We are used to seeing them well-turned out in expensive suits, chairing board meetings or mingling with their equals at different events. Rarely will you see a company’ chief executive officer in sweat shirts or jogging suits, punishing themselves at the gym or a jogging track.
Yet because of their very demanding jobs, they, more than anyone else in the corporate world, need time to de-stress after each rough day at the office.
So how do our CEO’s sweat away a hard day from the office? How do they keep fit enough to face each new day without looking sluggish and worn-out? EVELYN SITUMA spoke to a few of them who shared with us how they keep fit.
Richard Bell, CEO Wananchi Group
Bell is an ardent athlete and is proud of having been part of a number of sporting activities such as running, cycling and rugby in his youth. His highlight in rugby was when he played for Nondies. He still makes sure he goes water skiing in Naivasha and snow skiing in Austria.
Timothy Simiyu, 31 Director, Achi Horse Riding School
Timothy has spent most of his life on horse back and today runs a horse riding school in Karen, Nairobi. To date, horse riding remains his favourite fitness activity. However, his busy schedule allows him to exercise only over the weekend. Horse riding is demanding and needs fit individuals and that’s why he has to keep up.
Peter Nduati, 43, CEO Resolution Insurance
Every morning at 5.30am, Mr Nduati signs in at the Impala Club gym on Ngong Road, Nairobi, ready for exercise. He spends time on the treadmill, cross-trainer, lifting and pushing weights. He has set aside four days of the week for exercise and ensures he never misses even when away on business travel.
“When booking my hotel accommodation, I must check to see if they have a gym and squeeze time for exercise no matter how little,” says the ardent athlete who played rugby and basketball competitively before he took a break because of work responsibilities and turned to the gym.
He also goes dancing once a month as an alternative to his gym workouts. New Jack swing is his favourite. Nduati took to sport as a student at Dagoretti High School.
“I played rugby for Impala RFC for 16 years,” says the 6 foot 6 -tall executive who is one of the club’s directors. “After retiring from the sport, I decided to keep active in other ways in order to keep healthy and sharp.”
He says improved energy levels and achieving targets are his motivation. He also is keen on ageing gracefully and keeping disease at bay through exercise.
“I have to keep healthy and be careful about lifestyle related diseases as I get older. The only way to do that is exercise and a balanced diet,” he adds.
Rose Mambo, 44, CEO Central Depository and Settlement Corporation
Rose Mambo plays golf to stay fit and is among celebrated female golfers in the country. She has actively taken on golfing for several years as a way of keeping fit. She took up golfing five years ago after watching her husband tee off on the greens for sometime.
Now, she cannot imagine going through a week without playing her favourite sport. She as today improved her handicap tremendously. She starts off her day in the office early and makes sure end the end of the day, she can make time for her exercise and family.
Golf become a sort of family event where they get time to bond since her husband and two older children aged 21 and 17 have also taken interest in the sport. Her 12-year-old daughter is also keen to join the game.
Monday evenings are clearly marked out on her calendar for her golfing practice. She sets out to the greens and covers an 8KM distance which is equal to a person jogging the same distance, walking or running on the treadmill at the gym.
She has always loved sports right from her high school days in Kenya High, when she led the school’s basketball team. She was also active in swimming and other sporting activities and continued with sports such as rugby when she went to University in the US.
“But my body took a beating and I soon said “enough”. So I bought a treadmill and kept to it,” she said.
Mrs Mambo also uses her work-out time as an opportunity to improve her handicap which is now at 13 from 36 when she first started the game.
“For me, playing golf is not just a weekly exercise but a chance to improve my handicap,” she says.
Her advice to other executives is to find an activity they enjoy doing in order to keep fit.
Joe Mucheru, 46, Google Kenya Country manager
The Stanford University business graduate loves golf though he says it is not part of this active life. He plays golf once a month, but observes serious gym workouts in the evening and one hour jogging sessions every morning.
Mucheru jogs with the help of a trainer from 5.30am to 6.30am. In the evenings, he makes his way to the gym at Muthaiga Golf Club for another intense session - this time to tone the muscles and keep fit.
He is a member of Muthaiga, Railways and Nyahururu golf clubs so he has no excuse for out on his daily routines even when he is upcountry.
Dr Charles Kariuki, 46, Cardiologist, Nairobi Hospital
A crusader for healthy living, Dr Kariuki has turned his love for the outdoors into a fitness regime whenever his busy schedule allows. He tries to ensure that he keeps an active life when away from the operating theatre.
His two-and a half acre home in a leafy suburb off Kiambu Road provides the perfect getaway for this busy doctor and he makes sure to set time aside for his exercise routine every weekend.
“One of the reasons I looked for a home with enough space is so that I don’t make an excuse for missing out on my walks,” he said.
He works out for half an hour three times a week with 30 minutes of brisk walking in the evening and 30 minutes of jogging in the morning before he leaves for work.
“Ideally I should do four to five times a week but of late, I have not been that aggressive,” he said. “But whenever I get an opportunity, I make sure I do physical work. One of my hobbies is making furniture so I make sure I spend time with my carpenter restoring old furniture.”
He has installed floodlights in every corner of the compound to light up the track for his early morning and late night walks. He also walks around the Ridgeways area every Saturday evening, sometimes alternating this with jogging sessions.
“I spend most of my day with patients, either in the clinic or operating theatre, which leaves me with very little time for much else. That’s why I have to make a conscious effort to exercise both my mind and body,” he explains.
To motivate him further, Dr Kariuki uses his work out time to also keep up with what is happening in the medical field.
“My doctor friends and I exercise with our scientific video tapes on because that is the only way to keep up-to-date with information,” he says.
He also has a green house and vegetable garden where you will find him busy tending to his vegetables on the weekend as another of his fitness tactic.
While away on business travel, the gym becomes the most convenient work out place for him. He spends time on the treadmill, cycling and lifting light weights. Dr Kariuki led his high school teammates to the basketball championships while at St Patrick’s High School Iten.
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