Connie Ferguson has been a fixture of South African screens for more than three decades, but away from the cameras, fitness has been a lifelong thread running through her story – one she says started with her father.
Speaking to The Citizen after a panel discussion at the Johannesburg launch of Honor’s new Magic V6 foldable smartphone, the award-winning actress, executive producer and businesswoman spoke to us about how she uses, and deliberately limits, technology in her wellness journey.
Ferguson, 56, was one of six South African personalities unveiled as brand ambassadors for the Magic V6 under Honor’s new “Dare to Be” positioning, alongside Legends Barber CEO Sheldon Tatchell, former Miss South Africa Mia Le Roux, Proteas Test captain Temba Bavuma, Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams, and sprinter Akani Simbine.
She attended the launch with her eldest daughter Lesedi, and gushed about being able to capture moments shared with her two grandsons.
Documenting the real, not the reel
Asked how technology, and social media in particular, has changed the way she approaches fitness over the years, Ferguson said the goal has never been to perform for an audience.
“With the help of social media now, we are able to record our workouts, and I try not to be too strategic about it because I still want it to be as natural as possible,” she said.
She was firm about drawing a line between wellness content and marketing.
“I’m not selling anything. I’m really just encouraging wellness, so we get to capture real moments, real workouts, real pain when there’s pain, and get to share it with the masses who are also interested.”
For Ferguson, that means letting her platforms show the unglamorous parts of training too, not just the highlight reel.
The 9:15pm digital cut-off
The conversation then turned to digital wellbeing tools – the do-not-disturb and screen-time features increasingly built into smartphones. Ferguson said she has long practised her own version of this, with a strict nightly deadline.
“I’m very intentional about the time that I switch off in the evening. So personally, my do-not-disturb goes on at 9:15 in the evening, so you can’t reach me after 9:15 in the evening, and that’s very deliberate,” she said.
She linked the habit to the pace of daily life.
“The way we go through the rush during the day, you’re so busy, you have time for everybody else but yourself. So it’s important to be intentional about the time you take out for yourself. For me, 9:15 in the evening, I’m under.”
Ferguson’s comments came against the backdrop of the phone brand’s push into the premium foldable market.
The Magic V6, a slim, large-battery foldable positioned against the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold and Huawei’s foldable range, will go on sale in South Africa from 1 September at a recommended retail price of R39 999.
Honor also used the Johannesburg event to unveil its “Dare to Be” brand identity, its Robot Phone concept device (not available locally), and new additions to its Pad (tablet) and MagicBook (laptop) ranges – Citizen.
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