International health and fitness coach, Teurai Chanakira, returns to Zimbo Jam as our fitness consultant and will do a bi-weekly column on health and fitness. During the year, she will take you on a journey to understanding more about healthy eating and living a more active lifestyle. She will also post tips on Facebook and will share her weekly live workout videos with Zimbo Jam readers.
We hand you over to her…
So Zimbo Jammers… here we are at the start of our first column and I’m so excited to be going on this wonderful journey with you all!
But before we launch into my belly blasting, blood pumping, sweat breaking (ummm… I think you get the picture!) workouts… let’s start with the important things first. I know many of you may either be just starting on your workout journey or you might be getting back into fitness after a long time. Well, let me give you the Fitness To A Tee top tips for gearing yourself up before you jump on this exciting ride!
Tip 1
Make sure you get a check-up from a doctor or other qualified medical professional to ensure that you are all clear for exercise. This includes getting your blood pressure checked. I want you to be safe and as a Personal Trainer – this is the number 1 thing that I enquire of anyone before training begins.
Tip 2
A positive mentality is a must in the fitness game. Starting out by thinking you’re not going to achieve your goals, that it will be too tough etc. will not get you anywhere but stuck on zero! Believe in yourself – we all have to start from somewhere – and you have help available in the form of this column and the workout videos we will be posting here over the year.
Tip 3
The tips given in this column will apply for people who want to work out on a budget from home. However, those who attend a gym can also incorporate many of the moves there if they choose to.
If you’re just starting out on your fitness journey, we will increase the intensity of your workouts gradually. This is to give you time to adjust to doing things with the correct technique and with the fundamental building blocks so that you can get to ‘sweat till you drop’ mode safely and whilst achieving great, sustainable results. Yes I will even be teaching you things like how to strengthen your abdominal muscles from the very start of your journey (and for the seasoned fitness fiends – you will be surprised at the things you thought you knew but didn’t – wink wink). YEP you will be able to choose from an array of 2 to 8 packs by the time I’m done with you, haha!
Tip 4
After you have gotten your clearance from a doctor, make sure that you have the basics to start with such as:
- Comfortable workout clothing i.e. a vest, t-shirt, shorts or leggings. Ensure that you have comfortable trainers that you can wear too.
- In terms of weights, you don’t necessarily have to invest in dumbbells. To get fit on a budget, we will use several bodyweight exercises. For weights – you can choose to use 1 to 2 heavy items you have at home such as water bottles with water, sand or small stones in them (to make them heavier). For some of the moves, you can even use your kids, which also helps them to see exercise as a fun thing from an early age.
- Exercise or yoga mat.
- A towel and some water.
Tip 5
To get fitter, you need to eat right as nutrition comes first! In the next column, I will be telling you how to eat healthy on a budget, what foods to eat and what foods to avoid.
So…..on your mark…get set….handeyi!!!!
Bonus Tip
The best way to check your results is to measure yourself regularly. Besides the obvious weight measurements here are some other measurements you need to take. See video below:
MORE INFORMATION
Fitness to a Tee is Zimbo Jam’s official health and fitness partner.
Can’t wait till the next column? Check out the following resources:
:: Fitness To A Tee website: www.fitnesstoatee.com.au
:: Fitness To A Tee Facebook url: www.facebook.com/fitnesstoateecomau
:: Instagram: www.instagram.com/Teurai1
