Aside from being a space where people gain fitness, the gym has also evolved into a space for socialising. OLAMIDE ENIOLA writes about the gym culture in Nigeria, as more Nigerians go to the gym for health and sundry reasons.
BY 6:30 a.m., Biola (surname withheld) was on the treadmill, ready to sweat it out for the next hour. At that time, the only person at the gym was a friend who always arrived by 6 a.m. This has been Biola’s morning routine every weekday since October 2023, when he came down with health and emotional crises. After a visit to the hospital and personally realising that health is wealth, he accepted exercising at the gym as the way out.
“What prompted my decision to start attending the gym was my health. I was not feeling well. Most times, I felt dizzy and felt like I would trip and fall. I had difficulty with breathing. I was obese, with my legs already swelling. As I was getting overweight, I was struggling with low self-esteem at the same time,” the young man in his early 30s revealed.
“After self-medication had failed, I visited the hospital, which ran a lipid test, among others, and it showed that my level of cholesterol was high to the point that it was already blocking my respiratory system. Finally, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure,” he added.
Many others who joined the gym also had various reasons for enrolling, mostly related to their health and wellbeing. One such person is 33-year-old Ayodeji Adeyeye who joined the gym when she started gaining weight some years after her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) year.
Recounting her fitness journey, Adeyeye narrated that she joined the gym because she disliked her body shape.
“After my NYSC, I stopped working and started gaining weight,” Adeyeye recalled. “My clothes would not fit anymore, and I was not feeling myself. I did not like my body shape, and was having low self-esteem.”
As it was for young people, so it was for the elderly including Grandma Taiwo Olojede, who joined the gym because she was having difficulty walking and standing straight.
She told Sunday Tribune: “My children asked me to start going to the gym. I stopped after some time because it was tedious for me. But stopping brought me a more serious health challenge: I developed a stroke and was taken to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.
“It was at UCH that I was diagnosed with cholesterol and was asked to stop consuming food with high fat. I was told that exercising would help me control my level of cholesterol.”
The 67-year-old grandma continued, “I am a businesswoman. Because I am always sitting at the shop, doctors advised me to find an activity that will keep me physically active. I was asked to create time for physical exercise and jettison the idea of wanting to make more money.”
Whether prompted by medical or personal reasons, Biola, Adeyeye, and Olojede have now accepted regular exercise as their everyday routine. Even though making such an adjustment to their daily or life routine has not come easy and despite harbouring thoughts of quitting regular exercises at the gym sometimes, they are not willing to forfeit the health benefits of staying fit.
“When I started coming to the gym, it was not easy, and I wanted to give up during the first week,” Biola recalled. “It was stressful and painful, but I have kept at it while also taking my medications.
“It is not my first time of giving the gym a try. I once attended one during my university days, but I fell ill and left. I was like, ‘na fat I fat, I no kill person’. But this time, my mind is set because I am now aware that health is wealth. If I must live long, I must hit the gym, no matter how difficult.”
“After I hit the gym,” Adeyeye recalled, “the initial body pain, which lasted for days, was unbearable and wanted to turn me away from it. I think consistency at the gym made me heal up from the pain.
“Recently, I have been nursing the thought of stopping. My child who registered me here insisted I must continue, saying money won’t be a problem. I look better now because I used to walk with a bent back. I would have pain in my back and all over my body, but all the pain has stopped now,” Olojede narrated.
Why Nigeria’s fitness industry is growing
The fitness industry in Nigeria is currently experiencing an increase in the demand for online and in-person services. Though there’s scarce data about in-person gym subscriptions, Statista, a popular online data gathering and visualisation platform, indicated that the Nigerian fitness industry on Apple Store and Google Play Store is projected to control a revenue worth $563.60 million in 2024 and $838 million in 2028.
A few factors are responsible for this expected rise in the demand for fitness industry services. A 2021 study published in the Annals of Medicine reported a high prevalence of overweight and obesity in Nigeria. The report found obesity to be prevalent in urban Nigeria, especially among women, citing widespread sedentary lifestyles and a surge in processed food outlets as reasons for overweight body condition.
However, beyond granting obesity a gender identity, the need to avert diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and other chronic diseases associated with sedentary lifestyle seems to be another reason why Nigerians flock to the gym. People doing business, bankers and remote workers among others who sit down for long while working now resort to fitness activities at the gym, home, or designated spaces of choice to keep them fit and healthy.
When is exercise necessary?
While the push to start exercising for some is borne out of the need to stay fit, there are indications that others do so to develop oppressive body parts.
With the proliferation of fitness facilities and the rush to stay fit, Dr Adaobi Okonji, an Obafemi Awolowo University physiotherapist and researcher, has counselled that exercise must be structured and purpose-driven while also revealing qualities Nigerians should look out for when selecting the gym to attend.
“Exercise must be structured, planned, timed, individualised, and targeted at achieving a goal. Part of its use is the improvement of body image and self-esteem. Aside from medical benefits, it helps people’s perception of themselves and their bodies. It is not wrong when people do exercise for these reasons,” Dr Okonji explained.
The medical rehabilitation expert continued, “However because most gyms in Nigeria are not regulated, people should be cautious. Many gyms operating in Nigeria have been established to offer recreational physical fitness services with the major goal of profit-making. This suggests that these gyms are not designed to cater to individuals with medical ailments and, in some cases, medical emergencies.
“For instance, if someone has a cardiac arrest in a gym, is the gym well-equipped to resuscitate such a patient? How quickly can the patient be rushed to the hospital if the gym is not equipped enough? A good gym should have at least one qualified professional handling the exercise and fitness aspect.”
Even though many gymnasiums in Nigeria may not meet medical standards, Omolayo Aboloyinjo, a kinesiologist and fitness instructor, established that some gyms across Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan, and Port Harcourt, among other cities, are well equipped and have the staff capacity to handle emergencies.
Aboloyinjo observed, “Some fitness centres adhere to international standards in Nigeria. In fact, some have instructors who are trained in basic first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Some gyms have also gone a step further by establishing relationships with nearby medical facilities for swift response in case of medical emergencies.”
Nevertheless, Dr. Okonji advised Nigerians to do so with caution when seeking the gym for non-medical reasons.
She reasoned, “Many of us go around with comorbidities we are unaware of. Recent scientific reports show that conditions like hypertension are no longer a disease for the older population. There is an increase in the number of young people living with high blood pressure.
“Therefore, no matter the age of a person, it is advisable that they get clearance from a qualified health professional who will certify them fit for gym activities. A person diagnosed with a health condition will be best managed by a qualified health professional.”
Obesity driving more people to gyms
Checks by Sunday Tribune indicated that obesity and weight gain are some of the reasons people resort to exercising: Many people want a slimmer body shape. These two medical conditions are linked with poor body image, as people compare their body shape against others that they perceive or equate as the standard. Sadly, some individuals who do regular exercise have been body-shamed at one time or another.
Adeyeye recalled, “The only form of body shaming I have experienced is when people call me ‘ọ̀rọ̀bọ̀’ (the Yorùbá word for a fat/chubby person). I find that word so unwelcoming and disliked my body shape. It is a state of not feeling comfortable with oneself and judging one’s appearance with others. It feels like I am too big, and the other person is slimmer.
“So, when I started attending the gym, some people’s bodies, which I found desirable, became my goal. Conversely, I had initially thought I was the fattest in the world, but when I came to the gym, I found out that there were people way bigger than I was, which has encouraged me to do more for my body and self.”
Having realised she was not the fattest in the world, Adeyeye now has a target for attending the gym and is satisfied with her progress. “I am so fulfilled now. Although I have not achieved the desired body weight, I am definitely going to achieve my aim of 72kg,” Ayodeji, who now weighs 83kg, expressed optimism.
Although Mr Biola explained that he did not experience body shaming, he has no kind words for people who engage in the practice.
“The supplement I took to avoid attending the gym did not work for me. I was getting obese, and my legs were swelling. My family is a group of fat individuals, and high blood pressure is hereditary. This is why I feel people who body shame obese individuals are stupid. I did not get to experience much body shaming, but I was not living like I was supposed to be,” the young man recounted.
When differentiating between obesity and weight gain, together with the negative feelings that accompany them, Dr Okonji explained that “Weight gain is not an illness; obesity is. This is why weight gain does not always require an expert intervention. An individual may gain weight but still have a normal Body Mass Index (BMI) score.”
“Sometimes, people come to us feeling bad about their bodies even when their body weight is normal. For such individuals, I would normally prescribe exercise and counselling. I prescribe carrying out normal exercises like taking a walk because, aside from weight loss, exercise has been shown to improve people’s moods. The person may simply be having emotional or psychological issues, and exercises might just come in handy,” the OAU physiotherapist disclosed.
Doing exercise with a diet plan
Those who spoke with the Sunday Tribune also described how their choice of exercising has influenced their eating patterns. While some have exercised caution in the amount of food they eat, others have kept eating, confident that exercising will help them stay fit.
Olojede, the grandma, recalled, “If any quantity of food were given me before, I would finish it and remain seated in my chair, but right now, I eat less: I take golden morn in the morning, a portion-controlled heavy food as lunch and lots of fruits for dinner. As a result, I have lost belly fat.”
But Biola’s story with food is more eventful. “I remember following a diet plan my gym instructor gave me to hasten my weight loss when I started.
“That diet plan gave me a problem. Because it was low in carbs, lean protein, lots of water, and low fat, I developed an ulcer.”
He continued, “When I visited the hospital, the doctor asked me to drop the gym diet plan. My doctor said it was good enough for me to decide to work out but that it would be too much of a stretch to add a strict diet plan. The doctor asked me to do food portion control. But as I dey, me I dey chop because e sure say when I eat, I will work out to burn the calories.”
Knowing the importance of a properly prescribed diet, Dr Okonji stressed that people with underlying health conditions such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis who wish to complement exercise with diet must not embark on their intuition but must seek professional advice.
She suggested, “Just like exercise, people should not embark on a diet based on their own intuition. You don’t go to YouTube or Google to adopt a diet plan that somebody describes as good. There is information overload in this age and people think they can solve their diet problem by themselves through the avalanche of information. As a physiotherapist, I understand the importance of a properly prescribed diet. That’s why, despite my knowledge of diet as a health professional, I still use the expertise of my dietician friend whenever my patients need to be on a diet.”
Social benefits of staying fit
Although gymnasiums are broadly indoor spaces designed for people to perform recreational exercises, the uses of gyms in Nigeria are still evolving. The evolution is evident in the time and financial resources people commit to the gym. Barring the World Health Organisation (WHO) prescription of 150-300 minutes of moderately intense aerobic activity per week for adults, Nigerians who spoke with Sunday Tribune spend way more time exercising.
Biola is a beneficiary of the socialising effects of the gym. Biola comes to the gym between 6:30 am and 7 am and leaves by 10:30 am. He also pays N20,000 as a monthly subscription fee. Yet he justifies such an expense of time and money at the gym in present-day Nigeria as a necessity. He used to be a loner, but that is now history with the gym in the picture.
He explained, “I can afford the payment because I see the gym as a priority. Some think going to the gym and making such payments are luxury; the treadmill is a place of reflection and deep thinking for me. I have lost count of the times I get inspired when exercising.
“There was a time I had some emotional crisis, and the crisis was getting at me, causing my blood pressure to increase again. I felt like I did not need anything that would break me down again. I needed to go out to meet new people. Before I started attending the gym, I had difficulty relating to people. I was a loner, but I thought I needed to change some things about myself. So, the gym is a place of therapy for me,” he revealed.
Drawing from his experience working with various clients, gym instructor Aboloyinjo similarly observed that many young people are inspired by fitness influencers and peers who showcase their gym routines and results online. As a result, “Gyms often serve as social hubs where young people can meet friends and build a community with like-minded individuals. This social aspect can make spending more time at the gym enjoyable,” he noted.
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