Celebrity Inspiration: Kabelo Bouga Luv Mabalane

“I could not tie my shoelaces”

Kabelo, aka Bouga Luv, is one of South Africa’s greatest kwaito legends. However, as successful as he was in his career, he faced many personal challenges. Addicted to drugs and abusing alcohol, the star was living in a way that could only send him to the grave. The Kwaito legend had had enough of his lifestyle and needed to make a change. Battling drug and alcohol addiction in the late 90’s, in 2002 the former TKZee member checked himself into rehab to try and kick the habit.

In his book I Ran for My Life Kabelo tells his story of how he overturned his life by taking responsibility for his health. The star was constantly arrested for drunken driving, getting into fights with people in clubs, “I was at a friend’s house. He was a bit older than me, and he said: ‘This nonsense of yours needs to stop. You have everything going on for you’ “ (http://bit.ly/1TyJaV5). His new lifestyle consisted of fighting his addiction everyday and praying whenever he could, but one thing he never anticipated was being 20kgs overweight.

Since then Kabelo hit the gym hard, losing over 40kgs and running seven Comrades Marathons and is now the poster boy of a healthy lifestyle. Noticing his strength in helping to empower people, DSTV teamed up with Kabelo for a show called Kabelo’s Boot Camp which aired on DSTV’s Mzansi Magic. This programme featured the star himself helping overweight South Africans lose weight through his robust and enduring training programme. Bouga Luv inspired contestants to do more and push themselves to their limits, “You need to take full responsibility for your current [physical] status. Embrace the fact that it’s not someone else’s fault or poor circumstances,” he says. (http://bit.ly/1mXjdle)

Living a different life physically and spiritually, loving his new body and new life, Bouga Luv is never looking back. He remains an inspiration to many young artists and many South Africans that are going through what he did. Looking like a man made of steel, Bouga Luv says “Six-packs are made in the kitchen, not the gym.” (http://bit.ly/1mXjdle ).  It’s 70% diet, 20% exercise and 10% genetics.” So love your body, make a change and start today.