The people of Bijelo Polje confirm that the sixth decade of life can represent a new youth. Zlatko Sekularac i Ljubica Scekic Sekularac who have lived in Budva and Tivat for years and through their family "business" promote healthy lifestyles, changing the lifestyle habits of numerous fellow citizens.
It is precisely this sporting spirit, energy, and above all, the satisfaction and positive energy that super grandpa and super grandma, as their grandchildren call them, spread, that are an example that age is just a number and that it is never too late to turn to our health.
At a recent competition in Nikšić, they were declared Balkan champions and continue their successful careers in bodybuilding and fitness, showing that the body, and above all a healthy mind, can defy age.
They passed on their habits to their sons Stefana i They don't have any, who are also successful coaches and competitors in bodybuilding and powerlifting, and their four grandchildren are following in their footsteps.
They have developed unique, successful, and healthy programs to combat obesity, and claim that their participants manage to "lose" dozens of extra pounds.
They have also developed programs for children, adolescents, and the elderly, helping them to increase their muscle mass, bring their figure, fitness, readiness and endurance, and above all, health, to the highest level.
"The gym is not just iron, it is not a ghost that you need to run away from. It is a place where you can reborn not only your body, but much more importantly, your spirit. We often talk about appearance, but appearance also brings with it a healthier lifestyle, and above all, self-confidence to a person. Unfortunately, we live in a time of obesity epidemic. People have neglected even the slightest physical activity. What is even more drastic, this epidemic of the new century has taken hold even among the youngest population. More and more parents are coming to us with a problem because they do not know how to help their child who, at the age of 10 or 11, at that pre-pubescent age, weighs an incredible 80, 90 or even more kilograms," Ljubica, the most successful woman in Montenegro in bodybuilding who also won a world title, tells "Vijesti".
Zlatko points out that his wife is his first personal trainer, while their older son Stefan is the creator of a unique weight loss program.
"Our Colos team has recognized that obesity is one of the greatest scourges of modern times. What makes us unique is that we have first tried all the programs we offer on ourselves, from training to nutrition. Currently, in Stefan's club in Podgorica, which I think is unique anywhere in Europe, there are five members who weigh more than 200 kilograms and who have started the weight loss process. He also holds a record, his student who was on the program in 2012 in Tivat lost an incredible 144 kilograms."
Montenegro was synonymous with a bony and strong people
Zlatko points out that the devastating fact is that every second dieter is overweight, and every third is obese.
"Montenegrins were known as a bony, strong people, and explosive, but we started to look like Europeans. Instead of taking something useful from Europe, we took the worst: hamburgers, pizzas, donuts, sandwiches, zero physical activity. Everything comes down to phones. Children practically have no physical activity in schools. Parents fool themselves that the child will grow up and that the obesity will disappear, while their child has chips and Coca-Cola for breakfast."
Ljubica warns that the most dangerous form of obesity is among children, to which little attention is paid, and points out that her grandchildren are already in the gym:
"They are slowly doing all the exercises that we did as children. Simply put, our goal is for them to develop healthily, to have agility, agility, speed, a proper spine, all the things that were once common. Unfortunately, obesity has become a problem, and in a country where we have healthy food, good genetic predisposition, and all because of technology that we are not using in the right way."
They were introduced to the world of sports by serious injuries and poor health.
And it all started back in 1997 in Bijelo Polje, as Zlatko points out:
"We got into sports because of our poor health at the time. We did this at the urging of the now deceased, famous neuropsychiatrist Dr. Milije Pavićević. Ljubica had two difficult births and ossification of the cervical vertebrae, while I had a serious injury to my left arm, which began to atrophy, dry up and there was a risk of it being amputated. Doctor Pavićević then gave Ljubica a cassette and a newspaper, told her you are a young and pretty woman, your husband has that garage, tidy it up a bit, build a gym and start training, because that is your only salvation. At that time Ljubica was 25 and I was 27. That's how we started training. There were no gyms in Bijelo Polje at that time and we decided to build one in a 60 square meter garage. We equipped it with equipment that was older than us at the time...”
Ljubica adds that they immediately managed to gain trust, so 30-40 women from Bjelopolje started attending her training sessions:
"Those were the very beginnings, it's nice to remember them. When I look back from this distance, we trained in practically impossible conditions, but the will and enthusiasm are a miracle. The results started coming soon."
Zlatko states that the people of Bjelopolje also responded, so 50 young men began training:
"We were practically pioneers in that sport."
The only family in the world that competes
Zlatko states that they are unique in the world, because, as he claims, they are the only family in the world that competes, and that Ljubica is the first woman in the history of Montenegro to start bodybuilding.
“Ljubica and I only started competing in 2007, a decade after we opened the gym in Bijelo Polje. I was among the first in Montenegro to start competing since the restoration of independence. Ljubica has had almost 50 competitions so far. She is very successful in this sport, she is a multiple world champion, in various federations. I am the winner of numerous championships, we are undisputed in the Balkans. Our sons have also followed our path. Stefan is the world vice-champion in bodybuilding, but he is also the youngest Montenegrin citizen who lifted 300 kilograms in powerlifting, at the age of 22. Nemanja, who was a successful basketball player and played abroad, left that sport and took over our gym in Bijelo Polje. He also started competing, but he became an excellent instructor. He has already won medals, and his time is still ahead and he is actively preparing for new challenges and competitions. The only family in the world that competes and is on stage: father, mother and two sons, from a small place like Bijelo Polje".
They turn a new leaf, they come to the coast
Zlatko states that they left Bijelo Polje at the urging of their son Stefan and came to the coast:
"Stefan opened a gym in Tivat and invited his mother to help him because Ljubica was already known as one of the strongest instructors. Soon I arrived, and I decided to open a gym in Budva. Although our gym in Bijelo Polje was called Olimp, we named it Colos, because Stefan, after he became a champion as a 22-year-old kid, was called a real colossus. We have had a gym in Budva for six years now, and my son Nemanja and his family have joined me. The older son has a studio in Podgorica, while Ljubica runs it in Tivat. This is, we don't call it that, a business from which we support our entire family, we all live from it, we all work and we are expanding. We are soon opening a large gym in Podgorica...".
People have prejudices.
Ljubica points out that people come with prejudices about the gym, that there is some animosity:
"I often hear from my female students that they don't want to have muscles like that. I then explain to them that getting muscles like that is hard work and decades of hard work and sacrifice, which also requires a Spartan lifestyle. A woman can look beautiful, feminine and gentle, without extreme weights and loads. Anyone who decides can look beautiful and healthy, and our goal is to increase the level of life energy in each of our students, to be more energetic and confident every day."
And it is precisely these two, in their sixth decade of life, who manage to convey their enthusiasm to their students through personal example, that small changes in lifestyle habits can yield big results and benefits for health and quality of life.
"I'll give you a simple example: we go to the beach with our grandchildren and their peers hear us calling them grandma or grandpa. They can't believe it, so they tell them, that's your dad or mom, because they say they know what their grandmas or grandpas look like. Well, these are some of the results of our work, to show that through a healthy lifestyle, physical activity and a balanced diet, they can achieve beautiful results. It goes without saying that every woman or man who is satisfied with their appearance is also a satisfied person, full of energy."
Zlatko emphasizes that there is no difference between health and beauty:
"Because only a healthy person can be beautiful," emphasizes Zlatko. He recommends that older people get to the gym and start weight training:
"Exercise is essential to increase muscle tone, which also means better health."
Bonus video:
