Mariam Longe’s face is very familiar to many viewers of the television show, “Your View” where she is a co-host. Her level-headed nature makes it hard to reconcile her quiet persona with her love for vultures. In this rare encounter with Yinka Olatunbosun, she reveals how she has balanced her
work, lifestyle and advocacy
Mariam Longe is a true Nigerian: born and raised in Jos, lived in Ebonyi state for the mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps before moving to South-west to work in Lagos. For obvious reasons, she represents the Northern part of the country on the popular television show on TVC, “Your View,’’ and like other co-hosts, she had other day time jobs. Having been educated at St Louis College Jos, she proceeded to the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria to study Economics.
Her first job after the NYSC was to work as a front office manager at an exclusive spa and gym. Perhaps, being around clients who took exercise routines seriously had an impact on her life. Later on, she worked at an Oil and Gas servicing company and then as a bank and pension fund administrator. She began to contemplate her own business and started a corporate gift and souvenir business.
“I am currently running my lifestyle brand which focuses on healthy eating and general healthy lifestyle. Recently, I started my interior design and styling business alongside being a co-host on the TV Show, Your View,’’ she revealed.
As a wife and mother of two children — a boy and girl — she had never taken her healthy lifestyle for granted. She still has a body to die for and has decided to help others achieve this dream of living healthy through advocacy. Many women have enormous reasons, if not excuses, not to keep fit. Some who are genuinely willing to get back in shape had started but stopped because they did not have nannies or spousal support to help them embark on the fitness routine. This has led to a lack of self-confidence, depression and sometimes this degenerates into sheer envy of others who are able to stay fit through a healthy lifestyle. Longe understands the whole dynamics of a healthy lifestyle and also respects others’ choice to live as they desire.
“I am deeply involved in healthy lifestyle advocacy. That’s exactly what it is. My journey to where I am today is quite an interesting one. I grew up in a family where quite a number of them took their fitness very seriously. They would pay attention to what they ate and they would work out. Since I was a child, I knew that they were important things to do even though I didn’t really practice them as religiously as my older family members. I married a man who works out nearly every day,’’ she recounted.
Her turning point came after having her children. The weight gain was involuntary and the workout didn’t seem to be working out.
“I was finding it difficult to shift and I would fall back on what I knew which was the regular workout, with eating tiny portions of food followed by weekends of binge eating. When I realised that my old formula wasn’t working, I started doing my research online and I would read about the different kinds of diets and I tried different kinds. I would see some changes but I couldn’t sustain it,’’ she said.
Then she met a lady called Alex and was introduced to a three-month keto programme which was life-changing. Not only did she lose weight, but she also stopped experiencing pains such as the random knee, neck and back aches. She stopped medication for migraines.
“I would go to bed and sleep, wake up, become energised and excited for the day. I had to share what I had discovered with everyone. I would refer all of them to Alex but eventually, a lot of people prevailed on me to coach them personally.’’
She started Lifestylewithml two years ago to help others dealing with unhealthy weight issues.
“We have Lifestyle with ML Community and this is a group of women who have been through the weight loss programme and decided to form a support group, to help and encourage each other and constantly update ourselves on new information about our healthy way of life. We share recipes. We encourage one another and advise one another. For me, much more than a weight loss programme, the community is what I am most grateful for because everyone needs a support group and we support each other because together, we can go far,’’ she revealed.
She does not think it is only celebrities who should embrace a healthy diet but they could inspire others as role models. There are other kinds of diet plans that others have found to be beneficial and Longe thinks that everyone has the freedom to decide which works for them based on personal research.
When asked how she strikes the work-home balance, she revealed that she never hesitates to ask for help.
“It is okay to ask for help; to delegate and know what is a priority to you and what you alone can handle. And what it is that can be delegated. I am human and I make mistakes sometimes. I am happy that I have a very supportive family and they give me all the help and support that I need,’’ she responded.
The popular culture in Nigeria glamourises curvy, plus-size women. And generally, slim women do not always get the same respect as chubby women. Longe believes that whatever a person’s size is, no one should be body shamed.
“If some feel that plus size is more respectable, carry on with the plus-size with all the confidence in the world. If you are any size between plus size and a slim person, carry your body with confidence. It is important to know that people who criticize others for their body types are mainly just ignorant. When people know better, they do better. People need to understand that we are created to be different. There is beauty in diversity. And we should learn to celebrate that. What is most important for me is that whatever size that you are, make sure that you are healthy and you are eating well and exercising. It is not always about weight loss. It is about maintaining a healthy weight,’’ she said.
Longe doesn’t have a typical breakfast lunch or dinner; she only eats when she is hungry.
“Sometimes, I do intermittent fasting so it could be once in a couple of days. Because of that, I never have breakfast, lunch or dinner. But I will tell you two of my favourite things on the keto diet. You see my keto salad, I have my lettuce, eggs, fish, meat, pepper, salt, and my coconut oil. Then I love BPC coffee.
“What people need is just information. When you ask people to leave their favourite meals, do not replace them with some bland tasteless meals, it is like punishing them. There are so many tasty nutritious meals out there and people should research, ask questions and join groups where people share healthy recipes that would help them. I know parents that feed their children sugar and they don’t do it with any ill-intention. If a parent is taught why making children dependent on sugar could form the foundation of an adult dealing with various illnesses, no parent would want to do that to their children,’’ she argued.
While reflecting on her work as a co-host on “Your View”, she remarked that the show has been a blessing to her, despite the moments of heated arguments and strong opinions.
“Each of these women is a big personality with strong opinions. It is so interesting how though we are specifically picked for our diversity, difference and backgrounds, we have a relationship where we understand that each and every one is vital to the show and the relationship on and off the screen. And each one brings a different perspective. So, you learn to be more open-minded and respectful of others’ points of view,’’ she said.
Long before TV, she had adopted this principle to guide her speech. “The quote says before you speak ‘THINK T – is it true; H- is it helpful; I- does it Improve upon silence; N- is it necessary; K – is it kind. Every time when I am on the show, when I speak, that guides me. Also, I have the responsibility to be fair and by fairness, I mean open-minded and know that my opinion is based on my experience. I know that there will be opposing opinions and valid arguments based on people’s perspectives. I am open-minded enough to learn from it. I owe myself the responsibility of owning my truth, for after all is said and done even with the best of intentions I know my words will sometimes be misconstrued but I leave the responsibility and burden of interpretation on the listener,’’ she said.
One fun fact about Longe is her love for space exploration stories and vultures. The latter may sound scary to those who only run away with the dictionary meaning of vultures. She believes that vultures are very important to our ecosystem and population.
“Vultures have very corrosive and acidic bellies that when they feed on all those leftover rotten meat that we see around, they are helping us in reducing the spread of some diseases. A lot of dead animals that die have all sorts of diseases, bacteria and poisons like rabies and anthrax. When the vultures eat them they help to reduce the spread of these diseases and poisons. More vultures, fewer diseases,” she revealed.
Despite being a very strong woman, she sheds tears after watching emotional movies, hearing a moving story, listening to a beautiful song and voice.
“I’m just an overflowing well of happy tears,’’ she said.
