On Thursday evening, we gathered for a celebration bursting with colour! It’s almost impossible to believe that this occasion marked our 33rd Challenge event! By now it’s a fact – whenever there’s a dress-up theme involved at our studio, our members don’t dabble, they deliver! It was amazing – every outfit was almost like a celebration in itself!
We invited all our members to be part of the event – it was a moment to pause and celebrate the first three vibrant months of 2026 in our studio, and we also wanted to use the opportunity to honour our members for living so boldly, and for being so unapologetically alive. In these past three months, we have seen something beautiful unfold in the studio. New friendships quietly found their footing, while old ones deepened, strengthened by shared effort, laughter, and commitment.
To me it’s so heartwarming to experience how our studio has become so much more than just a place to train – it’s a place where people belong.
We also took the time to recognise our New Year Challenge members. Yes, there were many notable achievements, tons of gifts and prizes and certificates were awarded, and there were winners – and that is always worth celebrating. But the true heart of the evening was about celebrating every single woman in the room for being proof that showing up matters.
Because winning is wonderful … but becoming someone who refuses to quit – that is everything!
Here are some of the highlights of our event:
New Year Challenge winners are Hanné Swart, Gosia Snyman, and Rethia Naudé.
Weight-loss awards: Fezile Thompson, Jolindi Fourie, Elize van den Heever, Melinda du Plessis, and Suné Terblanche. Biggest drop in fat percentage: Elize van den Heever and Gosia Snyman. Biggest drop in Visceral fat: Elize van den Heever and Melinda du Plessis. Improvement in muscle tone: Talita Stapelberg. Best improvement from end of Summer Challenge to start of New Year Challenge: Rethia Naudé, Yolie Mgedezi, and Talita Stapelberg.
Members who managed to reach their Personal Best body stats after three or more Challenges: Hanné Swart, Rethia Naudé, Yolie Mgedezi, Talita Stapelberg, Yolanda Nieuwenhuys.
Members who managed to earn all possible points: Izelde Zwarts (Elite athlete), Mila Ferreira, Lady B Maseko, Hanné Swart (Elite athlete), Elize van den Heever, Rethia Naudé, Gosia Snyman (Elite athlete), Stacey du Toit (most Challenges done), Jolindi Fourie, Berdine Meyer, Betsie Vermeulen and Andrea Visagie.
Most studio sessions completed: Tryphina Ntombela (67) and Sedi Mokoena (61 and Newcomer of the year award). Other members with more than 50 workouts are Susan Ndlamlenze, Izelde Zwarts, Mila Ferreira, Lady B Maseko, Martie Badenhorst, Talita Stapelberg and Thuli Zulu.
Challenge newcomer: Martie Vosloo. Strongest finish: Gomo Phetla. Late starter: Martie Badenhorst (also Elite athlete). Sweaty Beaty awards: Chantelle Vorster and Susan Bothma. Chirpy Challenge chick award: Suzette van Dyk. Resilience award: Susan Bothma, Adapting to life at Mirna’s award: Jo-Anne Lizamore, Friendship award: Chevonne Genis. Go big or go home award: Marie Jonker. Oldest Challenge member: Rita Kemp (82-years old!). Lucky draw winners: Martie Vosloo and Yolanda Nieuwenhuys,
With much gratitude, thank you Adele, for your breathtaking photos, Susan and Truia from Flowerbox for always turning our studio into something out of this world, Mari from Inkbox for every stunning design, Amanda from Manna en Kwartels for time and again coming up with something spectacular for décor, Nicci from Niche Printing for the lovely certificates, Susan from Zoe’s Laser cutting for the medals and trophies, and last, but not least, Jacqueline and Michelle for your unwavering support, hard work, and enthusiasm.
To our sponsors: Substitch, Melinda from Footworx, Kwench, Susan from Flowerbox, Schalk from ProBag, Rethia from Truvision, and Jacqueline – THANK YOU!
If you’re reading this as an outsider, you might wonder – what’s the point of hosting a challenge that lasts only six weeks? How much can really change in such a short time?
But it was never just about six weeks. It was about what those six weeks awaken.
The discipline, the courage to say, “yes” right in the middle of a busy term, the quiet decision to begin – realising you are capable of more than you thought, and then to keep going.
Because in six weeks, you don’t just change your body … you change your mindset.
And once that shifts, everything else begins to follow. Six weeks doesn’t mark the end of the journey – it’s the start!
At our studio, six weeks isn’t measured in time – it’s measured in moments. Moments where women show up when they don’t feel like it. Moments where strangers become friends. Moments where “I can’t” quietly turns into “maybe I can.”
And these moments become progress. Not perfection, progress.
Our New Year Challenge was only a stepping stone … a lift, a shift, toward something greater. Nine more months of 2026 are calling – and we are rising to meet them. With stronger hearts and steadier minds, we set our sights higher.
…This means we’ll keep showing up, we’ll keep pushing, and we’ll keep daring ourselves to go further than yesterday. Because every drop of effort, every moment you refuse to quit, is proof that you are capable of more than you ever imagined. 2026 is waiting – and the only thing standing between us and new heights is the next step we take.
As Michelangelo reminds us, “The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.”
So, keep going. Don’t lower the bar — raise it.
You were never made for “just enough.”
You were made for more!
Yours in fitness
Mirna
082 779 0507