“Diabetes is not a curse…it’s a blessing in disguise.”
The first time i walked into City Bowl Fitness, at the bottom of Loop Street, Cape Town, i was greeted with a message on the wall that said “I welcome you to the community of people who have decided that easy will no longer suffice.” Around the corner, i found Nicholas Caracandas, head coach and owner of City Bowl Fitness, very calmly and sternly motivating a class to push through the last 30 seconds of their Strength and Conditioning workout. The smell of sweat and various deodorants lost in the heat of the moving bodies filled my nostrils- a smell you would hope to come across in a fitness studio.
Nicholas Caracandas, who will be referred as Nick from now on, is a Type 1 diabetic and for those of you who don’t know, his pancreas refuses to produce insulin. An estimated 5% of people with diabetes have this form of the disease. Insulin is a hormone that transports glucose (broken down starches and sugars) from the bloodstream into the cells of the body – a seemingly vital process that one cannot go without.
Nick has been friends with his diabetes for past 17 years and seems to be the domineering friend in this relationship, telling diabetes what to do. How does he do it? He says:
“As a diabetic, you have what they call the “triangle of control”. This means that you need to control diabetes with Diet and Exercise BEFORE Medication. Fact is 65% of diabetics get this order mixed up. Diabetes is very much a trial and error affliction.”
Everything about Nick’s discoveries on his journey to be-friending diabetes and becoming the owner and head-coach of his own fitness brand, City Bowl Fitness, is on his extensive, inspiring and highly informative website – www.diabeticathletic.com. If you cant become best buddies with diabetes after looking at that then i don’t know who’s going to help you.
Nick’s story is nothing short of inspiring. His philosophy behind his training and fitness studio makes you want to be a fly on the wall to observe how one gets this right. So much thinking and planning has gone into the core principles that govern City Bowl Fitness. Nick epitomises the image of a man who has created balance in his life and who has mastered his mind, body, soul and disease. A man who has the user manual for his machinery.
“Diabetes is not a curse and is completely manageable. The way I see it, this is life’s way of forcing us to live the healthiest lifestyle possible. It’s a blessing in disguise.”
City Bowl Fitness is an environment that promotes community encouragement- opposite to the many gym experiences I’ve come across, where everyone is in their own bubble. It’s unique approach to fitness just makes sense:
“I teach people how to move, I train with one main goal in mind: REAL LIFE fitness! I train for performance, not to look good in a mirror! After all… What is a Ferrari, without its engine? Keep the body guessing. You are able to apply your fitness and skills taught by us in everything that you do. All workouts are carried out with a relatively high level of intensity with one goal in mind – Increased work capacity. We build our athletes and members up, in order to adapt the ability to fit more work in LESS time . This is the definition of Fitness.”
But what is most impressive about Nick and City Bowl’s approach is his concept of Quality vs Quantity and that workouts are scaled to your level of fitness, which allows for diversity and not just your big bulky muscle-types or super fit athletes. City Bowl Fitness offers:
“…a very Personal perspective, we develop our members and athletes in a very non compromising yet very demanding approach. Helping people on such a personal level lim its us in some way, yet this Quality over Quantity approach is the reason our doors are al ways open.”
I am a health fanatic myself who is always in search of creating a better lifestyle for myself. Having spent a number of years working out in what is perceived as your ‘normal’ gym environment, motivating myself and even attending classes offered by various gyms, nothing compares to City Bowl and its intimacy. The classes are hard, if you push yourself there, and offer variety – my body tells me about it in the morning. What has kept me going back to City Bowl Fitness is the sense of community, attention to detail, one on one coaching – even in group sessions – and the role-model that is Nicholas Caracandas.
Being in control of your diabetes is no easy task. It requires an immense amount of discipline to pull off- especially if you have a sweet tooth. Nick is a prime example of someone that has educated himself about the disease, eats well according to his needs and and continues to master his body. Nick, in every sense of the word, has made diabetes his friend – now its your turn.
City Bowl Fitness – Train Smart, Train Elite: www.citybowlfitness.co.za
DMR Productions 