Being overweight comes with different side effects. Apart from the unhealthy side effects on the physical body, it may affect how you perceive yourself and how people perceive you. Losing weight is generally good for your health. Weight loss lessens the risk of many internal diseases like diabetes and arthritis.
Losing body fats can be quite an enduring and time-taking process. It can be very challenging, most notably in Nigeria, to lose weight for some reasons, which will be identified in this post.
· Cost of Food and Healthy Living
Apart from exercise and workout routines, the advantage of a diet plan cannot be overemphasised. Most diet plans include legumes, roots and tubers, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat fish. However, foods like carbohydrates are the most common and cheapest parts of Nigerian foods. They include garri, rice, fufu, yam, and bread. Eating rice every day seems cheaper than having lemons or bananas every day. Fruits are also very perishable due to a lack of constant electricity to preserve them, and this means you might be buying for a day or two to avoid wastage. In a sense, it may seem expensive to eat healthy in Nigeria.
· Unstable Security
Security challenges are a thing of concern in Nigeria. Now the question is, how does this relate to weight loss? Many joggers can’t leave their houses before 7am because of the fear of being attacked, kidnapped, or raped. This fear is heightened among women because they are the primary targets. Many of them can’t take corners while jogging or even jog alone because of the insecurity in Nigeria.
In most developed countries, the surveillance system is 100%, where any crime committed is recorded, and evidence can be gathered from it. It is regarded as the best response from law enforcement to ensure security. However, this surveillance system is unavailable in Nigeria. Therefore, it is easy for wrongdoers to commit an evil act and get away with it.
So most people have to wait till daybreak around the hour of 7am to jog, which makes it impossible for working-class people who have to be at work on or before 7am.
· Lack of Equipment and Poor Electricity Supply
Nigerians improvise on so many things that make workouts very inconvenient and uncomfortable. This can slow down the process of weight loss or fitness goals generally. This is because the cost of equipment seems higher in Nigeria. Although it may seem way cheaper abroad, the value of the Naira makes it appear pretty expensive. This makes some gyms and individuals in Nigeria to improvise.
When a gym does not have specific equipment, they develop local ones, which in most cases are more challenging to work with and can be harmful to your body and health.
Electricity is also a major issue. Without electricity, certain equipment can’t be powered or used in the gyms. An example is a treadmill. Also, without steady electricity, maintaining a diet plan may be challenging as you may not be able to preserve the perishables you have acquired.
· Bad Coaches
The rate of unemployment in Nigeria is a challenge known worldwide. This has made some people go into any profession they think is profitable. Many coaches seem to be just after the money and nothing more. They are really not interested in their clients’ welfare. Some don’t even know the first thing about working out; they just watch a few videos or make use of apps, and that’s all. They may end up being ineffective in helping you with your weight loss plan.
Do you face any personal challenge not mentioned in this post? If yes, kindly share it with us in the comment section. Thank you.
