For nearly 20 years, Anne Nyokabi lived with lower back pain. She underwent an MRI scan, tried physiotherapy, and learnt to work around the discomfort. The pain had begun around the time she started having children, and over the years, she came to regard it as an inevitable part of motherhood.
Yet joining a gym had never crossed her mind as a way of dealing with the discomfort.
“First of all, I thought gym subscriptions were too expensive. Why spend Sh20,000 a month, even if you have the money, when there are better things to do with it? That is what I kept telling myself for many years,” Anne tells BDLife.
Fitness enthusiast Anne Nyokabi performs a barbell deadlift during her workout at The Colosseum Fitness Centre in Nairobi on November 3, 2026.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
At the time, she was preoccupied with raising her three sons, all of whom are now adults. Spending Sh20,000 a month on a gym membership simply did not make financial sense to her.
She also believed her naturally athletic build and active lifestyle, including walking, meant she did not need structured exercise.
“Genetically, I have this athletic-like body, and I used to walk a lot, so I didn’t see the reason why I needed a gym,” she says.
But earlier this year, her body began showing signs that she could no longer dismiss.
“I started feeling suddenly heavy all over. I would do a small physical activity and feel like I was fighting for my breath,” she says.
Anne also noticed swelling around her ankles, something she had not experienced before. She wondered whether hormonal changes associated with perimenopause or menopause could be responsible, although she could not establish the cause herself.
The swelling prompted her to seek medical attention. She says doctors ruled out kidney problems and other conditions affecting vital organs that could cause similar symptoms, while also discussing the menopausal transition she was experiencing.
“You sit and feel some mass or some meat on your waist. They call them love handles, which I don’t really like,” Anne says.
Fitness enthusiast Anne Nyokabi performs a standing low cable row exercise during her workout at The Colosseum Fitness Centre in Nairobi on November 3, 2026.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
The physical changes left her feeling uncomfortable in her body. Her sleep was affected, and even her usually cheerful disposition began to suffer.
“I am a jolly person, and I smile a lot. With all those issues, I knew I had to do something about my life. I need to live long enough to see grandchildren, and I need to be strong,” she says.
The realisation prompted Anne to take a more deliberate approach to her health. She no longer wanted to dismiss the changes as an inevitable consequence of ageing. Instead, she began thinking about the kind of physical condition she wanted to maintain as she grew older.
“It was basically a self-assessment that made me realise I needed to do something if I wanted to live as long as I could to see my three sons make me a grandmother,” she explains.
However, beyond the changing waistline and ankle swelling, it was the return of a familiar problem that weighed most heavily on her decision. The lower-back pain she had lived with for more than two decades was becoming increasingly difficult to manage.
An MRI scan had previously revealed that a vertebra was pressing on a nerve. Anne sought physiotherapy, but says the treatment did not provide lasting relief.
“I had gotten used to having this lower-back pain that comes and goes. Looking back to more than 20 years ago, when I began having children, I thought it was a normal scenario for mothers,” she says.
For years, she had accepted the discomfort as part of her everyday life. Early this year, however, she noticed that it was becoming more pronounced.
“I knew there was something definitely wrong with my body that didn’t look like it needed medicine but more of a physical approach,” she says.
Anne’s work routine may also have contributed to the discomfort. As an administrator, she spends long hours seated at her desk and suspects that compounded the problem.
“My job entails me sitting a lot, and I think that, including my seating posture, accelerated the pain I was feeling,” she says.
Fitness enthusiast Anne Nyokabi performs a barbell deadlift during her workout at The Colosseum Fitness Centre in Nairobi on November 3, 2026.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
Anne has since become more conscious of how she sits, making adjustments both at the office and at home in an attempt to reduce strain on her lower back.
At work, she sometimes rests her legs on another chair while maintaining what she describes as a 90-degree posture. At home, she elevates them further, occasionally keeping them raised for extended periods.
She says these adjustments, alongside the strength-training exercises and stretches she has since incorporated into her routine, have helped ease the discomfort.
Anne finally joined a gym in May this year, but she was careful not to rush into an exercise programme. Years of back pain had taught her the importance of seeking proper guidance before embarking on physical training. She therefore sought out a certified coach and explained her medical history before beginning her sessions.
“It is good to give that introduction because the coach does not know you. They do not know whether you have had an injury before or whether you have recovered from something,” she says.
“Just as you go to the doctor and explain your symptoms, you need to have a conversation with the coach before you start.”
Fitness enthusiast Anne Nyokabi performs a leg press exercise during her workout at The Colosseum Fitness Centre in Nairobi on November 3, 2026.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
Six months into her fitness journey, Anne is pleased with the progress she is making.
“I think the coach approached my case carefully, because I was worried. I have heard many coaches, once you show up at the gym, they simply put you into intense aerobics instead of first understanding exactly what you want. Many assume all women want to lose weight,” she says.
“For my coach, he assessed me and tailored the exercises to my needs. I mean, it’s been six months, and the insomnia is gone. I nowadays sleep like a baby, and the lower-back pain that had been part of my life is gone. I feel much better at 48 than I did in my 30s.”
Anne believes the relationship between a trainer and client should go beyond the commercial transaction of paying for exercise sessions.
“Our bodies are different. Somebody else may have more energy than I do, and everybody has their own history. A good coach needs to know exactly what exercises to give you because they are there to help you, not harm you,” she says.
Anne’s sessions combine strength-training and stretching, with the exercises selected to suit her needs. She is not pursuing an extreme physique or an overnight transformation. Instead, she wants to build muscle, improve her mobility and maintain a healthy body as she ages.
“I am not looking to lose weight. Mine is more about building muscle, not to the point where I look like a bodybuilder, but just living a healthy life. Less fat, strong muscles, that’s all,” she says.
For her, the most significant reward has been the relief from the lower-back pain she had once accepted as a permanent feature of her life.
“I hardly experience it these days, which is why I am now able to take up even more intense and demanding work,” she says.
The swelling around her ankles has reduced, although it has not disappeared entirely.
Fitness enthusiast Anne Nyokabi performs a lat pulldown exercise under the guidance of fitness coach Albert Barasa at The Colosseum Fitness Centre in Nairobi on November 3, 2026.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
Anne now regrets the years she spent regarding gym membership as an unnecessary expense. She sees structured exercise as an investment in her long-term health rather than a luxury reserved for people seeking to lose weight or build conspicuous muscles.
“When I thought about the gym back then, I only saw the money as an expense; I was not thinking about the repercussions. If I need to be well and I have a problem, wouldn’t I be paying even more to have myself cured?” she asks.
She believes her earlier attitude is shared by many people who dismiss gym subscriptions as too expensive or assume they have no reason to exercise if they are not overweight.
“Others may feel intimidated by the gym environment or uncomfortable with the idea of being instructed by a trainer, particularly as adults accustomed to making their own decisions,” she points out.
Walking remains valuable, she says, but she has discovered that combining it with strength training and stretching offers great benefits.
At 48, she is still working towards her fitness goals. She is aware that some of the physical changes she experienced, particularly the ankle swelling, require continued medical attention.
However, she no longer questions the value of taking an active role in her health.
