When you look at Keziah, the first impression is that of a woman who has already achieved every fitness goal.

The 30-year-old spends most of her days behind her laptop, writing code, fixing malfunctioning software, and building systems.

After work, she transforms into a dedicated athlete whose lower body, chiselled core and defined arms bear the unmistakable stamp of years of heavy lifting and punishing CrossFit workouts.

“That’s what happens when you stay away from chapatis for years and consistently put in the work. It’s been two years since I last tasted chapati,” she chuckles.

Despite the admiration she receives, Keziah insists she is still a work in progress.

“You should have seen me last year,” she says. “I was in the best shape of my life before I went through a dark period that disrupted my fitness routine. I’m only just getting back. It really flatters me when people say I’m in shape or that they’d love to have a physique like mine. Those are such sweet compliments.”

Long before the toned arms, sculpted waist, and defined abs, Keziah was the complete opposite of what she is today. Back in 2016, she weighed just 48 kilos. Now she weighs 62 kilos. The 13 kilos are not body fat but carefully built lean muscle, accumulated through years of disciplined strength training and nutrition.

She remembers being tiny, with slender limbs and a fragile frame that made her look frailer and older than she was. Like many naturally slim people, she had never considered going to the gym because she had no weight to lose.

It all started with her elder sister, who desperately needed to lose weight.

“My elder sister was a little on the heavier side. She was shy and wanted someone to be there with her. I thought, ‘If you need company, I’ll come.’ So I wasn’t going to the gym for myself. I was simply her support system. That’s how it all started.”

Those trips, made purely out of companionship, gradually gave way to curiosity.

As she accompanied her sister through workouts, Keziah began paying attention to the different exercises, particularly strength training. She started reading more about resistance training and discovered something that changed her outlook completely.

“At first, I was just there for my sister. But as I watched people train and learned more about strength training, I realised this wasn’t just something men did, as I had always thought. This was something I could do too. I also realised that just as some people use the gym to lose weight, I could actually use it to gain healthy weight.

As she watched women coming in and out of the gym hoping to shrink their bodies, she thought about building hers.

“Little by little, I began my journey with my goal being to add good weight. That’s why I always advocate for weightlifting. It completely transformed my body.”

Soon, Keziah began thinking long-term.

“I knew the kind of woman I wanted to become 10 years later. Women naturally tend to gain weight as they get older, so I kept asking myself, ‘What can I do now to prepare for that?’ I didn’t want to wait until I had a problem. I wanted to be proactive.”

Preparation for motherhood

With time, her fitness stopped being a reaction to circumstances and became an investment in the future. But as she planned her future, life was also happening.

Not long after introducing her to the gym, Keziah’s sister died. The loss shattered her routine.

“I stopped going. I was also in my final year at university, so I had to focus on school. It was a really dark period.”

It wasn’t until 2018 that she found herself drawn back.

“There was a really good gym near where I was working at the time, so I joined again.”

This time, the gym became much more than a place to exercise.

“It became my safe place. It was where I released stress. It helped me process life.”

Being one of the smallest women in the gym meant attracting curious looks.

“Women would ask me, ‘Why are you even here? You’re already so small. You have nothing to lose. At first, I felt like I had to explain myself. But then I realised I didn’t owe anyone an explanation. I knew why I was there.”

Even after returning to the gym, Keziah was still consumed by grief, but she kept showing up because the gym offered a much-needed escape from the pain.

Then came a work trip to Mombasa that changed everything.

She had bought a 10-litre bottle of drinking water and needed to carry it for some distance. Halfway through, she gave up. A colleague, noticeably smaller than her, effortlessly picked up the bottle and carried it the rest of the way.

“I realised that although I was going to the gym, I wasn’t strong. There was clearly something missing. I wanted to become genuinely strong, not just fit.”

Keziah found herself re-evaluating everything. Her workouts, nutrition, and even workout technique.

From then on, she approached training with intention. She studied proper lifting techniques, prioritised progressive overload, and overhauled her diet.

Protein became the foundation of every meal.

“For nearly two years I didn’t eat chapati or bread,” she says, laughing. “Most of my meals were and still are centred around protein, whether it is meat, chicken or eggs.”

Carbohydrates never disappeared entirely. She simply became intentional about them.

“I still eat carbs, but mostly in small portions. I prefer complex carbohydrates like sweet potatoes and arrowroots. Rice or ugali is there, but in moderation.”

In a day, Keziah eats three to four balanced meals. Breakfast often consists of eggs, oats, fruit, and coffee. Lunch is her largest meal if she’s training later in the evening, while dinner is lighter but still protein-rich.

“It’s really about portions,” she says. “Not necessarily eliminating foods.”

With all the hard work and patience and intentionality and consistency, Keziah reiterates how it always amuses her when the compliments keep coming almost daily, but with many assuming her physique is simply down to good genetics.

“I think I’m naturally a mesomorph, so I can gain and lose weight fairly easily. But my physique is the result of fitness consistency, if I am being honest.”

She pauses before adding another perspective, one rooted in her Christian faith.

“I believe in stewardship. God gave me this body, and it has carried me through some of the darkest moments of my life. Taking care of it is one way of honouring that gift.”

Her faith even finds its way into her workouts. Whenever exhaustion threatens to end a set prematurely, she silently recites the words of Philippians 4:13. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

She breaks the verse into repetitions.

“Every set is always 10 reps (repetition), right? The words of that Bible verse are 10. So when I think I can’t finish another rep, that’s what I tell myself. I start counting by reciting those words, each word for each rep, and push until the last word.”

One thing that surprises many gym-goers is that Keziah usually trains by herself. Some have even confused her for a trainer. I prefer it that way.

“When I became serious about fitness around 2022, I had a community. We kept each other accountable. But life has a habit of scattering people. Friends relocated. Schedules changed. The group slowly dissolved.”

Adopting to the new norm, she learned to become her own accountability partner.

“I’ve worked with different trainers over the years, so now I know what I need to do. Training alone is actually faster and more efficient, especially when you’re short on time. There are days I struggle and wish I had a training partner to push me. But eventually, you develop the discipline to show up by yourself and crush the workout.”

Now in her 30s, Keziah says her workouts are no longer just about looking good. They are about preparing her body for the next chapter of her life.

“Years ago, I made myself a promise that by the time I turned 30, I would be as fit as I possibly could. I can honestly say I kept that promise. Now my next milestone is motherhood. I hope to become a mother someday, and I know this body will be asked to do incredible things by bringing another life into the world. I want to be ready. I want my body to carry me well through pregnancy, help me chase after my children and stay healthy as I grow older.”

Beyond that, Keziah wants to remain fitter and good-looking even at an advanced age.

“I don’t just think about today. I think about the woman I’ll be at 40, 50, or even 60. What can I do now to prevent lifestyle diseases? What habits can I build today that will make life easier tomorrow? Oh, and which woman doesn’t want to remain sexy forever?”