When Rendani Nefale started exercising it was merely a way to pass the time. But she soon discovered that the gym was more than just a cure for boredom — she found her passion. With consistency and determination, Rendani lost 11 kilos and transformed the shape of her body. Here’s how she did it…
Rendani Nefale
City: Johannesburg
Age: 22 years old
Occupation: Student
Weight before: 73.2 Kg
Weight after: 62.1 Kg
Time to reach current weight: 1 year
Secret weapon: Loving what you do.
How It All Started
Rendani wasn’t really into fitness or nutrition before she started on her journey. “I was never really active before my fitness journey, and I was too lazy to actually exercise,” she says. She was also a self-confessed chocoholic, “I was obsessed with chocolate and eating too many snacks. Before embarking on my fitness journey, I used to drink a lot of soda,” she explains. Like many of us, she battled with body insecurities and self-acceptance. “In high school, I had moments where I would feel very insecure about my body or the way I look, as well as the colour of my skin. I’ve always had a big personality, so I never really cared about what people said or thought about me,” she says.
In 2017, Rendani and her friend were bored one day and decided to pass some time in the gym, “I can’t say we actually did any constructive workouts on that day.” But soon she got hooked on the gym environment. Not knowing much about working out, Rendani started watching workout videos, “I fell in love with watching workout videos on YouTube and I binge watched fitness videos every day. Through watching videos, I realised that I was in love with weight training.”
Taking what she learnt from the videos, she ventured into the weights section of the gym and never looked back. Within a few months, Rendani started seeing results which helped to spark her passion for fitness.
READ MORE: “I Gained 21 Kilos And I’ve Never Been Happier”
How She Does It
When it comes to Rendani’s daily exercise routine, she says that each session is dedicated to a muscle group. “Usually I do lower body two to three days every week and then split upper body for the rest of the days. Depending on how busy I am with school, sometimes I train six days a week, even seven when am really excited. And then when am super busy it’s three or four times a week,” she explains.
Rendani says that she doesn’t follow a ‘diet’ as such, but rather cuts down on certain foods. “I have just cut down my sugar intake and right now I’m sticking to drinking lots of water and ice tea. I am slowly cutting down on eating unhealthy food,” she explains.
As for how she keeps herself motivated, Rendani says that she reminds herself about how fitness has changed her body. She goes on to say that she no longer gets sick and she’s healthier than she’s ever been. She says her concentration has improved and emotionally she’s more positive. “This helps me stay motivated and helps me push even more at the gym,” she says. As for those insecurities, Rendani says that fitness has helped her gain confidence in herself and her abilities. “My life now is the best that it has ever been, I have never felt so comfortable in my skin. My confidence level has increased dramatically and I’ve learned to love and appreciate myself no matter what,” she exclaims.
READ MORE: “I Gained 13 Kilos Of Muscle By Tracking My Calories”
Rendani’s Tips
Just go for it: “You’ll never know if you can do it unless you try.”
Be your own body goal: “You should remember that everybody is different and that your body is unique. You can never be identical to someone else.”
Don’t rely on the scale: “I prefer using a tape measure or progress pictures because that’s where you actually see real results.”
