I WILL SURVIVE…

“First I was afraid, I was petrified, kept thinking how I`d ever live without the world outside…But then I spent so many nights scoffing chips and necking wine, I know it`s time, to say we`re going to be just fine”…

These are the classic words of Victoria Emes, a mom living in the UK, whose “I will survive” parody about making it through lockdown has become a viral sensation with more than 32 000 views on YouTube. In this hilarious take on Gloria Gaynor’s hit, Victoria wears a metallic blue leotard and parades through her house singing about these strange self-isolating times we`re living in…

Of course, over the past few weeks we have witnessed a few amazing REAL-life survivor stories: There’s Rudy Thompson, a 107-year-old man from Oregon who has managed to survive the Spanish flu of 1918 AND Covid-19! Thompson credits good genes and a healthy diet for his longevity. ”I eat my vegetables”, Thompson said spryly in an interview with KGW-TV 2 days ago…

There`s Havahan Karadfeniz, a 107-year-old-Dutch woman who was admitted to hospital with Covid-19 symptoms on 7 April…A week later she was discharged to the applause of medical workers. A true survivor. And let us not forget the heroism of Captain Tom Moore, a 99-year-old war veteran who has raised over £18 million for Covid-19 support. He set himself the challenge of walking 100 laps of his garden by his 100th birthday with only his walking frame for support. And that`s what he did. Now, he has even recorded a charity single with Michael Ball — a cover of “You’ll Never Walk Alone”!

But, on a more serious, sad note, I cannot help but wonder – how many victims of domestic violence will be able to sigh with relief, “I have survived”, once this period of (who knows how long) lockdown eventually is something of the past. According to statistics, published in the Daily Maverick only 4 days ago, more than 120 000 victims rang the national helpline for abused women and children in the first three weeks after the lockdown started on 27 March – double the usual volume of calls.

A woman is killed every three hours in South Africa, according to police statistics – a rate five times the world average… Official statistics suggest that more than 110 rapes are reported to the police per day…In a heart-breaking letter, an anonymous woman says: “In normal circumstances, I could tell the children to go and play outside…You have your disputes and spats and your disagreements, which are normal, but when you’re in a confined space, you don’t get that opportunity to just get in your car and take a drive,” Sandy, a hairdresser, explains. The result: A volcanic explosion.”

…On 25 April I posted our “I will survive” dance aerobic choreography on our YouTube channel.

That was day 30 of our Lockdown period as South Africans, and although this video clip only got a view hundred views on Instagram, I think it depicts what everybody is feeling at this moment – surviving this Lockdown will eventually prove to be a much bigger challenge than surviving the virus… A lot has happened, or shall I rather say, NOT happened, regarding the “deadly” pandemic…

With a third of the world still on Lockdown across the globe, it almost feels like the Big Brother house, without the cameras, but just as intense and surreal. By now we all know the coronavirus is real, but all of us are starting to think – with a survival rate of 99,9999999% worldwide, isn`t the response to the coronavirus hyped?

In a recent article in The Washington Post, journalist Cheryl K Chumley states: “COVID-19 will go down as one of the political world’s biggest, most shamefully overblown, overhyped, overly and irrationally inflated and outright deceptively flawed responses to a health matter in history, one that was carried largely on the lips of medical professionals who have no business running a national economy or government. The facts are this: COVID-19 is a real disease that sickens some, proves fatal to others, mostly the elderly — and does nothing to the vast majority. That, in a nutshell, is it.” Or is it?

I`m sure the lockdown has affected us all differently…for some it has indeed been an opportunity to take stock, for others it maybe has been a time dominated by anxiety, and for many others I`m sure it`s been a time filled with tension as they share limited space with others.

But most of us aren`t afraid of the virus anymore. We are afraid of the havoc the lockdown is wreaking on the economy and all our livelihoods. At times it feels as if the regulations are simply spiteful…We`ve all seen everyone`s thoughts on social media – Why are driving schools allowed to operate but a nail technician not? Why are people allowed to buy Lotto tickets, but not underwear…? Why may hundreds of people flock to the Promenade in Cape Town for morning runs, but we are not allowed to host a Pilates class with 20 people?

Economist Mike Schussler recently wrote: “In the past 5 weeks 86 people allegedly died in South Africa of Covid-19. Meanwhile the country`s economy lost R500 billion. Each death cost the country R5,8 billion. Are we using canons to hunt mosquitoes…?” Look, I am also a small business owner with zero income at this stage – but my greatest concern is not putting food on the table right at this moment. It`s the heart-breaking thought of being one of thousands of humans who don`t just classify their careers as jobs, but a purpose to wake up in the morning…

Being a fitness instructor is so much more than cueing exercises – it`s making people feel good about themselves, and that`s exactly true of being a hair dresser. It is essential, I should say… …It`s a shame to think that the iconic Mariner`s Wharf in Hout Bay, one of our best restaurants, have closed indefinitely…Of how many more businesses are we going to hear in the next few months…? It’s a shame. It’s a shame that so many talented people – artists, instructors, therapists, spa owners, beauticians – are unable to do what they were born to do, living their passion, sharing it with the world.

In his science fiction novel “Lockdown”, Alexander Gordon Smith writes: “Being in lockdown – you don`t need a degree in rocket science to do this job…”

And yet, psychologists tell us that social isolation can be just as bad for you as smoking a pack of cigarettes daily. Thus, they have urged us that in order to survive, perspective is everything during this time. They have told us that we should focus on the positives, practice mindfulness, get sunlight, stick to a routine, eat healthy and exercise…

…Have you done all this? I mean, not for a day or three – continuously, until now? For surely, you HAVE pledged to do all the above things when the lockdown started? As for myself – I have discovered that I am much better at doing rather than “being”, so lockdown has required me to dig deep, working hard to stay positive.

Some days are easier than others, and although I have posted a workout video on our YouTube channel from day 1 until today, I have once again come to the realization that I`m not really a virtual sort of girl. I prefer REAL life people in a REAL fitness environment, motivating them and pushing them on…

So, while the experts say it might be a while before we reach level one, I have decided to take my online workouts one step further and go the Zoom way with my classes…watch this space… What am I trying to say today? If you really want to be a lockdown-survivor at the end of all this, there`s really one thing you should do – take better care of yourself. Wellness educator and writer Lalah Delia recently said: “Self-care is how you take the power back…” Excuses. We all make them. We make them for everything all the time without realizing it – yes, we can blame the government for not having an income, we can blame the Chinese for the stupid virus, but we cannot blame the lockdown for putting on 5kg…That`s giving the power away, for nothing…

George Bernard Shaw said: “People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.”

You have a choice – you always have a choice. Do the best you can with what you have under these trying circumstances. Be kind to yourself, and if you haven’t started, just do it. It`s never too late to start. One day at a time. You owe it to yourself.

And…that`s what survivors do.

“My name is Mirna and I will survive. Yes. I`m a survivor. What is YOUR super-power…?”

Yours in fitness

Mirna

082 779 0507