The following are excerpts from an interview with the founder of Daniel Kanu Fitness and Lifestyle magazine.

I would have never guessed that you’re approaching 46 years old.

Thank you.

You’re welcome. Could you divulge the secret for how you keep your body looking so young?

[laughs] Well to be honest, the secret is to always think like a kid. Age is in your mind. If you think “old” you’ll be old, but if you think “young” you’ll be young. Try to do the same physical activities you did when you were young. For example, I still use the same workout regimen that I started when I was 18 years old. If you snooze, you lose, and your body may not be able to catch back up with your old routine. This is why it’s so important to stick with a routine when you have one, and not to let yourself slack off.

Thank you, that’s sound advice. Could you give our readers some general tips or insight about how to improve health without too much time and energy?

First of all I want to say that there is always time to take care of your health. Some people would argue that they are too busy, but at the end of the day life is a book of choices. Health should be a priority, and there are many simple ways you can take health into your own hands- even things as simple as dietary choices.

What other commentary do you have for our readers?

I’ve noticed throughout my life, through experience and exposure, that there is a culture of laziness in Nigeria. People need cardio. Nigerians tend to eat a lot of food and then proceed to sit all day- so their bellies grow. We eat to many carbs, and our food is too high in oil. All of this oil piles up on your omentum-

Sorry to interrupt, what is an omentum?

The omentum is a fold that connects your abdomen to your other organs- basically layer of fat around your intestines. This is the area that absorbs the most fat if you’re not active. This is what causes the dreaded “tire” around your waist. I always tell my kids not to eat late at night because the food just sits there if you don’t burn it off. If you eat oily foods at night, the omentum is the first place the fat goes since it is right by your stomach.

So what do you recommend?

The most important thing is not to eat late, since you can’t burn off the calories when you’re sedentary. If you’re someone who must eat late at night, I would definitely encourage eating light- have a salad or veggies, with no oily dressing. This is a huge mistake that a lot of people make. 

By Destiny Kanu