him with plenty of information on how to phase his training to be ready for an event.

Charl-Stephan is looking to earn his master’s degree in engineering, but he’s also hoping to qualify for the ITU Triathlon World Championship next year.

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