FITNESS trainer and rugby enthusiast, Henwill Kesa from Pellsrus in Jeffreys Bay, recently established his fitness-training programme to help young people in his area to take care of themselves and stay away from negative elements in the community.
Kesa, the founder of KesFit Workouts, started playing rugby at St Patrick’s Primary School in Humansdorp at the age of 13.
He continued playing under the leadership of Jannie Loggenberg, who was the coach for the first team, when he started at Humansdorp Secondary School.
Regrettably, Kesa fell into a pattern of drug-abuse at age 14 years old, which almost destroyed his life.
Despite his involvement with drugs, his passion for rugby gave him the motivation to stop using and instead focus on sport.
“Rugby changed my life – that’s why I love the sport so much,” he says.
Kesa, who currently plays for the Jeffreys Bay Rugby Club, continued with club rugby throughout high school and later as an adult.
Kesa has always been interested in fitness, but since the start of the nationwide lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic five months ago, he found a new passion for exercising.
In a bid to remain fit for the next rugby season, Kesa started jogging, doing home workouts, and following a strict diet.
As the lockdown restrictions were lifted, he started exercising on the beach.
After four months of doing this alone, Kesa was joined by his friend, Selwyn Andrews, to work out on the beach every morning and at a friend’s house later from Monday to Saturday.
“Now that I am fit, my body feels good and I feel healthy. My mind is open, and I am able to make good decisions,” said Kesa.
The positive effect of exercise on his body and mental health, prompted Kesa to help young people in his community. By focusing on taking care of them through exercising, it keeps them away from negative elements in their area.
“I have been through so many negative things before and I do not want the other youth to go through the same things. Sometimes, all that young people need is someone to show them how to occupy their time with positive things, without the need to get involved with bad things.”
With help from Andrews, KesFit Workouts’ fitness programme was established in June and offers a better, stronger, and healthy life for all ages.
Currently, Kesa’s focus is on the youth, but he aims at expanding his business to train people of all ages.
Apart from training, the fitness programme also provides meal plans to encourage healthier food choices.
On average, Kesa trains 12 people a day at various beaches in Jeffreys Bay from Monday to Saturday.
He offers morning and afternoon sessions for 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the individual.
“I use the beach for training because it allows for social distancing and the sand makes for a more challenging workout,” says Kesa.
His next project is to open a fully equipped gym.
For more information, contact Henwill Kesa at 073 027 3871.
