Member-only story
New Year, New You, Baby. It’s Time To Embrace the Cliché.
December to January in Cape Town, South Africa is a thing of chaotic beauty.
In cold places, I imagine December is easy. With the new year's in mid-winter, there’s no reason to stress about your tummy tire jiggling as you make your resolutions.
South African’s aren’t that lucky
A South African summer hits like a double whammy with Christmas and the New Year all packed into one sweaty, indulgent, self-reflective holiday. And the pressure to get fit and healthy is compounded by your almost-daily desire to simultaneously eat Christmas leftovers, drink summer cocktails, and bear all at the beach.
Annoyingly every beach is brimming with pretty, chiseled, shirtless, tanned, annoying, sporty, hot, arrogant, bad-driving, jocks of all genders. Who all seemed to keep their figure despite the holiday indulgence.
Christmas is a time of year where six-packs, wife-beater shirts, and expensive luxury cars dominate the streets.
And I’d spent my time doubling down on baking (and eating) cakes while drinking bottles of wine.
Yes, it’s been tough down here in Africa.