Semret Russom is an Eritrean-American athlete and business
owner whose sport may not be popular among many cultures. The sport known as
Fitness Modeling requires athletes to stay in shape. As a fitness model, your
body is not only your temple. You will have to keep your body in peak physical
condition to be a successful model in this competitive industry. Fitness models
have an athletic physique with toned muscles and very little body fat.
Picture below courtesy of Zac Solomon.
Born in
Eritrea and moving to America at a young age, Semret settled in sunny San
Diego, California where other great Eritrean athletes like Olympic champion Meb
Kiflezghi, & NFL star Nat Berhe also hail from. Semret moved to San Diego
23 years ago. Moving to a foreign country was challenging at first. Her love
for fitness and health became a reality 5 years ago when she discovered
bodybuilding bikini competition. It has changed her life tremendously. Semret
used to buy fitness magazines wanting to look like the models on them, but was
not aware of what it took to become a bikini competitor. It was challenging
from the beginning as she had to change her eating habits, start exercising and
adjusting her daily habits including eating six meals a day, drinking a gallon
of water and doing cardio in the morning and weight training seven days a week.
Semret would like to share her experience and knowledge with
people all over the world especially women from all cultures. Her mission in
life is to help and inspire women achieve their dreams and goals by being an
example. Eri-International sports blog recently was lucky enough to get a hold
of Semret for an interview.
1. Could you tell us
how you got into Fitness Modeling?
Well, I got into the sport accidentally and without looking
for it. I've always enjoyed working out at the gym. One day I met someone there
that invited me to a bodybuilding show. After I saw all of the beautiful women
and their bodies out there on stage I knew that's what I wanted to do.
2. With the sport
being a combination of modeling and also weight lifting, how were you able to
manage your time?
When there something that you really want to do there is
nothing that can stop you from achieving it. I managed my schedule by adding in
to what I already had. I looked for spaces where I could go to the gym even if
it meant getting up at four in the morning or going late at night. I wanted it
so I went for it.
3. As an Eritrean did
you have any worries being accepted in our community as a female athlete in a
unique sport such as fitness modeling that requires muscle building and
bikinis?
Yes I did have a concern about being accepted and the
perception people may have. However, I realized that it was something new and
that with most sports that Africans got into they end up easily dominating in
most cases. I wanted to be the example to the sports industry and showing them
that people from my country like myself can participate at a high level and do
well in the sport. I then examined other sport industries that people from my
country participated in the past and technically looking at it their uniforms
showed parts of their body but no one pays attention to it in that mindset. So,
I felt that this was the sport that I wanted to get into and I do understand
that this is new for female and even male Eritreans but I wanted it to be ours!
by taking the time and effort to compete.
4. Your sport
requires people to be fit and one of the things that our community lacks
collectively, especially in the diaspora is the lack of exercise, what advice
can you give women and men to keep themselves fit?
Exercise is a must. Everyone needs it. It makes you feel
better and also keeps your body healthy. The advice that I would give to others
is to find time to be healthy so that they could live longer and live
healthier. The added stress of the workload in the diaspora especially here in
the USA can make life unhealthy but taking a small time out to exercise, eat
healthy and making sure you are doing cardio but also building your body
muscles is important.
5. Could you talk
about the events you compete in and how you have fared so far?
I've competed in a few bodybuilding and fitness competitions.
During my last competition, I scored pretty decent. Each day I try to become
better and better. One day I believe I can dominate the sport by working hard and
I want to represent my country of Eritrea and to stand proud because of my
efforts.
6. Watching your
chiseled body it may seem like you have way too much muscle to the average
person especially Eritreans who may not be familiar with Fitness modeling but
Eri-International sports is aware of events like yours and you are almost the
perfect mix between modeling and fitness, how do you explain that to the
average person and especially Eritreans?
I would tell them that muscle is beautiful you can control
how you show it to others. If I flex my muscles during competition it is meant
to prove my ability and hard work as you are judged by the way you look, but
when I'm ready to be soft and beautiful I don't flex I just become the regular
me.
7. How long did it
take for your body to transform to what it is today and what are the after
effects of a muscular body if there are any?
It took me a total of about four years to get to where I am
today. It takes a lot of hard work, time and effort. It is also important to
understand that with anything that you overdo, there's going to be a response
within your body. It is very easy to over exert yourself and get over-worked. The
best thing to do is, when you get to those points you take a break.
8. You seem to be an
advocate for health and especially for young people, what advice do you have
for the young people especially girls?
I would tell young girls and young women that they have to
live with their body all of their lives. So, it's very important to be aware that it is
much easier to build your body when you're younger versus when you're older.
Start off fresh and early and be conscious of your body. To Eritrean girls, I
want to assure them that staying fit for your own benefit are important and
also it can give you confidence to compete in any sport that you set your mind
to.
9. What are your
goals to help out the Eritrean community in the diaspora and at home back in
Eritrea?
I would like to offer exercise classes and share my
expertise in Eritrea and abroad when I'm in the United States especially to
Eritreans. I would like to utilize new technology websites where people can
tune in via the Internet and stay interactive by working out. I'd like to also
talk and educate people about healthy eating and how it impacts the body,
especially for women who are at the stage of their life where they plan to have
children and give birth. I would like to stress that the healthier our bodies are
the healthier our babies will be. The stronger our bodies are the stronger our
children will be.
10. You will be
traveling to Eritrea following this interview; do you have any plans to share
ideas on fitness and modeling with people back home to raise awareness about
healthy living?
Well, my trip this time is to visit family and I have no
plans to do that, however if anyone reaches out to me about sharing my
experiences about health while I am in Eritrea, I would be willing to talk
about it and share my knowledge. I plan to stay for a few weeks starting this
week and my main reason for going there is to spend time with my family and get
a much needed love from them and vice versa.
11. Any other
thoughts or ideas you would like to share with Eri-International sports?
Yes I would like to say to everyone that whatever you put
your mind in to, the possibility of conquering it is very high, even if it
looks difficult. I am a prime example of what can be achieved and as an
Eritrean athlete and businesswoman who lives in the USA I will always remain passionate
about my country Eritrea because it inspires me.
Thank you!
Michael Seium
For Eri-International Sports Blog
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