Terence Pretorius Image: Quinton Mtyala/UWC“Summer bodies are made in winter” as the saying goes, and that’s how brave participants of the University of Western Cape’s Employee Wellness Bootcamp approached a short but intense gym session at the Biokinetics Department’s gymnasium.
Like many first-timers, the crunches, squats and push-ups were hard work, but by the end of the session, some of the participants only had praise for the workout.
DVC: Academic staff member, Terence Pretorius, grinned through the pain but said he felt great. “We definitely need to get fit, in shape, and healthy,” said Pretorius, whose fitness journey started recently.
“I knew it was for me, and it's definitely well worth it. It’s getting better every session.”
Shahzia Essop, who led the bootcamp class, works as a biokineticist at Shaun Grey Biokineticists. She said the aim of the camp was to be as inclusive as possible.
“We want the staff to get their fitness up and expose them to what biokinetics is, and how we can address certain conditions such as physical injuries or chronic diseases,” said Essop.
Chantal Clark, Employee Wellness Coordinator in the Human Resources Department, said a holistic approach to well-being is important for all the university’s staff.
Image: Quinton Mtyala/UWC“We do try and bring programmes that are not only focused on physical well-being, which is really not just about nutrition but also about (physical) exercise, good sleep habits, so that staff can be more productive and lead fulfilling lives. That’s what the goal is for us, to have holistic well-being programmes at UWC,” said Clark.
One of the participants, Dominuque Bowers from the EMS Faculty, said: “We feel the soul, we feel the burn”.
This had been her second day of participating in the bootcamp, and despite being a novice, she was excited ahead of the class.
Her colleague, who only wanted to be identified as Shenaaz, described the boot camp as “fantastic”.
“It was invigorating! I always feel rejuvenated after this, seriously. On Tuesday, when we came, there was a spring in my step when I walked back into the office. It was great and I’m looking forward to the next one, and they should have more of these,” said Shenaaz.
