QUESTION 1: What are your fitness goals as a Zimbabwean ?

• Are you trying to lose weight? Awesome.
• Are you trying to bulk up or build muscle? Great.
• Are you preparing for your first 5k? Swell.

Whatever your goals are, it’s good to write them down and be aware of what you’re trying to accomplish.

These goals will shape HOW you build your workout.

An effective way to create goals is by using the SMART method, which stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely.

• Specific – Specifically state what is to be accomplished. For example, “I want to gain 5 pounds of muscle.” (In this article we’ll cover how to build a workout to help you lose weight, build muscle, and get stronger. If you have specific goals like getting your first pull-up, getting your first push-up, or running your first 5k, we have articles covering each of these in detail.)
• Measurable – Find a way to measure your progress.  For example, you will need body composition equipment to assess your fat and muscle mass.
• Attainable – Your goals should be realistically attainable. For example, a realistic rate of muscle gain is up to 0.5 pounds per week. To gain 5 pounds of muscle, 10 weeks would be an attainable starting point.
• Relevant – Your goals must relate to your interests, needs, likes/dislikes, and abilities.  Another thing to remember is that your goals need to be generated by you and you alone! For example, if you don’t care about gaining 5 pounds of muscle, or aren’t quite sure how this will benefit your life, then this isn’t a great goal for you!
• Timely – Your goals must have a timeline for completion.  If your goal is to gain 5 pounds of muscle then a reasonable end-point should be at minimum 10 weeks.

If you are struggling with your goals, revisit the SMART framework and see if you can tweak your goals to work better for you.

QUESTION 2: How much time can you devote to exercise?

If you can do an hour a day, that’s fantastic.

But maybe you have a wife or husband, three kids, a dog, two jobs, and no robot butler…