I am not a fast-food person, says hoops star

He is the captain of the national basketball team and Espoir hoops club. The 25-year-old is a fourth year finance student at the Independent Institutes of Kigali (Inilak). In most cases, people say sportspersons are always fit and healthy but Aristide says it takes a lot of work to keep a healthy body. Irene Nayebare sought to dig out his bag of secrets. You look fit, what’s your trick?I am a basketball player so to keep fit I have to keep playing hoops as much as I can and I also do some jogging every morning. I watch what I eat to avoid unnecessary oils in my body.How is your workout schedule considering you are a full-time student?Everyone is busy these days so to cope up with the first growing world, I wake up early every morning at around 5am and I go jogging for one hour before I get ready for work and after work before going to bed, I do some sit-ups to keep my stomach in shape.Have you ever been overweight or had a lifestyle disease?I was overweight in my childhood; it caused me to have low self-esteem. I was overweight until I started playing basketball. Back then I did it for fun but with the exercises, I managed to shed off a lot of weight.What exercises helped you lose weight?I undertook intense running exercises both on the treadmill and by jogging and it truly worked for me. I was dedicated to getting rid of the fats. I am now confident with my body. I also had to stay away from junk food and became mindful of what I ate. Would you even need any more exercise?Although it seems unbelievable since I spend lots of time on the pitch, I wish I would work out more. I wish I would have more time to go jogging or I work out in the gym more often but my schedule doesn’t allow.As sportsman who has to make those dunks, you have to be eating energy giving foods, huh?To keep healthy, I avoid fats because they do not add any value on my health, if anything; they only undo what I have been trying to build over time. I think it is funny how we spend time and money to burn fats and end up taking them again. When I lost weight I vowed never to go back. I rarely eat fast-foods; I prefer foods rich in carbohydrates, proteins and vitamins like fruits and vegetables. For energy, I take lots of proteins. I go slow on sugars because they can easily make me overweight. Do you drink?Honestly, I rarely take alcohol even if I am with my boys, just few times and I little bit of it and I understand it’s not bad to take just some quantity but not over dose. I am not motivated to even drink because most of the friends I hang out with don’t drink.What you do is very demanding, school and the two teams and at times emergencies; do you by any chance rely on stimulants? Personally, I don’t take in anything stimulant unless I am sick and it’s recommended by the doctor. I wouldn’t want to risk my health with stimulants. I expect people to know the dangers that come with taking in stimulants they cause dependency and the side effects having lasting impacts.