The Member of Parliament representing Buikwe South Lulume Bayiga has encouraged his colleagues to embrace the now bi-monthly fitness sessions at parliament.

Bayiga had just completed a workout session with parliament staff and some members of parliament at the parliament building parking on Monday.

“We have a non-communicable diseases forum and fitness and outdoor fitness clubs are one of our products, so we want people to exercise and keep fit to control diabetes, control their lung and heart functions, and also to control their water and salt balance,” Bayiga noted.

He said this is on top of health checks and talks from their partners like Nella, Prudential, and AAR-the official insurers for the parliament of Uganda among others

“We want to prevent ourselves from catching those non-communicable diseases because they take the number one position in killing especially the affluent people who don’t have the time to work out.

“An outdoor fitness center is one of a kind for members of Parliament and parliament staff but we want to replicate this in our constituencies because we want people to learn that when they engage in fitness it helps in their cardiac and lung functions and to keep health,” Bayiga stated.

He said the idea is to have frequent workouts as much as possible, say three times a week which will be significant to keep them fit and healthy.

“When we come here and work out we are preventing those diseases which would have contacted us if at all we continued with our lifestyles, so let’s continue working out,” Bayiga advised.

One of the parliament staff Caroline Among said she had gained about 5kgs in weight which she now hopes to shed off through the workouts.

“I’m here because I want to stay fit, I’ve been away for some time but I have resumed,” Among said.

Musician Charlisa Nabulime who was also part of the session said she needs to not only keep fit but also keep his voice in great shape.

“At the end of the day, my body becomes the support system for my vocal codes (voice). So I need the fitness for my health, for my music and my body because I love my food and I need to work it out,” Nabulime stated.

The parliament Fitness and Preventive Health Expert Robert Ssebugwawo said they had decided to add another session to the one that happens every last Monday of the month due to the increasing demand for the sessions.

Koona Dance workout fitness instructor Felix Okumu conducted the session that lasted for over an hour before Ssebugwawo took charge of the stretching exercises.