WRAPPING IT UP IN PINK

A PRETTY, POWERFUL, PINK EXPLOSION…

That would be the perfect description for our end-of-the-year-function we held last Thursday evening.  It was an unforgettable event, and our studio was filled to the brim.  On this occasion we honoured the participants and winners of our 25^th Fitness Challenge, but we also had the opportunity to pay tribute to our loyal members and golden oldies.  There were literally hundreds of prizes!

One of our dear Zoom members, Linda, travelled all the way from Pretoria to join us, we were privileged to have our oldest member, Elsa Nursey (87), in the studio, and our oldest Challenge member, Rita Kemp, proved once again that you’re never too old to dream, by reaching her personal best body stats, at 80 years!  Our Challenge members went all out this summer, and each one has a remarkable success story. What a way to wrap up our year at Mirna’s Aerobic Studio…and today I’m also wrapping things up, writing my last Blog of 2023.  

2023…A year I won’t soon forget.  It has been an eventful year, with lots of highs and a few hectic lows, for every single one of us.  Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, recently delivered a surprise address to the class of 2023 at Johns Hopkins University.  He spoke about time.  “Every person eventually realizes that time is the most valuable resource on the planet, not oil or uranium, not lithium or anything else, but time. Time. The very flow of time convinces us of this. Some people realize this sooner, and these are the lucky ones. Others realize it too late when they lose someone or something. People cannot avoid it. This is just a matter of time.” 

2023 has taught me, more than ever, how fleeting time is.  We each have the burden and privilege of grappling with how we spend our time in life.  This wrestling sits at the centre of meaning making, and is integral to our life satisfaction, purpose, and well-being…Yes, time is fleeting, but, it’s also healing.  When I look back on 2023 there were four major bad events that really turned my world upside down.  I have shared my thoughts and feelings about all of them, but the wonderful thing about time is, that when we celebrate New Year’s eve at Ballito this year, Schalk, Eswee, Nicole, Zander, Marine, and myself, we are all going to say 2023 was a great year.  Because it HAS BEEN a wonderful year, despite the setbacks.  The highs still prevailed!

Last week I received a long voice note from one of our members…I was quite surprised, because Nikiwe is one of our quiet members.  She mostly keeps to herself, but she has been extremely diligent since the very first day she has joined us.  In her note to me, she says that the studio has become her happy place and safety net, and that she feels at home with us…

It just made me realize again how important it is for us to look after our bodies, and to take the time to take care of ourselves.  In a world that has become more stressful and unpredictable than ever before, self-care is a way of taking control of our lives.  It forms a cycle of positivity.  And it’s so important to remember that there’s nothing selfish about self-care.

What a privilege we as fitness instructors have, to encourage self-care, and to work with women who make working out a priority, and who are continuously striving to be better.  We are all different, with different goals and priorities, but we have one thing in common – we love exercise.

But what do I say at the end of an emotional year, that I haven’t said before…?

…I read The Horse and His Boy (a Chronicles of Narnia book) as a child, and I was always struck by the moment when the main character realizes that he could have fallen to his death off a mountain road, any time during the fog. “But, of course, I was quite safe. That is why the Lion kept on my left. He was between me and the edge all the time.”

This whole year I have survived and even thrived, not by my own power, but by one unexpected mercy after another.  Sometimes it felt as though my life looked like a foggy and dangerous mountain road, but to God, every inch of it was lit up clearly, from beginning to end. He saw the invisible pitfalls, the steep hills, and traps, and He guided me safely through them all.  He was between me and the edge, the whole time.

And that’s how it has been for all of us.  He has been there, through every single high AND low.  As the American poet, Anthony Liccione, recently said: “Always remember, no matter how big you get in life, God is still bigger; when you feel to be at your lowest point, Satan is still at the bottom.”

There’s another quote from Liccione, that I think we can all identify with: “It’s not what you have on the outside that glitters in light, it’s what you have on the inside that shines in the dark.”

In 2023 the members at Mirna’s shone like stars.  They were accountable, and, above all, they didn’t allow their lows to define them – no, they were refined by them, proving that anything is indeed possible.  For example, we didn’t present only one survivor award at our ceremony, we awarded survivor prizes to Madeleen, Merisha, Rethia, and Gosia.  Three of them had to undergo surgery before or during our Summer Challenge, another sustained a grave injury, but they were all still adamant to complete their 9-week journey.  And they did!

Our Year Challenge winners are:

Gosia Snyman (1^st), Hannelie Slabber (2^nd), and Zenta Wentzel (3^rd).  Gosia also received the Member of the Year award.  The top 10 contestants in our Summer Challenge are:  Riana Jacob (1^st), Almarie van Aswegen (2^nd), Victoria Manoel (3^rd), Gosia Snyman, Martie Badenhorst, Lady B Maseko, Hannelie Slabber, Izelde Zwarts, Corné Kemp, and Stella Kalp.

Special awards

Special awards were presented to Lizelle Botha, Martie Badenhorst, and Corné Kemp, and just look what our Summer Challenge members achieved in only 9 weeks in terms of fat loss:   Lady B Maseko (-6,2 kg), Elsabé Tesner (-5,1 kg), Riana Jacob (-5 kg/13 kg since August), Gosia Snyman (-6,9% body fat), and Nomsa Nzimande (-6% body fat).

Elite athlete awards

Elite athlete awards were presented to Jacqueline Sturgiss, Michelle Jansen van Rensburg, Stella Kalp, Izelde Zwarts, Hannelie Slabber, Quinita Stoltz, and Gosia Snyman.  We are proud of these women who managed to reach, or maintained a body fat percentage under 20.

Mental awareness awards

Mental awareness awards went to Annecke Fourie, Corné Kemp, Denise Mulder, Hannelie Slabber, and Riana Jacob. (They managed to score every single point in every aspect of the Challenge).

Sponsors

Thanks to our generous sponsors, we had amazing prizes!  A heartfelt thank you to Sweatgear, André and Mariaan van Rooyen from Tolderia, Hannes Zwarts Eye Care, Amanda from Manna en Kwartels, Susan Schutte from Zoe’s Laser Cutting, Schalk from Pro-Bag, Diva Den Beauty Salon, Nails by Benice, Nails by Monica, Carol and Natie from Burlec, Rethia from Truvision, and Jacqueline from Herbalife.  Thank you to Odette and Amanda for turning our studio into a pink paradise, NG Ermelo Oos for their generosity with the tables and chairs, Anton for handling the sound, Adele and Tina, for always capturing every golden moment on camera, Mari and Lizette for entertaining us with their beautiful voices, and Nicci for the meticulous printing of the certificates.  Last, but not least, thank you Jacqueline and Michelle, you are so much more than fitness instructors.  You are my rocks, my haven, my pride, my joy.  And my friends.

I wish everyone a very merry Christmas filled with abundance.  May the closeness of family, and the comfort of home, renew your spirits this festive season, may the New Year of 2024 be magnificent, and magical, and may you always remember that time, AND self-care, are your most valuable resources.

Yours in fitness

Mirna

082 779 0507