My wife recently restarted her fitness journey and after going hard for a week she was grounded by illness over the weekend. What happened? It was a typical case of hard training combined with hard dieting that led to suppressed immunity. I've been a victim myself chasing ridiculous targets like losing a kilogram a day 😣. Extreme I know, but like many of you I wanted results quickly and like my wife, I soon learnt a humbling lesson and that is; progress should be gradual.

What happens when you overdo it?

• Suppressed immunity

Hard dieting (under-eating) and hard training (over-training) will keep you in bed beyond 8 hours and if you're not careful, land you in the hospital.  Dieting and training are both stress factors that elevate the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol if chronically elevated will torpedo your immune system and for gym goers the problem usually starts out as a mild flu before progressing into a nasty one. Watch out for that and adapt accordingly.

• Loose skin

Extreme dieting and/or training which results in rapid weight loss will leave you with excess skin and staggering stretch marks. The reason for excess skin is that you haven't given your body a chance to adapt to the changes and because of that you'll likely be left with a cosmetic problem that more often than not can only be resolved with surgery. With regards to stretch marks these are a likely occurrence for anyone that experiences fluctuations in body weight but if you push the weight loss agenda too far too soon you'll end up with very dramatic and unsexy consequences.

• Sleep disorder

Hunger pangs will disrupt your sleep. Inappropriate food balancing (low carb or no carbs) and food quantity will send your body into a state of panic (starvation mode) and disrupt regular hormonal functioning. You can lower your food consumption and lose weight without being overzealous. Hard dieting is a recipe for insomnia.

• Eating disorder

Overly ambitious body goals damage your relationship with food. Suddenly the foods that once brought you joy are the devil trying to sabotage you. You can eat most things every so often as long as you do so in moderation.
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How should you approach things?
Eat sufficiently to support your training OR train at an appropriate intensity that doesn't exceed your decreased nutrition, but gently helps your weight loss efforts. It's a balancing act that you must get right. Avoid combining hard training with hard dieting. You can go hard in one but keep it moderate with the other.

​You just can't "train like a horse and eat like a bird". You're asking for problems.

I grew up believing the infomercials I saw on TV, the pictures and articles I saw and read in magazines. All you had to do was swallow this pill or mix this powder in your favourite drink and it would change your body from the inside out overnight. I genuinely believed that’s all it took and I spent my money on supplements waiting on my body to dramatically change. And when I didn’t see results I increased my investment in a whole cocktail of supplements. It took me a while to break down supplementation and understand what works and what doesn’t.

Pre-workout 🚀
It's something you take before you work out to give you a little and sometimes big boost ⚡. These are fantastic 'switch on' supplements that can elevate your training by giving you energy and motivation to push harder. However, not all pre-workouts are created equal and not everyone responds the same to them. I'm not loyal to any specific pre-workout, I just look out for a reasonable combination of the following ingredients at these dosages to ensure energy, focus and a pump:

• A little caffeine at 100-300mg per servings for an energy boost.
• A little L-citrulline/arginine at 6-8 grams per serving for a pump. Alternative pump ingredients are betaine anyhydrous and HCI at 2000mg and/or Beetroot extract at 500mg per serving.
• A little L-tyrosine at 1-3 grams and/or L-theanine at 100-400mg for mental focus. Alternative effective ingredients include  huperzine A at 200mcg and/or alpha GPC at 300mg per serving.

Pre-workout is an absolute essential for me and ingesting it ensures that I'm ready push my limits and guard against laziness every time I set foot in the gym.
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Creatine Monohydrate 🦍
Creatine is one of the few powdered supplements that have been thoroughly researched and proven to work. It helps improve strength, power, and muscle mass. Extensive studies have found that it is safe to consume long term without negative effects.
⚠️ Keep it simple and avoid other 'advanced' forms of creatine. It's not that they don't work, but that they just don't don't give you the same value for money. Stick to plain old creatine monohydrate.

​Whey Protein 💪🏾
Protein is effective for muscle recovery and building muscle. The most important thing is the quantity and quality of protein consumed daily. 2g of protein x your bodyweight in kgs will give you a daily protein target to aim for. Depend on food first and supplement with protein to make up the difference where you fall short. How will you know? Download the Nutritionix app or Myfitnesspal app on your phone and start logging what you eat at each meal. You'll get a rough estimate of how much protein you're ingesting and if it falls short of the calculation outlined you may want to consider supplementing. If you don't fall short, then don't supplement. More isn't better.
I typically take 2-4 servings per day in addition to the food I already eat. I use protein supplements in specific phases and training blocks to cut weight and recover from sessions quickly during certain periods i.e. Summer Shredding. Outside of that it's just not that serious for me, it shouldn't be for you either.

Fat Burners 🔥
Great short-term options that mostly get the job done by acting as appetite suppressants and metabolism boosters. The stimulant versions of these products are a lot more effective than the non-stimulant versions.  Be wary of excessive stimulants if you're taking both a fat burner and a pre-workout. One of them should be stimulant free if you want to combine the two because believe me when I tell you that overstimulation is not a sexy feeling. 
⚠️ Pay attention to your mood on fat burners. If you don't feel good there's likely something in the product that doesn't agree with you. You might want to abandon ship and switch until you find what works for you.

Multivitamin 🌈 ✅ 
An insurance policy against any nutritional gaps which are more than likely for an active individual. They don't break the bank and benefits you get from them won't punch you in the face because they're are subtle but listen, they're very useful. Anyway, I'm a believer and Wellman's multivitamin (UK brand) is typically what I use. Available in local pharmacies.
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Supplement World Zambia has everything you need in one store. Game stores is an alternative but it might be at a higher price point and so is Nutritech Zambia with more competitive pricing and product ranges. If you want to know more about ingredients in terms of what they do, whether they work and how much to take then read more on this on the examine.com website. It has excellent free resources to help you make an informed decision.

"Nick. This fitness life isn't for me. Nili na pressure." I didn't understand at first but she went on to further explain what she meant. Women face a number of hurdles when it comes to getting back in shape and this is how she broke it down for me:

The petty stuff
Cosmetics

• What to do with my hair. Hair maintenance and sweat are huge concerns for female gym goers. Women should consider braids (wash them every other day) and a sweatband during sessions to prevent a cocktail of hair products and/or salty sweat getting into your eyes while you work out. When you’re done you can throw on your wig and go on with your stress free life.
• What to do with my nails. Lavish nails 💅 are a standout feature on the hands of many women but when it comes to extensions you have a decision to make - pretty hands or pretty body? Opt for manicures without extensions as having the best of both worlds is a dangerous game to play and you might end up with a very bad injury if you persist with glued on extensions while attending the gym.
• What to wear. The pressure to look cute ☺️ while you work out is real thing but function and comfort must be prioritized. Focus less on aesthetics and more on comfort and look to buy sports specific clothing ahead of wearing the same joggers you slept in last night to work out in the next morning. 

Mental barriers

• Not being in a social space. Many people want to work out without the excessive small talk and gossip overshadowing their sessions. How can you overcome this? Sign up for classes that simply involve working out without the interaction. Peak performance training with Thabo will tax your system so hard people often only open their mouths to breathe. It's high intensity interval circuit training that leaves very little room for small talk so you can get your workout in and leave in a hurry. 📞 0968896012.
• Intimidation of working out in a group. Everybody suffers from insecurities 😌 I don’t care what the exterior shows, there's a few insecurities underneath. Armed with that knowledge you can go on about your business unshackled from feeling 'less than' others. Words of affirmation, headphones 🎧 on with whatever music makes you channel your inner gangster and keeping the focus on yourself and your workout will get you through this mental barrier.

The real stuff
Responsibility

• Women with babies 👶🏽. The baby wants milk, attention and frequent diaper changes. Workaround: Pump for milk, and gents the last two are where you need to step up and share the responsibility of parenting your children. Mother’s can be the baby's entertainment by incorporating home workouts or HIIT while you care for your young. You don't have to sit and watch cartoons all day, break a sweat and become your baby's source of viewing pleasure.
• Women with husbands 👨. A typical married woman’s morning involves making your husband food (breakfast and lunch), waiting for and giving instructions to your house help and/or school runs. Workaround: Cook in advance and pre-pack your husbands meals. Whatever you ate for supper should be the next day's lunch. Wives married to difficult husbands that demand fresh and often complicated, time-consuming foods I don't know how to help you - mu limbe chabe. School runs should be shared equally so if you take the morning run then your husband should take the lunch/afternoon run. Can't share responsibility? Boarding school is calling.
• Women with demanding jobs 👩🏾‍💻. Ba boss lady, Miss When Women Lead, Miss Independent - I respect and admire your drive 🔥 🫡. But how can you manage things better? Incorporate more balance in your life and find time for other things. Stop being a hero ku nchito, be a hero in your life and save yourself before excessive responsibility starts to show itself on your hips. A lot of the stress we experience from work is self-imposed, you have to be able to intentionally connect and disconnect from work.
• Personal safety ⚠️. This is always a risk and the easiest, cheapest option of walking/jogging can be extremely dangerous. The alternative of working out in a gym full of men can make you uncomfortable because of predators and ichibeleshi. You might want to consider enrolling at Evolve gym. It's a women's only gym so there's no bearded chikwela.

Ultimately when it comes to responsibility for the married or committed among us, you need your partners support. Your husband needs to step up and share responsibility whether it’s with the kids, with the cooking, cleaning - EVERYTHING. Fitness should be a shared goal.

Supplementary reading:
Personal safety
Running and dogs
Chikwela mu gym
Restarting your fitness journey
Women and weights
Women's health
Gym etiquette
Summer bodies are made in winter