Physical fitness training prospers in Namibia despite pandemic.

   WINDHOEK, Mar 1 -- Every third day, Prosper Absalom goes to the gym to keep fit.
   Absalom, who works in Namibia's capital Windhoek, joined the gym after a few failed attempts to get fit and build his dream body independently.
   "It helps me keep fit, enables me to re-mould my body shape as well as eat healthier and leaner. More so given that good health and general fitness is encouraged amid the COVID-9 pandemic," he said on Sunday.
   According to Absalom, at the gym, he worked out at the trainer's instruction until he was well-versed with tenets of the gym.
   He is not the only one. Exercising and physical fitness is increasingly becoming a part of many city dwellers.
   Nico Sitemo from Windhoek resolved to join the gym after a health scare.
   "With advice from a health specialist, I decided to eat healthier food and keep fit. The gym was the ideal place for my transformation," he said.
   He never looked back.
   The fitness model is not limited to indoor training in the gym but also to outdoor exercising.
   Andy Gillet, based in the city, said that she prefers exercising outdoors and in a group.
   "I aim to lose some weight and improve my general health," she said.
   Most dwellers also make use on trainers to achieve their fitness goals.
   Vemuna Kanduu runs Can Do Fitness Boot camp in Windhoek. Kanduu, the leading fitness trainer and coach at the boot camp, said that the number of people signing up at the boot camp had grown immensely.
   "We provide general body fitness guidance to clients. More so, to provide a place for people to unwind after work," Kanduu said.
   Meanwhile, more people sign up for gym and fitness boot camps to lose weight.
   "I feel I am overweight, so my wish is to shed off some and attain my body size. It is really about personal transformation and growth," said Maria Namises, who trains at a local gym.
   Trainers and coaches also provide information on nutrition and diets to help locals achieve their body weight goals and maintain.
   The efforts are envisaged to contribute to the country's goals of improved public health and nutritional value prospects. Official statistics by the Namibian government show that an estimated 25.4 percent of female adults above the age of 18 and 7.5 percent of adult men in Namibia are living with obesity. While the World Health Organisation has projected that 300 million people are likely to be obese by 2025.
   "Physical exercising and activity is also highly recommended in the management of COVID-19 patients," said Theo-Ben Kandetu, leader of the Management Cases Pillar in the Ministry of Health and Social Services.
   In the interim, the rise in locals signing up for the gym and other fitness programmes has created employment opportunities for locals like Kanduu.
   "I do this part-time, and I yield dual benefits. The first is making an impact and changing lives through fitness. The last is the incentives derived from the fitness programme," he concluded.  Xinhua