For some time in Kenyan households and societies, bodybuilding has always been seen as a macho pastime that is highly dominated by men.
Well time does fly and currently, the pastime is definitely recognized as a sport and more women are seemingly not shy to get that chiseled fabulous figure, especially a woman like Evelyn Okinyi Owala.
From bagging titles such as the East Africa's Women's Leadership award to the Africa Women Bodybuilding Champ, Evelyn definitely deserves some love and adoration at a time like this; being the annual special Women's Day.
Now the founder of Eveal Health and Fitness, Evelyn is the perfect representation of letting your work become something you love doing. Not so long ago, the fitness guru surprisingly left her banking career after 9 years to pursue her lifelong passion - bodybuilding.
“I wanted to be a banker ever since my childhood because I believed that I would be touching a lot of money. Then I got to the bank and I realised that the money belongs to the bank and not you,” Evelyne said during an interview.
Her physique is an amalgamation of the beauty and the beast — a well-chiselled and mountainous beauty who is ever smiling and chuckling.
Her rise to the top has also been laden with misconceptions that require psychological resilience without which she would veer off course.
When she started out, Evelyne had to battle misconceptions that she was parading herself naked on the stage.
“There is a lot of judgment of bodybuilders, not just women. People don’t understand that the main art of a bodybuilder is to show muscles. It is just like swimming, you cannot jump into the pool with a dera (Swahili traditional dress) just because your parents are pastors,” Evelyne said.
"My plan for the next 10 years is to grow myself and my brand to the global stage. When you are doing something that you are passionate about, you do not feel the need to step away from it unless your body can no longer allow it," Evelyn added.
A big part of her plan is to also stamp her mark on the world stage and grace the grandest stage of bodybuilding - the IFBB Ms Olympia championship. Evelyn is a big admirer of two-time Ms Olympia, Brazilian Angela Borges, for the way she has inspired many female athletes into the sport.
Evelyne herself is a life coach and mentors ladies, some of whom have expressed a desire to follow in her footsteps.
Happy Women's day Evelyn!
