Home workout tips from an inspirational Iraqi refugee who got ripped without a gym membership
- Iraqi Alex Tyronne loses 44kg working out at home with makeshift equipment, saying nutrition is key, not just the workout
Hundreds of millions of people around the world are stuck at home during lockdown. While you may long for the gym, the lack of one is no excuse to let your goals slide. Look no further for inspiration than Iraqi asylum seeker Alex Tyronne, who has been stuck in Hong Kong for six years, and has lost 44kg.
“First of all, you need the will; second, enthusiasm; third, commitment; and fourth, to act is much better than to talk,” he said. “Do not give an excuse by saying, ‘I have no money to go to the gym, to get a personal coach or do this or that’. Even if all the gates are locked against you – if you want it, fight for it.”
Tyronne speaks from experience. He has faced countless locked gates since arriving in Hong Kong in 2014. He has had his application for asylum blocked three times, and has not heard from the system since his last review in 2016. He said it is because he does not have documents proving he is Iraqi, which he left behind when he fled, but he has shown other documents and proof of family in Iraq that the courts will not consider.
“Everyone knows what was happening in Iraq in 2003, they know I came from a real war zone. I don’t have to tell you any incident in Iraq, you know what happened when the US invaded. It was a serious war, a lot of crazy stuff,” he said.
He had two particularly close calls that prompted him to leave in 2010. Firstly, a run-in with the US army, then with the Iraqi army. Tyronne’s cousin was shot and he was injured. “So I just fled. There was no choice. There was no guarantee to save my life, I had to leave my country. I can’t describe my feelings, how much I miss Iraq, the longing for family. I can’t describe wanting to see them face-to-face,” Tyronne said.
