Durban North yoga teacher has not skipped a ‘beat’

IF you think back to the early mornings of the 90s, you’ll recall a fitness programme on TV called Body Beat. It was presented by Phil Joffe, first in studio and then at various locations throughout South Africa from 1989 to 1998, reaching 1.5-million viewers, five days a week.

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Its intro music was a song called Hit That Perfect Beat Boy from Bronski Beat – if you were a school-going child, you knew it was time to get ready for school when you heard the tune.

So, where is Joffe now, and what is he up to? He’s still involved in fitness and teaches yoga and pilates at Fit24 in Durban North. Doing whatever he can to stay fit and healthy, he told Northglen News, is a lifestyle for him.

“I started going to gym when I was 14 because, at that time, I thought that if I lifted weights, I’d get chicks.” He laughed.

“I grew to enjoy it and played a lot of sport, as well. It was something that became a part of my life. It never crossed my mind that I wanted to be a presenter, but I found myself auditioning for Body Beat. The producer chose me,” he added.

Joffe, who was a lecturing in literature and media studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal at the time, flew up to Johannesburg regularly to film Body Beat. Enough content was shot for a month at a time. Soon after, the producer decided to visit different towns to film, and fillers from the respective areas were used.

“Of all the locations where we filmed the show, probably shooting in the Cango Caves, after midnight, with female trainees from the SA Defence Force Officers’ College in George, was the most memorable. Under the earth and in caves millions of years old,” said Joffe.

With all his knowledge and experience in fitness, 240 Body Beat videos later and entering numerous fitness competitions, Joffe considers himself an expert in the field and has written books and produced home-exercise videos online. Now in his 80s, he prefers yoga and pilates as a form of exercise.

“As you get older ,your muscles get smaller so they need to be stretched. I enjoy teaching yoga and exercise for the elderly at The Essenwood Home for Women. The positive feedback is indicative of its importance. I want others to feel good,” he added.

He added that exercise and nutrition did not have to be complicated.

“Start small: Go for walks daily, eat on a smaller plate and make sure you’re getting fresh food in your diet and that meals are balanced. If you find yourself confined to a desk most of the day, get up and walk every thirty minutes,” he said.

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