At 50, Martha Muthoni has the metabolism and youthful look of a 30-year-old. She says her metabolic age, which measures how well your metabolism functions compared to other people at the same age, is impressive, but this has not always been the case.
A decade ago, her metabolism had slowed down, and the rate at which her body could burn calories was equivalent to a 56-year-old's.
She weighed 85 kilos, had diabetes, hypertension, and borderline high cholesterol. She had never exercised and carefully thought about food being a culprit of weight gain.
Now she weighs 60kg, having lost 21kg, she runs marathons and hikes mountains.
A wake-up call
“I lost a friend to high blood pressure, and another friend suffered a stroke. At the time, I was predisposed to diabetes and hypertension. The doctor had prescribed statins [medications that lower cholesterol], or a change of diet and exercise if I wanted to live to see my children graduate from college. To be honest, I was afraid of dying at 40,” she says.
Her fears were exacerbated when she visited a hospital where she serves on the board of directors.
“We were expanding a wing of the hospital, and so we toured the facility. That was the first time I saw a patient on dialysis, I could see how the blood was going out of the patient’s body into the machine and back again while the patient lay there weak. It scared me to death. I imagined myself in that bed, and I couldn’t fathom it,” she says.
For most of her life, Muthoni was never deliberate about exercising.
“I didn’t pay much attention to my food as I do now. I eat more protein than carbohydrates. I could also blame my weight gain on having children. After three babies (21, 16 and 11 years old) the weight just comes,” she says.
My cheerleader
Determined to stay off medication to fix her diabetes and hypertension, Muthoni decided to do something about her weight.
“Once you’re put on these drugs, you don’t stop. But they also have ramifications after prolonged use,” she says.
Her husband—also 50– was a jogger and he suggested that she join him in his runs.
"But I couldn’t because of my weight, so he introduced me to a group of hikers at least to get me moving. He became my motivator and a cheerleader. After some time, I joined him but couldn’t keep up with his pace. He would do his miles then come back and help me push to the end,” she says.
The hiking and running soon started bearing fruit.
“In 2016, I climbed Mt Kenya and reached the Lenana peak (4,985 metres) while weighing 85 kilos. I don't know how I did it because it was quite a challenge but I remember I was the last one to reach the top. It wasn’t easy but the other hikers kept cheering me on."
To summit Mt Kenya, Muthoni climbed smaller peaks like Kijabe and Ngong hills to acclimatise.
“It took me two years of hiking and running to lose 22 kilos. After feeling a little bit slimmer, I was introduced to strength training [lifting weights] to build muscles. Nowadays I run five days a week and strength-train four times a week to maintain body balance and physique,” she says.
Now in her best shape, Muthoni and her husband, have been engrained in running tours (runcation travel). The couple has established clientele with several vacation travel agencies that offer running adventure vacations and retreats around the world.
“This is a good excuse to travel and have some quality time together while exploring the world but also take part in a recreational activity you love. We have participated in recreational marathons in Vancouver (Canada), Kilimanjaro half marathon (Tanzania), Port Louis (Mauritius) and Two Ocean half marathon (Cape Town),” she says.
Muthoni admits such trips are capital-intensive.
“Yes, they are expensive, but the trick is to make early bookings or group bookings so that you get better deals. People usually say they don’t have time or such ventures are expensive but then, you can always create time. I also think it’s more expensive being in the hospital, paying bills while staring at the ceiling compared to being out on a vacation sight-seeing,” she says.
Muthoni also takes part in ultra-marathons.
“The longest I have done is 75 km, that is from Nairobi to Naivasha. The target was 100km. We left Nairobi at 4am and by 7pm I was still on the road so I stopped because it was dark, and couldn’t continue. Some completed the 100km. For my 50th birthday, I did 50 kilometres to raise school fees and funds to support a local girls' high school,” she says.
