25 Mar DONATIONS, ENTERTAINMENT & EXERCISE: IDEAS TO KEEP YOU BUSY during lockdown

Last week, Hollywood actor Matthew McConaughey took to social media to share encouraging words about the Coronavirus. One of the key takeaways from his video was his parting words, “Every red light turns green.”

A few days ago, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that, after assessing the increasing infections of COVID-19 patients after suggesting self-isolation and social distancing, South Africa was going to enter a full lockdown as of midnight, Thursday, 26 March 2020. Our amber period is officially red.

But we will see the light turn green again. 

As most of us prepare to spend the next 21 days in our homes, we would be amiss if we didn’t take a moment to think about the farmers, sanitation workers, truck drivers, grocery store staff, bank tellers and medical professionals putting their health on the line for our nation. 

If you would like to show your support for them, firstly (and most importantly), take the lockdown seriously and limit your exposure places outside your home. Secondly, there are a few ways you can also donate to various foundations fighting the COVID-19 spread: 

DONATIONS: 

FOOD FLOW

A donation can be made to purchase a bag of fresh food produce for families in communities whose children normally rely on school feeding schemes for meal support. Over this time of need, you will be providing fresh food while additionally supporting your local smallscale farms.
Donate here.

CORONACARE FOR SOUTH AFRICA

Launched on 16 March 2020, this platform is looking for cash donations to purchase non-perishable foods, hand sanitisers, masks, and immune-boosting products to give to old-age homes, orphanages and soup kitchens in impoverished areas.
Donate here.

GIFT OF GIVERS

Africa’s largest disaster response NPO is desperately seeking cash donations for medical supplies, like manual and automated ventilation equipment, intubation equipment, and safety equipment for medical staff.
Donate here.

COVID-19 Solidarity Fund

On Monday, 23 March 2020, when President Ramaphosa announced the national lockdown, he also shared that a solidarity fund had been set up to offer support to medical professionals and vulnerable institutions across the country. The idea is to implement the following services: PREVENT, DETECT, CARE SUPPORT, for people and institutions who need it. 
Donate here.

ENTERTAINMENT AT HOME: 

Spending three weeks at home is enough to induce cabin fever in even the most experienced hermit. Here are a few entertainment options for you and the family to partake in:

#TogetherAtHome

If you’ve been on Instagram, you’ll have seen the likes of John Legend, Chris Martin of Coldplay, and Hozier performing free concerts on the social media platform. Primetime Emmy Award-winning actor, dancer, singer, and choreographer Debbie Allen hosted a free master class in dancing a few weeks ago too. Follow the hashtag and you’ll be able to tune into some of these starlit performances. 

SUCO SESSIONS

SUCO Sessions is a team of individuals who give guided sessions in a combination of yoga, meditation and dance, and who normally operate from different locations in Barcelona, are now coming to you, seeing as you can’t come to them. They will be hosting live Instagram sessions that go a little deeper into the idea of active meditation through mindfulness, breathing, stretching, dancing, playing and choosing JOY, giving anyone the opportunity to delve into a truly enriching practice. Visit their Instagram page to see when their next live session is taking place, and if you’re not entirely sure what active meditation is – then this is the finest moment for you to find out.

BOOK CLUB

Keep your children stimulated by tasking them to read a chapter or a few pages from the same book. Then aside half an hour every day to discuss what the little ones have read. 

FAITHFUL TO NATURE 

We’ve put together a downloadable schedule for how to keep the little ones entertained. Download it here, stick it to your fridge, and let the kids follow this amazing hour-by-hour fun and educational schedule for daily stimulation. 

COOKING SCHOOL 

What about a passion you wanted to pursue but never had the time for it? Well, one thing we can say is that we all have a little more time on our hands, so that’s no longer an excuse. Learn to cook with Yuppiechef, or by binging some of your favourite shows on Netflix, AmazonPlay or DSTV.

GARDEN PICNIC

While we can’t be in public, we can certainly still enjoy the outdoors in any ways we can. If you don’t have a garden, spread a blanket across your balcony. If you don’t have a balcony, your living room floor will do too. Each member of the family can be put in charge of one element, whether it’s brewing the ice tea, making the finger sandwiches or cutting up the cucumbers and carrots to accompany the hummus.

INTERACTIVE GAMES

Not everyone has board games. Thankfully, I-spy and charades will do. Head’s Up is a fantastic game you can download on GooglePlay or iOS too.  

CULTURAL VIEWING

Another hashtag to follow is  #museumfromhome. Museums around the world are creating virtual tours of some of the most coveted museums, galleries and other cultural spaces.  

NIGHT AT THE OPERA

The Metropolitan Opera (The Met) has launched a “Nightly Met Opera Steam” series, which features live Opera performances. Each night the performance will begin at 7.30pm (Eastern Daylight Time), you can either watch it live, or for 23 hours after streaming/upload via the website URL.

LIVE WEBCAM FEEDS

Something a little different, there are a number of different wildlife institutions around the world who have decided to give people an inside view of where these creatures get up to. Some fascinating, some serene and some quite special, you can view jellyfish, penguins, elephants, and eagles. Remarkable.   

LIVE WITH NONA

If you have a few extra bucks to spend (and let’s face it one thing we can say about a lock-in is there will be money saved), Nona has cut her live-streaming pasta classes by 50%. This 84-year-old granny is operating out of her kitchen in Italy, making a new pasta-piece every day from scratch. Sign up for her daily classes here.

EXERCISE AT HOME: 

Keeping your body strong over this time is important too. Immunity can be achieved through a healthy diet as well as a fit body. Gyms and other fitness facilities are closed, but you have a few at-home options to consider.

DOYOGAWITHME

Strengthen your body and relax your mind. Free guided yoga classes will work to ensure you get a full workout while in the safety of your home. DoYogaWithMe is currently giving two months free to anyone who signs up now, with the offer of a donation should you wish to contribute. 

HIIT AT HOME

The change in routine will affect us all in different ways. Gym bunnies will, no doubt, begin to miss their regular gyming routine within a few days. Thankfully Self has a number of High-Intensity-Interval-Training (HIIT) exercises to make sure your muscle doesn’t turn into mush during lockdown.

PERSONALISED TRAINING

If you’re looking for a fitness regime that is a little more catered to your calorie-burning goals, time constraints, limited equipment, etc. Fitnessblender has a checklist where you can check a list of different boxes in accordance to your own personal goals, and a personalised routine will be created for you to help you achieve them.

MEDITATION

It’s okay to be anxious. It’s okay to be scared. Practicing mindfulness through meditation will help you overcome your fears about the period we are going through. Spotify has a catalogue of guided meditation podcasts you can listen to for free, as often as you need to.