How to avoid becoming a gym bunny.
With the first Monday of December came the first authentic post-winter exercise… yes we know, rather lazy to only get the touche into action now. But you see, when your days are filled with words, web and wonder, there’s little time for sweat. And when the year moves at three times the speed of light it’s also difficult to keep up with the changing seasons. Talking of seasons, this must s… urely be hunting season for the gyms…. preying on vulnerable fatties all hoping to shed their skin before the year end holiday which is in approximately 15 days. It’s too late for summer quick-fixes darl, you should’a thought about that in about September aka Spring. But Sista (this is for the gels) it’s never too late to make sensible, long term changes to your life, just don’t expect the scale to go down magically – in fact stay away from the scale as much as possible. It’s evil. Use it at weekly or by-weekly intervals only. If you’ve left it too late, we’d say the best thing you can do today is to just LURVE yourself as you are. Right now. Look at your curves, your lines, your flow, your orange peel, your stretch marks, your c-section scar, your flab, your flavour…. and think about how unique, sexy and curvaceous you are. Then walk it babes, live it, breathe it and be it. It’s amazing what positive thinking around your body image can do. Let’s not be caught up in the skinny girl bulldust spewed out by western media – we’re African women and we don’t need to subscribe to what other people tell us looks good. But there’s nothing wrong with being slim either… we are each one of a kind. (PS: We’re horrified to see our Minky fading away into skinny mode – what happened to our curvy babe?) Well I nearly became a gym-bunny last week – gotta admit when i realised my summer-bunny deadline was about to expire on me I got desperate and arrived in the ‘Gym Zone’ where i realised the only way for me to save my flab was to join a gym as fast as possible. Got the boy interested or rather convinced that we needed saving and by only the most expensive of evangelicals. And then I went shopping and spent my gym subscription on a fabulous summer dress. Doh! So now what… broke, fat and listless. Year end fatigue. Year end blues. What to do? And then I remembered the wonderful Zoo Lake walk. Now it’s not just any walk, the Zoo Lake Walk has it’s appeal in...
What are you doing for World Aids Day?
Oh yes, it’s on Friday. Did you know that by 2010 it is estimated that there will be 22 million Aids orphans. Come on Representers, do your bit to support all the many initiatives going on around World Aids Day on Dec 1. We have two projects to recommend – both involving photography or art, we’ll let you know what else we come across. The first is a digital storytelling project initiated by href=”http://www.photovoice.org/html/projects/photovoiceprojects/africaandmiddleeast/youthphotoreflect/projectbackground/” mce_href=”http://www.photovoice.org/html/projects/photovoiceprojects/africaandmiddleeast/youthphotoreflect/projectbackground/” >Photovoice.org Working with youth in Orange Farm, they are training them in the use of digital photography and IT – this is the first exhibition showing their work. The second project ” I Love You Positive Or Negative “ is an Alliance Francaise collaboration with France-based “Designing Hope” organisation. Local artists have interpreted their feelings around Aids and one of Represent’s friends, Rhett Martyn is part of the crew. Go and see it! ====================== PHOTO REFLECT Exhibition Event – Witness to HIV/AIDS “We are proud to be from Orange Farm, we are proud to be South Africans. We want to invite our audience to listen to us and to learn from us so we can take action together” – Members of the Photo Reflect youth project. In October 2006, the international charity organisation PhotoVoice and local partner the Vukuzenzele Reflect Community Organisation (VRCO) that operates in the township of Orange Farm, began a two year programme working with youth infected and affected by HIV/Aids. With participants aged between 16 and 33, the Photo Reflect project is an attempt to empower the youth of Orange Farm with the necessary tools to tackle the many challenges they face living in a marginalized and vulnerable community. Through the specific use of digital story-telling and digital photography, the participants are given the means to document and voice their personal experiences, deepest concerns and attitudes regarding HIV/AIDS, whilst increasing their capacity and to generate an income through photographic or IT skills training. It is a fact that young people in this country are the most severely affected by AIDS. The largest proportion of HIV infections occur amongst people between the ages of 15 and 24. However, statistics aside these are unique individuals whose daily realities cannot be underplayed. This project seeks to understand the barriers that limit behavioural change and prevention of the disease as well as combat the stigma and stereotype attached to people living with HIV/AIDS in disadvantaged communities across South Africa. Equipped with their own digital cameras, the participants of the project began a series of intensive workshops that are set to continue until Christmas 2006 and resume again in January 2007 with an emphasis on...
We will be back!
