Still buzzing from the African King release I was informed by fellow gym mates that they now knew my secret! That I’m not natural! Ni jabba💉 because I use supplements 😧 🤣. I feel compelled to clear the air and draw a line between supplements and steroids.

Supplements
Dietary supplements are ingredients added to a nutrition protocol to enhance or complete it. These are typically vitamins, minerals, amino acids and herbs.
You should consider supplements if you have a deficiency i.e. if you’re vegan, or if it’s more convenient for you to reach your macronutrient goals this way i.e. whey protein for daily protein targets, or you simply want a little help to get you to your goals faster i.e. fat burners and appetite suppressants.

Steroids
These are the synthetic form of the male dominant hormone testosterone. Testosterone is present in both men and women but in varying amounts. There’s more in men. It’s what makes you a man. Ka ndevu 🧔‍♂️, aggression, motivation and drive, sexual desire and the ability to pack on muscle.

Signs of possible steroid use

• Gynecomastia - this is puffy nipples caused by excess testosterone converting to estrogen in the body. The technical term is aromatization. A fit looking lad with breasts is suspect.
• Acne - particularly on the face and back. This is caused by the hormonal fluctuations and imbalances created by steroid use. Middle aged men don’t suddenly experience puberty all over again.
• Shrunken testicles - I don’t know how you’ll verify this 😅 but just know that it’s a sign of possible steroid use. When you’re juicing you're elevating your testosterone levels and throwing your hormones off balance. Your body, as a response, will shut down natural testosterone production, which leads to smaller, less-active testicles. Only peeping Tom’s in the showers would know I guess.
• Deep voice, excess body and facial hair - caused by excess testosterone. If he didn’t have the gorilla gene 🧬 before but he has it now then it’s suspect. Again, middle aged men don’t suddenly experience puberty all over again.
• Rapid increases in strength - gym rats know how much work is required to pull certain amounts of weight so if some relative newbie quickly becomes King in the gym he might be on something 💉 .
• Extreme body transformation - again, developing a physique takes a lot of time and effort so if some chap makes it look easy and goes from zero to He-Man in 3 months he might be playing you. ✋🏾We don’t want to hear that it’s Creatine and that got them all them gains! Please, don’t mislead us 😒
• Bonus: ka temper temper. Look out for the moody ones with radical, unexplained shifts in temperament. Ninshi ma injection 💉 yambo sebenza.

Conclusion
Supplements are not miracle ingredients but they do offer a small boost to help you get to your goals faster if your budget allows. Want to feel like more of a man without jabbing? Consider creatine monohydrate, pre-workout and a credible test booster. Outside of that, the secret is hard work and consistency. Chapwa. Steroids will take you to another level but all that comes with side effects and adverse health issues. The decline is just as dramatic as the rise.

Supplementary reading:
Supplement playbook
Men’s health
African King

I was once recommended a book by someone that fundamentally changed everything for me and helped me appreciate the law of attraction. That book was The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho 📖 ✨. As we embark on a new year 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣2️⃣ it’s a book that I view as compulsory reading for anyone with ambitious (and scary 😟) new year’s resolutions. I want to share useful concepts in the context of common goals set by most people at the start of every year in order to help you achieve them.

Resolution: Get in shape/get a 6 pack/run a marathon/lose weight etc.
Body goals will always make a resolutions list.
Alchemy fix: Visualize it before you achieve it. See your body as the final product that you want it to be. Thoughts become things and the world will conspire to make it happen. Additionally, you must strive to be consistent with your training sessions. If any excuses you have wouldn’t be acceptable for missing work👨🏾‍💻 they shouldn’t be acceptable for missing training sessions🏃🏿‍♂️. Use fitness trackers to keep you honest and accountable. Supporting quote 1 - "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."
Supporting quote 2 - “People are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.”

Resolution: Live life to the fullest
Alchemy fix: You need to do more of what makes you happy and less of what others expect of you. Do not be a conformist if it means betraying yourself. Be authentic to you, live for you and 'remind yourself that nobody's built like you; you design yourself'. Supporting quote - "Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own."

Resolution: Get organized and elevate
Alchemy fix: the key to getting organized and the subsequent elevation it attracts is knowing what you want and finding the courage to go after it. We all have varying goals and ambitions ranging from completing a degree (or passing ZIALE), getting promoted, starting a business etc. What separates achievers from dreamers is taking action and believing it can be done. Supporting quote - "There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve, the fear of failure." Supporting quote 2 - "It is this, that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That’s the world’s greatest lie."
Supporting quote 3 - “It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.”

Resolution: Give up drinking/quit smoking/other bad habits
Alchemy fix: You know what you want so consider how drinking and smoking figures in your plans. The instant gratification these substances provide delay progression. Clean up and go at life sober minded one day at a time 👉🏾 'I will not smoke or drink today.' Repeat this action every day until abstinence is no longer a conscious decision. As for other less than useful habits know that if it’s not helping you then it’s hurting you. Your quality of life is oftentimes a direct result of the habits you kick and retain.
Supporting quote - “When you can't go back, you have to worry only about the best way of moving forward.”

Resolution: Find Happiness
Alchemy fix: The key to enjoying life does not lie in making major life changes, but in actively enjoying your life as it is. Meditate 🧘🏾‍♂️ more as it will help you become more present and adapt you to pay attention to very subtle things. The little joys in life are what consolidate to provide sustained contentment. Adopt an attitude of gratitude to help with positive realignment, increased optimism and emotional balance. You can journal and list out things you're grateful for or pray just to say thank you every so often. Happiness is a deliberate decision that you need to make every day because ‘even on your worst day you live like somebody on their greatest’.
Supporting quote 1 -"When each day is the same as the next, it’s because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises."
Supporting quote 2 - Because I don’t live in the past or the future. I’m only interested in the present. If you can concentrate on the present, you’ll be a happy man. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we’re living right now.
Supporting quote 3 - “Every blessing ignored becomes a curse.”

Bonus resolution: Spend less time on social media
Alchemy fix: You can replace this habit with spending more time on Roadrunner Zambia 😁.

In summary, alchemy is about penetrating the soul of the world and discovering the treasure that has been reserved for you. When we strive to be better, everything around us becomes better, too.

Key quotes/interactions and interpretations from the book

• “To realize one's destiny is a person's only real obligation.” Find your mission on your earth and live a purpose driven life.
• “People are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.” As far as I’m concerned dreams are God’s proof to you that whatever you want, it’s yours already. Consider them prophecies.
  
• “It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” Maybe some things aren’t meant to come to fruition no matter how hard one tries. But isn’t that what makes it all the more interesting and worth trying for; the possibility that it can come true?
  
• “Why do we have to listen to our hearts?” the boy asked. “Because, wherever your heart is, that is where you will find your treasure.” The truth is that your dreams will never die. If you aren't doing what you truly want to do in life, you will always hear that voice in the back of your head telling you what would make you truly happy. That voice is your heart, you should listen to it.
  
• “There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” A reminder to keep pushing forward no matter what adversities we face. Because at the end of the day, we only miss the shots we don’t take. So keep dreaming and keep trying until your goals become a reality.

Supplementary reading:
2020 Finish line
2021 Dream Work Pray
Happiness Ni We Mwine
Kaja Ka Voice