Uniting colour and cardio for charity

JORDAN MOSHE

While those watching him continued to exercise, their eyes were drawn to his brush as it swept across the blank surface, leaving striking lines of blue. As odd as this exercise routine may sound, it was an exercise in charity, uniting colour and cardio to support those in need.

To top it all, the auctioned painting went to the royals of Monaco for a substantially large sum.

This unique event last Monday was one of several initiatives conceived by brothers Andrew and Paul Rothschild, the co-founders of SWEAT1000. SWEAT stands for Specialised Weight Endurance Athletic Training, and the 1000 represents the number of calories burned in a ground-breaking hour-long workout.

Since the onset of COVID-19, these exercise enthusiasts have worked tirelessly to find ways to keep people fit and give to charity.

Their exercise platform has offered members regular workouts as well as frequent free training opportunities for anyone wanting to exercise, attracting about 6 500 people.

“We’ve tried to bring people together,” Andrew Rothchild told the SA Jewish Report. “Because people can’t get to gym, we wanted to make online workouts as interactive as possible.”

To this end, they have invited several local celebrities like former cricketer Morne Morkel, rugby star Bryan Habana, and others to appear in their sessions, giving people a unique opportunity to work out with sports stars.

“We wanted to make celebs more approachable, and show people that they are human as well,” says Rothschild. “This situation is a great leveller, showing people that no matter what you do or where you come from, we’re in this together.”

Another initiative is to offer free online exercise sessions to doctors and other healthcare workers as a small token of appreciation from SWEAT1000 to those committed to fighting the pandemic.

Says Rothschild, “They strive to look after us, so it’s important to look after them as well. We’ve had more than 150 medical workers from around the world use the platform.”

As good as these initiatives were, Rothschild wanted to help the less fortunate as well. SWEAT1000 decided to use the platform to raise money for charity.

“I wanted to help the Pick n Pay Feed the Nation campaign, and thought about getting Conor, who is a friend of mine, involved,” says Rothschild. “He lives in Switzerland, but happened to be stuck in South Africa because of the lockdown.”

Born in South Africa, Mccreedy is a contemporary artist known for his abstract paintings and for prominently featuring the colour blue in his work. Rothschild asked him to paint while he conducted the workout session. Attendees would bid for the painting during the session, and all proceeds would be donated to Feed the Nation.

“Conor created a unique piece which featured the South African flag in his signature blue style,” says Rothschild.

In the end, the royal family of Monaco bought the artwork. The family shares a bond with South Africa, with Princess Charlene having been born in Zimbabwe and relocating to South Africa with her parents in 1989.

“The painting was actually bought by the Princess Charlene Foundation,” says Rothschild. “Her brother, Gareth, is a good friend of mine, and often tunes in to my workouts. He saw the painting and really wanted it, so he called me and bought it outright for an undisclosed amount.”

While the original has been sent to the royal residence, Rothschild made 100 facsimile prints available for purchase to the public as well. Each of them sold for $100 (R1 871). Added to donations made during the session, the proceeds were given to Feed the Nation, enabling the support of more than 100 families in need.