Former Kenyan coach cashes in on demand for healthy lifestyle

Increased demand for healthy living solutions motivated Japheth Amimo’s to start a wellness consultancy last year.

After years of working in different health clubs and seeing some of the issues affecting people due to poor lifestyle and posture Mr Amimo, 42, decided to open up a business that would help them find tailor-made options to improve their fitness.

The company Wellness Solutions works with individuals and companies to create health awareness.

“After years of working in gyms I have seen people’s needs to be healthy and some of the major issues affecting us. I decided to take a different approach,” he said. “I decided to take the risk.”

He said his objective is to address health complications that can be remedied beforehand through an ideal work-out, correcting posture and a healthy lifestyle.

Instead of opening a gym and offering personal training, he invested in offering comprehensive analysis of health issues and fitness solutions.

He has invested about Sh1.5 million from different sources including personal savings, in different computer software, equipment and staff. He has on board three experts in health and fitness mainly trained at Kenyatta University.

After a 20-year career as a gym instructor and manager of some of the leading health clubs in Nairobi, including a stint as recreation manager at the UN, he opted to set up the business and use his expertise to reach a wider range of people.

“Demand is high as people are becoming more conscious about their lifestyle and the consequences,” he said.

Poor posture, especially from sitting for long hours without interruption may lead to short and long-term damage.

One of the services offered by Wellness Solutions is workstation analysis, where they help corporates to improve employees’ working area to reduce posture related health issues.

Mr Amimo says the uptake for the service has been slow due to bureaucracy in organisations.

One of the company’s growing programmes are the monthly Boot Camps held in Karura Forest.

A training session for two hours where participants undergo different workouts with trained instructors in the refreshing forest environment a cost of Sh1,000.

“We started in February and we have seen it grow to an average of 30 people every month,” he said.