For the love of sport
Training is hard, but Desiree loves every minute of it.
DESIREE Chantal Verwey can be described as Zululand’s iron woman of sport.
The 30-year-old fitness freak has a sport resumé listing success in five different sporting codes, which include:
• A top three finish in her age group in the Leomat 1 000m swim last year
• Completed the Midmar Mile in 2013
• Earning a bronze medal in her first Comrades Marathon this year (10:50:30)
• Completed the SA Ironman this year (13:20:00)
• Won the Bell Big 5 mountain bike series (ladies) for the past three years,
• Finished seventh in the ladies’ category in the Cape Epic in 2013
• Claimed third spot in the mixed category in the Berg and Bush Descent this year
• Finished second in ladies’ category in the Berg and Bush Great Trek 2014
• Was third overall in this year’s Hill 2 Hill race
• Is a team-member of the Zululand ladies’ touch rugby champions Tiny Bubbles (2009-2013).
Gruelling training schedule
Dezzi (her nickname) trains six days a week and averages two training sessions a day.
Session one starts at 4.30am, which includes a 1 hour 30 minute intense and explosive cardiovascular session, with session two being a run from 5pm to 6pm.
Weekday sessions include swimming, cycling and running with the focus on power training, with weekend sessions including swimming, cycling and running to work on the endurance aspects.
This requires extreme commitment.
‘Wanting to achieve bigger and better things, combined with the love of sport, is what motivates me to carry on,’ Desiree says.
‘I believe in living a healthy and active lifestyle, with everything happening for a reason.’
She does not follow a specific diet.
She eats three times a day and snacks in-between meals.
She has cereals and yogurt for breakfast, carbohydrates for lunch and a well-cooked meal for supper.
She loves sweets, chocolates, chips and drinks whatever she likes.
Spare time
She allows herself some respite during the Christmas period.
In terms of training, she eases up during the holiday period in December to spend quality time with the family.
Training is cut down to three times a week, one session a day.
‘This is to maintain my fitness levels and then when the new year starts, it’s back to full training mode.’
Desiree hangs out with friends and enjoys scrapbooking during her spare time.
Her favourite colour is pink and her current favourite song is ‘All about that base’.
‘Do not give up on your goals and dreams. Set achievable goals, put in the hard work and you will reap the reward,’ she says.
