My Story

This is the page where I tell you a bit more about myself, where my story begins, and of course about my relationship with the health and fitness industry. The information is provided as answers to self-posed questions.

How did you become interested in health and physical fitness?

AS A YOUNG CHILD

I guess I thought eating the cereal would increase the size of my arms. Although we’re talking about simple adverts portraying comic book heroes, it nonetheless had a profound effect on me, and I was sold ever since on the importance of muscular strength and a healthy physical presence.

How did you nurture your interest and involvement in the field of health and physical fitness?

SCHOOL

My interest in strength and fitness grew all through junior and high school, which I attended in South Africa, which is of course a great sporting nation. I was exposed to several events during all my schooling. I had opportunities to partake in athletic track events, rugby, swimming and Judo. I continued athletics during high school and also excelled at Karate. I also followed television coverage of cricket, tennis, football and motor racing events attentively.

But what really struck a chord for me was when the Mr Olympia contest came to town in 1975. I thoroughly enjoyed watching bodybuilding greats like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Franco Columbu, Reg Park and Frank Zane competing against one another. Wow! One could but marvel at these guys and what they achieved with their bodies.

Shortly after witnessing that competition, as testimony to my connection to muscular strength training exercises, I acquired the isometric device which Franco Columbu was endorsing at the time. I had become a true supporter of the health and fitness game and began working out and experimenting with several training ideologies.

I should add though that I did and still follow pro bodybuilding for enjoyment and appreciation, it was never an intention of mine to develop a physique of massive proportions. Hence the topic of professional bodybuilding per se, falls outside the scope of my interests, achievements, and this Website. However, I do refer occasionally to some of the pro bodybuilding athletes and sporting greats whose achievements and work have inspired me, and whose contributions I have followed closely over the years.

AS A YOUNG ADULT

And so on to early adulthood. My appreciation for the health and fitness game never waivered and I continued building on the fitness level I achieved during high school. My condition stood me in good stead for what awaited me during my military officer training in the late 80’s. It was gruelling to say the least, although fortunately I was able to handle the rigorous training thanks to my association over the years with sport, strength training and physical fitness routines.

The great thing about my Air force service, apart being able to continue my own fitness activities, was that it gave me the opportunity as a commissioned officer to work closely with cadet officers under training. This is where I cultivated my interest in Psychology and Communication. I would later graduate from University in those fields.

You are a Psychology and Communications graduate. When and how did your begin specializing in the health and fitness industry?

I gained several years of professional work experience, primarily in Personnel Management and Human Resources (HR) while in the corporate sector. Aside from my everyday work role, whether a recruitment or other employment-related matter, people seemed to naturally gravitate to me for my help and collaboration. And I am talking about staff members at all levels with various sorts of issues.

They had personal and personnel-related problems. It was fantastic to be able to use my professional and learned skills with other people who confided in me. Usually, I made the connection that these individuals mostly shared wellness-related issues. It was from 2002 that I also began counseling individuals on physical fitness and lifestyle programming, taking specific objectives into account.

The thing that disturbed me the most, is that the senior management in these types of monolithic entities constantly remind you and want you to believe things like “the most important resources in our company are our human resources”. Unfortunately, reality speaks quite differently.

At this point, it became clear to me that I could do more for people outside the work place. By using my psychology skills and the health and fitness expertise I gained over the years, I could be more effective by assisting them in their quests for better all-round health, rather than trying to help with work and personal issues in a large organization where the human resources are still largely neglected or unsupported.

This set the stage for me to ultimately focus on fitness training on a more fulltime basis.

What was the main reason for focusing on helping people reach their fitness goals?

Even though I worked in HR for several years, I kept a strong connection to health and fitness and achieved personal goals and great satisfaction in my own training. This meant that I would eventually opt for full time involvement with the latter and become an certified authority turning my attention to guiding clients to reach their goals.

How did the term 'SENSBILE' come to be used to describe your work?

I settled on the word purely because my body transformation in 2003 got me into exceptionally good physical shape using practical and time-efficient training and eating principles. It’s a condition I have managed to sustain up to the present, thanks to the fact that the activity and nutrition program is sustainable in the long-term, hence the term 'sensible'.

You may achieve super athlete condition and an ultra low body fat percentage, but you’ll not be able to keep that going in the long term. Ask any elite sportsperson and they’ll tell you why there are on and off seasons. It’s understandable if you’re pro, but sensible is meant for the average everyday person.

You mentioned that you have always lead a healthy lifestyle. Why the transformation?

Throughout my adult years up to early 2003, I had maintained a healthy condition through regular gym training, biking and the occasional mountain hike. Although these physical activities kept me in averagely good physical shape, I reached a point one day where I was no longer satisfied with being ‘average’ good shape – even though generally happy with life. It would have been a missed opportunity if I neglected using the knowledge and experience I had gained to achieve my own greatness.

So it was time to turn my back on some old friends - the 3 square meals a day and ‘everything-in-moderation’ approach had to be revolutionized. If I wanted change, I would need fresh habits, plans and objectives. That also included revising my gym workouts.

Do you find that your psychology and communication expertise play a role in Personal Fitness Training?

Absolutely yes, without doubt. As you will have gathered from the Home Page and the section on the benefits of exercise, I not only emphasize the physical aspect of health and fitness training, or the nutritional requirements for successful transformation. I also consider the mental approach of my clients by taking care to understand their individual situations and training needs as best I can.

A large part of my work is interfacing with my clients’ motivation and preparation, and how to communicate encouragement to them. These aspects are cornerstones of health-fitness training.

What is your main occupation today?

I work closely with individuals to guide them towards reaching their fitness objectives, dialoguing where required with other professional associates and clinicians.

As the fitness industry is constantly evolving and regulating itself, there is a lot to keep current with. Much of my spare time is spent reading industry-wide media on new trends in training and nutrition while working at keeping myself as qualified as I can be.

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