Every year, in August, South Africa marks Women’s Month, where we pay tribute to the more than 20,000 women who marched to the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956 in protest against the extension of Pass Laws to women.
In honour of Women’s Month, we’re putting a spin on our Every Body Has a Reason campaign with a special focus on all the unique and honest reasons women deserve to give their bodies what they deserve. Whether it’s building strength, sculpting a revenge bod or escaping your to-do list, partner or kids, every reason is valid, real and meaningful.
This is our Creative Director’s reason.
At 38, my personal reason is very different to what it used to be. I spent 20 years punishing my body to fit into a toxic, invented ideal and made myself weak and sick in the process. Overtraining, undereating, comparing, sacrificing, restricting, binging and repeat. Thinking I was broken, when it was the culture that needed fixing – not me.
Over the last 2-3 years, something started to shift. I started listening to what my body wanted to do, instead what my mind was telling me I should do. Some days, my body wanted to do nothing but rest and eat those Brownie Bites from WW. Other days, it wanted to run on the beach without my watch or phone killing my vibe with distance/calorie alerts. The more I honoured what my body intuitively wanted to do, the healthier I looked and more energetic I felt.
With a hectic schedule and no real structure to my workouts, I decided to start working with a Virgin Active PT. Sometimes it’s great having an actual pro tell you what to do and how, instead of concocting your own gym ‘programmes’ from random saved posts on IG.
When we first sat down, Marc asked me why I wanted to work with a PT and what my goals were. I was stumped. I wasn’t training for a big sports event like Cape Town Marathon or Ride JHB. I didn’t have specific strength, fat loss or fitness goals. I wasn’t interested in any of the aesthetic goals that had driven me into the ground in years gone by.
And then I realised my new and meaningful reason for moving in life. I just want to be ready.
If a friend calls me up and suggests an epic hike the next day, I’m ready. All I need to do is pack my snack box. If my team decide we should embark on Warrior Race together, I’m ready.
Keep your snatched waist, six-pack, ‘summer body’ BS, TikTok. To be already physically and mentally ready for whatever adventure life throws my way is my reason.
So, Marc makes me do all kinds of fun and challenging things that keep me ready for anything. From walking lunges across the gym floor (with my eyes closed!) to doing push-ups on a barbell, balancing on a dumbbell, I’m doing things that DELIGHT my inner child and have me feeling stronger and walking a little taller after just a few weeks.
Visit your closest Virgin Active to get started today.