Date: 2020-04-26

Residents of Ilorin in Kwara have taken to early morning exercises in order to keep fit even as the lockdown is extended.

Residents of Ilorin in Kwara have taken to early morning exercises in order to keep fit even as the lockdown is extended.

Newsmen reported that people were seen in small groups of twos or threes comprising family members, on large school fields, working out, while others took to jogging on the deserted roads.

Some of them who spoke with newsmen said it had become imperative to exercise because the lockdown was extended longer than anticipated.

Mr Moses Akinola, a resident, said that the concerns of many were that sitting at home doing nothing could increase the risk of weight-related ailments.

"I have the tendency to be obese, in fact, according to my doctor I am overweight right now, sitting at home from morning till night will do me no good.

"So I jog for 30 minutes in the morning and do the same by evening after I must have taken dinner. It is actually an opportunity to work on my weight," he said. Miss Tomisin Olutimi said "I am a student, I play volleyball a lot in school, now that school is closed I can only help myself by doing these exercises.

"It will make me fit and healthy until school resumes," she said.

A mother seen with her children who simply identified herself as Mrs Grace said that exercising with her children would aid bonding.

"They love it, sometimes before I am ready they are set to go, it excites them because I try to keep them indoors as much as possible.

"So coming to the field to exercise as a family is good for them, and also for me. It makes us happy," she said.

A fitness instructor, Mr Emmanuel Ogun, said exercises would help brain alertness.

"Exercising makes the brain alert, especially at a time like this, when you have to be indoors.

"It awakens the body, you feel light no matter how insignificant you think the exercise is.

"We cannot deny that people are eating more than necessary now that they are at home, so there is need to shed some weight. "I commend them for taking the initiative to exercise in order to keep fit, it is a step in a very good direction, as you can see I am also not relaxing, I also have to keep fit," he told newsmen.