Living healthy and inspiring others

At 33, after struggling with her weight and watching her parents suffer from five chronic conditions between them as she was growing up, Sameshni Moodley decided to commit to change. Her resolution to change came after the Johannesburg-based business consultant moved out of her parents’ house, overweight, but with a desire to get more out of life.

“Having my first job and moving out of my parents’ home, meant that healthy eating and exercise were not part of my life,” she says. “It was a far reach from what I could afford.”

At the start of her teens, Sameshni weighed 80kg. This was not an easy time for her and she admits to feeling sad and having few friends. “I felt lonely, teased, and was never chosen to participate in any sporting activities at school,” she recalls.

She confesses that as a teenager desperate for acceptance, she tried any quick fix diet she could in an attempt to lose the weight and fit in. But whatever instant solution she tried, it didn’t last. “It worked for a while,” she says. “But then my weight would go back up.”  

Eventually, Sameshni decided that she needed to find a holistic and sustainable solution. Her first step was to join the gym. “I used my Discovery Vitality benefit to join Virgin Active by paying the once-off activation fee,” she says. “This really was the motivation I needed to make exercising easy and more affordable.”

Sameshni’s second step was to change her unhealthy eating behaviour. “I decided to work on my bad eating habits and start eating healthily,” she says. “I visited a dietician on the Vitality network and used the tools offered by Vitality to help me on a journey to start eating better.”

She started to favour more fruits, vegetables, and low fat cooking options. “I got rewarded for these healthier choices through the HealthyFood benefit and Vitality started paying back almost half my medical scheme premium,” she says.

Sameshni says after noticing great results from her changed lifestyle, she started to motivate other people to do the same. “I often encourage my employer groups to participate in the Discovery Wellness days and assist them with continuing to help their employees become healthy through wellness initiatives,” she says.

“Vitality has given me access to a wellness ecosphere that is constantly improving with technology trends and always challenges me. As a result, I completed my first 10km run and Commando Warrior race last year,” she concludes.

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