After 11 weeks of moving to funky beats Nane Maeva took out the top award in the Pukapuka Zumba exercise programme. She lost an impressive 14.7 kilograms.

Thirty-two members participated in the aerobic fitness “dance to music” sessions which had been initiated by teachers Nancy Rikini and deputy principal Karanga Taoroba to help women and people on the island lead healthy lifestyles.

Maeva said: “I feel great, more active and lighter and I’m not always feeling tired like I used to.”

Her most difficult challenge was having to reduce the portions of her meals.

“We all love our food, so trying to control and maintain my food portion intake was a huge challenge for me since I still felt hungry after but once you set a goal and your mind on it nothing will come in its way.”

Maeva encourages people to start small and slowly, “like picking up the rubbish in your yard daily, walking at a sports field or to the shops”.

The fitness club blessed their new T-Shirts with the presentations of the awards which are as follows: 1^st Nane Maeva – weight loss 14.7kg, 2^nd Wetu William – weight loss 10.3kg, 3^rd Minna Mataio – weight loss 9.7kg.

The Zumba classes on the island are currently on a two-week school holiday break and will return on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 7.30pm to 8.30pm. The members take part in walk exercises on Tuesday and Thursday mornings starting at 5.30am.