Zaina Sesay was a student of film and a media professional before shooting to fame on Netflix’s reality-romance show The Ultimatum. But while the happy-ever-after ending did not go as planned, the experience taught her that there is nothing more important than self-care. Now, Sesay is on to the next chapter of her life and is building a new fanbase thanks to her relatable fitness, fashion, and beauty tips. With the star now looking to earn some professional qualifications in the fitness field, the beauty talked to M&F about her relationship with self and how she tackles workouts, nutrition, and accountability.
Zaina Sesay was born in Maryland to parents from Sierra Leone and studied Film and Media Arts at Temple University before embarking on a career behind the camera on projects for MTV and VH1. In 2004, Sesay signed her and boyfriend J.R. up for Netflix’s The Ultimatum, Season 3, and life would never be the same again. The premise of the show is that couples on the verge of marriage have eight weeks to decide if they want to tie the knot or split forever.
While Sesay thought that her partner of three years would commit and that J.R. would prove to be the perfect match, he shocked viewers in the series finale by choosing to split. “I just thought it would be fun,” explains Sesay of why she signed them up in the first place. “I’m a Pisces. I very much so go with the flow, take risks, see what it’s all about. And I thought his enthusiasm for wanting to do the show was really him prioritizing our relationship.”
Prior to The Ultimatum, Sesay says that her relationship with fitness was strong but when the cameras stopped rolling and the beauty found herself newly single, she hit an “all time low.” Not only had the breakdown of her relationship taken a huge mental toll, but her fitness really suffered too. “I wasn’t prioritizing my health,” she reflects. “Also, I didn’t have an appetite, and I wasn’t going to the gym. I was sitting on the couch replaying my thoughts, thinking those ‘What if?’ scenarios.”
It would take a month of downtime before Sesay mustered up the motivation to return to her reps. “I was like, I need to prioritize what I know would make me feel good internally, which is working out and getting back to my health and wellness routines.” As Sesay got stronger physically, she says that the process also triggered her mental heeling. “That was really pivotal,” she explains.
Sesay confides that she was able to regain control of her life when she stopped looking for closure from that previous relationship and focused on the future instead. “Just create your own closure,” she now asserts. “Then I started to gradually get back to my routine, because I feel like sometimes, especially for fitness enthusiasts; when you’re off your routine, you have guilt, and then you just try to jump back in 100%. No. Give yourself grace. I started off like, ‘alright, today I’m going to do cardio,’ and then gradually I got back to my full regular routine.”
Zaina Sesay’s Approach to Working Out
Stunning Sesay likes to vary her workouts depending on her schedule. She likes to split her training into back, legs, and arms for example, but when gym sessions are in short supply this fit female is more than happy to undertake a full body routine. Sesay begins those flat-out full body blasts with skipping to warmup, followed by medicine ball slams.
She then works with kettlebells and dumbbells, squatting and swinging for flexibility and strength. Sesay explains that she studies hours of fitness footage in order to supercharge her workouts and often combines movements such as executing a dumbbell squat and adding a shoulder press at the top. “When I go for full body, I want to do movements like compound movements that work everything. So, even if it’s like a step back, lunge into bicep curl, make it a 2-for-1.” For the finisher, Sesay says the StairMaster is a staple.
The influencer also says that she likes to perform cardio in a fasted state. “For me it has been a game changer,” she shares. “You’re burning the stored fat if you’re trying to lose weight, so that’s something that I’ve added into my regular routine.” Sesay also attends regular Pilates sessions and loves to recover in the sauna “for relaxing and detoxification.”
Zaina Sesay Likes to Document Her Progress
Sesay recently celebrated a birthday, and shared the content online as she got herself beach ready for Cabo San Lucas. “I just wanted to be very transparent with my audience, and have weekly check-ins,” she explains. The star says that tracking her meals is a great way to learn about meeting calorie and macro targets, especially when starting out and trying to get a feel for eating the right amount. Over time Sesay says she has been able to become more intuitive thanks to the experience she has gained through tracking.
The star also believes that taking regular progress photos is another great tool. “Even if it’s just for your private folder,” says Sesay, explaining that she often takes photos of herself in the same swimsuit to check on her own progress. The star no doubt turned heads if Cabo and has heeled her broken heart, but just like the rest of us, she feels the journey to reaching her best self is ongoing. “I wanted some more abs to show, but I’m okay with the progress that I did make,” she reflects on her vacation prep. “Summertime is around the corner, so maybe some more abs can pop up for summer.”
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Images: Taveria Pedroso & Tyler Aryani
