A team of NMU students are hoping to give guests a fitness boost while raising funds for charity at its Glow Up Ready4Fitness on Saturday morning. August 25.
The students are helping Ready4Life, a non-governmental organisation that aims to improve the lives of children in disadvantaged communities in Port Elizabeth by offering them skills development, literacy training and physical education.
Glow Up Ready4Fitness will run from 9am to 12 noon at the Roof Garden Bar in Winston Ntshona Street (formerly Chapel Street).
One of Ready4Life’s main projects, Swim Safe, aims at improving the swimming skills of the children who otherwise may have drowned due to being unable to swim.
However, transport is a difficulty as the swimming lessons are at Summerwood Primary School in Summerstrand, and the children in the programme live far from this suburb.
Over and above raising money for transport, the central message of Ready4Fitness will be to encourage people to live healthier lives. Therefore, as the Glow UP event is being held in August, the students have chosen to focus on women’s health.
Speakers will focus on fitness and guests will have a chance to burn some calories as Curves gym will present a boot camp session and Phillip Fitness owner Sibabalwe Phillip will offer a fitness session.
“When people think of the term fitness they immediately get disinterested due to the intensity of some workout routines they may have encountered. Here, we are trying to merge fitness with having fun.
“We want everyone who attends to have an enjoyable experience and get their money’s worth,” Glow UP group’s Odwa Lalela and Yolanda Mzilikazi said.
PEFM’s Toni Williams will host the morning alongside model, entrepreneur and fitness enthusiast Ayanda Ngwenya.
Other aspects of the morning include the link between fitness and physical safety.
“We believe women need to take measures to ensure their own safety at some point. The decision of choosing to live a healthier lifestyle introduces aspects like cardio into a person’s life. Think about it, what are the chances of being robbed when you can outrun your opponent?” asks Asande Mchunu, one of the Glow Up group.
She said the benefits of a healthier lifestyle included a reduction in mental illness, stress and depression, and even a decrease in the chances of suffering from blood pressure problems.
Another student in the Glow Up group, Nomtha Gocina, said the Saturday event was more than just a charity fundraiser.
“We aim to influence, to a certain extent, general conversation to identify the link between a healthy lifestyle and women’s safety,” Gocina said.
Tickets at R50 may be purchased from Mzilikazi, 076-411-6317; further information from Gocina, 071-579-5211.