The Blue Zones - Ever heard of them? Perhaps you've vaguely heard of the book 📕that popularised the concept of it all? Blue Zones are areas in the world where people live the longest and I've long been fascinated with the idea of extending my checkout time. A podcast 🎧 I listened to recently helped me better understand the life extension hacks, which I refined and adapted to fitness. This is what I summarized:
Your environment determines your behavior Behavior follows your environment, and not the other way around. This was the key takeaway for me. It's not about discipline or mental resilience, it's all about your environment. Beware of the see-food diet 👀 🍰 You see, you eat. That's the see-food diet. Adapt your environment to simply have the things you should be putting in your mouth and none of the things you shouldn't. Don't buy chocolate 🍫, place it in the fridge and test your ability to resist it. This applies to drinks as well. You like a tot or two 🥃, keep your house clear of alcohol. If your weakness is bread and juice simply don't buy it for your pantry. Make your environment inconvenient and unsupportive of your 'bad habits'. Kitchen free from technology 📺 📻 TV, radio, and other gadgets 🤳🏿 all have the potential to display content that's upsetting. This raises stress levels and the stress hormone cortisol, which in turn adversely affects digestion. You don't want that, so take a caveman approach to meal settings. The only visuals and audio should be your natural environment and conversation. Keep your movement natural and frequent 🚶🏾♂️ You don't have to have a whole fitness regiment, you just have to move and move often. Many of us drive to places we could walk to. Many of us take the elevator 🛗 under the guise of being in a hurry. Many of us stayed glued to our computer screens 💻 because we've decided to be very busy and what we do is very important. Purpose 🎯 Longevity and purpose are intertwined. One seldom exists without the other. What's your why? Fitness largely has two motives; cosmetics and performance. Some want to perform like a ferrari (athletes) while others simply want to look like one (models). Some people want both. Clarity on what it is that you want and why will keep the engine running. Oftentimes what you want is moving target, because first you'll just want to lose weight, then you'll want a 6 pack then you'll want other things. The hunger for more sustains purpose. Eat with family 🧑🧑🧒 If you’re blessed with family one of the best things you can do for your health is prioritize family meals. More often than not you’ll be eating a home cooked meal with proper vegetables on the side. Families that eat together stay lean together. Chinjeni abanandi (Change your friends) Socialize with people that already have the health habits that you would like. Good habits are contagious, go catch them.
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A friend of mine pinged me on Whatsapp with the following message 🗣️“Special article request, one on maintaining concentration please. Happy youth day ba youth 🥳.” The prospect excited me because I'm someone that’s constantly looking for an edge and chasing peak performance in everything. I was immediately ready to address this but I composed myself and took time to neatly package how I go about staying locked in and focused. Below is how I get into position to aim and fire:
Embrace Hunger Being hungry, in a literal sense, can enhance focus. I'm already a committed intermittent faster and currently reaping its many benefits but a podcast I recently listened to put the enhanced focus element into perspective for me with a fascinating spin on it. "Our genetic wiring demands a certain level of hunger to keep us motivated and ready to hunt." Anecdotally speaking, I completely agree with this position. For those that don't, tell me how much drive you have left to get stuff done after a matebeto style lunch or vitumbuwa party at the office in the morning. Oxygen to the brain 🧠 It’s simple; breathe, breathe hard and breathe early. I'm a huge advocate of high interval intensity training for those with limited time in morning. Go for a run and push it or hit the gym and flex hard. For those with time, steady state running or cycling for longer durations can flood your system with endorphins and make you feel really good and ready to dominate the day. Whatever suits you, do it, but you need to start the day with it. Exercise will charge your batteries and get you ready for the day. Meditation 🧘🏾♂️ A loss of concentration can often be attributed to scattered thinking. Ma ganizo daily. Depending on who you talk to, meditation takes on different definitions but for me it’s simply 'getting the front of your mind to focus on some mundane task so that the rest of the mind can find peace'. This action repeated over time will give you the superpower to focus on whatever you choose to AT WILL. Nap 😴 Take a nap at midday. 20-30 min nap will recharge you regardless of whether you think you need it or not. For the working class folk your lunch break presents the perfect opportunity to do this. When required I usually take my white 'lamborghini' under some shade somewhere and snooze off the rustiness. I feel completely refreshed right after. Hydrate 💧 Skip out on water and focus will skip out on you. If you only drink water when you feel thirsty then you’re already dehydrated. This is a fact. If this sounds like your standard way of operating you need to changes things. Be intentional about water intake and track it. I wholeheartedly subscribe to Peter Drucker's school of thought - "“What gets measured gets improved.” Use an app or grab yourself pre-measured bottle and track how much of it you consume daily. Check the color of your pee while you're at it. Dark and Concentrated + Smelly = No Wino Wino. Drink more. Mint Tea 🫖 A morning cup of peppermint tea is a quick wake up shot, at least for me. If you can grab yourself a mint green tea you'll likely feel a small surge in mental energy. 🛸 Bonus for the supplement lovers ❗️ Caffeine + L-tyrosine ☕️ 🍵 💊 What I call the limitless stack that has inexpensive ingredients that work together synergistically. And no, energy drinks do not qualify. This little stack enhances my alertness, drive and motivation. I have very aggressive levels of determination to get done whatever needs to get done. Those sensitive to caffeine might want to consider topping up with another supplement called L-theanine, which can moderate the voltage ⚡️ felt from caffeine. 6 months off my 2024 summer 6 pack challenge and I’m already upping the ante 🌡️. I’m in my bag and pulling out all sorts of tricks. Here’s what I’m doing and why:
Hydration 💧 5 litres of plain water daily. Primarily to keep my joints lubricated and improve digestion. Sleep 😴 7 hours of daily sleep, preferably on the floor with a sleep tracker (via Garmin 55) activated to monitor sleep quality. I have an alarm for both bed time and waking up time, and the more consistent I am with following this structure the easier managing my sleep tends to be. I wake up most mornings without any weird aches and strains and reasonably recovered. When I can I sleep more, usually over the weekend. Gym 🏋🏿♂️ 🚶🏾♂️ 🚴🏿 2 hours of daily activity split between 1 hour of heavy lifting and 1 hour of cardio (30 mins indoor cycling + 30 mins uphill treadmill walking). EVERY DAY. This keeps me built like a brick house but with a resting heart rate of 58 BPM. ⚠️ This is not for the faint-hearted. Fasting 🍲 🕰️ 16 hours of intermittent fasting. I don’t eat anything until 1 PM. Everyday. And then I stop eating at 9 PM. I drink nothing but water and green tea during my fast. My wife indicates that this approach may not be ideal for women, based on her and her friends' experiences, but for me it’s working wonders and would likely do the same for others (read males). Food 🍝 When it’s time to eat I keep it simple by avoiding sugary drinks and fast food. For most people simply choosing water, and only water as their primary beverage will yield tremendous results. I eat everything else that I feel like during my eating window that moves directly from a non-commercial pot to a plate. The only thing that I’m very intentional about eating is a serving of muesli and yoghurt mainly to develop and maintain a strong relationship with the bathroom 💩. Supplements 💊 I use them and I like them. Currently stacking them for maximum benefit:
My final trump card will be elimination of alcohol at 3 months out. Ozempic - Ever heard of it? A groundbreaking weight loss drug 💉 that's taken the world by storm. It made me wonder why... Do we not know what's required to manage our weight? That's not it 🤔 we know because it's simple, but it's not easy. I'm writing to aid the implementation process:
Shopping Malls 🛒 My suggestion? Don't go there unless you absolutely have to. Don't escort a friend or colleague to the shops, let them go by themselves. Don't take a 'health walk' there neither. This is my version of staying away from temptation because when you go to the mall you'll smell all sorts of things that will stimulate hunger 🍟, you'll hear all sorts of things that will bring back BBQ memories 🍖, you'll see all sorts of colorful sugar bombs that excite your reminiscing taste buds 🍫 🍬🍭. Don't test your capacity to endure temptation; avoid it entirely. Eat From Your Pot 🥘 You'll be amazed at what happens to your waistline once you commit to eating only that which is made in your kitchen. But if you've differed with the madam and she's left you to fend for yourself the next point below is for you. Turn to the Streets 🥜 🍌 🍊 🍉 Feeling hungry? Take it to the streets. Buy the snacks on offer in the form of fruits, roasted maize, nuts, avocados etc until you find your way home to have a proper meal. I haven't found any man attributing their big belly to street food. Water 💧 💩 Drink lots of it and do it early. Staying properly hydrated provides a myriad of benefits and key among is easing any potential constipation by keep things moving along. Think of water as a poop softener. The more you poop the better and lighter you'll feel, at least that's the case with me. Get Active 🚴🏿♀️ 🏋🏿♂️ 🏊🏿♂️ 🤸🏿 My advice? Win the morning because you have less control over the rest of your day. If this is impractical, whatever alternative time of day is convenient you better get the job done with no excuses. For those that don't have the self-drive to get active I recommend that you consider hiring a trainer. You eliminate the thinking and simply focus on execution. Most trainers offer a trial workout and it's enough for you to decide if you enjoyed the session enough to show up again the next day. Whatever you decide, expose yourself to as many different things (boxing, aerobics, running, weights etc) to discover the kind of exercise you enjoy. You'll likely be consistent with an activity that's fun for you. Coffee ☕️ A strong cuppa Joe early in the day tends to help a great deal with appetite suppression. Try it. Another side effect, at least for me, is it stimulates bowel movement. Mind Your Liquor 🥃 You'll probably cut a ton of weight by simply turning a drink offer down, but for those that can't opting for lite beers and plain water mixers will make a huge difference in the long run. ❗️Hangover tip: a glass of water, a banana 🍌 and multivitamin💊 right before bed can help suppress hangover symptoms you might experience the next day. I recently signed up for the project fit marathon after gentle encouragement to do so from family. I was initially resistant because I didn’t feel particularly ‘fit’ but I jumped in it anyway and realigned my focus to measuring progress in my real life fitness project and answering the question "how do I objectively measure fitness?".
Resting heart rate The heart is a muscle* and your resting heart rate is usually an indicator of how strong that muscle is. In general, the lower it is the better. You can use technology to get reading via a smart fitness watch or blood pressure machine, or you can manually estimate it placing two fingers between the bone and the tendon on an artery located on the thumb side of your wrist. When you feel your pulse, count the number of beats for one minute. ❗️Readings are best taken first thing in the morning before anyone has had an opportunity to frustrate you. *The heart muscle of athletes is larger in size than that of ordinary, sedentary people due the physiological response it has to exercise. Excellent Fitness Rating
Above Average Fitness Rating
Average Fitness Rating
⚠️ If the reading obtained is less than what's outlined above then your fitness rating is poor. 12 minute Cooper test It’s simple - Run as hard as you can for 12 minutes on a measurable track or treadmill. Once done check the categories below for a fitness rating. Excellent Fitness Rating
Above Average Fitness Rating
Average Fitness Rating
⚠️ If the distance covered is less than what's outlined above then your fitness rating is poor. 2.4 kilometers test In this test, individuals run a distance of 2.4 kilometers as fast as they can. The time taken to complete the run is used as an indicator of cardiovascular endurance. Excellent Fitness Rating
Above Average Fitness Rating
Average Fitness Rating
⚠️ If the time obtained for distance covered is less than what's outlined above then your fitness rating is poor. VO2 max VO2 max is a measure of the maximum amount of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute of activity your body can use. To measure it, you can either use technology in the form of a smart fitness watch to estimate this value or manually calculate it from running a predetermined distance. For simplicity purposes, If you perform the cooper test or the 2.4 kilometer tests outlined above then the following formulas are applicable: VO2max = (22.351 x kilometers) - 11.288 for the cooper test, and VO2max = (483 / time) + 3.5 for the 2.4 kilometer test. The other albeit unrealistic option for the majority of my readership is a lab test. ❗️Quick tips to improve this metric are weight loss and high intensity interval training. Excellent Fitness Rating
Above Average Fitness Rating
Average Fitness Rating
⚠️ If the rating obtained is less than what's outlined above then your fitness rating is poor. The relevance of fitness testing is measuring your baseline so you can easily observe improvements or deterioration in fitness. Train, recover, eat and sleep well consistently and fitness takes care of itself. I personally use a Garmin 55 to tell me the truth about my cardiovascular fitness reality. Last weekend I found myself dragged into a discussion about the gym and some of the messy situations people find themselves in. I was asked for my take as ‘Ba Yama’ ku gym.
🗣️”I don’t care how far someone pushes their chest out or how often someone flicks their hair, the gym is the one place that consolidates people that want to be better. People that want to look and feel better. And because there’s a baseline people are trying to build on, insecurities, if left unchecked can creep in and nothing feels better than words of affirmation in times of self-doubt.” The unscrupulous among us speak this love language fluently in environments where the volume is never loud enough for the recipient not to hear, but for the civilised folk it’s fuel and encouragement. I’m drawn to the positives of any situation so for a better gym experience I encourage the lingo. To be clear, it's the simple English, no code, no hint hint or requirement to read between the lines kind of lingo. See someone looking good? Tell them they look good without any extras (😍 ❌) . You’ll make their day, I promise. See someone showing up everyday? Tell them you admire their consistency. You’ll be the reason that they show up again the next day, and the days after that. See someone in your space? Smile 😊, greet them 👋🏿 and keep it moving. You’ll help them feel warmth and friendliness. We all need more of that in a world where everyone is too gangster or too much of a 'somebody' to greet those around them. Be kind, it's contagious, so spread it every chance you get. See someone changing the temperature in a room? Tell them they're on fire 🔥. You'll help yourself by finding inspiration to light your own match and push through your workout. Why? 🦁 Because when you are affirm others you often identify the traits you would like to have, and if you’re someone with a basic desire to improve, these are the things you’ll gradually develop. If you stick around lions long enough you’ll forget you’re a vegetarian and develop a killer instinct. Note: These aren’t one-off events. Nobody ever got tired of compliments. This morning as I braved the cold weather to make my way to the gym I asked and answered the question “What does a summer body look like?” Answer: Beach Body. Most will agree that a summer body is often thought of as a leaner, more aesthetic physique. The whole beach body at a pool party kind of thing - Well defined 6 pack, chiseled chest, toned arms filya, and for the ladies small waist, flat tummy with other more pronounced features. What do they all have in common? Fat loss. The follow up questions of 'How do I get it?' and 'What should I be doing?' is something I pondered upon and my conclusions are what I wish to share with others. Alcohol Cut (or reduce) this vice and watch your weight disappear. I’m serious 😐 most people will see big results if they just turn away from the bottle. Think about it. Late night drive throughs or drive bys for michopo, hotdogs 🌭 and/or chips 🍟 ? ⛔️ Hangover junk food? ⛔️ Excess sugar from mixers and cocktails? ⛔️ Missed morning gym sessions? ⛔️ Sloth 🦥 tendencies and reduced activity the morning after? ⛔️. Disrupted sleep because you need to pee as often as you snore? ⛔️. When all these things are eliminated and improved upon you’re easily a better, slimmer you. Food You can eat much of what you want but delay when you do so. Intermittent fasting is the least annoying way to ‘diet’. Another is one meal a day (OMAD). It's simple: open your mouth for solids once every 24 hours. If you can pull it off, you’ll see tremendous results and quickly. You'd be wise to make your one meal count by making it a nutritious feast akin to what you'd receive or be presented with at your chilanga mulilo. OMAD exempts water, so please drink as much as you need whenever you need to not wa bwela wagwa ati ba roadrunner said one cup a day🤨. Anyway, a lot of people eating multiple meals a day don't engage in enough activity to justify the piles of food they place on their plates. Sounds like you? Give OMAD a try, or at least try to earn your plate through sweat. Thinking doesn't count so pretending to be an intellectual at the office doesn't qualify. Tea Keep warm this winter 🥶 with multiple cups of green tea 🍵. No sugar, no honey 🍯 - just a green teabag and hot water over and over again. You’ll get used it 😌 and two things will happen; one is you'll loosen your bowels and poop more and the other is you'll give your metabolism and mental alertness a boost. Increase activity This means increasing activity outside a gym or sports facility. It’s simple: take the stairs every chance you get and take walks as often as you can. Those of you with office jobs must make a conscious effort to get up and move every so often. Simple ways to do this are: fetch your own documents from the printer, go and buy your own tumbuwas if you insist on having them in the morning and step out to grab your own lunch rather than waiting to be served. Many of us disguise laziness as productivity when we don’t want to leave our reclining leather office chairs. I want to assure you that those few extra steps add up to big results over time so move more. Gym ➡️ Beast ➡️ Puppy Eyes ➡️ Elevate First, find a gym. Second, identify a beast/alpha at the gym. Third, feed the beast’s ego. Usually, the whole ‘I want to be like you when I grow up…’ works reasonably well. The point is, compliments make people more accommodating and helpful in general, and YOU need help stripping the fat off. Fourth and final tip, is request to train with the beast. You’ll elevate your level of training and accelerate your fat loss by hanging with the big boys and girls at the gym. "Nick, gym ipasa njala!" A friend of mine lamented. He went on to blame the gym for his rapid weight gain and every other physical feature he didn't like 😃. I was greatly amused by this but I felt his overall approach to things, not just gym, was off. Here's what I suggested to him: Sleep deep, sleep long 😴 Deep & long = at least 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night in a room with similar features to a cave. I have an alarm for when I should be in bed and I try to be consistent with it. Alarm goes off, so does my phone and the lights. For nights when maganizo 💭 ya paka I opt for a melatonin supplement to help me shut down. It often works very well for me. Poor sleep throws your hormones (especially the ones controlling hunger) off balance and before you know it, your desire for sugary and junk products become insatiable. ⚠️ bathroom breaks can be disruptive to trying to go deep and long with your sleep so you might want to drastically reduce fluid intake an hour or so before bed. Water is your friend 💧 Hydrate early, preferably upon rising with a combination of water and coffee ☕️. 500 mls of water and a cup or two of black coffee is my morning fix soon after waking up. It literally picks me up and gets me going. For the coffee protesters among us, I'd like to suggest you consider spending a bit more money on the coffee you buy before you write it off completely. I've found caffeine to be a cheat code in this game called life, and it might just help you level up as well in the gym and at work. Get moving 🏃🏿♂️ Front-loading your exercise program is a great way to manage hunger. If you're hydrated and you push yourself first thing in the morning all that activity and dopamine will sustain you for several hours. Leave every gym session feeling like a lion or lioness and you're well on your way to dominating your appetite and managing what you devour. Diet? Intermittently fast instead It's common for people determined to look better to radically change their eating ways while they hit the gym. They'll both read and be told many things of how this diet works better for fat loss and that one for muscle gain. We'll stick to the most common goal; fat loss. Deprivation of the things you like, as is the case with fad diets, often yields short term results with mid to long term consequences. Whatever weight you lose is coming back with interest. Intermittent fasting, for those unaccustomed to it, can be uncomfortable but not as miserable as most 'get skinny quick' diets. Sleep well, hydrate and exercise early and you'll be able to stave off hunger until late morning. Do this often enough and you'll look and feel better in the long run. Nshaba 🥜 Plug any gaps between meals with a handful of nuts. Don't like nuts? Other salty cousins such as popcorn 🍿 or pieces of fruit (specifically apples and pears) are great fillers and appetite suppressors to consider. It’s my birthday again 🥳 and this time around I am my own superhero 🦸🏿♂️! I put the mask on and transformed into the Black Panther at 31! I’m going to share what I did in my final 6 weeks before stripping down for photos and putting up back bacon for viewing purposes.
Cardio 🏃🏿♂️ 5 kms daily. I’d either run this distance (8 mins per kilometer - turtle gang 🐢) or walk it uphill on a treadmill (5 km/h @ 10-15% incline). All that mattered was covering the distance on a daily basis and keeping my body in motion. Abs 100 reps minimum of sit-ups daily. No days off. It's amazing how after a couple weeks of this practice you start see your stomach compartmentalise itself starting with the top shelf 😅. The belly must go was the motivation behind this. Gym work 🏋🏿♂️ Changed my lifting formula to sets of 15 - 30 repetitions at a time. I’d pick a weight that would allow me to complete a higher number reps per set till it burns 🔥. The only exercise I moved heavy weight on was deadlift (400lbs +), the rest was lightweight with high intensity and short rest periods not exceeding 1 min. I trained everyday without exception, sometimes twice a day. Nutrition 🍱 I adopted an 16:8 intermittent fasting protocol so my first meal was an early lunch at 11 am and last meal was at 7 pm.
Supplements 💊
Hydration 💧 5 - 6 liters of fluid a day, which was 50 - 60 mls x my body weight in kilograms. I peed often but generally felt good and ready to go at a moment’s notice 🫡. I tried to, and sometimes failed to avoid juice 🥤 but I did try to limit my overall intake. I’d opt for sugar free cokes and sprite where possible. I’d drink alcohol 🥃 but only on weekends where I’d take a multivitamin before bed to prevent a hangover 😵 the next day. You should try it! Apps 📲 I used the free Life app to track my fasting and eating windows and the free nutritionix app to log my food intake, hydration and daily weight. I believe that what gets measured gets improved so I’d track everything and make adjustments where required. Photo credit 📸 Ryan J Banda 📞 0974-101553 Supplementary blogs African King Supplements for gym goers Restarting your fitness journey Weight-loss toolbox 4 kilos down and counting Intermittent fasting 101 The belly must go! I was at the gym 5 am sharp as per usual and a friend asked me “Nick. How’re you doing?” I cheekily responded with “The way you see me bro - I’m GOOD!” 😎. Wrapped up my session and proceeded to work 👨🏾💻 for another Q&A of how I am. 👉🏾 Same questions, same answers. When you’re in shape, in tailored fitting clothing that presents your body of work you’re high on confidence. Let’s explore what else you can gain from going to a gym.
Elevated self esteem & confidence 🦸🏿♂️ My brother Bongani said it best - “At the end of the day, you only feel as good as you look.”Engaging in gym activities will change your body composition and make you look better with and without clothes. You can ride that wave of confidence and achieve great things in other areas of your life. Improved health 🫀, mental clarity 💭 & mood 😊 When you work out frequently you’ll unlock boundless energy, a better mood, fat loss and mental sharpness. Consistent exercise eradicates a spirit of laziness and gets you primed to dominate your day. If you have any ailments you’ll likely see improvements in your health markers at your next doctor’s appointment. Better eating habits 🍱 Exercising often makes you a lot more conscious of your food choices. You’ll discover that you’re less willing to sabotage your efforts by bingeing on doughnuts 🍩 and cake 🎂. You’ll start wanting to feed yourself properly. In my case, I find that exercise is a fantastic appetite suppressant and cravings killer. It could be the same for you too. Networking 🤝🏾 Professional opportunities aren’t reserved for the golf course ⛳️, the gym has big boys and girls too! You can leverage that and land yourself something big if you’re a focused and pleasant individual with something offer. 🗣 Go to the gym and stay sexy! |
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