Since the very early years of my life, I have always been involved in sports or other physical activity. I started playing organized soccer at the age of 4, and as other children did in the United States, I also tried out baseball, basketball, and other activities that may spark my interest. Soccer stuck, and that became my childhood.

As I eased into my early teen years, I began playing in higher division leagues. These competitive, fast paced environments led me to be involved in some intense training exercises to stay in shape and be able to compete. While playing simultaneously for the county and the local school, any free time I would have would be dedicated to multiple training sessions per day, with games on the weekends.

I was playing at a highly competitive level and succeeded in accomplishing many great things with my team and for myself. Although I was still young, probably about 15 years of age, I had goals to play in D1 Colleges and maybe beyond.

Around this same time period I was involved in an accident on the field during a game that left me with a 3rd degree separation of my right clavicle. Almost 6 months I was unable to be involved. After playing nonstop for a decade of my life, everything came to a halt.

Of course I slowly got back into training and playing, but ultimately I was unable to continue pushing myself to the level I hoped I was once capable of.

Around the age of 19 I stopped playing sports and went to college. While at college I formed a routine of going to the gym, hiking, skateboarding, and various activities to stay active and in shape.

Thereafter in my young adult life I actually stopped working out, stopped my involvement in sports, wasn't eating well, etc. I was working full time at a job I wasn't fond of and couldn’t motivate myself to take care of myself in my free time.

Fast forward a decade. I was relatively in shape from the start of life forward so the neglectful years weren’t too detrimental. I lost some stamina, lost strength, lost mobility, but not too far gone that I could not bring myself back to good health.

I work out occasionally, sometimes at the gym, sometimes using weights at home, or by running on the streets nearby. I am playing hockey now, although not at a highly competitive level, it gets my muscles moving.

I took the time to get my Global Fast Fit Score - 3:48 was my time. I actually held the World Record for about 6 months if you can believe that. Using the Global Fast Fit routine as a daily exercise or monthly benchmark is something that I think everyone should do. For me, it revitalizes the dormant athlete in me. For others, I have seen it help with injury recovery, and strengthen core and cardio. For everyone, it will help to maintain a healthy lifestyle in an easily measurable way.

I was born in Owerri, a state in Nigeria, the second child and first daughter of six children. Growing up my family of eight lived in a modest home and while we were not rich, we were comfortable and content. My parents worked hard to provide for us and instilled in us the value of education. After completing my primary education, I was fortunate enough to attend a boarding school along with my elder brother. It was a new and exciting experience for me, as I have never been away from my family for an extended period of time. Being surrounded by new classmates and living away from home taught me independence and helped me grow as a person. I am grateful for the opportunity to receive a quality education and I was determined to make the most out of it.

Due to a desire to leave Nigeria and support my family, I left Nigeria after my HND program and the pandemic because I did not want to work for minimum wage all my life. My dreams include studying abroad when I get a better job offer, and investing in myself. I have heard so much about Dubai and how one can obtain a visa so easily. I also heard that I can move somewhere else from Dubai. Upon arriving in Dubai, I did not know anyone and I did not have a place to stay so I asked for help to find a place to stay and I was offered a place with a Nigerian woman. I quickly accepted. My first days in Dubai were restless because I wanted to find a job as soon as possible and to explore the differences between Nigeria and Dubai. As I started to search for jobs, I applied for office assistant, receptionist, sales person and air hostess positions, but none of them were successful.

It is understandable how daunting it is to move to a new country like Dubai, especially with acrophobia making the plane journey particularly challenging. The initial excitement of arriving in Dubai, only to face unforeseen difficulties in securing a job despite having a Higher National Diploma in Public Administration is disheartening. I have been through a lot since leaving Nigeria in the year 2023 to pursue a career as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) in the UAE. Sad but fact that i have faced discrimination and racism while trying to secure a job,especially as a Nigerian in a gulf country like the UAE.

My determination and perseverance are admirable, graduating from the polytechnic school of management science public administration to be precise in 2019, got stock because of the pandemic and shut down, I still took the bold step to seek opportunities in another for a better future. It is challenging to confront my acrophobia and fear that I have made a bad decision moving to a country where I have no family or friends but I overcome those obstacles to chase my dreams. When I first moved to Dubai, I stayed in Al Barsha, where I got familiar with the area because I often went for walks with my roommate, or to the supermarket or sometimes I would window shop over the weekend. My roommate and I have always cooked separately because everyone has to fend for themselves. I eat noodles or rice with eggs and spinach once a day, and sometimes the food really just ends up getting saved for the next day. It was a really bad experience. Since I moved to Dubai, my hobbies have become going to the gym for Global Fast Fit.

Dubai may have initially seemed like a place where my dreams will come true, only to realize the challenges that lay ahead of me. However, the silver lining in my story is The Virginia Groom Foundation, who came into my life as a guiding light during those tough times. Their assistance and support in helping me start my CNA course and providing opportunities for part time jobs as event security are invaluable. The day that I finally got my first laptop was a big milestone in my life as I was struggling to compile my school project back in Nigeria because I could not afford one, but The Virginia Groom Foundation made that dream come true and I have never been happier. I feel like I am soaring above the clouds. Getting my first laptop has been a big achievement for me. It is heartwarming to be part of the Global Fast Fit program, and how I have been able to participate and still participating to improve my overall fitness and well being. My resilience and determination are two important traits that can help me overcome challenges and achieve my goals, especially in my Global Fast Fit routine. The ability to bounce back from setbacks and persevere in the face of adversity is crucial in both our personal and professional lives. However, developing resilience and determination is not always easy. This is my story so far.

Kelvin Kairu is a 25 year old living in Njoro town. He currently works at a flower farm. He studied Economics and history in university. He played rugby in college.

Watcharaporn Chamnankittisak aka "Ple" lived what could be called a fairly conventional life – but her fitness level is extraordinary. Over a hundred women around the world have performed the global fast fit routine; Ple’s time is the fasted in the world at 4:23. At 48 Kgs, Ple is a typically tiny Thai woman, but she’s one of 3 women around the world we’ve found that can do 30 consecutive, legitimate pushups. In fact, she can do more pushups than most men twice her size.
48 years old, Ple has a husband and two children, and works as an accountant for a large real estate firm. Not exactly what you'd think of when considering that she's been on top of the women's Global Fast Fit leaderboards for several months.
She discovered her love of exercise almost by accident. She had an incredibly long commute to work. Sometimes when traffic was bad, it can take her up to two hours before reaching her office. "I'd leave home at 7am and manage to get to the office right at 9am."
When the traffic wasn't bad, Ple would end up finding herself at her office far too early with nothing to do. She would sleep in her car in order to pass the time. "I knew this wasn't going to work. I needed to find something productive to do."
Ple found a nearby gym and began exercising. It happened to be something she very much found to her liking. There were a few classes she tried. The bodyweight course made functional sense in order to build strength, while the body combat course was fun and engaging. The yoga class was perfect for decompressing. Soon it became routine.

"I noticed a change in my body.” As she stuck to the courses, her baby fat was soon replaced with lean muscle, and her waist became thinner. All of this while still maintaining the same weight. Even when the global pandemic struck, Ple managed to continue this routine by taking online classes so as not to lose momentum.

She likes a challenge and began taking on marathons and other public athletics events as well.

After three years of consistent exercise, and at the age of 48, Ple has achieved the heights of Global Fast Fit Women's Champion with a score of 4:23. The question begs to be asked, what's next for Ple in her mission of self-development and improvement?

"I'm getting a score below four minutes."

We have no doubt that she will.