Had so much fun doing the Big Walk on Sunday, that was sponsored by Discovery Health. We did the 5kms and it was so lovely to go on foot through parts of Cape Town I never normally see. When we started at about 10h30 the rain started coming down in big fat drops as we began walking, but walking in the rain is not nearly as bad as you think it is. Some people had plastic bags over their outfits (the theme was superheroes – check out our cool capes) and others whined about it, but really now – most of us spend our lives in airconditioned offices getting flourescent light tans – a little rain while you walk is wonderful for reminding us that we live on earth and not in Planet Cubicle.
The 5kms went from Newlands through Mowbray and ended up at St George’s Mall. And everyone in Cape Town was there! It was a serious family affair – moms and dads and kids and aunts and uncles and babies (in prams!). There was such a great vibe of general good will and joviality. If you want to take part in something that’s both fun and really healthy, make sure you sign up for the @Discovery_SA Big Walk next year.
Truly loving the fact that I got 4000 Discovery points for doing the Big Walk (each time you go to gym you get 150 – and the points system is amazing, it gives you real (real real real) rewards back. If you’re not making Vitality work for you chat to someone there about how you can – it’s so worth it when you look at the discounts you can get on all sorts of things. And a HUGE side effect of earning points is, of course, good health. What are you waiting for?
A huge thank you to Discovery for organising such a great way to contribute to personal fitness. As someone who runs just about every day, it was so great to take part in a big event like this with a brand that does SO much for keeping people healthy. And although Cape Town might have come fifth in the Discovery Healthiest City Study, I think we made up for it in the spirit stakes! :) Not sure what the turnout was but it looked like a million people were there, all doing their bit to get healthy and all having a great time. See you next year – going to do the 10km walk next time!
I just love this idea. Escape2EvolveAfrica is a company that runs holiday bootcamps where you go away and fill your days with active, outdoor adventures and healthy eating, to get your body and mind in shape. The Base Camp is in Pringle Bay situated within the Kogelberg Biosphere and nature reserve, so you’ve got beaches and mountains and forest terrain in which to play while you focus on getting fit.
This sort of thing is awesome as a kickstart after, say, having a kid, or maybe you just fell of the healthy wagon and want to get back on. Or maybe, like me, you think the idea of going away for a week of varied, outdoor exercise and healthy eating sounds like a whole lot of fun. Click for more.
If you go for many massages, you’ll know that the aromatherapy massage is usually the introverted sister of the massage family, the quiet one who is lovely and sweet and extremely agreeable. Aromatherapy massages are generally not deep tissue affairs, and tend to be gentle and soft, allowing the oils to do much of the work, detoxifying and invigorating and what not. And if you go for frequent massages, you’ll probably want something with a little more kick and strength and well, personality. Well then, best you go to Elements on Kloof, and ask Stofelline to give you her aromatherapy massage, cos she understand a stiff muscle, while being able to give you the benefits of the aromatherapy oils.
There are 2 available - 1 hour (R390) or 1.5 hours (R490) – go for the longer one because it allows for you to drift gently in and out of the happy place to which this euphoria-inducing treatment takes you. And i also did something I don’t usually do with beauty treatments – I went on a weekday evening. Usually I go on saturdays to make a whole day of it but having a massage right before dinner speeds up your metabolism, making you extra hungry, and puts you firmly in relax mode for the rest of the evening. I highly recommend it!
Went quad biking in Elgin this weekend as a surprise for JW’s birthday. We went on a Nature’s Discovery trail into the Hottentots Holland mountains, coming out at a lookout point just above Sir Lowry’s pass where you can look down onto Somerset West and Strand and Table Mountain from behind and even see Robben Island far off in the distance.
The trail is amazing – you go through forest and rocks and sand and the fresh air is just wonderful and the landscape is so beautiful and surreal. The entire trip took us 3 hours with a tea and rusk break at the top.
Went to Franschhoek for the Bastille Day festival. We drank lots of bubbly. Ate steak rolls. And generally had a good time. It was a little crowded. Definitely not the quaint champagne fest you may have in your mind. Think more… Maynardville.
Kate insisted we get berets. It was a good call. Feel inspired to ‘give up my life and join the French Foreign Legion’. Just kidding. I like my life just fine.
Schuyler was the chicest of them all.
If you’re gonna go next year, you gotta do 3 things: 1. Book accommodation early for both Friday and Saturday so you can enjoy your day. We stayed in this gorgeous place – I highly recommend. 2. Pace yourself with the white wine. Dunno what it is about white people and their white wine but it makes them ‘lose their sh*t’.3. Pretend you’re in France. Swanning about spewing Standard 8 French is perfectly acceptable at Bastille. Viva la France, etc.
Ladies, book yourself a treat by way of the Elements on Kloof Winter Special.It’s a hot stone facial and massage that will be an hour and a half extremely well spent, especially considering its only R400 for the whole thing until the end of August. I’ve had many a hot stone massage before, but never a hot stone facial, and I am now a convert.
When you book, ask try and get the gorgeous Italian Daniele as your therapist. He’s got strong hands. My favourite thing to do is go for a run and a gym session before I go get a massage, and this is where the stones really come into their own. Hot rocks on hot sore muscles. First they do your neck and face, then they turn you over and do your shoulders, back, legs and feet. You see what we’re going for here? Click here to give Elements on Kloof a call. They’re at 39 Kloof Street, just opposite Scar Hair, tucked away in a peaceful urban sanctuary. They do all sorts of wonderfully pampering treatments – here’s the full list. And for those of you looking for salons that do threading – they do that too! I’ll be giving that a go shortly.
Check out the video from the VW Date Drive a few weeks back :) Also featured is Tracy McGregor, Dan Nash and Dylan Jack. Check out the other date drive videos live on the website too.
When I was ‘young and zany’ I used to go to Zula Sound Bar a lot and ‘bump and grind’ to live music there. Now I am pleased to say that they have ‘broadened their repertoire’ to include Monday night comedy. I am a big fan of comedy. It’s like watching live music except the drummer doesn’t get a chance to go on an ‘annoying 13-minute solo’, and the ‘feeling the music evokes’ is laughter. So it’s a win. The way to watch comedy is to gather a group of your friends and book in advance.Could I point you to this page here at Dealio, where you can purchase tickets at almost half the full price - R25 per person. What a steal. Get on your BBM BFF group and start organising. See you there! xxCTG
If you’re a Southern Suburbs dweller with a City heart then you’ll know about Cafe Nood. It’s a delightful spot down in Claremont, where one can enjoy delicious cake in the day and a glass of wine in the evenings, and all sorts of yummy food in between. I see dealio’s deal this week (yes, they NEVER fail to appeal to me, it’s ridiculous) is that you can design a pizza AND get a glass of Thelema (or a Peroni, but I’ll stick with the wine as it’s a personal favourite) for only R45.FORTY FIVE RAND. Un-REAL. The deal is on, too, unsurprisingly. Click here to buy.
