Star actress, Kate Henshaw, needs little or no introduction. Speaking with The Nation, Kate, talked about her work out regime, its impact and more.
Read excerpts from the interview
Also, there are videos of you working out
Yes ooo. Everybody is working out, why is my own strange?
It’s like power work-out
(Laughs) I don’t understand. People around the world work out, even much better than me. I can understand that it is a novelty here in Nigeria but we’re lazy, very lazy. We just like to eat, eat, eat. We like to sit, sit, sit. In the house, car, office. We don’t like to move. But when we travel, we walk to the shops, to the train stations, we walk around. So, mine is to just get a lot of people working out and telling them that age or whatever is not a barrier.
A professional fitness trainer complained that your workout was very tough
Can you imagine? Maybe she’s doing light workout. Me, it’s heavy. I do intense workout. I’m used to it. I’m addicted totally. No shame.
Why did you begin it?
I would say in secondary school (Federal Government Girls College, Calabar), I was quite sporty. I got the prize for most versatile student. I did everything. I played basketball for my secondary school. I did hockey, volleyball, badminton, track and field, long jump, high jump. But after a while, you get to a place where you just want different things for yourself. So, I started exercising. It was scary, it was painful, headaches, malaria, body pains, everything. But, I’m glad that I chose a fit lifestyle. Like in five years, I’ve not been to the hospital or anything. No headache, malaria, typhoid – all gone.
Some Nigerian entertainers have found it challenging taking care of their health and have resorted to begging the public. In what ways can this be stemmed? How do you see this situation?
Let me say this as you have said abegging. People already see us up there like a roof over a house. It sorts of bring you down, not even as an actor but as a human being. It’s okay to enjoy yourself, but are you doing your periodic checks? Do you have insurance for your healthcare? Why should members of the public have to come and give you money because you’re ill? What happens to them? Who gives them money? People look at us as role models and we now bring ourselves down by begging. I don’t support it. But members of the public, if they want to help, yes. But at the end of the day, it’s a personal choice to decide to look after yourself. This work that we’re doing is very stressful, extremely stressful.
When we work hard, we play even harder. Some people would drink, party, just to relieve stress. At the end of the day, you owe it to yourself to be healthy. You owe it to yourself to visit your doctor, even for the slightest pain. Women for cervical cancer, breast cancer, men, prostate cancer, you have to check yourself. It’s very important. That money you spend going to the doctor will save you a whole lot.
