Caribbean Fit Fiyah brings heat to soca fitness finale
Published:Wednesday | April 16, 2025 | 12:07 AMKrysta Anderson/Staff Reporter
The countdown has officially begun for what promises to be the sweetest soca season yet. And those who have signed up to play mas for Carnival Sunday are probably up to speed with agility and stamina. To celebrate the grand occasion next weekend, Caribbean Fit Fiyah is having its final session of its highly attended fête-fitness series tonight.
Chipping, bubbling, and dancing your way to fitness is no easy feat. According to Shani McGraham-Shirley, CEO of Yahsuh FitBox and creator of Caribbean Fit Fiyah, revellers aiming to hit the road should already be on track to being fête-ready.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will your fitness. When preparing for a race, one practises sprint drills, long distance running, and focuses on endurance and speed. Why would anyone think they could just roll out of bed and jump carnival, handle road march, without any repercussions? When you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Carnival and road march are supposed to be fun experiences, not something to take you out, leaving you debilitated and unable to recover for days. Just like all other events, it’s best to train in the same format you intend to execute,” McGraham-Shirley told Lifestyle.
Aerobics, she explains, is a tried and proven fitness process; one that combines rhythmic movements with strength training and stretching. The result of this is an improvement in cardiovascular health, muscularity, strength, flexibility, agility and coordination, “Soca fitness is simply adding sugar to the medicine, adding a little sweetness to make the ‘workout’ more palatable.”
Caribbean Fit Fiyah Soca Series is not just a fitness event; it’s an electrifying experience. Designed to challenge fitness levels, the 90-minute session also increases endurance and cardiovascular fitness over a three to five week period.
“We curated this programme to give a progressive build; in intensity, musical energy and vibes. The sessions also introduce new soca songs to the patrons. We blend oldies and new songs, giving just enough “newness” but keeping the familiarity going, giving everyone the opportunity to hear their favourite songs, until they find a new favourite,” she said.
While it looks like fun and games with the beats, a major part of the cardio-based aerobics class is breath control, “Breath control will keep you oxygenated and energised for the road march, but it takes practice. During our Fit Fiyah session, we assist our patrons in finding their breath. How many times have you found yourself holding your breath when something got challenging? There you go; it helps when someone reminds you to breathe.”
As the trendsetter of its time, Fit Fyah has been described as the “best fitness event of the season”, with many people expressing their desires for more than three sessions. “There is a formula that we continue to tweak to curate an experience. It’s the energy of the instructors and dancers that are selected to lead the patrons. It’s the tedious selection of songs to pulse through the event, the prayer that is said before the music even starts, starting on time every time and showing respect to our patrons. Fit Fiyah is an experience very few ever forget. Where else can you go, with zero dance experience, two left feet, zero rhythm and leave feelings like a ‘dancsa’. Fit Fiyah is magical,” she highlighted.
It’s important to note that while she isn’t big on carnival personally, McGraham-Shirley is driven by music and dance. And with that came satisfying a demand, “I saw a desire for fun, engaging fitness. Nothing brings me more joy than seeing the happiness on the faces of my clients. Seeing persons walk into my classes with the weight of their work day, or kids stressing them out, and then leaving my space lighter and happier. What more could I want? If they want soca, I will give them the best soca fitness experience they can imagine. I’m an overachiever, and I aim to please. Go big or go home.”