At 53 years, Michael Nawari can easily slip his hands under the soles of his feet without bending his knees. Not many of his peers can do that —he will vividly remind you with a cheeky smile.
He can hold a plank (a core strength exercise) for more than a minute and finished the 2025 Mt Kilimanjaro half marathon held last month in one hour 37 minutes. For context, Michael is quick to remind you that the race record is 1 hour :03 minutes, set by 27-year-old Farasi Lazaro, who is young enough to be his son.
The ICT consultant’s fitness has not been this good.
Nine years ago, he says, he could barely touch his toenails.
“I was a giant of a man, with an oil tanker of a body; my overweight tummy could rival the yoga ball,” he says.
He was not bothered much about his weight and physique until one day he met a friend who loves to shoot from the hip.
“‘Michael I will be honest with you, you look really bad.’ That is what he said to me and it immediately triggered fear. I was 44, weighing 92 kilos and the thought of getting to 100 kilos while about to turn 50 years old now became a bother,” he says.
As he contemplated his fifth decade and what he would be like if he didn’t get a grip on the situation soon, Michael was already heading for elasticated trousers, baggy sweaters, and the inevitable lifestyle health threats that come with inaction.
“Like most people would do, I ate anything, ate a lot, and did a lot of nothing. I was living a ‘good life’ then unbothered as my weight piled,” he says.
Starting slowly
Then he discovered that running, while interesting, was not for the faint-hearted. The age factor came into play. In those early days when he began taking to the road, his thighs, knees and ankles were incensed.
“Initially, what I started doing was walking, then I started a little running here and there, then it became walking and running depending on how I felt and the mood. Starting the fitness journey was so difficult and frustrating, to say the least. Because I wasn’t seeing any results. But again, the thought of clocking 100 kilos raised my heartbeat pulse,” he says.
Michael kept going even when he was struggling.
“What I discovered with fitness is that the results will never be immediate; it takes you to be very consistent over a period, showing up every day, every time, even when you don’t feel like doing it for you to see some results, because many are the times you feel tired, lack energy, are injured, or are not motivated,” he says.
He maintains that efforts do not count as much as consistency does if you are trying to whip your body into shape.
“Consistency trumps effort anytime. You would rather exercise for 30 minutes and do that for three or five days rather than showing up for one day, exercising for two or three hours, and then not showing up for the rest of the week,” he adds.
Injuries and discouragement
Even though he struggled at first, running seemed like the way to go. It made Michael more flexible and promised to make him more mindful, and it was not as demanding as a session in the gym.
“During the initial days, I used to run alone, then I discovered I was picking up too many injuries. My peers began discouraging me, saying I was too old to run and that I should stop embarrassing myself and leave the road to the young ones because most of the time I would be limping,” he says.
But it would take more than discouragement to break his will and zeal. Not when he ran up a flight of stairs one day and realised he could still breathe without gasping. Michael kept going.
“With the consistent injuries, I got counsel from a physiotherapist to incorporate strength training into my running routine, and that helped with reducing the injuries because, as I found out, they were being caused by muscle imbalance because of doing one form of exercise,” he says.
Michael Nawari performs a deadlift exercise with 10kg plates on a zig-zag bar at Workout WareHouse Gym.
Photo credit: Sinda Matiko | Nation Media Group
Strength training in the gym minimised the risk of muscle tears, particularly the hamstring and calf injuries to which he was prone.
“‘Incorporating other forms of exercise, especially strength training, helps with strengthening the other muscles that are never utilised during running, and that’s how you save yourself from muscle imbalance. This is something I have learned over time, and I have been cross-training for years now.”
Meeting a community of runners also introduced him to the knowledge of running properly, from the art and the correct form and posture to picking the right running attire.
Exercising six days a week
Although research shows that it is more beneficial for the body to exercise three times a week and allow the body to recover, Michael says he trains six days a week.
“I start my workouts at 4.30 am, where I will do an hour 30-minute run, about 15 kilometres. By 6am, I will be at the gym, where I will strength train for an hour, and will do that for six days a week. I only rest on Sunday," he says.
Whereas it might be too much, as science would point out, Michael says his body is now accustomed to the stress.
“I don’t think my workout regime is too much; if anything, my body is now used to the routine. I have gotten to a point where it’s my normal way of life. People’s bodies are different; for some reason I can fully recover with one day’s rest; otherwise, I don’t think I would have the strength to keep going every day, six days a week," she says.
Last month he took part in the Mt Kilimanjaro Half Marathon in Tanzania, finishing second out of 439 runners in his age category (50+) and 123rd overall out of 5,853 runners.
“Not too shabby for a guy who spent half the race contemplating whether crawling would be faster. Don’t you think?” he jokes.
As for his diet, he does three meals a day of "good food."
“I think none of us really believes we can be fitter in the future than we are now, especially once we reach our middle years. I think the trick is to start slowly and join a group or a community to motivate each other. Then find the workout that suits you, the one you won’t dump when the reality of it kicks in and leaves you feeling more defeated and useless than ever," he says.
