Waka Fitness: Adding convenience to fitness

Modern day lifestyle has not only brought with it unhealthy ways of life, it has literally blocked the time needed to keep fit. Our free time has been drastically minimized and whatever is left of it is taken up catching up with friends over drinks and foods that deposit calories in our bodies. Few gymnasiums have been able to provide the convenience to sneak in an hour or two of exercise in our schedules. But as difficult as it may sound, a new establishment in Kimihurura is at it. Anyone who has been to the Papyrus bar and restaurant in the past few weeks will notice that what used to be an empty unattended basement has made way to a modern furnished fitness centre. Past the entrance, on your left just before the reception, is merchandise with the gymnasium’s name “WAKA FITNESS” imprinted on them. The merchandise, ranging from yoga mats and t-shirts to bottles, are purposed to give users of the fitness centre what the proprietors call full experience. The gym has a range of equipment meant to ensure that not just muscle is built during the course of fitness, but other fitness aspects are taken care of too. The uniqueness of the centre is that prior to subscribing for a fitness programme, one is put through a sort of check up to determine your current status in terms of weight, body fat and fitness at the same time. With that, the team of trained professionals can put you on a fitness programme based on your targets and length of subscription. For physical fitness, the centre’s equipment ranges from treadmills (about eight of them) and stationary bikes amongst other equipment that is not hard to find in an ordinary gym. However according to Jeannetta Craigwell, the marketing director and one of the proprietors, what the gym boasts of is functional fitness equipment and programmes, most of which she says are hard to find in any fitness centre in the country. This is purposed to keep at bay back pains, stitches and other discomforts that are as a result of unfitness. “We are trying to move from the culture of beefing up and building muscles to being fit,” Craigwell explains. To enhance the fitness programmes, they have incorporated dance classes that include Salsa and Zumba. If you would feel intimidated by a guy lifting weights while you skip, you need not to worry; the gymnasium has been divided into areas such as heavy weights area, stretch area and play area, meaning you will walk out with your ego intact. To put up such a facility, Craigwell says they had to comb through fitness centres in the country at the same time studying the trends of people in Rwanda. A unique feature in the gym is that you can walk in during you lunch break, work out, sweat, take a shower in their locker rooms that are fitted with steam baths and a sauna then get back to work without going home to get lotion or cologne as it is all provided at the facility. A yearlong membership package will cost you an equivalent of Rwf 820,000 where they will throw in three personal training sessions that include a diet consultant, five free guest passes, five per cent off on merchandise, a free bag, t-shirt and Ipod. Monthly packages cost Rwf 125,000 and a punch pass which provides for 10 sessions in the space of six months costs Rwf 100,000. Day passes costs Rwf15, 000.