Ecotourism and green hotels are growing in popularity in South Africa as the green movement continues to go mainstream. This trend has seen travellers increasingly choose hotels and restaurants with strong sustainability credentials.

What does this mean for the eco-conscious traveller looking to reduce their carbon footprint? Look for accommodations that take a sustainable approach to all aspects of hospitality, from the food they serve, the experiences they offer and how they engage with local communities.

Some of the sustainability practices you can expect at a green hotel are LED light bulbs and renewable energy alternatives, eco-friendly cleaning products, recycling, and no single use plastics.

Whether you are looking for a luxury bush experience, a seaside escape or a big city adventure, we explore the top Green Hotels and look at what makes them the top sustainable destinations in South Africa.

Name: Sibuya Game Reserve & Tented Camps, Kenton on Sea,  Eastern Cape (https://www.sibuya.co.za/)

Sibuya Game Reserve is a well-known eco tourism destination on the Sunshine Coast. This award-winning safari destination offers accommodation in two luxury tented lodges located on the banks of the Kariega River Estuary.

Sibuya offers a one-of-a-kind nature experience and is one of the few travel destinations that offers travellers ocean, forest and bushveld. Guests can make the most of its unique setting and abundant wildlife and birdlife by partaking in the game drives and river cruises on offer.

The destination’s passion for conserving its natural surroundings is evident from its sustainability initiatives. The camp is run exclusively on solar power, to limit energy consumption they prohibit the use of aircons and hair dryers. Additional interventions are low-energy light bulbs, on-site recycling and composting. Guests are also encouraged to make use of reusable water bottles.

All goods and services at Sibuya are sourced locally and their staff is hired from the local community. They also conduct regular river cleanups.  

Jaci’s Lodges, Madikwe Lodge, North West  (https://www.jacislodges.co.za/about)

Set in the Madikwe Game Reserve, Jaci Lodges is ideally suited for guests looking for relaxation and nature.

A real nature-lovers paradise, all activities are tailored to take full advantage of the natural surroundings. As part of their luxury safari experience guests sleep in tented-style tree houses and can enjoy activities such as game drives in the Madikwe Game Reserve, bird watching and river walks.

This green hotel takes its commitment to sustainable tourism seriously. They have implemented glass, paper and tin recycling programmes, have a vegetable garden and make use of non-toxic cleaning products throughout the lodge. They minimise waste by buying in bulk work to conserve water.

The destination also seeks to contribute to the long-term sustainability of the local community. Staff members who have been employed at Jaci’s Lodges for more than five years have the opportunity to become shareholders.

Thaba Eco Hotel (https://www.thabahotel.co.za)

The Thaba Eco Hotel is proof that it’s possible to go green in the concrete jungle. Located in the heart of the city of gold in the Kliprivier Nature Reserve, the hotel offers luxury accommodation and is well-regarded for its world class facilities for both the business and leisure traveller.

This is one of the more popular green hotels in South Africa and is an attractive option for the sustainability-minded traveller. It is well regarded for its bold efforts to save water through xeriscaping, which is a system that conserves water through creative landscaping. On the energy consumption front, guests enjoy hot showers courtesy of solar-powered geysers.

On the activity front, even in the middle of the bustling city guests can still enjoy what they call, ‘Eco-drives’, which are game drives that focus on the ecology of the area.

Hotel Verde, Cape Town, Western Cape (https://www.verdehotels.com)

Hotel Verde has the top honour of being rated the greenest hotel in Africa by the US Green Building Council. This modern and stylish four star hotel is perfectly suited for Cape Town’s cosmopolitan setting and is popular with travellers wanting to be close to the airport and city centre.

Hotel Verde offers a 100% carbon-free stay and sustainability is built into the design of the hotel.

Some of the hotel’s eco-friendly measures include energy-efficient and water-saving devices such as energy-saving LEDs and the use of rainwater. They employ a zero waste to landfill policy by reusing, recycling and composting.

Guests can also get in on the action by earning Verdinos which is their in-house currency that rewards guests who help the hotel save energy and reduce waste during their stay.

Oyster Box Hotel, Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal (https://oysterboxhotel.com/)

An institution in South African hospitality, the Oyster Box Hotel is a five star luxury hotel overlooking the Umhlanga beach and iconic lighthouse.

Most of us know we need to exercise more. Yet finding the time to work out is often easier said than done. For most, the only time we have to exercise is on the weekends.

The good news is that so-called “weekend warriors” (people who only work out two days a week) can still appreciate the health benefits that come from regular exercise, even if their workouts are only crammed in on the weekend. But it’s important to make sure you’re doing the right type of exercises to get the most benefits from these training sessions.

Cardio or resistance exercise?

There are two main types of exercise everyone should aim to do.

The first is cardio, which of course refers to aerobic exercises – such as walking, jogging or cycling. Cardio is great for preventing and even treating a number of chronic health conditions, such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The second is resistance exercise, which involves any activity where the body or a particular muscle group is required to act against an external force – such as weightlifting or pilates. Resistance exercise is good for bone health, and can improve muscle strength, size or endurance. It also slows the rate of bone and muscle loss during ageing. Resistance exercise can also be great for controlling body weight, blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.

Since both of these types of exercise have different benefits, it’s important to do a combination of both for good health and fitness. But with only so much time on the weekend, the idea of squeezing both in can seem a bit daunting.

For cardio exercise, HIIT (high-intensity interval training) is particularly well suited to weekend warrior exercisers. HIIT produces similar benefits to cardiovascular health as a 30-minute jog – but in a much shorter time. Studies have shown doing four to seven bouts of intense exercise for one minute, followed by 60-75 seconds of rest, can improve fitness and wellbeing. So in theory, as little as eight minutes of HIIT could be beneficial to your cardiovascular health.

But to get the most benefit out of your session, it’s important to perform your HIIT alongside resistance exercise.

There are a two main types of resistance exercises. The first type are multi-joint exercises (such as squats or a bench press), which are effective for increasing strength. Single-joint exercises (such as a bicep curl) are more effective when trying to increase the size of a particular muscle group.

The exercises you do will largely depend on your goals. If fat loss is your aim, then multi-joint exercises may be best as they burn more calories because they use more muscles.

Similarly, exercise order is important. If increasing muscle size is your goal, then performing single-joint exercises prior to multi-joint exercises which use similar muscle groups could hamper your progress. If you want to build strength, the order of your exercises does not seem to matter.

For general health and fitness, combining upper and lower body exercises targeting the major muscle groups (chest, shoulders, back, hips, legs, arms and core) is best. For each muscle group, aim to do eight to 12 repetitions of an exercise for between one and three sets, resting for two to three minutes between sets and exercises. You should aim to be lifting a weight that is challenging (but not too challenging) for the target repetition range.

If you want to save even more time in the gym, try “supersets”. Perform a chosen exercise for eight to 12 repetitions, then go straight into your second exercise. Rest for one to two minutes after, before repeating for your remaining sets. This method works best when the two exercises target different muscle groups.

Designing your workout

How you structure your weekend workouts will largely come down to your preference, your goals and how much time you have. Regardless of what you do, make sure to include a good dynamic warm-up to avoid injury.

If your focus is to improve or maintain your general health and fitness, then mix it up. You might want to include HIIT training for cardio followed by a mixture of resistance exercises focusing on the upper body on your first day. The next day you may wish to begin with some low-impact continuous cardio (such as a bike ride) followed by some lower body resistance exercises. Each week try to introduce some new exercises or swap the exercises each week – such as using different variations of a squat (such as barbell squats one week then sumo squats the next).

If you find it hard to fit everything into one session then spread it out over the day. Try going for a walk, jog or bike ride in the morning then focus on resistance exercises later in the day. It’s important to find something that works for you and fits in with your lifestyle in order to make these workouts become a lifelong habit.

For losing fat, HIIT has been suggested as the magic bullet. But remember that increasing your muscle mass leads to a higher resting metabolic rate, meaning you burn more calories at rest. So be sure to include large multi-joint exercises which target more muscle, such as the squat or bench press to enhance fat loss.

Of course, the more exercise you can squeeze in throughout your week, the more health benefits you’re likely to see. Just make sure that when you do your workouts, you only do as much as your body can handle to avoid injuries – and make sure you warm up sufficiently.

Authors: Michael Graham and  Jonathan Taylor

Source: Weekend warrior workouts: here’s how to make the most of them (theconversation.com)

A recent client survey conducted by Discovery Life reveals that, while 98% of respondents believe that having a will is important, almost a third of the participants conceded that they do not have a will in place (31%). With 12 to 16 September being National Wills Week in South Africa, the time is now to get a will drafted, especially if you have loved ones who are dependent on you for income and other necessities.

Discovery Life surveyed clients aged between 35 and 65 years old, to better understand whether they believed wills were important, how many had one in place and whether these wills were up to date.

“One of the key reasons given by respondents in our survey, as to why they do not have a will in place, was the issue of not having the time to prepare one,” says Gareth Friedlander, Deputy CEO of Discovery Life. “Some respondents acknowledged that they were not sure how to go about drafting their last will and testament.”

While only 31% Discovery Life data clients do not have a will in place, this is still significantly lower than the macro view, where the Master of the High Court data reveals that more than 70% of working South Africans do not have a will. The fact that many people do not have documentation in place to distribute their wealth and belongings after they have passed on is very concerning.

“Our carefully considered view is that our clients demonstrate that they benefit from a higher level of financial literacy as they are being guided by our financial advisers – but this in itself highlights the importance of being better financially educated in order to manage your own wealth properly,” explains Friedlander.

When questioned regarding when their will had last been updated, a surprising 67% of respondents advised that they have not updated their will in the last 12 months. Nearly a quarter (23%) expressed that the last time they updated their will was more than five years ago – an alarming statistic as the will in place could be considerably outdated, possibly even leaving assets to people who have since passed or excluding people born after the will was last updated.

“Passing away without a will – which is also called ‘dying intestate’ – creates serious problems for your loved ones who are left behind,” adds Friedlander. “If there is no will in place, unfortunately the Intestate Succession Act ultimately decides the pecking order of who receives your assets.”

Friedlander cautions that the absence of a will or even an outdated will could leave the people who matter the most to you without the means to cope financially.

Dying intestate not only means that an individual’s assets could potentially be inherited by someone you hardly know, but there are additional lengthy challenges to consider. It causes additional confusion and unnecessary stress for loved ones, during a time when they are already grieving a terrible loss.

“Without a will, you cannot leave instruction on who will care for your minor children should both you and your spouse not be around to do so,” warns Friedlander. “More importantly, without a will, you cannot choose your own executor to wind up your estate, or set up a trust to receive assets or cash on behalf of your minor children. Cash will then end up going to the ‘Guardian’s Fund’.”

Proactive estate planning counters this by enabling your family to bypass time-consuming and expensive probate court proceedings, while simultaneously reducing family conflicts which often arise from estate disputes.

Friedlander advises individuals to update their wills at least once a year. There are also important life stages and events which may require that a will is updated more often than that. Examples of life changing events which require an extra urgent review of a last will and testament include getting married or entering a civil partnership, having a baby, purchasing a home, getting divorced, or if you have simply and unfortunately misplaced your original will.

The most important legacy an individual can leave for their loved ones, is an inheritance that is safeguarded from exorbitant administration fees or complicated processes, thereby ensuring that their legacy and their family’s inheritance is comprehensively protected.

“We call it Holistic Estate Planning,” says Friedlander. “Protecting your legacy ensures that legal costs and administration demands associated with wrapping up a life do not erode wealth for loved ones.”

Friedlander explains that The Discovery Estate Preserver (DEP) assists to cover the costs associated with winding up an estate after death including executor fees, testamentary trustee fees and property conveyancing fees. “Through the Discovery Estate Preserver, individuals have access to benefits such as our Liquidity Benefit which pays a lump sum to the beneficiary within 48 hours of a loved one’s death to assist in covering immediate expenses,” says Friedlander.