A while back, I watched some parts of The Passion of the Christ, a Mel Gibson movie. The movie tugged at my heartstrings as I watched its actors portray how Christ was flogged by a hyped-up crowd and eventually crucified on a cross for our sake. And I noted all the actors in the movie were lean, not fat.

Mel Gibson must have chosen only lean actors to feature in the movie because he understood that people in the times of Christ didn't suffer from obesity. They walked everywhere they went since they didn't have cars, trains and motorbikes. They also didn't have processed foods rich in fat and sugar. Such a lifestyle kept them lean.

I, too, have wanted to be lean for as long as I can remember. Yet when I was admitted at JKUAT Hospital in October 2008, I grew unbelievably plump, for all I did in the hospital was eat and sleep. (I was admitted at the hospital following my odd behavior at JKUAT, a local university where I had enrolled to pursue an engineering degree.)

Since getting discharged from JKUAT Hospital in November 2008, I have battled my weight - sometimes successfully, sometimes unsuccessfully. And I came to realize that I have looked more handsome and charming when lean than when fat.

I remember one night in 2011 when I was at the University of Nairobi (I dropped out of JKUAT in 2009), I showed some female classmates an old photo of mine taken during my JKUAT days and asked them to contrast it with how I looked that night in 2011. They all seemed to agree that I was more good-looking in the photo. That made me hate the weight I had gained.

Because I was displeased with how massive I had grown, I ended up putting on my social media accounts photos of myself taken years back. One lass I met for the first time in 2014 complained to me that she had expected to meet a young man who looked like what I had on my Facebook profile pic.

Even when I was running for a political seat in the 2013 General Elections of Kenya, I was so uncomfortable with how I appeared that I put on my campaign posters a photo of myself taken two years before. I am sure strangers who viewed my posters couldn't recognize me on the streets given how flabby I had grown. How I wished I could be the handsome young man I was in the photo!

It's not only me who has looked more handsome when lean than when plump. I have also noted that in others. There is, for instance, a classmate of mine who grew plump a few years after we finished high school. When I went through his Facebook pictures on an afternoon in 2011, I marvelled at how handsome he appeared while he was lean.

Then there is this first-born son of my neighbour Mama Kuria. The son looked strikingly handsome in a framed picture that was in the living room of Mama Kuria's mansion. When I met him during a get-together party for Mama Kuria's family in 2014, I was taken aback to see how big he had become. Later on, I suggested to Mama Kuria that she cajoles him to cut weight, citing that he was more good-looking in the framed picture in her living room.

That observation I have made of people appearing more pretty when lean than when fat is what has motivated me to lose weight by eating moderately and exercising vigorously. I have also kept away from foods rich in fat and sugar. As a result of my efforts, I have regained my youthful swagger. I plan to stay lean for the rest of my life on this grand and beautiful planet.

My beloved reader, I urge you to also strive to be lean like people in the times of Christ. Eat moderately and exercise vigorously. Not only will you be more attractive when lean, you will also live longer and happier since being lean will reduce your risk of contracting such lifestyle diseases as stroke, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. That's all I am saying.

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RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed this story on staying lean, you might also enjoy another one on "How to Lose Weight Safely & Quickly" that I wrote more than two years ago. Just click on that link in blue to dive straight into the story.

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In my previous story on this lovely blog of mine, I wrote of how I had an amazing 2022. What I didn't disclose in that story is that in 2022, I developed a bad habit of dozing on my desk for about an hour after breakfast. I became, in other words, a bit slothful. And that's not the kind of person that Starehe moulded me to be.

Starehe, if you don't already know, is a prestigious institution in Nairobi where I had my high school as well as college education. The name "Starehe" is a Swahili word which means "fun and relaxation" but the institution was all about discipline and hard work. During my Starehe years, we were made to wake up at 6.00am every day (except Sundays) and subjected to continuous testing.

I left Starehe in April 2007 as an ambitious and diligent young man, thanks to the school's culture of discipline and hard work. But I changed in October 2008 when I was admitted at the hospital of JKUAT, a local university where I had enrolled to pursue an engineering degree. All I did during the two or three weeks I was in JKUAT Hospital was eat and sleep. By the time I was getting discharged from the hospital, I had become lazy and gluttonous.

To be honest, I have never quite fully recovered from those vices of laziness and gluttony. And it has not been for want of trying. As a matter of fact, I have strived to be an early riser for a number of times since 2010 but after several days of effort, I have relapsed into an oversleeper, especially after encountering such challenges as criticism, rejection and sicknesses.

One week in 2018 for instance, I was inspired to work hard by M.R. Kopmeyer's Thoughts to Build On, an enlightening book on how to lead a successful life. M.R. Kopmeyer stated in the book that "when everything else fails ... try hard work!"

Because I was struggling with recurring feelings of guilt, bitterness and insecurity, I resolved to work hard as M.R. Kopmeyer advised in his book. I rose at 5.00am for a couple of mornings. And whenever I felt like nodding off during the day, I would stand up and walk around the house, sometimes splashing my eyes with water. But guess what! After several days, I felt sick in the head. That head sickness led me to stop my efforts of working hard.

Several months later - at the beginning of 2019 - I made up my mind to again be an early-rising and hard-working young man. This time, I tried to start my days by writing a story for this blog since I had discovered penning an uplifting tale energized my spirits. But guess what again! After five or six days of early-rising, I fizzled out and slipped back into a lazy and gluttonous young man.

Never one to give up easily, I have again resolved to work hard in 2023. Already, I have asked God to help me execute that resolution. And I have been telling myself, "Thuita, you will be forced to work hard in any job you will be offered. So you might as well work hard as a blogger before it's too late."

As I strive to work hard this year, I will draw inspiration from the ordinary workers who turn up for work everyday. These workers wake up, dress up and show up in their workplaces despite the challenges they go through. It is their labours that enable us to have food on our tables, clothes on our backs and roofs over our heads.

Well, most youngsters admire celebrities who make it big in music, sports, movies and politics. But for me, my heroes are those ordinary workers I have told you about. I am talking of tailors, farmers, carpenters and the like. They face the same challenges I go through - criticism, rejection and sicknesses - but they still summon the willpower to turn up for their jobs. They are my heroes for shizzle.

I also admire those university students who juggle work and studies. The reason I admire them is because they graduate not only with ample knowledge and skills but also with a strong work ethic. How I wish that I, too, had been such a university student! It's unfortunate that I morphed into a lazy and gluttonous young man during my university days. But I am determined to change the narrative and re-mould myself into a diligent citizen this year.

My beloved reader, I implore you to also work hard in your work and studies. I once came across an ebook whose author claimed he never knew of anyone who rose to greatness who stayed in bed till late in the morning. We therefore ought to work hard if we are to become truly successful. And, as they say, hard work has never killed anyone. Ciao!

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RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed this story on working hard in 2023, you might also enjoy another one on "My New Year Resolution" that I wrote at the beginning of 2019. Just click on that link in blue to dive straight into the story.

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