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.

I spent the better part of last week grappling with stomach trouble. A bad bout of gastritis pumped my brakes and forced me into sobriety. It’s been two weeks and refraining from alcohol in this short period has me feeling very different and I like it. I think I'm going to stay this way, at least in the short term. Let me share my sobriety experience with you.

Sweet sleep 💤
I sleep through the night and I’m not drooling by the time I wake up. I don’t wake up to pee and the struggle to get out of bed isn't as bad. For those that say "I'm not a morning person", sobering up might just convert you.

Ready, aim, fire 💩
I cut the booze and now I go to war in the bathroom twice daily. I'm a human grenade launcher and I feel fantastic. I'm lighter on my feet and unburdened. I haven't experienced a digestive process as efficient as this since I was a toddler.

Flu vibes and the throat itch 🤧
Ice cold beer and other chilled drinks before bed can trigger mini flus that aren’t serious but noticeable enough to irritate you and others. If you're unfortunate, mid-conversation mucus 😪 might roll down your upper lip to help smoothen the discussion.

Itchy fingers and loose lips 🤳🏿 🫵🏿🗣️
Ever said something after a couple drinks and regretted it? Or decided to tell someone how you really feel, good or bad, after a couple shots of liquid courage? Sobriety maintains impulse control and gives whatever base of wisdom you might have some solid support. Resist impulse and you'll save yourself a lot of headaches with a properly fitted head to mouth filter and text resistant fingers.

My appeal today is for others to try and incorporate an 'alcohol fast' for a week (as a start) and see how you feel. You can do this voluntarily or wait until you end up like me; experiencing pain akin to going into labor but without the joy of a baby. 

The start of a new year offers an opportunity to hit the reset button. For most people this renewed motivation only lasts a couple weeks and they’re back to default settings until the next year. I’m no exception but this year I’m determined to dominate from day 1 by automating my habits and incorporating a few mental hacks to help me evolve. I think my approach could be of value to others so here it is:

Become a disciple of discipline
This means early morning wake up calls to get a head start on the day and meditate 🧘🏾‍♂️ for emotional balance and later hitting the the gym 🏋🏾‍♂️ or road running🏃🏿‍♂️ to try and stay sexy 😌How you start your day sets the tone for the rest of it. Feed your mind, body and soul before sunrise every day.

Affirm yourself
As a man thinketh, so he is. Who do you want to be? You’re already that guy. Affirm yourself until your thoughts transcend your reality as often as you can. A simple trick I use to remember to engage in this practice is doing so in every mirror I find. I’ve gotten to a point where all I see in the mirror is a lion. 🗣️ The only thing that matters is what you think and tell yourself. Shower yourself with positivity and encouragement no matter what’s happening around you because oftentimes the only good things you'll hear about you are the things you say about you. Learn to be your own booster.

Detach yourself from outcomes
Ambition is everything but it’s often linked (and wrongly so) to tangible results only. This year is about who you become regardless of whether you hit your mark or not. Evolution is intrinsic; embrace the development of character and all the courage you had to muster to chase after your goals. Embrace failure and keep at it until you win. Constant effort is what separates the sheep from the goats.

Show love
Do this every chance you get and lift people’s spirits to a higher level than the one you found. Why? The energy you put out is the energy you get back. Don’t be misled by social media flexing abena “2023 I’m not taking any nonsense.” Be good to people. Be patient. Show love.

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!

As someone with a supernatural ability to gain weight by just looking at food I’ve had to make a determined effort to suppress my superpower. I’ve tried various crash diets in the past with varying degrees of success but ultimately I’ve realized that keeping my weight stable is anchored on consistent daily habits and not any extreme short term interventions. I’m going to share the habits that have been useful to me with you.

Lifting weights daily🏋🏾‍♂️
My current physique 🦍 is mainly attributable to gym sessions where I pick heavy stuff up and put it back down. Rinse, repeat 🔁 for an hour (see exhibit A 🎬). The gym is an absolute essential for anyone that wants a better physique and improved body composition, including women (ka shape shape 🍑 mwaishiba ka?)

Drinking water 💧 with a slice of lemon 🍋 first thing in the morning on an empty stomach
This practice keeps me pooping 💩 on a regular basis and addresses issues of bloating and constipation. If you’re not dropping bombs 💣 🚽 twice a day, you should consider adopting this to improve your situation. Don’t turn your body into a septic tank. Note that a hot cup of green tea 🍵 , moringa tea or coffee ☕️ will also loosen the bowels and get the job done if that’s your preference.

Going 50% on everything 🍽 ✂
It’s simple - whatever I feel like putting in my mouth is halved. Feeing like two lumps of nshima? I’ll have one. Feeling like four slices of bread? I’ll have two. I TRY to do it for everything and never eat to complete satisfaction.

Walking 🚶🏾‍♂️👣
I try to walk as much as I can as often as I can. I’ve even set up an hourly health walk at work where every hour I get up and take a stroll. This little activity adds up to big results over time and I’m sticking with it. It’s not as cool as telling my office mates how tired I am from my morning 15K as others like to do but it serves its purpose and keeps the weight controlled. It’ll likely make a difference for you too.

Sleep hygiene 🛌 😴
I sleep well and sleep long (+7 hours) every night to keep my hormones balanced. If you’re possessed by a spirit of entrepreneurship and neglecting sleep to hustle just know that your waistline will expand at the same rate as your business if you’re not careful. More on sleep here.

Daily weight and food tracking 𐄷
I make an effort to weigh myself everyday and track food intake. The scale makes me alive to my reality and food tracking exposes my eating habits. You cannot change what you don’t make an effort to know so all this is done to elevate my level of awareness so I can make adjustments where required. I track my food with an app called Nutrionix. It’s free, doesn’t contain any ads and it's very easy to use.

Alcohol 🍻🥃 🍷🍹
I only consume alcohol on weekends and this practice has saved me from a protruding tummy. If you drink often and outside of weekends it likely shows on your belly so you might want to limit your drinking sessions so you don’t jiggle as much. If you want step it up a little you can adjust what liquor you consume and what you mix it with. Lite beers and water as mixers are the way to go. More on this here.

Modeling myself after others aka Copy & Paste
Physically there’s always someone within our reach that has the body we want. I walk up to them with puppy eyes 🐶 and tell them I admire them and maybe a few extras if necessary. Once their ego is massaged I start to pick their brain on what they do (habits), what they eat, how they train - any and everything of interest that’ll help me learn more about how they manage their body. I simply adopt what I think is useful and discard what isn’t.

"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

I was recently asked to blog about gym etiquette by a friend of mine and fellow gym mate that's irritated by unwritten rules not being followed by some. Common sense isn't common so let's discuss these matters before someone gets tagged with a dumbbell!

Mind your business
It’s perfectly fine to introduce yourself to new members or people you keep seeing at the gym but avoid ichibeleshi✋🏾. Don’t offer unsolicited advice and unless you have the physique that screams 'I know what I'm talking about' and/or you're familiar with the individuals you wish to correct stop policing people. Many gym goers are fairly self-conscious in the weight room, so don't shine a spotlight on them; mind your business.

Respect personal space ⛔
Gyms can get busy, but it’s polite to give other gym-goers as much space as you can. Try not to get on a bike or treadmill right next to someone if other machines are available. If you're forced to train next to another person, keep your eyes from wandering and on your own machine. As for weights stand far enough away from your fellow exercisers to give them room to train comfortably and just breathe without you suffocating them.

Lastly, be polite to other members, but be mindful of starting conversations that don't have an ending. While you might be lovely company and a funny guy many people just don't have the time for excessive small talk and mickey mouse conversations. It's distracting.

Clean up after yourself 🧽
During your workout, it’s best to keep your water bottle, towel, mat, and other items close to you instead of spreading them all over the place mungulu mungulu. This helps other gym-goers know which equipment you’re using and which spaces are available for them to exercise in.  And when you're done please wipe down 🧽 any and all machines you used! Use a towel to wipe down all surfaces your skin touches.

Proper gyms should have wipes or a spray bottle with disinfectant 🦠 throughout the gym that you can use to spray and wipe down a piece of equipment. If they don't you might want to consider changing gyms before you start catching bacterial infections and your skin starts changing color.

Keep it pushing and don't be a hoarder
​When you’re using the gym equipment, it’s important to remember that—like you—other people are working out on a tight schedule ⏰ . You need to train and keep it moving. Nobody swings by the gym to witness you sitting on equipment you’re not using to text or scroll social media. They don't show up to marvel at you doing your circuit either so please avoid circuits during peak hours. Come during off peak if that's your preferred way of training to prevent holding up everyone else.

Lekeni ichongo (Noise) 🗣 🦍 
Gents, when you're moving serious weight please spare us with the macho noise making and dropping of weights. Working hard, with a few grunts and groans is understandable but when it's excessive, it becomes a distraction for other gym members. Control yourself and be respectful of others by reducing your volume.

Sambani Please (Bath) 🛁  🧼
​More on this here. People should not be able to smell you coming. Keep things fresh!

Supplementary reading:
Body Odor
Chikwela Mu Gym

What makes a man a MAN? Testosterone. That bass in your voice, that hair on your chin and chest, that drive and motivation, that macho-man aggression, and those few hints of muscularity on your body are driven by this hormone. Testosterone is impacted by age, nutrition and lifestyle. You can't do anything about Father time but you can certainly make adjustments to your nutrition, lifestyle and training. I want to share what I’ve done to record higher testosterone levels in my 30s than I did in my 20s 🤯 insane but true. Listen up.

Lifestyle
Sleep 😴 for a minimum of 8 hours every night. Testosterone is produced in your sleep and it’s output is displayed in your morning glory. More and better quality sleep aids it’s production and ensures more glorious days ahead 🦁 . You're not Elon Musk or Steve Jobs and there's really nothing you're doing when you're up late so prioritize sleeping more.

If you smoke, stop. Shisha, cigarettes 🚬 and weed - lekefyo. Little Jimmy won’t stand up? Blame it on the smokes 💨 cutting off circulation . If you drink 🍺 , do so in moderation (x2 beers per day). Alcohol crashes test levels and elevates estrogen. That big belly? Blame it on the alcohol providing you with excess calories.

Reduce your stress levels 😔. Stop trying to be superman; you can't be a hero for everyone and save them from their problems. Stress causes an elevation in the stress hormone cortisol and sustained or frequent elevations in cortisol subsequently reduce testosterone.

Nutrition
Keep doing whatever it is that you're doing but pay particular attention to your fat intake. You must look to increase this. When it comes to testosterone, fat is your friend. Look into incorporating things such as a fatty fish 🐠 , nuts 🥜 and nut butters, full fat dairy milk 🥛 or cheese 🧀 (choose ONE), avocado 🥑 , whole eggs 🍳 , chia seeds, olives 🫒 and olive oil (when cooking or alternatively you can consider throwing a tablespoon of it into your smoothie - you won't taste a thing!). Personally avocado is my go to, as well as placing the seed options in my smoothies and having nuts as snacks.

Avoid estrogen containing products, mainly soy and soy related products such tofu and soy milk. Growing breasts as a man? That's a sign of excess estrogen. Estrogen goes up and testosterone goes down.

Limit your overall sugar intake. Watch the sodas and consider drinking sugar free options instead to avoid increased fat storage from excess energy intake. Plain old water is the best.

Training
It's simple really, lift heavy things up and put them back down. Repeat this action 3-5 times per week for 30-60 minutes and you're all set. Strength training takes priority over cardiovascular training. Vo tamanga tamanga (running 🏃🏿‍♂️) won't help your testosterone unless you're overweight. If you're overweight consider incorporating both strength training and cardiovascular activity for accelerated results in the weight loss department. High Intensity interval training is a great option for those short on time.

Supplements to consider:

• Maca root (available at Umoyo).
• Zinc (available at Supplement World Zambia or your local pharmacy).
• Magnesium (available at Supplement World Zambia or your local pharmacy). Eat more spinach and nuts if you're averse to supplements.
• Vitamin D3 (available at Supplement World Zambia or your local pharmacy). Spend a few minutes in the sun if you're averse to supplementation.
• D Aspartic Acid (available at Supplement World Zambia or your local pharmacy).

⚠️ Low testosterone is associated with:

• Erectile dysfunction
• Fatigue
• Increased body fat
• Feeling irritable, or depressed
• Changes in sleep habits

⭐️ Supplementary reading:
Men's Health
African King

Question: “Nick, how much ya bench?”
Answer: “Doesn’t matter.”
Justification: Thinking you’re King Kong in the gym as a recreational athlete will earn you a one-way ticket to snap city if you’re not careful. The truth is nobody cares how much you lift, they just care that you look like you do 💪🏿 😍 I’m encouraged to publish this blog for the majority of people that hit the gym for cosmetic purposes but don’t quite appreciate how to achieve that. The strongest guy in the gym is seldom ever the most aesthetic guy. Here’s the playbook for those that just want to bring the fire 🔥 :

• Gents, avoid maximum lifts that require maximum effort. The risk of injury goes all the way up when you’re eager to impress strangers or ladies in sports bras training by nearby machines. Keep your ego in check before you learn a painful lesson in humility. The goal should always be to stimulate the muscle, not annihilate it so stay out of the red zone.
• Ladies, if you want to look better and improve your body composition you MUST lift weights. More on this here.
• Prioritize the little things such as sleep, stress reduction and other lifestyle adjustments. Gym is only a small part of your day, usually an hour. Do more during the remaining 23 hours to support recovery. How you look is directly influenced by your thinking patterns such as overthinking and stress and daily decisions (i.e. matebeto style eating or neglecting sleep trying to be the next Elon Musk).
  
• Focus on proper nutrition and understanding your macronutrient and micronutrient requirements. Spending all your money on supplements won’t make you look like the monsters you see on the cover. Supplements help but they’re not game changers no matter what someone tells you. Don’t know what to eat? Let’s talk about it. Want to try supplements but you don’t know what’s useful? We can talk about that too.
  
• Be consistent with your training sessions and try to have early morning sessions on an empty stomach to accelerate fat loss. Throw in a cup of black coffee for an added boost. Green tea is a good alternative for caffeine sensitive individuals with a low dose offering of caffeine that’s sufficient to give you a lift and get you going. An additional side effect and benefit is that it can also stimulate bowel movement. 1️⃣ workout 2️⃣ poop 💩 3️⃣ enjoy the rest of your day without anything weighing you down :).
  
• Train with and seek mentorship from people that have the physique you want. Stop huddling up with people at the same level as you (beginner). It’s the blind leading the blind. Umozi azagwa mu drainage.
  

You want to be bull strong? For who? Where are you going to take that strength? You’re old(er) now, stop flexing like a young lad before you hurt yourself. Always lift with a focus on longevity and the real reason why you’re in the gym - to look better.

Supplementary reading:
African King
Supplements
Women & weights