I never knew what it was like to enjoy being active

Published in 2016

A day in the life of a Women’s Health assistant editor is not all glamourous events and sipping champagne while rubbing shoulders with South Africa’s most beautiful people. Wanita Nicol wakes up at 5am to hit the gym with her husband or to head out to a Red Sock Run. After a long day at her desk she sometimes heads back to the gym in the evenings to sweat out the day but she’ll be in bed by 10pm.

Wanita’s busy schedule means she has to get the most out of her day in the shortest possible time so the opts for functional training rather than exercising for the sake of it. “It has to be fun,” says Wanita. “Even when I’m at the gym, you’ll usually find me in the functional area, playing around with medicine balls and battle ropes or hanging from the Queenax. At the moment I do callisthenics training in the gym – bodyweight training that’s based on gymnastics and yoga movements.”

Wanita likes to try to cover all forms of workout, so she starts with a long mobility warm up that focuses on getting the joints loosened up and the muscles warm rather than static stretching. She then powers into a series of super sets that combine an upper body workout with a lower body exercise and includes some core work. “The moves are all fun and functional, like how you would play as a child – handstands, monkey bars, that kind of thing,” she says.

We’re not sure where she finds the time but she’s also into Krav Maga – a military self-defence style – pole dancing, running, and yoga.

Wanita’s road to wellness as an all-or-nothing person

Being an assistant editor at Women’s Health, Wanita is exposed to a lot of the latest research around health and wellness and has adopted a moderate approach to her own health. She eats what she enjoys but in smaller portions and works out most days of the week. But she didn’t always follow such a healthy lifestyle.

“Before my wedding, I went on a drastic diet where two meals a day were shakes and I worked out like a demon (I actually did the Springbok rugby off-season training programme!). Of course that wasn’t sustainable, so after the wedding, I gained a lot of weight,” says Wanita. “Now, when I train twice a day, it’s because I’m trying to fit in two activities that I really enjoy, not because I’m some crazy person obsessed with getting a six-pack. And I’ll always go easy in the morning if I know I’m training again later.” She has also consulted a dietitian to help her determine her ideal diet without having to give up her favourite foods or her preferred schedule.

“I just try to watch my portion sizes,” she explains. “So if I want some dark chocolate, I’ll have a block or two, but I won’t demolish the whole slab.” Except, of course, on cheat days when Wanita’s favourite meal is home-made chicken nachos with goat’s cheese and guacamole, accompanied by a glass of wine.

Goal-focus and future-focus for success

Wanita’s is very goal-focused, so naturally she’s planning lots of interesting goals. Her first goal is to do a human flag – where you grip a climbing bar and lift your body parallel to the floor. Not an easy feat. “I also really want to nail a pistol squat,” says Wanita. This is a one-legged squat in which the off-leg is lifted parallel to the ground as you squat on the other leg.

In Wanita’s experience, getting fit and healthy is about having fun: “Whether that’s dance or martial arts or rock climbing, start with that. If you make that one healthy change, you’ll find the rest just happens naturally.” For Wanita, it was Krav Maga that started her on her fitness journey. “I never knew what it was like to enjoy being active until I tried Krav,” she says.