{"id":13768,"date":"2025-03-26T04:39:44","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T21:39:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=13768"},"modified":"2025-03-26T04:39:44","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T21:39:44","slug":"how-zaina-sesay-went-from-pure-heartbreak-to-peak-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=13768","title":{"rendered":"How Zaina Sesay Went From Pure Heartbreak to Peak Health"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Zaina Sesay was a student of film and a media professional before shooting to fame on Netflix\u2019s reality-romance show <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/tudum\/the-ultimatum-marry-or-move-on\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Ultimatum<\/a><\/em>. 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&amp;F about her relationship with self and how she tackles workouts, nutrition, and accountability.<\/p>\n<p>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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>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. \u201cI just thought it would be fun,\u201d explains Sesay of why she signed them up in the first place. \u201cI\u2019m a Pisces. I very much so go with the flow, take risks, see what it\u2019s all about. And I thought his enthusiasm for wanting to do the show was really him prioritizing our relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>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 \u201call time low.\u201d Not only had the breakdown of her relationship taken a huge mental toll, but her fitness really suffered too. \u201cI wasn\u2019t prioritizing my health,\u201d she reflects. \u201cAlso, I didn\u2019t have an appetite, and I wasn\u2019t going to the gym. I was sitting on the couch replaying my thoughts, thinking those \u2018What if?\u2019 scenarios.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It would take a month of downtime before Sesay mustered up the motivation to return to her reps. \u201cI 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.\u201d As Sesay got stronger physically, she says that the process also triggered her mental heeling. \u201cThat was really pivotal,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n<p>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. \u201cJust create your own closure,\u201d she now asserts. \u201cThen I started to gradually get back to my routine, because I feel like sometimes, especially for fitness enthusiasts; when you\u2019re off your routine, you have guilt, and then you just try to jump back in 100%. No. Give yourself grace. I started off like, \u2018alright, today I\u2019m going to do cardio,\u2019 and then gradually I got back to my full regular routine.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-caption \">\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:55.36519386835%;\" class=\"ratio-based-placeholder\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Zaina-Sesay-showing-off-her-back-and-pink-fit.jpg?quality=86&amp;strip=all\" srcset=\"\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" alt=\"Zaina Sesay showing off her back and pink fit\" width=\"1109\" height=\"614\" data-fallback-img=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Zaina-Sesay-showing-off-her-back-and-pink-fit.jpg?quality=86&amp;strip=all\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"credit\">zayxclusive\/Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Zaina Sesay\u2019s Approach to Working Out<\/h2>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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. \u201cWhen I go for full body, I want to do movements like compound movements that work everything. So, even if it\u2019s like a step back, lunge into bicep curl, make it a 2-for-1.\u201d For the finisher, Sesay says the StairMaster is a staple.<\/p>\n<p>The influencer also says that she likes to perform cardio in a fasted state. \u201cFor me it has been a game changer,\u201d she shares. \u201cYou\u2019re burning the stored fat if you\u2019re trying to lose weight, so that\u2019s something that I\u2019ve added into my regular routine.\u201d Sesay also attends regular Pilates sessions and loves to recover in the sauna \u201cfor relaxing and detoxification.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Zaina Sesay Likes to Document Her Progress<\/h2>\n<p>Sesay recently celebrated a birthday, and shared the content online as she got herself beach ready for Cabo San Lucas. \u201cI just wanted to be very transparent with my audience, and have weekly check-ins,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n<p>The star also believes that taking regular progress photos is another great tool. \u201cEven if it\u2019s just for your private folder,\u201d 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. \u201cI wanted some more abs to show, but I\u2019m okay with the progress that I did make,\u201d she reflects on her vacation prep. \u201cSummertime is around the corner, so maybe some more abs can pop up for summer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@zayxclusive\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">To follow Zaina Sesay on TikTok, click here.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/zayxclusive\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">To follow Zaina Sesay on Instagram, click here.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Images: Taveria Pedroso &amp; Tyler Aryani<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/workouts\/workout-tips\/how-zaina-sesay-went-from-pure-heartbreak-to-peak-health\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Zaina Sesay was a student of film and a media professional before shooting to fame on Netflix\u2019s 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 &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fitness"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13768"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13768\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}