The Sunday News
MANY of us are counting down the days before we go home to our mum’s delicious home-cooked meals. From samp to dumplings, most of us add on weight that can counter months of hard work.
South Africa’s SowetanLIVE met up with wellness and fitness guru Juanita Khumalo at the Candi and Co pop-up store during the MTN Pulse Day on Friday to get tips on how to navigate the big days.
1. Lose an extra kilogramme for December and don’t stop exercising
“Try to lose a kilo or two to accommodate a kilo or two in weight gain. But while you’re doing that make sure you exercise three to four times a week at a minimum. So don’t stop exercising.”
2. Be smart with alcoholic beverages
“Be smart. Look for the calorie-smart beverages like, for example, gin has minimal calories; have sugar-free tonic instead of normal tonic. Have extra brut champagne, have extra dry wine. These have the least amounts of sugar.”
3. Have small portions of food
“Life is too short and, at the end of the day, life is about balance. So you don’t want to be going on holiday and you’re not happy and not eating. Eat mum’s food but moderate it.”
4. Detox in January to snap back
“Eat as cleanly as possible, avoid frying your food. People never believe me when I tell them that condiments (tomato paste, mayonnaise, chutney) have a lot of calories. Eat fruits that are low in sugar like strawberries, berries, grapefruit. Make smart choices.”
Meanwhile, here is how to ensure peace of mind when taking a break this festive season. The festive season is rapidly approaching, and whether you are planning a road trip or to jet off to your annual holiday spot, it pays to be prepared.
Besides checking your vehicle is in a roadworthy condition and your home is secured, make sure too that your vehicle, household and all risk insurance is in place before you hit the road.
Sumarie Greybe, co-founder at Naked, the AI-driven car insurance provider, advises you get your paperwork up to date to ensure your short-term insurer will pay out should anything happen while you’re on holiday.
This paperwork includes your car and household policy documents, an up-to-date vehicle licence disc, valid driving licence for all the potential drivers of your vehicle and a roadworthy certificate for your vehicle, Greybe says.
When you check the paperwork, make sure your insurance premiums are up to date, Christelle Colman, managing director of Elite Risk Acceptances, says. If you skip your premium for a month you forfeit your cover for that month. So regular and timeous payment of premiums is very important to ensure you aren’t left without cover when you need it most.
Greybe also suggests you make sure you have insured expensive accessories and extras you have added to your car — such as a roof-rack, bulbar, xenon lights, or extra sound equipment.
Greybe says if you’re planning to visit neighbouring countries or drive further north, you should check whether your policy covers you outside South Africa’s borders and get a letter from your insurer that you can present at the border.
Most South African policies will only cover you for damage to your own car while you are outside of our borders and you must take out separate third-party liability insurance cover when you travel outside South Africa, she says.
Both Greybe and Coleman say that beyond the roadworthy certificate, you should check that your vehicle is indeed roadworthy.
Greybe suggests you ask a tyre fitment centre to check that your tread isn’t worn out, check that your indicators and brake lights are working and get your brake pads checked.
Coleman says broken windscreen wipers, missing mirrors and tyre treads below the legal limit of 1,6mm, can significantly increase the likelihood of an accident occurring. If you are involved in an accident and your insurer finds your vehicle was not roadworthy, your claim may be rejected.
Colman says unroadworthy vehicles is among one of the most common reasons insurers reject motor vehicle claims.
Another common reason for rejected claims that is relevant as you let your hair down in the holidays is driving recklessly or under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
This is a criminal offence and puts you at risk of having your cover immediately nullified. Your claim can also be rejected if your insurer finds your reckless behaviour caused the damage or destruction of your vehicle, Coleman says.
During the holidays you may be tempted to let friends and family drive your car, but remember if your policy stipulates that cover is only for a specific named driver, you will only be able to claim if that driver was behind the wheel at the time of the incident, Coleman says. Your claim will also be rejected if that driver was not in possession of a valid driver’s licence at the time of the incident. — Sowetan.Live
