Q&A with Jenny Baptista:

We sat down with Jenny who placed third in the Women’s Transformation category of our Summer Challenge 2023. We wanted to find out the secret to her success and she was happy to share it with us.

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Please give us a short history of your journey to health and fitness before the challenge.

I had always been a slim person, and never had to watch what I ate. But after having 3 kids, and getting older, this was no longer the case! I had done the challenge twice before but didn’t achieve the result that I wanted to. Even though I was exercising regularly, my diet was terrible, and I just couldn’t break the cycle.

What prompted you to join the Sleekgeek Transformation Challenge?

For about a decade, I had been uncomfortable in my own body and have wanted to get back to what I was used to. I didn’t feel healthy, was always tired and I knew my nutrition was bad. I knew I had to do something soon, or I was heading for health issues. I am a person that has to have a goal to work towards, and this challenge provided that for me. I kept thinking that I could be a new person in just 8 weeks! Who wouldn’t want that 🙂

Give us a quick overview of the nutrition and eating plan that you followed during the challenge.

I cut out all processed food and drinks, limited dairy severely, and only had good carbs (sweet potatoes, butternut and a few slices of low GI seed bread), along with fruit, protein, veggies, nuts. Basically, I tried to only eat foods in their natural state or cooked from their natural state with no processed ingredients. I had at least 2l of water a day as well.

Give us a quick overview of the training and exercise plan that you followed during the challenge.

I trained 6 days a week, taking 1 rest day a week where I did nothing. I love going to gym, so I did various group classes, and I also did weights and the roadblocks as set by my team that I was a part of. I did at least 8 000 steps a day, but most days I did 10 000 or more. There were days I would walk around the garden or up and down the passage just to reach my target!

If you could give 3 pieces of advice to future challengers, what would they be?

1. Be consistent right to the end – it really is the daily habits that make the difference as the weeks go by.
2. You are stronger than you think and you can do more than you thought you could. Get your mindset right!
3. Join a team – it keeps you accountable and the support is crucial to achieving your goals.

Why should people enter the challenge?

Sleekgeek gives you all the tools you need to reach your goals, not just for the challenge but as a lifestyle. The support of a team and community will help you get there quicker, especially on the days when you feel like giving up. By getting healthy both in body and mind, you improve every aspect of your life. And you just feel flipping amazing!