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MAKE YOUR COMEBACK

LOCKDOWN EDITION

JUNE 2020

APPSTHAT WILLCHANGE YOURLIFE

BUILDNEW MUSCLE AFTER40

LEANER

REST EASY FOR BIGGER GAINS

FASTER BOBBY HOLLAND HANTON, 33, THOR'S STUNT DOUBLE

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PROMOTION

Massimo Flaiani is a calisthenics athlete who displayed phenomenal core strength by performing a front lever. The epic move earned him the title of this month’s Beast Mode champion. He also walks away with an amazing Shower to Shower Men hamper and R2 000 cash.

Real men. Unreal feats of fitness on Instagram! Find the best at home workout moves on Instagram with the #mhbeastmode hashtag. Next month we announce our last finalist. Visit beastmode.mh.co.za for more info.

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WANT TO TRY MASSIMO’S FRONT LEVER? These 3 exercises will get you there:

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1/ 6-inch ho old Start by layin ng flat on your back with yo our feet together and arms to your sid de. While keeping your lower back in co ontact with the floor, raise your head and shoulders along with your legs until they’re about six inches above the floor. Raise your hands for more intensity. DO: Hold for 30 secs

2/ L-sit > Toe to Bar Grip the pullup bar with your hands shoulder width apart. Raise your legs until your body is L-shaped. This is your starting position. Using your core strength, swing your legs up until your toes touch the bar and then return to the L position. That’s one rep. DO: 3 sets of 10 reps

3/ Extended 1 leg front lever Similar to the Toe to Bar, you’ll need to grip the pullup bar with your hands shoulder width apart. Lift your legs until your back is parrallel to the ground. Keep your knees bent. Now stretch out one leg with losing form, and then alternate for the duration of the workout. DO: 3 sets of 5 reps (on each side)

HOW IT WORKS To enter your video (or someone else’s) into the #MHBeastMode competition, all you need to do is type #MHBeastMode and #ShowerToShowerMen in the comments of any Instagram post. (Note: the account must be set to public.) That’ll put it into the B BeastMode feed on our site: beastmode.mh h.co.za. We will choose our top three videos for the month, and then you vote for your favourite. The monthly winner receivves a Shower to Shower Men hamper and POWERED D R2 000 cash. Then, at the end of four month hs, BY we’ll choose an overall champion who will e earn the Beastmode 2020 title and R15 000 cash h.

From the Editors of Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Health Magazine

ON SALE NOW! ONLY R100

Fast food can be healthy and with MHâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 15 minute meals you can make flavoursome food from scratch. Get 100 pages of energy-boosting breakfasts, protein-packed lunches and low-calorie dinners. You now have the time to eat right all day.

COVER STORIES & FEATURES 24 STRONGER Build new muscle after 40.

28 REST EASY FOR BIGGER GAINS Make the most of your minutes off.

72 LEANER Slash body weight and become unstoppable.

78 YOUR ULTIMATE WINTER TRAINING MANUAL Bring the heat, whatever the elements throw at you.

84 MAGIC MUSHROOMS

Use these nutrient powerhouses to upgrade your meal.

92 THE NEW RULES OF FATHERHOOD How to dad like you mean it.

100 27 APPS THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE Your smartphone is about to get a whole lot smarter.

106 BUILD YOUR OWN IRON PARADISE No matter your budget or space, you can build the ultimate muscle-builder.

AKE YOURCOMEBAC

CONTENTS

P.21 FASTER

How this guy gets into action-hero shape.

CONTENTS

P.36

VIRAL ESCAPES Hit the road and head out further than your nearest grocery store (lawpermitting, of course).

MH STYLE

52 Do a double take with double denim. 56 The new eco-friendly

jean code.

58 Put on your

sneakers and stroll down memory lane.

60 Work the night shift and wake up with a fitter face.

MH UPGRADES

62 Building a business in the wild.

66 Can your kids inherit

good money habits?

67 The best gear to hit

MH HQ this month.

MH MIND

68 Change your story and write a better ending. 70 Here’s why you should break up with your phone. On the Cover COVER GUY

Bobby Holland Hanton PHOTOGRAPHER

James Geer

UPFRONT

8 Photographer and

firefighter Patrick Ryan takes us on a wildfire adventure.

12 Ed’s Letter: Lessons from fatherhood.

MH WORLD

15 Solid strength advice from your swole models 16 ”Do I have to do

prehab to lift heavy?” 6

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

18 Can you match the world record for the heaviest deadlift?

MHBODY

30 How Ongama Mafenuka built a model physique.

40 The no-hhassle, slow-simmered winter warmer. 42 The supeerfood

that’s no long ger just a soggy side dish.

44 Find out what truly is

the measure e of success.

46 Here’s ho ow to close

MHLIFE

the pleasure e gap.

creativity-boosting, serenity-inducing, health-enhancing powerofhobbies.

50 Learn ho ow to make child’s play out o of fatherhood.

33 Learnaboutthe

48 Make ‘Thhe Sex Talk’ a little less aw wkward.

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Into the Inferno A REAL, FILTER-FREE LOOK INTO WHAT MATTERS THIS MONTH.

UNFILTERED

On the frontlines of some of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most devastating wildfires; these are the men taking the battle to the blaze. / BY KIERAN LEGG AND THAAQIB DANIELS

The rampaging wildfires in Australia reminded the world, once again, that those willing to put their lives on the line and battle the blaze, are real heroes. But that seemingly unstoppable inferno has also sparked another conversation, one with a grim outlook. Amongst those in the scientific community, there’s little doubt that global warming is pushing the world over the edge. And one symptom of the planet’s alarmingly rapid decline is an up-tick in wildfires. New South Wales in Australia, California in the United States, and even here, in the Western Cape; new blazes are ravaging the land, leaving behind a trail of destruction (and deaths). Some of these fires are directly caused by us – a flicked cigarette, an unattended campfire – but many are the result of global warming. In these desperate times, firefighters are called on more and more often. And while we puzzle out ways to minimise our impact on the planet, these guys are confronting the raging consequences of centuries of pollution. One such group of firefighters is Vulcan Wildfire Management, led by firefighter-slash-photographer Patrick Ryan. His team doesn’t just fight fires, they’re working on tactics to prevent and contain them in the future. Which, on our current course, is an invaluable pursuit. And Ryan has dedicated himself to documenting his time on the frontlines. Turn the page for an unfiltered look at the life of a wildlands firefighter.

Controlled Burn

A firefighter keeps the blaze at bay during a stack burning operation in the Cape Winelands. These controlled fires are often used to dispose of alien vegetation, clear fire hazards and to form fire breaks.

PHOTOGRAPHER @PATRICKRYANIMAGES

1 Fired Up Battling the blaze on the slopes of Simonsberg, Western Cape, Ryan and his crew had to dodge burning pines that crashed and tumbled down the inclines. 2 Fight Fire With Fire The Vulcan team often assists with controlled burns out in the countryside which are carried out to create firebreaks and remove potential fire hazards.

3 Burning the Midnight Oil Ryan snapped this self-portrait while fighting fires before heading back to help his crew. 4 Protect and Conserve ”This is a Protea tree, covered in lichen, we managed to protect during a fire in Karbonkelberg, Hout Bay,” says Ryan. 5 Cool Runnings Fires can burn underground, spreading via root systems. Here, firefighters use cold water to lower the soil’s temperature and prevent the fire from flaring up again.

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

SPARK NOTES To find out more about Vulcan Wildfire Management and their crew, head to vulcanwildfire.co.za

6 7

6 Scorched Earth During an analysis of the 2017 fires in Knysna, the Vulcan crew visited the area where one of the fires began. “This was all that was left of the home there,” says Ryan. 7 Hell’s Kitchen Amid torched vegetation, firefighters take a break to eat and prep for another shift on the still-smouldering slopes. 8 At the Coalface Portrait of a Vulcan firefighter taken moments after a long, intense battle with another wildfire. “The combo of extreme heat and dense smoke can lead to extreme fatigue and health issues if proper safety protocols aren’t followed,” warns Ryan.

BATTLING THE BLAZE

Here are some of the methods firefighters use to combat wildfires. The Burnout: Firefighters create a “control line” by burning potential fuel – such as dry vegetation – before the fire reaches that area. This can help prevent the blaze from spreading. / Flanking: For smaller fires, firefighters begin their assault from behind, starting at already burnt areas and working their way around the edge of the fire before snuffing out the blaze completely. / Aerial Attack: If there are large water sources nearby, planes and helicopters can scoop up H2O to “bomb” the fire. When picked up, the water is often mixed with a foam retardant that helps extinguish the flames. MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

LETTER FROM THE

EDITOR

Danielle Weakley Editorial Director

Robert Cilliers Editor & Creative Director

FathertoSon I AM A HELL OF A LUCKY GUY, and maybe

would be even luckier if I had kids of my own. But to be honest I don’t have the balls for that. Literally. (Thanks, cancer.) The reason I consider myself fortunate is because I had the most incredible dad. From day one, he’s been my role model, and his wisdom helped me become the best version of R’S FATHE myself. Every Sunday night I would DAY IS Y phone him for a catch-up call. My first SUNDA N O Sunday call after I had started my career 1 JUNE 2 as a naïve 20-something in advertising was full of angst and insecurities. Daunted by outspoken, bold personalities in a fairly arrogant industry, I struggled to see how the opinion of this young farm lad would even matter (or count). “Son, just because you think differently, doesn’t mean your opinion is less valid; it’s exactly because you have a different opinion that it does matter,” he told me. “Don’t be defined by your situation – define yourself. It’s good to get out of your comfort zone and take on new challenges, otherwise you won’t grow.” These words have shaped me to become the man I am today. He would end pretty much every phone conversation we’ve ever had with: “Go for it!” Don’t just take my dad’s word for it, turn to p. 92 to see how fathers from around the world have learnt important truths about themselves through raising their kids. This is issue #272 of Men’s Health South Africa, and the first ever issue to be planned and produced remotely. Right now, living in a world of uncertainty, working from home, sweating through home workouts and fielding Zoom meetings, I am fillled with gratitude for the Robert Cillie rs Jnr incredible MH team for creating this “Comeback k Issue” to ensure we comee Brothers out of this pandemic even n stronger, leaner and faster.

WANITA NICOL Deputy Editor AZEEZ JACOBS Fashion & Grooming Editor NADIM NYKER Digital Editor MARK ARENDSE Art Director MEGAN FLEMMIT Multimedia Journalist KELLEIGH KOREVAAR Features Writer KIERAN LEGG Contributing Editor KIRSTEN CURTIS Contributing Digital Editor THAAQIB DANIELS Content Producer NADIA EKSTEEN Fashion Assistant HOLLY MASANGANYE Design Intern Shared services: Kerry Nash (Production Manager) James Garaghty (In-House Photographer) Amina Essop (Office Administrator)

CEO MEDIA24 Ishmet Davidson CEO PRINT MEDIA Rika Swart GENERAL MANAGER, LIFESTYLE Minette Ferreira CMO MEDIA24 LIFESTYLE Nerisa Coetzee CFO, LIFESTYLE Jameelah Conway FINANCIAL MANAGER Melanie Leeman

MEDIA24 LIVE HEAD OF SPONSORSHIPS Nikki Ruttimann 011 713 9147 (nikkir@media24.com) COMMERCIAL HEAD OF EVENTS: Francois Malan 021 406 2376 (francois.malan@media24.com) MARKETING MANAGER Andile Nkosi 021 406 2257 (andile.nkosi@media24.com)

Yumna Rojan 072 399 5789 (yumna.rojan@media24.com) Yelanda Mitchell 074 897 576 (yelanda.mitchell@media24.com) DURBAN: Mariska Venter 082 898 4376 (mariska.venter@media24.com)

COMMERCIAL TEAM COMMERCIAL MANAGING EDITOR Gerda Engelbrecht 021 406 2217 (gerda.engelbrecht@media24.com) COMMERCIAL MANAGER Lise Coetsee 021 406 2358 (lise.coetsee@media24.com) DIGITAL CAMPAIGN COORDINATOR Lilitha Johnson 021 406 2320 (lilitha.johnson@media24.com) STUDIO CREATIVE DIRECTOR Michael De Beer - 021 406 3512 (Mike.DeBeer@media24.com) PUBLISHING SALES TEAM BUSINESS MANAGER: MEDIA 24 LEISURE SALES Danie Nell 011 322 0799/076 263 9114 (danie.nell@media24.com) CAPE TOWN: Hannes Burger 076 152 4605 (hannes.burger@media24.com) Nick Fitzell 071 430 6311 (nick.fitzell@media24.com) Daniela Di Giovanni 083 709 7040 (daniela.digiovanni@media24.com) JOBURG: Kylee Robertson 076 263 9114 (kylee.robertson@media24.com) Jeanine Kruger 082 342 2299 (jeanine.kruger@media24.com) Lizel Pauw 082 876 8189 ((lizel.pauw@media24.com) Sha arlene Smith 083 583 1604 (sha arlene.smith@media24.com)

CIRCULATION SALES AND SOLUTIONS CIRCULATION MANAGER: LIFESTYLE Armand Kasselman 021 503 7164 SUBSCRIPTION MANAGER Jenny Marinus (jenny.marinus@media24.com) For any queries, please phone 021 406 2121 Subscription enquiries: 087 353 1300 Fax: 086 457 5943; Email: subs@media24.com; SMS: MensHealthSubs to 32511 (R1 per sms); Web: www.mysubs.co.za/magazine/mens-health Call centre operating hours: 8am-5pm (Monday to Friday) ALL SUBSCRIPTION PAYMENTS TO: Men’s Health, PO Box 16428, Vlaeberg, 8018 REPRODUCTION Media24 PRINTING Novus Print DISTRIBUTION On The Dot 011 402 1205 Copyright © 2009 Media24 (Pty) Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or be transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior permission by Media24 (Pty) Ltd. Men’s Health does not endorse the use of chemical or related slimming products that promise instant or long-term results. Slimming products should not be used as a substitute for a healthy diet and/or exercise. All prices recommended retail selling price.

MAGAZINES INTERNATIONAL SVP/EDITORIAL & BRAND DIRECTOR Kim St. Clair Bodden DEPUTY BRANDS DIRECTOR Chloe O’Brien EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CONTENT SERVICES Shelley Meeks

Global Editions / INTERNATIONAL EDITORS AUSTRALIA Scott Henderson, CHINA Yuqing Feng, CROATIA Krešimir Šego, GERMANY Arndt Ziegler, HUNGARY Zsolt Ribansky, ITALY Piero Bacchetti, JAPAN Kazushige Ogawa, KOREA Seungkwan Baek, LATIN AMERICA Victor Martinez Ranero, MIDDLE EAST, NETHERLANDS Olivier S Heimel, POLAND Piotr Makowski, PORTUGAL Pedro Lucas, RUSSIA Max Semelyak, SERBIA Stefan H Tosovic, SPAIN Jordi Martinez, UNITED KINGDOM Toby Wiseman, USA Richard Dorment

ROB CILLIERS EDITOR Instagram

@robdcilliers s

Robert Cillie rs Snr

Email: tellmh@media24.com om Twitter Twitter: @MensHealthZA Facebook Facebook: M MensHealthSA ens nsHH ealth Instagram: @menshealthza Youtube: Men’s Health South Africa 12

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

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Lock Down Your Date Ideas Tune In For Real Advice Play to Your Strengths

COMPILED BY THAAQIB DANIELS

Swole Models We asked our Instagram followers for their celeb fitness role models, then rounded up their tips to help you get strong and jacked.

PICTURES: SEAN LAURENZ (FEZ), JACQUES WEYERS (EDEN), OTHERS (SUPPLIED)

MICHAEL B. JORDAN, ACTOR

EDEN CLASSENS, ACTOR

“When you want to bulk up, you’re trying to achieve hypertrophy, which means muscle growth and not muscle strength – although you will experience increases in strength as well,” says Eden. “Doing between 8 and 15 reps per set will help overload your muscles and increase size.”

RYAN REYNOLDS, ACTOR

Reynolds does jumping, throwing and carrying during every gym session. “People underuse carries,” says Don Saladino, his trainer for Deadpool. “Double farmer walks, single-arm carries and up-down carries really help stabilise the core and shoulders.”

Jordan’s trainer Corey Calliet prescribes a combination of squats, lunges, burpees, squat jumps and cardio. “To really rev up your metabolic rate and get burning, perform the exercises in circuit fashion and rest for a minute or two between rounds. Finishing your workout with cardio increases the chances of your body tapping into unwanted fat to use as energy,” he says.

FEZ MKHIZE, DOCTOR TV PRESENTER AND MR. WORLD RUNNER-UP

“It’s all good and well for people to compliment you on your looks; but if you can’t turn a certain way because you’ve overdeveloped a certain muscle group then you’re going to have a horrible next twenty years, even though you’ll look good for the next five or six.”

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 15

WORLD

JUNE

M E N ’ S H E A LT H B E Y O N D T H E P A G E

Download your digital copy at zinio.com Works on iPad, Mac or PC.

AUDIO ADVISORS

QUESTION:

We asked our IG audience to share some of their favourite motivational podcasts and audiobooks. Here are a few for you to check out.

I Want to Lift Heavy, but Do I Have to Do Prehab? So you’re ready

to go all out Hulk in the weights room, but some slow, controlled mobility work to warm up those joints is a must. If your response is something along the lines of “not gonna happen” you may want to reconsider. A few minutes of prehab will not only help keep you off the bench, it could boost that 1RM, too.

David Goggins This ultra-distance runner, cyclist and triathlete’s journey and never-say-die spirit have earned him interview spots with major podcasters Joe Rogan, Rich Roll and Jay Shetty. His autobiography Can’t Hurt Me is available in audiobook format.

CHECK OUT OUR PREHAB HACKS: MH.CO.ZA/WORKOUTS

The Number of Creative Date Ideas the Men’s Health Team Has Put Together Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Whether you’re in lockdown with your

partner, or spending the social isolation season (read: year) apart, we’ve got an idea that’ll work for you. Restaurants, bars and other public places may be out of the question, but there are plenty of other ways to enjoy a date – including over video chat. VIRTUAL DATE LIKE A PRO: MH.CO.ZA/SEX-WOMEN

ON YOUR WAY TO XXL ARMS? TAG US! @MENSHEALTHZA #MENSHEALTHZA

The Foundr Podcast The entrepreneurial magazine and education platform also has a podcast that any business owner will find insightful. Foundr’s founder Nathan Chan hosts the show and interviews top entrepreneurs, diving into how to start a business and thrive in the modern era.

The GaryVee Audio Experience CEO and public speaker Gary Vaynerchuk is known for his zeroBS keynote speeches, business advice and his abundance of online content. His podcast guests can range from entrepreneurs and online creators to A-list celebs. Another stand-out part of his show is the #AskGaryVee segment where listeners can call in and ask for unfiltered advice on anything.

Instagram

@menshealthza

Twitter

@MensHealthZA

Facebook

MADHUSHAN SINGH @madhushan_singh

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

TIVON SHUMAN @tivonshuman

@jaypee_strong

See all the stories featured by scanning the QR code.

GETTY/GALLO | IMAGES SUPPLIED (INSTAGRAM)

MensHealthSA

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HOW DO YOU URATE?

Playing to OurStrengths

THIS MONTH

WE ALL WANT TO BE RIPPED AND STRONG, BRU, BUT WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO REAC CH YOUR SWOLE GOALS? HERE’S HOW OUR INSTAGRAM AUDIENCE MUSCLES UP. / BY THAAQ QIB DANIELS Favourite Upper-Body Workout

33% Bench Press

Chinups/Pullups (in at a close second)

31%

Weapon of Choice: Barbell

Dumbbell

“To Bro or not to Bro?” Training with a buddy

Muscle Method:

Training solo

42%

Machine training

Freeweights

28%

501KG

The record set by Icelandic strongman Hafthor Björnsson last month for the heaviest deadlift of all time. Known to G Game off Thrones fanss as The Mountain, th he 31-yearold set the new world record live streaming from Thor’s Power P Gym in Iceland.

FOR THE RECORD

MYTHBUSTER:

You don’t have to lift heavier to get stronger. In velocity-based training, you add weight when you’re feeling good and lifting faster and dial it down when your speed is lagging. In a small study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research those who used velocity training showed greater strength increases compared to the traditional group. 18

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

That’s how long 62-year-old George Hood held steady to break the world planking record in February this year. To top it off, he did 75 pushups afterwards... ds... just for fun! Favourite Moves on Leg Day

47%

Squats Deadlifts 32% Leg Press 11% Other 5%

Best answer: “Walking out the gym after a good arm workout.” – @kckoopman

SIX

In an Australian study, strength training for this many months was shown to slow and even halt the degeneration of the hippocampus – the area of the brain responsible for long-term and short-term memory and thus vulnerable to Alzheimer’s – and its subregions. Results still held strong a year after subjects completed the exercise. *SOURCE: University of Sydney, Neuroimage: Clinical Journal

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Train Like A Stuntman Build New Muscle After 40 Rest Easy for Bigger Gains

COMPILED BY MEGAN FLEMMIT

FALL PHOTOGRAPHS BY JAMES GEER

HAVING SPENT 12 YEARS ABSORBING ALL MANNER OF KNOCKS AND SPILLS FOR A ROLL CALL OF HOLLYWOOD ACTION HEROES, STUNTMAN BOBBY HOLLAND HANTON MAY SEEM INDESTRUCTIBLE. RECENTLY, HOWEVER, HIS BODY THREATENED TO PACK IT IN AND END HIS CAREER. HIS COMEBACK IS YOUR INSPIRATION NEVER TO SURRENDER IN THE FACE OF HARDSHIP / DANIEL WILLIAMS

“I was born in Portsmouth on the south coast of England. At the age of four I started gymnastics and eventually competed for Great Britain. Gymnastics puts you in good stead for any sport and I’m so glad I did it, but at 17, I stopped competing and pursued my love of football, playing semi-professionally for two years. In my late teens, I saw an ad in the newspaper to audition for a high-diving, acrobatic stunt show. I got the part and did live shows for three years. At 21, I spotted the name of an MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

ex-gymnast in the credits of Casino Royale for stunts. I kneew I wanted to take my talent into this area, so o I found out the criteria for becoming a stun nt performer in TV and film. I needed to mak ke myself elite in six out of 12 disciplines. I was already over the line in high-diving, tra ampolining and gymnastics, so I took the testt for those straight away and ticked them off.. That left threee more and I chose kickboxing (which meant beecoming a brown belt), swimming (takin ng the equivalent of the SAS swimming test) t and scuba diving (dive master). The swiimming – a lot of breathholds, treading water w and swimming in clothes – was thee hardest. I hadn’t done much swimming and it wasn’t natural for me. The training for that alone took me six months. The thing is, the training sort of prepares ustry but it’s once you’re on you for the indu the stunt register that you have to learn to become a stunt performer. It’s not only nd getting thrown through the high falls an he general smashing and windows and th crashing. It’s leearning to react and mimic patterns of the actor, as well the movement p as etiquette on sset. You’ve got to learn as n pretty quickly because it’s you go and learn dustry. a cut-throat ind I’ve brought up 12 years as and done 49 a professional stuntman s feature films. I’ve worked on some of the biggest movies of all time, stunt-doubling forr some of the most amazing peeople: Daniel Craig as Bond, Ryan Reynolds as Green R Lantern, Christian Bale L ass Batman; Chris Evans America, Henry as Captain C vill in Mission: Impossible Cav allout, Channing Tatum in – Fa Jupiter Ascending and, of course, Chris Heemsworth as Thor. ked with Chris for nearly I’ve work nd we’ve done 12 movies eight years an together. He’s one of my best pals and he puts a lot of trust in me to make sure I look after his safety – and to make him kes what I do for him and the look good. He lik

DOUBLE ACT: DUPLICATING THE HEMSWORTH LOOK IS HOLLAND HANTON’S BIGGEST CHALLENGE.

WORDS: ANDREW TRACEY | PHOTOGRAPHY: PHIL HAYNES I MODEL: LUIS YOUNG AT W

BODY

MY BODY IS MY TOOL. TAKE IT AWAY AND YOU’RE TAKING AWAY PART OF MY IDENTITY. I WAS LOST FOR A PERIOD

ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: TOM WARRY, LUCKY IF SHARP, LOUISA PARRY I ILLUSTRATION: ANDREA MANZAT

way I move for him. He’s a phenomenal athlete and a great actor, but there’ll be times when he’ll decide, ‘No, I don’t want to do that – that’s you, Bob’. Before shooting, I see what shape the actor is in and I do everything in my power to be as close as possible to their physique. But I have to say that Chris is by far the hardest to match. Because he’s just a specimen. He’s ridiculous. He looks like he’s been carved out of ice. He’s not just big – he’s big and lean, which is the hardest thing to maintain or even to achieve in the first place. But it’s the challenge I take on each time. About a year ago I had lower-back surgery. The issue was a build-up from my gymnastics days, combined with two or three incidents that really aggravated it. There was severe disc degeneration and compression, so I had two titanium plates put in by a surgeon in Dallas, Jason Tinley, to give me that space back and ease the pain. It was a huge operation that involved having my spine stretched and repositioned and parts of my fascia joints removed. My body’s still adjusting. It’s been difficult – a lot harder, mentally, than I thought it would be.

Were there moments when I thought it hadn’t worked? Absolutely. I struggled massively for the first few months post-op. I was in a really bad place. I was in so much pain – a new pain that I’d never felt before. Crazy things run through your head. My body is my tool. It’s how I’ve made my living. Take it away and you’re taking away part of my identity. And I was lost for a period. I couldn’t train or do what I normally do. And I had the same question from people every day: how’s your back? Day to day, there wasn’t much improvement so to keep trying to answer that same question brings you down. For the first time in my career I had downtime: six months off after 11 solid years of nonstop work. It was a lot of time to think and dwell. What have I done? Was it the right choice? I had to believe in myself and focus on my endgoal of getting back to full fitness – or as close as possible with my new body. I also needed the support of my wife and family and friends, and without that I couldn’t have come through. I’ve just come back from doing stunts on a movie – quite a big one Chris and I did in India and Thailand. It was fully loaded action with a lot of heavy stunts. I felt the identity coming back. I’m not pain-free but I’m headed that way and it’s an amazing feeling. I’m not far away now. I’ve worked my arse off to get this far because my core was completely shot. I had to go back to basics and restrengthen my entire core. If I can help anyone, inspire anyone, that would be a massive thing. You’re not alone. Wherever you are mentally, there’s a way back.”

BOBBY-DAZZLER

This Centr workout from Holland Hanton will whip you into action-hero shape. Do 3 rounds, taking a minute’s rest between each

1 / 2-POINT PLANK (8 REPS EACH SIDE)

A strong body begins at the core. Start in a high-plank position, glutes and core locked. Lift one hand and the opposite foot off the floor, to shoulder and hip height, keeping your body tight. Repeat on other side.

4 / ICE SKATER TO TOE TAP (8 EACH SIDE)

Moving from side to side in a skating motion, bend at the hips and knees, touch one hand down to the opposite foot, shifting your weight to that foot and bringing the other foot behind it, lightly touching down behind to stabilise. Explode off the front foot, firing those glutes to repeat the movement on the other side.

2 / TUCK JUMP (8 REPS)

Let’s work those legs. Grip the floor with feet hip-width apart, then sink back into your heels and leap up, bringing both knees towards your chest. Be sure to land softly, absorbing the impact with the balls of your feet.

3 / PLYO PUSH-UP (8 REPS)

Time to work that upper body. Return to the high plank, this time hands just outside shoulder width. Grip the floor with your hands and pull your chest towards the floor. Explode up, pushing the floor away from you.

5 / SQUAT JUMP (8 REPS)

Grip the floor with your feet, set at hip width, and squat down. Core switched on, push the floor away with your feet, leaping up explosively.

6 / PLANK TO SHOULDER TAP (8 EACH SIDE)

More core! Get into a high plank. Keeping your hips stable, core braced, lift one hand off the ground to touch the opposite shoulder. Return to the floor, keeping everything tight as a drum.

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 23

BODY

THE BIG WORKOUT

Build a Body for the Ages

01B

TIME WAITS FOR NO MAN. OUR TWOWORKOUT PLAN MAXIMISES YOUR TIME IN THE GYM TO BUILD MUSCLE AND DEVELOP DEFINITION, WITHOUT UNDUE SORENESS. YOUR BEST YEARS START NOW

02A

DAD JACKED

24 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

01A A 02B

SUPERSET

DUMBBELL DEADLIFT 5-7 REPS

PRESSUP 10-15 REPS

Harness the testosteroneboosting power of the deadlift without locking yourself into a range of motion that risks injury. Keep the dumbbells close to your body, on the front of your thighs. Hinge down with a flat back to create tension (A). Lats engaged, stand upright (B). Maintain a neutral spine with your arms hanging straight and a tight core. Repeat.

Nothing beats lifting your own bodyweight. Thanks to its lack of external resistance, the humble pushup is the original joint-friendly exercise. Start by stacking your wrists, elbows and shoulders above one another in a plank (A). Flex at the elbow and slowly lower your body until your chest touches the floor (B). Push up explosively. Repeat the pair for 20 minutes.

WORDS: ANDREW TRACEY | PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP HAYNES I MODEL: DANIEL VENTURA AT W MODEL

No two bodies begin their fifth h decade in the same shape, but a few things are certain. From around the age of 40, men starrt to be affected by sarcopenia, the suitably miserable term for the degenerative loss of muscle tissue. Fortunately, the best thing you can do to fight against this inevitable fact of life is exercise. The more work you do now, the more muscle you will maintain for life. This workout, best tackled on Mondays and Fridays, is built to give you a jointfriendly pump. Complete each superset for 20 minutes, resting as necessary. Take a five-minute breather before another round of 20 minutes, working through as many sets as possible. Record your total reps for each and try to beat that score in the next workout â&#x20AC;&#x201C; improve with time, basically.

THE SPEC MUSCLES TARGETED

03B OUT MIN RESULTS IN 2 WEEKS

04A

LEVEL EASY

03A 04B

SUPERSET

DUMBBELL THRUSTER 8-10 REPS

RESIS BAND ROW 5-7 REPS S

This huge multi-joint movement can trigger a flood of testosterone. Begin by holding the dumbbells at shoulder height, then squat down until the crease of your hip passes your knees (A). Power back up and simultaneously press the weights into the air until your arms are locked out overhead (B). Return the dumbbells back to shoulder height and repeat.

Limit th he posture-crunching load of machines and hi d work k your core by using the dynamic tension of a band. Sit with your back straight, then loop a light resistance band around your feet (A). Pull the band towards your shoulders (B). Split your hands wider to recruit extra back muscle. Finish your reps, then go again from the thrusters until your 20-minute timer sounds.

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 25

BODY

02B 01B

EXPERT Andrew Tracey EXPERIENCE The training guru has been working in fitness since he was 16, so he knows all about long-lasting muscle gain. CONTACT @theandrew.tracey

WALK THIS WAY The loaded carry is the Swiss army knife of joint-friendly training. It enables you to take on tremendous loads in safe positions and forces your body to adapt without breaking it in the process. By making small, oscillating movements with these loads, you can safely stimulate your joints, tendons and ligaments. If your mirror muscles are the headline act, these are the backstage crew making it all happen. Using an AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) format, complete these four movements, taking minimal rest. Work for 20 minutes. Go for it on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with a day off on Wednesday. At the very least, it’ll help you hit your daily steps.

26 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

01A

02A

KB OVERHEAD CARRY 2 SETS OF 20M

KB FRONT RACK CARRY 2 SETS OF 20M

Keeping your shoulders healthy is imperative for longterm strength. Clean a pair of kettlebells into the front rack position and press them overhead until your arms are locked out (A). March for 20m, turn and head back (B). Try to push your arms up at all times. As soon as you’re done, drop down into the front rack position, ready for the next carry.

Slouching at your desk? Walk this way if you’d like a proud posture. Pinching your shoulder blades back, touch your fists with the kettlebells under your chin and brace your core (A). Again, walk for 20m and head back. Ensure you take short, deliberate strides, breathing deep into your belly and keeping your back, shoulders and arms solid at all times (B).

THE SPEC MUSCLES TARGETED

04A 03A

03B WORKOUT 20 MIN RESULTS IN 2 WEEKS LEVEL MEDIUM

04B

KB FARMER’S CARRY 2 SETS OF 20M

ALTERNATING GORILLA ROW 8 REPS

Here, you’ll double down on the shoulder stability, but with an added dose of grip training. Tightly packed jam jar lids don’t stand a chance. To start, stand tall with your core braced and a pair of kettlebells at your side (A). Lean forward slightly, then get marching for 20m before turning around and heading back (B). Tired of walking? Move on.

The tiny adjustments needed to work one side of your upper body at a time while keeping a stable base make this tougher than it looks. Hinge at your hips, then row one weight to your waist, squeezing for a moment at the top (A). As you lower it, row the other side (B) and alternate. Then, get the weights back overhead for another round.

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 27

BODY

GO LIGHT ON WORK AND HEAVY ON REST FOR A NEW, RELAXED APPROACH TO ADDING EXTRA BULK AND GETTING THE MOST FROM YOUR MINUTES OFF.

Forget what you know about reps and rest. The ‘12 reps punctuated by a minute’s rest’ protocol, long relied upon by bulking bros, is now as outdated as their snapbacks. New research flexing its scientific muscle suggests that you need to lift lighter and rest longer to really pack on size. Observing a test group who performed upper-body isolation moves, sports scientists found that a generous helping of five-minute rest periods produced the greatest overall rep output in those lifting weights at 50% of their 1RM. The study, published in the Journal of Human Kinetics, found that a recovery time of 60 seconds – or even up to three minutes – wasn’t enough to fully recharge. But that doesn’t mean restful sessions need to overrun. Longer rests will

28 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

REST PRACTICE

Drop the weight and move into a loosening exercise designed to unlock lifting potential

BENCH PRESS > T-ROTATION

From a push-up position, reach up and rotate towards the ceiling with your right hand, making a T-shape with your body to really test your core. A TIME OUT IS THE KEY TO FAST GAINS

DEADLIFT > DYNAMIC CHILD POSE

On all fours, move your glutes to your heels while keeping your hands and knees in place, and your head down to avoid straining your neck.

BACK SQUAT > PLANK STEP-UPS

From a high plank, step your right foot up to land just outside your right hand. Sit into the stretch to boost your hip mobility. Now try the other side. WORDS: LOUEE DESSENT-JACKSON | PHOTOGRAPHY: JOBE LAWRENSON

Hit Snooze For Bigger Muscle

allow you to lift effectively in the 20-25 rep range, fitting in the same volume of work into fewer sets. Essentially, a scientific rejig of your current workout will see you rest more and yet build a better body. Extended rest periods are not an excuse to exercise your thumbs on Instagram, however. Offset your pursuit of ‘the pump’ by spending the intervening five minutes working on your mobility with our muscleloosening exercises (right). Match the move to your lift to make the most of your newly found free minutes in the gym.

Flex for the Camera

LOST 18KG!

/ BY THAAQIB DANIELS

When 22-year-old model Ongama Mafenuka noticed his bookings slowing down, he realised it was time to start working on his six pack in order to make his body work for him.

ONGAMA MAFENUKA

BEFORE

READY TO LOSE YOUR BELLY? USE OUR PLAN TO TRANSFORM YOUR BODY – START TODAY AT BELLYOFF.CO.ZA 30 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

AGE: 22 OCCUPATION: Model LOCATION: Cape Town WEIGHT BEFORE: 90KG WEIGHT AFTER: 72KG TIME TO GOAL: 2 years

THE PROBLEM

“When I started modelling I was getting booked quite often, but over time, things slowed down and I felt like I had reached a plateau,” says Ongama. Looking for more consistent work, he started taking a closer look at the models who were landing the most bookings. “I realised the only difference between them and me was that they were in great shape and had six packs. So there and then I committed myself to work on my body.” THE LESSON: Find your goals, and

write ‘em down. According to a recent study, that’ll make you 33% more likely to achieve them. PHOTOGRAPHY BY GLEN MONTGOMERY

BODY Location: Bold Body, Cape Town

Build Model Muscle

We want to hear your weight-loss and personal success stories! Email us at tellmh@ media24. com.

Before a shoot, Ongama likes to bang out a few reps to get a pump going. Here are three moves that can help you get camera-ready.

Close Grip Pushups

Up the ante on the OG pushup: make a diamond with your hands to blast triceps and build bigger arms. Keep those elbows tucked and core tight.

Bench Dips

THE CHANGE

“Although I was overweight growing up, I’ve always been an athletic and sporty individual. Having a six pack has been a goal for a long time, but now I was ready to pursue it,” says Ongama. Knowing he needed the kind of physique where he could easily bulk or cut depending on what the job required, Ongama looked to the world of bodybuilding for inspiration. “I researched and studied their fitness plans and expanded my knowledge about nutrition.” THE LESSON: Losing between 0.5%

and 1% of your body weight per week should help you retain muscle size as you shed fat.

THE STRATEGY

“Not too long after beginning my transformation journey, I went vegan,” says Ongama. “I also focused my training towards gymnastics and bodyweight exercises with a bit of weight training here and there (especially on leg day).”

THE LESSON: A study in the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health and Fitness Journal found that bodyweight training is an efficient way to torch fat and boost your VO2 max. Plus, you won’t have to wait for gyms to reopen in order to get your shred on. You can smash your goals from the comfort of your own home.

THE RESULT

“After two years of trial and a whole lot of error, I finally achieved my goal to have a six pack!” For Ongama, the satisfaction that he felt was a major reward, but so was the praise he received from those around him. “I have succeeded in my personal milestone and it spills over to other areas of my life and greatly benefits me in my career,” he says. “Now it’s just onwards and upwards towards reaching more goals personally and professionally.” THE LESSON: Studies have shown that when you’re motivated by a sense of self-fufilment (instead of a financial incentive), you are far more likely to reach those goals.

This move can be done just about anywhere. When you’re lowering your body, wait until your arms form a 90-degree angle before returning to start. Keep your butt close to the bench.

Air Squats

While an air squat won’t net you the same visible muscle as the weighted varieties; it can improve strength, range of motion and form. Model: Trevor Lagerwey MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 31

Go Out on a Lamb Get Him to the Greens Make Fatherhood Child’s Play Close the Gap

COMPILED BY KELLEIGH KOREVAAR

PHOTOGRAPH BY EMILY SHUR/AUGUST

LOOK AT THAT BUST Nick Offerman carved it. With his own hands. And a quiet mind. At peace. Hobbies can do that.

On average, men spend more than triple the amount of time watching TV as they do on “sports, exercise, and recreation” – the closest the US Bureau of Labour Statistics gets to defining a hobby. Maybe that’s because a “hobby” is what your dad or granddad did, shuttered away in the basement or garage tinkering with who-knows-what just to get away from you damn kids. Yes, a hobby is a great way to escape for a little peace of mind, but the right hobby is also engaging, meditative and a much more exciting way to use your hands than texting or email. And, to that point, a hobby isn’t work. It s not moonlighting It’s moonlighting. It’s It s not a side hustle hustle. It’s It s not something you BY MATTHEW KASSEL

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 33

do for finances or followers. A hobby is something you want to do specifically because you don’t have to do it. And unlike TV, hobbies have been shown to stimulate brain activity, foster confidence, and promote happiness – a big biomarker in health. But you don’t need to look to social science to witness the power of hobbies. Just open your social feeds. Seth Rogen Instagrams his ceramics. Idris Elba’s full DJ sets are up on YouTube, as are Baltimore Ravens’ kicker Justin Tucker’s opera arias. On Facebook, you can even watch Flea, the bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, marvel at the honey he procured from his own apiary. These men, like the four others we talked to, don’t just have hobbies – they’ve become creators, and better, happier, more well-rounded men for it. When’s the last time TV did that for you?

FORD FRY Day job: CHEF The hobby: GUITAR PLAYING The benefits: A COMPLETE SENSE OF ESCAPE (PLUS BRAGGING RIGHTS)

NICK OFFERMAN Day job: ACTOR AND

COMEDIAN The hobby: WOODWORKING The benefits: PEACE, AND FIGURATIVE MIDDLE FINGERS

FO R N I C K O FFE RMAN , building

things with wood means being able to stick it to the Man. Offerman, who gained a cult following for his role as Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation and will be starring in the upcoming animated show The Great North, has maintained a woodshop in East Los Angeles for the past 18 years. “It gives me a really meditative feeling by allowing myself to step out of the sort of consumerist hamster wheel that we all live in,” says Offerman, 49, who discovered the joys of building decks and cabins as a carpenter in his late 20s. Before he enters his studio in the morning, Offerman usually tells his wife, the actress Megan Mullally, that he’ll be available at lunchtime, and he puts his phone in airplane mode so he can fully concentrate on the task at hand. It doesn’t matter whether he’s

34 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

building a cutting board or a canoe – woodworking “opens up a freeassociating part of your brain,” he says. “Your subliminal self takes over.” Offerman used to sell his creations, making things yearround on commission. But when Parks and Recreation took off, he decided he would no longer profit from his woodworking. Lately, Offerman has been building ukuleles, with the intention of moving on to more difficult acoustic guitars. He could, of course, easily buy a ukulele online in the time it takes to saw a piece of wood in two. But that’s not the point. In fact, he believes in making things with his hands in order “to contribute to the way we respectfully use the raw materials provided us. “There’s a renegade quality,” Offerman says. “There’s an element that makes me feel like Han Solo, where I’m saying, ‘You know what? I’m not going to get anything from Amazon. I’m going to go see my buddy who cuts up trees, and I’m going to pick out some kick-ass pieces of sycamore. And then I’m going to make them into whatever I damn well please. And you can all suck it.’ ”

FO RD FRY C O N S I D E RS H I M S E LF

an introvert, and in his professional life, he is forced to be the opposite. In the kitchens of his restaurants, he’s working in close quarters with staff in a high-stress environment. To balance himself, he spends at least 20 minutes a day at home in a room he built for storing his collection of vintage amps and guitars. “I can go in there and I can shut the door and basically turn my brain off from all that other stuff,” says Fry, 50. No bustle of the line. No table of 12 coming in at 7pm. No grind of keeping books. He’s played guitar since middle school but only became serious about collecting when he reached a point in his career when he could step back a bit and breathe. It is a luxury he does not take for granted. “I have a 1967 Marshall Super Lead [amplifier], which is the same type that Jimi Hendrix used,” he says. “I’ve got to put it in one room and then I got to shut the door and then I bring my guitar outside that room to play it because it’s so loud.” When Fry plays, he thinks about nothing but the sound of his instrument. Just the fuzz, which brings focus and clarity and then, eventually, the respite of relaxation.

LIFE

KYLE HOLLINGSWORTH

RICHARD MARGOLIN

Day job: ROCK STAR The hobby: BEER BREWING The benefits: GOING WITH

Day job: TECHIE The hobby: ORIGAMI

(NO, REALLY!) The benefits: EXTREME FOCUS AND FINGER DEXTERIT Y

THE FLOW WITH GOOD PEOPLE (PLUS BOOZE!)

HOME BREWING AND jamming

have a connection: a heightened level of risk involved in the act of creation. “You’re not sure what you’re going to get, but you’re always looking forward to it,” says Kyle Hollingsworth, 51, the keyboardist for the cult jam band the String Cheese Incident. He brews mainly IPAs (but has been known to dabble in other pale ales and pilsners) with his friends about twice a year. Hollingsworth and some buddies own a portable brewing system that they wheel between their homes. The process of brewing, he says, takes time, patience and a certain acceptance of uncertainty: he’s never quite sure how a beer will turn out. It gives him the chance to hang with his buddies in a loose environment, to geek out over beer,

I N WHAT M I G HT be the least likely

to bring people into the fold and turn them on to the wonders of brewing. Hollingsworth has been brewing beer for fun for decades. He estimates that he has collaborated with more than 30 breweries nationwide on a variety of different beers, the most recent of which is a brut-style IPA he cooked up in conjunction with Oskar Blues Brewery. But he says he’s never wanted to turn professional brewer – because doing so would require that he systematise his approach. “Somehow it’s almost like it takes all the fun out of it,” he says, “if you can make it exactly the same every single time.”

Just in case you’re stuck on which hobby to start with, how about PHOTOGRAPHY, sculpting, glassblowing, hot-sauce making, CAR RESTORATION, gardening, soap making, bread baking, STAND-UP COMEDY, magic, bird-watching, astronomy, FLY T YING, sketching, ballroom dancing, podcasting or

origami origin story ever, Richard Margolin got into the art of Japanese paper folding when he injured his arm while wrestling in college. Back then, he was just looking for something to do that could help him improve his motor control during physical therapy. But then the precision of origami took hold. Now, more than a decade later, Margolin, 33 – a cofounder and the chief technology officer of RoboKind, a company that develops educational robots to help kids with autism – has kept up his devotion. One year he made a 1.21 metre origami Christmas tree. At one point, he was producing so many small paper stars that he began to use them in lieu of packing peanuts when shipping gifts. For Margolin, origami helps him decompress after work, but it also helps him with motivation to improve at work. “It’s something where you can start simple,” he says, “and as you learn, you see that there’s an immense amount of complexity.”

ANY THING THAT ISN’T STARING INTO THE ABYSS that is your smartphone?

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 35

VIRAL ESCAPES WHETHER YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE A ROAD, TRACK, BACK-OF-BEYOND OR CITYSCAPES KIND OF GUY, SOLO-BIKING TO OUR FAVOURITE SPOTS WILL GIVE YOU THE POST-LOCKDOWN, VIRUS-FREE FUN YOU'RE AFTER. / BY PETER FROST

LIFE THE WILDCARD:

Harley Davidson LiveWire The Bike Sounds like the worst idea in the world, right? An electric Harley Davidson. Peter Fonda is turning in his grave (yep, he died last year). So we drove it to see. Bottom line? It’s fantastic! Electric is the future and makes total sense, but we're not so sure the marque known for the loudest, heaviest bikes around is the ideal company to be touting it. Anyway, turns out it is super fun to ride; like with a BMW i3, you’ll be amazed at the instant acceleration and effortless overtaking. No clutch, no gears, just a crazy amount of torque from the bespoke Harley battery system and electric motor. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is going to touch you off the lights. The range is around 160km in town and it takes roughly an hour on a fast charge to fill again. The biggest issue is the price, a strataspheric R400k. But Harley are not in the business of making cheap bikes, so if you’re a Hog lover with a garage full of their finest (most Harley owners have more than one bike), here’s one for the coffee run.

The Guy Most likely you’ll have made your money, paid your dues, but still harbour a degree of rebellion from those early days. Ethical, too, if you’re looking at the LiveWire. You’re a complex modernist

PHOTOGRAPHS: SUPPLIED

Harley-Davidson built 33 demo bikes that were tested by over 12 000 people worldwide before completing the final design.

So you want to talk torque? You'll get 116Nm from this coffee run companion.

certainly, forward thinking but with one eye on tradition, less about absolutes and more about individuality. This isn’t going to be your only bike, but then, you’re a collector – of experiences as well as toys.

The Route With this range, a peri-urban trawl is called for and predictably this is an ideal Cape Town bike, a place with excellent twisties, plenty of places to play with the instant acceleration, lots of Instagrammable vistas and trendy stopoffs everywhere.

The Activity You can’t drink and ride a bike obviously, so it’s a coffee run. Start at House of Machines in Shortmarket Street, good for a bespoke caffeine kickstart, then power over Kloofnek Road into Camps Bay and breakfast at Bilboa overlooking the strip. Carry on along the coastal road to Hout Bay and the Hout Bay Roastery for Paul Myburgh’s collection of hilariously tall tales and excellent Harbour Roast blend, then back via Constantia Nek, past Kirstenbosch to the Gardener’s Cottage for lunch at the Montebello Design Centre in Newlands. You’ll be home with range to spare. +/-R400 000 harleydavidson-capetown.com, thehouseofmachines.com MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 37

Thanks to an update in 2017, this motor is the most powerful LC8 engine that KTM has ever built.

WILD CHILD:

KTM 1290 Super Duke R The Bike Pretty hey? Hyper naked – great way to describe a bike, and that’s exactly what KTM’s latest Beast is, the R stripped down to its bare essentials, not even a fairing. What a looker. And a serious goer; the tweaked, reengineered 1300cc V-twin, mounted higher in the new chassis, is about easily available torque. Twist that throttle, hang on, drink in the delicious growl and nothing comes close. If you’ve been hankering after a Ducati Streetfighter, hold that thought, give the flagship Austrian a spin.

The Guy Hardcore, in a word. There’s precious little protection on the 1290, so any blast down the highway is going to require a degree of core strength and attitude not seen on every street corner (or in every gym). Envelope pushers apply here – harder, 38 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

faster, thrill seeking, happiest out of a comfort zone.

The Route Given the zero wind protection factor, unless you’re a real masochist, keep it fairly local, with a high degree of curve action. That means taking the back roads where you don’t have worry too much about traffic and lights – remember this bike is all about the rush of acceleration, so every chance you have of working the gearbox is an opportunity for a serious endorphin rush.

The Activity You’re heading to Zwartkops for the regular Brunch Cruise for Bikes. Silly name actually. It’s a chance for riders to get to grips with their bikes’ lairier aspects without attracting the attention of the local constabulary. Bring decent kit and work up from careful to confident through the day. R245 999 ktm.com, zwartkops.co.za

You've got to know how to handle the elements on this bike. Turn to page 78 to learn how to master the cold.

LIFE

THE TOURER:

Harley Davidson Softail Sports Glide The Bike The recently redesigned Softail’s frame and suspension means there’s more control in the corners and a better, settled ride over long distances. The Sports Glide gets a mini batwinginspired fairing and easily detachable saddlebags over the Softail’s standard kit. The engine is the Hog’s sweet spot – a huge 1800cc V-Twin thumper that eats up distance and is cruise perfect; no screaming revs here.

The Guy It’s unlikely anyone ever tells you what to do, wear or think and if they do it’ll take you a good long time to decide whether they’re worth listening to. Fashion isn’t your go-to default either – metaphorically, what’s under the bonnet is more important than the bells and whistles. The Milwaukee monster fits perfectly; slow to warm up but a friend for life. And not shy to make a noise when the occasion calls for it.

The Route Nice long tarred road cruise to the Orange River and a little dorp called Prieska in the Northern Cape, then follow the signs for Lowerland, one of the country’s most unlikely wine and food farms. It’s pure Cape Town (organic growing, a pretty decent Merlot, excellent fresh meat and pecan nuts), but without the Cape Town attitude. In fact Bertie Coetzee couldn’t be a cooler guy. Guarantee you won’t want to leave.

ACE ALLROUNDER:

BMW R 1250 GS HP The Bike Steep if you consider it costs the same as a new VW Polo, but then you can’t conquer the Berg in a city runaround and your scream won’t be one of exhilaration if you try to transverse the Kalahari in one. Peerless offroad, surprisingly adept on the tar and far easier to ride than its size and heft suggest, this Beemer seduces pretty much everyone who climbs aboard, beginners and pros alike.

The Guy The Activity The Orange River is all about the rafting, and the best way to do it is with Felix Unite, either in a four or six-day package. Park the bike, drift, eat, marvel then return, all perfectly safe. And best of all – no sunstroke in these cooler months. R243 000 harley-davidson.co.za, lowerland.co.za, felixunite.com

Chances are you own, or dream about owning a kit room, the ultimate toybox, packed with kayaks, a OneWheel, ropes, more rubber than might be good for your relationship and a Cape Epic’s worth of frames and tyres. But let’s not be too prescriptive here – all of that might be in a virtual world. Point is, adventure is in your blood, you bleed dirt and the thought of a weekend without a discovery isn’t even worth contemplating. The big Beemer absolutely fits the bill because it’s equal to your growing braveries (and the odd overexertion). It’s the bike you want in an Insta shot as well as under you when you’re powering up Thabana Ntlenyana in a Lesothan thunderstorm.

Tackle any terrain with 1254 ccm and 100 kW.

The Route Straight to the tiny Eastern Cape village of Lady Grey, then over the dirt road Joubert’s Pass into the hidden Lammergeier Valley where you give Kevin Isted a call; the man is trail mad, owns a tasty slice of the hidden valley and loves nothing more than showing visitors where the Bikes That Can dare to go. He’s pretty special on two wheels but is decent with beginners too, so don’t feel shy. The Isted farm has great riverside accommodation too. Holiday sorted.

The activity Kevin’s idea of fun is to mix up the known and the unexpected, so expect grand views of the Lesotho Drakensberg, trails that include river crossings and steep inclines… and maybe a bit of farming thrown into the mix (chasing sheep on a bike can be lots of fun). R288 900 bmw-motorrad.co.za, adventuretrails.co.za MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 39

LIFE

Go Out On A Lamb 30 10

DON’T LET the exotic-sounding recipe name – Moroccan Lamb Stew – freak you out.

“Moroccan” just means you throw in some exciting (though easy-to-find) spices. Plus, lamb is a powerhouse meat that provides more than 30 grams of muscle-building protein per serving. Add some chickpeas, onions, olives and apricots for 10 grams of gut-filling fibre and you have the perfect no-hassle, slow-simmered winter warmer. / BY PAUL KITA

1 0 G THE FIBRE

30G

One serving of the lamb stew actually covers all your 30/10 needs. So consider these sides extra credit.

THE PROTEIN

One cup of cooked lamb roast serves up 30-plus grams of protein for 263 calories, which is comparable to beef. It’s also a good source of iron and vitamin B12, both of which help your muscles function.

Moroccan Lamb Stew

C OOK IT

BU Y IT This recipe calls for “stew meat.” That basically means cubed pieces of meat from various parts of the animal. You could buy lamb roast, or lamb loin or lamb chops. But then you’d have to remove the bones. Stew meat saves you time.

This recipe takes no longer to prepare than your usual pot of chilli con carne and tastes nothing like your usual pot of chilli. W H AT YO U ’ L L N E E D 2 T B S P CA N O L A O I L 900 GRAMS CUBED LAMB ST E W M E AT 2 GA R L I C C LOV E S, M I N C E D 1 L A R G E Y E L LOW ONION, DICED 4 M E D I U M CA R R OTS, D I C E D 2 TS P G R O U N D C O R I A N D E R 2 TS P G R O U N D C U M I N 1 C I N N A M O N ST I C K 1 4 0 0 G R A M CA N C H I C K P E A S, R I N S E D A N D DRAINED 1 C U P D R I E D A P R I C OTS, CHOPPED ½ C U P P I M E N TO - ST U F F E D GREEN OLIVES 1 4 0 0 G R A M CA N D I C E D TO M ATO E S 2 C U P S B E E F B R OT H

UPGR A DE IT

1. In a large Dutch oven over mediumhigh heat, heat the oil. Add the lamb, season well with salt and pepper, and cook until well browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. 2. Add the garlic, onion and carrots and sauté until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add the coriander, cumin and cinnamon stick. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chickpeas,

apricots, green olives, tomatoes (with their juices), reserved lamb and beef broth. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the lamb is very tender, 60 to 90 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Feeds 6

Chop 4 medium yellow potatoes into bite-sized pieces; add to a pot of boiling water. Cook till tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and cool. In a bowl, toss the potatoes with 2 Tbsp olive oil, 2 Tbsp harissa, and salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until cold. Top with ¼ cup chopped parsley. Serve. Feeds 4 Nutrition per serving: 176 calories, 3g protein, 27g carbs (2g fibre), 7g fat

NUTRITION PER SERVING:

263 calories, 38g protein, 46g carbs (10g fibre), 16g fat

If you have the extra time, here are three ways to elevate this recipe to extra-special status. I F YO U H AV E . . .

FOOD STYLING: MICHELLE GATTON/HELLO ARTISTS | PROP STYLING: MAT CULLEN/LALALAND.

1 . HARISSA POTATO SALAD

2 . QQUINOA “COUSCOUS” SALAD

MINUTES

DAY

To perk up the stew’s flavours, track down a jar of preserved lemons. These citrus fruit come packed in brine, and you can eat them, chopped, rind and all. Their bitter tartness plays off the sweetness of the apricots. Buy at wineofthemonth.co.za for R40. Add 2 Tbsp with the chickpeas.

Finish the dish with a hit of freshness. Until you have 1 cup, pluck the leaves from any of the following herbs: flat-leaf parsley, coriander, mint and/or marjoram. Then, after you transfer the stew to bowls, chop all the herbs and scatter them over the stew before serving.

Like other stews, this one tastes even better reheated the next day, after the flavours have a chance to mingle and marry. Just reheat everything over medium heat. Anything hotter and you run the risk of scorching the ingredients, not to mention your taste buds.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY BOBBY DOHERT Y

up quinoa according ge instructions. Drain. In a large bowl, toss the quinoa, 1 tomato (diced), ½ English cucumber (diced), ¼ medium red onion (minced), the juice of ½ lemon, 2 Tbsp olive oil, and 2 Tbsp fresh coriander (chopped). Season. Serve hot or cold. Feeds 4 Nutrition per serving: 229 calories, 7g protein, 30g carbs (4g fibre), 9g fat

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 41

LIFE THE HEALTH SNOB’S GUID DE TO

THIS SUPERFOOD IS NO LONGER R JUST A SOGGY SIDE DISH FOR CHICKE N AND BROWN RICE. HERE’S HOW TO UP PGRADE YOUR BLAND BODYBUILDER FARE E INTO THE MAIN EVENT / BY BOBBY PA ALMER

01 GREEN GOBBLIN’

Some clichés ring true. Others do not. It’s nott news that broccoli is a nutritional powerhouse. Butt it’s fake news that it amounts to nothing more th han a tasteless side for your post-training Tupperrware. By expanding your repertoire of brassica and d updating your cooking methods, Michael Thompson, the head chef of Cub (lyancub.com), proves that you can make the nutritious truly y delicious. It’s time you switched to green energy.

A CALABRESE

You probably know this variety as plain old “broccoli” and there’s a good reason you see calabrese in everyone’s trolley. Not only is it full of vitamins and fibre, but research says the sulforaphane fires up your brown fat tissue to spike your metabolism.

B LONG STEM

Calabrese’s skinny sidekick has a similar nutritional make-up to its big brother, but it offers extra benefits, too. After all, it’s waste-free, requires almost no prep, and is notably high in vitamin A, which can help to lower your risk of developing cancer.

C PURPLE SPROUTING

The eponymous hue is about more than just looking good. Purple in veg is an indication it contains a healthy dose of anthocyanins. These are potent antioxidants that your body mops up to protect against heart disease.

D ROMANESCO

You may have to look slightly harder for this variety than a trip around Spar (Woolworths stocks it). However, it’s worth the effort. Scientists believe that this variety stimulates the development of mesenchymal stem cells, which are key to bulking up your biceps.

42 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

E SHAVE The first thing you need to learn on your way to becoming a broccoli connoisseur? There are better ways than furiously boiling until it’s sad and soggy. “Broccoli is meant to be served crunchy and fresh,” Thompson says. You’ll notice that, when it’s boiled, the water you drain away is green. That’s all the good stuff lost down the plug hole. Keep your cooking, in Thompson’s words, “short and precise”:

it in op qualit i ust keep the florets away from boiling water. If you really want to go gastro, try shaving the veg to create delicate stalk strips, or broccoli “couscous” with the florets. Thompson recommends using a mandoline like the Progressive PL8 (R1 679, Yuppiechef), but those in a hurry can cheat it with a mini chopper like the Magimix Le Micro (R1 899, Yuppiechef). We won’t tell.

A PLAN FOR ALL SEASONS

The beauty of broccoli is that, with so many varieties, one is always in season, guaranteeing you maximum nutritional d per portion. “Romanesco o covers the winter montths,” Thompson ex xplains. “Purple sprou uting is best in spring, and lon ng stem comes through h in summer. The general va ariety is available any time.” These recipes, each seerving two, from Thompson n and Cub, will help you ma ake the most of it all yearr round.

GREEN GIANTS

A LEAN STALK STEAK WITH BROCCOLI COUSCOUS A H E A D O F CA L A B R E S E BROCCOLI N O R I , 2 S H E E TS SA LT, 5 G S E SA M E O I L , 2 TS P A C LOV E O F GA R L I C, DICED A R E D C H I L L I , F I N E LY DICED

You don’t need meat to build muscle – he ere are three ingredients that won’t cause your gains to wilt

METHOD Remove the florets and shave to create couscous. Toast the mineral-rich nori for two minutes in a 180°C oven, then grind up with the salt. Cut the stalk in half and boil for six minutes, until soft but with bite, then season generously with the nori salt. In a heavy-based pan gently heat sesame oil, then add the garlic and chilli. Allow to soften without adding colour, then add the couscous. Add a little water to loosen, then plate up with the stalk steak on top.

B DOCTOR’S ORDERS SAUTÉE TÉED ED LO LONG NGG STE TEM M IN MISO LO N G ST E M B R O C C O L I , 8 ST E M S F R ES H G I N G E R, 1 0 G M I S O PAST E , 5 0 G R I C E N O O D L E S, 2 0 0 G S I L K E N TO F U, 1 0 0 G, DICED S P R I N G O N I O N S, 2, SLICED C O R I A N D E R, 1 0 G, CHOPPED

METHOD Chop the long stem into 2cm pieces. Grate the ginger. Sauté the broccoli for one minute in a little oil, then add the ginger and cook for a further minute. Remove from pan and set aside. Boil 500ml water and add the gut-friendly miso. Simmer for a minute, then remove from the heat. Soak the noodles in the miso water then, when soft, combine with the tofu, onion and cholesterolfriendly coriander. Divide into two bowls and slurp away.

SPINACH

WORDS: BOBBY PALMER | PHOTOGRAPHY: LOUISA PARRY I FOOD STYLING: TAMARA VOS

Popeye was onto something. This leafy green boasts a triple threat of bone-strengthening calcium,energyboosting iron and magnesium.

EDAMAME

It’s a vegan bodybuilder’s favourite, and with good reason: the edamame bean is one of the most dense sources of plant-based protein on the planet.

KALE

It has enjoyed a wave of good PR in the wellness industry over the years, thanks mainly to its near-supernatural nutrient density, which fuels healthy muscle growth.

C HEART HEALTHY BBQ PURPLE BROC AND BLACK GARLIC HEART-HEALTHY PURPLE SPROUTING BROCCOLI, 500G S U N F LOW E R O I L , 1 0 0 G B L AC K GA R L I C, 2 0 G D I J O N M U STA R D, 1 T B S P WHITE WINE V I N EGA R, 1 T B S P TOA ST E D A L M O N D S, 3 0 G

METHOD Toss the broccoli in sunflower oil and season with salt. Weather permitting, char on the braai. If not, roast at 200°C in an oven until the leaves start to blacken and crisp. Meanwhile, blend the cancer-fighting black garlic (you can get it from Woolworths) and metabolism-firing mustard with the vinegar and remaining oil. Toss with broccoli while it’s still hot, then transfer to a plate and scatter with the almonds.

D BULK-UP ROMAN O A HEAD OF ROMANESCO P EC O R I N O, 1 0 0 G WAT E RC R E S S, 1 0 0 G OLIVE OIL, 25G A SQ U E E Z E O F L E M O N SA LT E D A N C H OV I E S, 100G

NCHOVY C O SALAD S METHOD Break the romanesco into florets, then shave each one to 2mm thick. Shave the pecorino to the same thickness, then wash the watercress. Whisk the oil and lemon together and season with cracked black pepper and salt. Toss the romanesco, pecorino and watercress with the vitamin C-rich dressing, then place onto a serving plate and scatter with the protein-packed anchovies. MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 43

LIFE

C A LO R I E S

M AC RO S

The Measures of Success KEEPING A WATCHFUL EYE ON WHAT YOU EAT IS CRUCIAL TO FINE-TUNING BOTH GAINS AND LOSSES. BUT WHICH COUNT FOR MORE: CLASSIC CALORIES OR MODISH MACROS?

THE DIFFERENCE

Calories are the energy in food, fuelling everything from thinking to marathon running. Consume a surplus and you’ll get bigger; eat a deficit and you’ll get smaller.

Half a kilo of fat contains about 3,500kcal of energy. Maintain a 500kcal deficit in your daily intake and you can expect to lose 0.5kg per week, reports Mayo Clinic.

0.5KG

A surplus of 250kcal a day can fuel muscle gains, says nutritionist Melina Jampolis. But lifters can only build 230g of extra muscle a week, and unused energy will become fat.

Calorie restriction has been linked to a longer lifespan. Plus, the resultant weight loss may help to reduce your heart disease risk, especially if you’re overweight.

“Calories determine your weight,” says nutritionist Ben Coomber**. “Increase your intake and you’ll gain it, and vice versa. Whatever your goal, bear it in mind.”

THE MH VERDICT CALORIES WIN! While macros require extra vigilance for marginal gains, calorie-counting is both easier and effective. “Eat more for muscle, eat less to lose fat” may be unfashionably simple, but it works.

44 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

The percentage of your diet you need to devote to protein, if muscle repair and growth are your main objectives*.

250

Carbohydrates, fats and proteins are the three nutrients that contain those calories. Tweaking the ratios between these energy sources helps you to zone in on specific goals.

WEIGHT LOSS

0.7KG

MUSCLE GAIN

55%

KCAL

BETTER HEALTH

FINAL WORD

30%

In a Stanford study, people trialled a low-fat or a low-carb deficit. After a year, the low-carb group had lost just 0.7kg extra. Marginal losses from a lot of extra faff.

Researchers at the University of Arkansas found that bodybuilders bulked up most when over half of their diet consisted of carbs, the optimal fuel for heavy-lifting in the gym.

Even if macros help you hit your targets in the gym, don’t ignore micros like vitamins. The “If It Fits Your Macros” diet makes no distinction between burgers and grain bowls.

“Macros can give your diet plan a specific direction, but this doesn’t guarantee that what you eat is good for you,” says Coomber. “The foods still need to be healthy.”

WORDS: BEN WELCH | PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVID MARQUEZ | *MIKE ROUSELL, NUTRITION ADVISER | **@BENCOOMBER

2.5K

The average intake for men. But it’s worth googling the “Mifflin-St Jeor equation” to calculate your own figure.

Available

plus.mh.co.za ONLY R95

LIFE

H OW TO

Close the

Pleasure

G A P SO YOUR PARTNER HAD AN ORGASM. BUT DID SHE ACTUALLY ENJOY HAVING SEX WITH YOU? / BY MARK HAY

ARE YOU CLOSE? Are you there? Christine was hooking up with a guy from the club who was determined not to come unless she did – so determined, in fact, that he repeatedly asked how close she was to orgasm. For Christine, who often has trouble getting off with new partners, the sex wasn’t anywhere close to enjoyable. It was stressful.

46 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

Nothing sucks the fun and passion out of sex like a guy who’s angling for a gold medal in the Orgasm Olympics. Women say it puts undue pressure on them to get off, which can make it harder not just to get there but to enjoy sex at all. Sex therapist Renée Burwell, says both partners end up in “a cycle of shame and anxiety that decreases connection and enjoyment of sexual experiences.” So let’s throw out the orgasm checklist and think about closing the pleasure gap instead. “Removing the goal of orgasm can reduce pressure and return – or introduce – the fun of being sexual,” says

“It was like he’d watched a whole series of pornos and compiled a list of positions,” she recalls. “He kept asking me, ‘How much do you like this? Tell me exactly how much!’ I was like, ‘What do you want me to say, 8.34 out of 10?’ ” As he tracked Christine’s progress – or lack thereof – he called for five-minute breaks in the action, lest he climax before fulfilling his duty. The man was on a mission. And it didn’t matter that Christine was miserable. It’s easy to see why some men approach sex this way, says sex educator Lawrence Siegel. “[It’s] what we teach men to do: be goal oriented, conquest focused. Everything has to have a clear, winning goal.” Research suggests that men can feel less masculine when their female partner doesn’t orgasm; when they think about failing to get a woman off, they feel embarrassed, distraught or inadequate. And to be clear: Guys should care about their partner’s orgasm, not just their own. By now, you’ve probably heard about the orgasm gap, the undeniable reality that women get off far less frequently than men during heterosexual encounters, possibly because the men they’re with – be they hookups or husbands – aren’t listening to their needs. But men sometimes take that mandate and warp it into terrible sex like Christine and Club Guy’s, insisting that the woman has to come – and often come first – even if that might not be practical or desirable for her. This creates what researchers call an “orgasm imperative,” a belief that any sex that doesn’t end in climax for both parties has been a complete failure.

THERE'S A LOT MORE TO SEX THAN 10 TO 20 SECONDS OF ORGASM sex educator and licensed marriage and family therapist, Dr Lisa Schwartz. The less pressure a woman’s under, the more she can actually enjoy the experience. Ironically, letting go of the orgasm imperative might even make female orgasms more likely. Firststep:stopwithalltheasking.Midcoitusisnotthetimetoenquireabouther orgasm.Instead,havethattalkbeforeyouget busy,sayssextherapistVanessaMarin.Let herknowyou’regametodowhatevermakes herfeelgood–aslongasit’swithinyourown comfortzone–andthatyou’dliketogether

off but are totally fine to stop what you’re doing if she says she’s had enough. Then, during sex, you can focus on enjoying the experience. Dr Elisabeth Lloyd, a leading scholar on the biology of the female orgasm and a pioneer in the concept of the orgasm gap, says you can still check in with each other, but with noninsistent questions like “What feels good or would feel good to you right now?” rather than “How close to coming are you?” The two of you can also make bucket lists of things you’d like to try in bed. It can be as simple as spending a certain amount of time on massage, gentle touch or deep kissing, says Lloyd. That way, you can concentrate on exploring that new activity together instead of fixating on orgasms, which takes pressure off both of you. If you’re still having trouble prioritising pleasure over climax, there’s always Siegel’s idea: don’t come at all. “Go on an orgasm ban, so that everything you’re doing with and for and to each other is for the sole purpose of experiencing pleasure,” he says. There’s no set rule for how long your ban should last – try it for a few days, or a few weeks. “Sometimes we just have to create a new picture of what we are expecting until the behaviour sets in,” Siegel says. A ban on the big O might sound scary, but there’s a lot more to sex than 10 to 20 seconds of orgasm. Many women find intense – even complete – pleasure in the intimacy, passion, and playfulness of a sex session. Focusing on the orgasm alone is like “eating an ice cream sundae and focusing on the cherry,” Burwell says. “The cherry is great, but the greater experience exists in the ice cream.”

PLEASURE BOOSTERS

Three strategies to make your next romp even more fun!

GETTY IMAGES

Rub It In

Grab the oil and give her a massage. It’s a great way to explore the erotic potential of often-neglected parts of the body. Geisha's Secret Collection Gift Set by Shunga (R799, desir.co.za)

Roll the Dice

Sex dice will randomly tell you what to do to your partner – and where. They can feel contrived, but they’ll help diversify your repertoire and avoid hammering straight toward the big O. XXXtra Naughty Nights Erotic Dare Dice (R200, manicaa.com)

Rev Up the Fun

A bullet vibrator works not only on the clitoris but also as a new form of stimulation for any erogenous zone you can think of, male or female. We-Vibe Tango Bullet Vibrator (R1 530, oliviagrey.co.za)

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 47

Ye e

mmm

o o h! A a a a a h h!

ooo o O e e e s!

o m! O o o

oh o o o

The Sex Talk

AS OUR WRITER WAS TO DISCOVER, THE MOST DIFFICULT CONVERSATION YOU CAN HAVE WITH YOUR SON HASN’T GOT ANY EASIER WITH THE ADVENT OF INTERNET PORN / BY BENJAMIN TOLEDANO

I was enjoying a work trip to France when I received a message from my wife telling me she had been looking through the search history on my 12-year-old son’s laptop and discovered he had been watching porn. I wondered how quickly I could change my identity, learn to speak French and unicycle, and start a new life as a street performer in Paris. Because anything would be better than having The Sex Talk. It was heartbreaking to hear my son had been searching for clips with titles like ‘Virgin’s first time’. I quickly understood what he needed to know, I just didn’t want to be the one to have to tell him.

48 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

Iflewbackhome,hopingtobehijacked, heldhostageandexecuted,butthere’snever acriminalaroundwhenyouneedone.Onthe 23-hourflight,Ithoughtquitedeeplyabout howImightexplainthemysteriesoflife tomyson. WhenIwas12,mymomgavemeabooklet withatitlelike‘HowBabiesareMade’. ButIwasn’tinterestedinmakingbabies– itsoundedlikesomethinggirlsdid–soIdidn’t payitmuchattention. Ihalf-recalladiagramofauterus–probably thesameonewestudiedatschoolinbiology –andacaptionaboutspermmeetinganegg inacanal.Ialreadyknewaboutthespermegg-canalthing,sinceIhadseenitonan

educational show on TV. But I didn’t know anything about sex. To find out, I – like my son – turned to porn. In the 1970s, when I was young, we didn’t have the internet. We had fishing nets. But we were gay. And by ‘gay’, I mean happy, etc etc. In those days, porn wasn’t on computers – only NASA had those – but in magazines, and I found my dad’s collection of soft-core English porn hidden under suitcases in the cupboard on top of his wardrobe. I knew they were there because, whenever he left the house, I searched my parents’ bedroom from top to bottom. The magazines had names that offered no clue to their content. Mayfair, Knave and Club

LIFE

Ooo

Ye s!

Ye s

GETTY IMAGES

Mmmmm

International sounded like the sort of titles James Bond might read. Inside, they featured coquettish photospreads and unnaturally luminescent centrefolds of women called Mandy or Sandy or Randy or Brandy, whose hobbies included, among other things, water-skiing, iceskating, disco-dancing and threesomes. Rather generously, readers of the magazines offered the chance to have sex with their wives, who supplied what used to be called their ‘vital statistics’ alongside Polaroids of suburban temptresses posing in lingerie in their garden or garage. I liked looking at the pictures in Mayfair, but my favourite pages were the letters about the readers’ real-life experiences (which occurred, presumably, when their wives were in bed with other readers). I learnt that it was quite common for an out-of-town businessman to enter an elevator and find it occupied by the Swedish national cheerleading squad, whose busty blonde captain would press a button that stranded the

lift betweenfloors,allowingtimeforthelucky executivetohavesexwith12enthusiastic amazonsbeforecontinuinghisjourneytothe mezzaninelevel. And, of course, as the elevator doors closed behind him, they would all promise to meet again in the same place at the same time the following week. Curiously,mylifehasnotturnedoutlike that.TheonlypeopleIhavemetinliftshave beenagedtouristsingolfpantsandafewsad caseswhofeeltheyhavetosay“Itmustbe an allstationsthen”whentheelevatorstops at severaldifferentfloors.Whichiswhatan elevatorisdesignedtodo. The readers’ letters also led me to develop some unusual ideas about nurses. This was probably quite unhealthy, since my mom is a nurse. But pictures gave me a problem. These were the days of muffs like merkins, so I couldn’t actually see where everything was, and I grew up believing the vagina was located just below the navel. From time to time, I have told other

I sat him down on the lounge and told him that real sex was not the same as porn sex. It generally involved only two people – at least in my experience. I told him dicks were not that big – at least in my experience. I explained that couples usually had sex in bed, lying down, and nearly always took their shoes off first. I told him sex was better with a woman you love, but I took care not to imply that I’d ever done it with his mom. Then, mindful of my own adolescent confusion, I tried to show him how certain positions worked, in a mechanical sense. I did this using my hands, like finger puppetry without the shadowplay. My right hand was the man. My left hand was the woman. To be totally honest – and I might as well be, since I have come this far – I regret this. I’m not sure I made anything any clearer, and I hope my fingers, rigid and looped, don’t come back to haunt his dreams. I didn’t talk to him about porn, only about sex. When he told me he had never even had a wet dream, I realised I’d made the right call. He wasn’t

“I’VE NEVER FORGOTTEN THE ADVICE MY DAD GAVE ME ABOUT SEX: DON’T GET THE CLAP” men about this, expecting them to laugh in embarrassed recognition of their own youthful naiveté, but they just stare at me like I’m a dangerous lunatic and quickly leave the room. Today, no boy looking at internet porn could make my mistake, but he could quite easily get the wrong idea about a lot of other things. I’ve never forgotten the only advice my dad ever gave me about sex (or about anything, really): “Whatever you do, son, don’t get the clap”. Sadly, he didn’t explain how I might avoid it and, as it turned out, I didn’t. Avoid it, that is. Withmydad’sexamplenotinmind, I approachedmysonacoupleofdaysafterIgot homeandsaid,“Wecaneitherkillourselves, or wecanhaveatalkaboutporn.Bothoptions soundjustasgoodtome”. Mysonchoselife.

using porn to masturbate. It was just research. Yeah, yeah, I know: that’s what you tell your girlfriend when she catches you on cheerleadersinelevators.com. But my son’s only 12. When our torment was over, I felt pretty good (apart from the fingers thing). I had done my job as a dad and saved us both from suicide. My son was proud too. “Well,” he said, “we did it.” I think he realised we had both gotten over a hurdle on our road to growing up. I had been as candid with my boy as I’ve been with anybody in my life. I had given him the kind of truthfulness I would’ve expected and appreciated when I was 12. It was difficult, but it probably wasn’t the worst thing I’ll ever have to do. That’s going to come later, when we have The Drugs Talk. God knows what I’m going to say then. It’s a good job I’ve never inhaled.

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 49

LIFE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN...

…I Become a Father? CONGRATULATIONS! NOW FOR THE HARD PART. HERE’S HOW TO MAKE CHILD’S PLAY OUT OF THE SLEEPLESS NIGHTS AND YOUR #DADBOD FEARS.

01 NIGHT LIFE

MAKE PARENTHOOD LESS INTIMIDATING WITH OUR CRIB SHEET

As other fathers will no doubt have warned you, lack of sleep is inevitable. Your baby’s midnight feeds have significant effects on your body: your ghrelin levels rise, making you hungry, and your body produces less of the “satiety hormone” leptin. Your cortisol levels also spike, increasing anxiety. So far, so exhausting.

02 ON THE BRAIN

Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater just yet, as there are beneficial hormonal changes, too. A review of studies from Princeton University found new fathers have a surge in oestrogen and oxytocin, creating an emotional processing network in your brain geared for vigilance, bonding and motivation. Basically, you change at a chemical level to become a more protective dad – even on three hours’ kip.

5 50 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

03 WEIGHTY ISSUES

Once you’re back at work, balancing night shifts and your nine to five will impact on your gym regimen. To outmanoeuvre #dadbod, forget HIIT circuits. They promise weight loss, but the stress they place on the body will hamper your immunity and sap energy. Prioritise strength training and heavy lifting, which will spike your testosterone to fight fat and energise you.

05 SILVER LININGS

04 BETTER OUT THAN IN

Over time, your new role in life can lead to some existential questions: “Who am I as a person?” “Am I really fit to be a father?” It’s an underreported fact that men, too, can develop postnatal depression. The long-term effects of suppressed emotions can be enormously damaging, so speak up.

The shock to your system is temporary. Your positive changes are permanent. A study in PNAS shows that dads undergo a boost in empathy if they spend more time with their kids (to help with that, taking paternal leave might just be the key). This not only helps you guide your child through life but may make you a happier, less stressed person, too. Which should last until they’re old enough to go out drinking, at least.

WORDS: TOM WARD | ILLUSTRATION: PETER GRUNDY

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C U R A T E D

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S U P E R L A T I V E

I M A G E S

WIN

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VISI.CO.ZA

Double Down on Denim The Great Sneaker Evolution Work the Night Shift

COMPILED BY AZEEZ JACOBS

After spending decades in style Siberia, double denim is making the most improbable comeback since Lazarus arose from a four-day snooze. But to ensure you look more Texas ranger than Justin Timberlake, follow these rules from the doyens of denim PHOTOGRAPHY BY T O M VA N S C H E LV E N STYLING BY ERIC DOWN WORDS BY SHANE C KURUP

Style Tip: Break up the monotone vibes of an all-denim look by adding another classic piece like this asymmetrical leather biker jacket.

ISSA LEO R3 999 ISSALEO.COM

Man in Black If you want to make a statement, go for a masculine black combo. The darkest denim you can get is known as “black-black”: its fabric is dyed on both sides. Team it with a white vest and a black Western shirt.

RE: BLACK STRETCH DENIM JACKET R899 WOOLWORTHS.CO.ZA

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 53

CREW NECK JERSEY R2 999 SCOTCH & SODA

The Big Easy My favourite way of styling double denim is with a textured knit or buttoned-up Oxford shirt. But donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be afraid to pop the collar and roll up your cuffs to give it a relaxed feel.

54 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

STYLE

Blue Sky Thinking If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a little apprehensive about head-to-toe denim, choose an understated wash. A dark rinse will look smart whether you pair it with a button-down shirt or T-shirt.

DARK RINSED JEANS R1 699 SUPERDRY

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 55

Sustainable Denim FEW STYLE STAPLES ARE AS RELIABLY COOL AS A GOOD PAIR OF JEANS, BUT DENIM MANUFACTURING CAUSES UNTOLD DAMAGE. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT YOU DON’T NEED TO BE GRETA THUNBERG TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOBE LAWRENSON WORDS BY AZEEZ JACOBS & CLARKE SCHRAGER

DEEP IMPACT

Invest in the wrong denim and you could be draining the world’s lakes and rivers of precious water and turning them into a cocktail of deadly chemicals. Add to that the negative impact of intensive cotton farming and you’ve got a lot of responsibility on your shoulders, if you’re in the market for a new pair. Here’s how denim can take its toll on the environment.

A/ WATER PALAVER

The world’s resources are perilously overstretched, and only Donald Trump would refute it. The cultivating and processing of cotton require a surfeit of water – a single pair of jeans takes up to 7 600L of water to make, the equivalent to 13 400 pints at your local.

C/ FIELDS OF GREEN

Modern, industrial-scale cotton farming relies upon pesticides and fertilisers. Not only do these degrade soil quality, making it harder for farmers to make a profit in the long run, they also leach into the water table, harming wildlife and tainting drinking water.

D/ FINISHING POINT

Many denim-finishing techniques are highly hazardous. For example, sandblasting has been directly linked to silicosis, a fatal lung disease caused by inhaling silica dust. Acid-washing can also lead to respiratory issues and even blindness – ouch.

56 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

WEARING IS CARING

When you wash your denim, lower the temperature and add natural detergents to your load – like half a cup of white vinegar. Try The Apothecary Multi-Purpose Citrus Infused Vinegar Cleaner R105 faithful-to-nature. co.za 1 , which helps preserve colour. Or, opt for a denim cleaner like Day2 Denim Dry

Wash Clothes Spray R99 takealot.com 2 , a fabric refresh spray that removes odours and gives your clothes an “instant iron”. Making your denim go the extra mile is also crucial. When there’s a hole in your pair, don’t condemn them to the landfill. Levi’s 3 offers instore denim servicing, while independent repair specialists are springing up everywhere.

ILLUSTRATIONS: ANDREA MANZATI

B/ CHEMICAL TRAILS

Synthetic chemical dyes and bleaches used in denim production – such as sodium hypochlorite – are partly why 70% of China’s rivers are contaminated, causing higher incidences of cancer and gastric and dermatological issues in the local population.

STYLE A / MADE AND CRAFTED

B / FAST FASHIOON WITH A PURPOSSE

Levi Strauss & Co is getting serious about future-proofing the planet. The denim brand has announced its commitment a more eco-friendly future by putting conservation and water sustainability at the forefront of their denim production. The Made and Crafted collection is designed using fewer resources from start to finish. Levi’s Made & Crafted 511 Slim Fit Jeans R1 299 levi.co.za

Fashion giant Zara’sJJoin Life label was crafted dusing production methodsthat ge minimise waterusag onment(among other enviro friendly techniques).Forthe eptowards company, it’s oneste creating a moresustainable enim brand overall. Thisde % shirt is made of100% otton. ecological- grownco Basic Denim Shi rt R499 zara.com

THE LEAN, GREEN DENIM SCENE

Thanks to an increasing awareness of environmental issues and demand for more e responsible alternatives, denim companies are waking up to a new n world of textile manufacturing. Consider these four pioneers leading the green revolution n next time you’re after some fresh selvedge.

C / WEAR AND CARE Woolworths has radically transformed its fashion business, and over 80% of its cotton is procured from sustainable sources, such as BCI (a type of cotton produced in a way that conserves water and reduces harm to the environment). The majority of the company’s RE:Jeans range now uses this material. Pick up a hard-working eco-friendly pair... like this one! Slim Leg Stretch Jeans R499 woolworths.co.za

04 SECOND LIFE

Here are three ideas for getting more mileage from your old favourites

SHORT CUTS

Denim cut-offs are an evergreen style staple and simple to make. Snip off a couple of inches below where you want the hem to sit and press with a dry iron to keep the seams in place.

D / RAW FOR THE PLANET Sustainable design innovation is a core part of G-Star Raw’s mission. They want to ensure that the denim of today, and of the future, is created with respect for people and the planet. They believe that sustainability is not a constraint to denim

BLADES OF GLORY

Your knackered, old pair of jeans can extend the life of your razor blades. Put the denim on a flat surface and push the blades along the material to keep them sharper for longer.

innovation, but rather an exciting opportunity to unlock new potential within the fabric itself. They focus on minimising the environmental impact of their products by taking a circular approach to how denim is both made and used. G-Star Raw! Kir Denim Jacket R3 299 G-Star Raw

TOKYO STORIES

Take inspiration from the Japanese art of boro, in which fabrics are stitched together to create a personal story. With the right tailor, patchwork can be more Shinjuku than scarecrow.

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 57

The Great Sneaker Evolution THE MINIMALIST TE NNIS RSA A VE R T L U

AS SEEN ON: Ryan Reynolds. The shoe’s pared-down look means it can go with just about anything.

TILE

SUPERGA A classic silhouette doesn’t mean you can’t be interesting. Take this shoe’s perforated navy leather for example.

ZARA This simple black silhouette with a black sole maintains a classic look that appeals to any guy.

LECOQ SPORTIF For a punch, opt for contrast, like a white upper set against the natural rubber colour of a gum sole.

Soft Leather R1 699 superga.co.za

Single Colour R599 zara.com.

Provencale Croco R1 299 lecoqsportif.co.za

THE OFF-THE- PITC H SO C C E R

AS SEEN ON: Jason Statham. Distinguished by the low profile, striped graphics and tabbed heel.

’90S

ADIDAS These sneakers show off the same textures and materials as the 1991 version. Made in suede, they feature contrast details that echo the early ‘90s style.

G-STAR RAW These low-profile sneakers are a modern rework of the classic Japanese sports shoe. The chunky sole and toe-bumper give this pair a strong silhouette.

ONITSUKA TIGER With its heritage look and signature design finish, the Mexico 66 model is a timeless shoe that will elevate any outfit. Combo with straight-leg jeans for the perfect off-the-pitch fit.

Gazelle R1 299 adidas.co.za

Rovulc OG II R1 499 g-star.com

Mexico 66 R1 299 superbalist.com

THE RE ST- DAY RUNNING OR COMF

AS SEEN ON: Charlie Hunnam. Special features: old-school technical elements, soft-sided uppers.

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TABL

ONG AY L D L AL

SOVIET A lesson in contrast: the Grayson is a mashup of mesh and suede materials with blue details.

NEW BALANCE The 327 will reset and refresh your look – the 70s heritage reimagined within a contemporary aesthetic.

DUCA The modern, sporty silhouette means this style can be worn with practically anything.

Grayson R350 soviet.co.za

327 Sneaker R1 800 newbalance.co.za

Pontino R2 999 ducadelcosma.co.za

ALBERT L. ORTEGA/GETTY IMAGES (REYNOLDS), BEVERLY NEWS/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK (STATHAM), SPLASHNEWS.COM (HUNNAM)

A A CL

THE NCE I S SSIC

STYLE TAKE A LOOK AT THE FEET OF THE AVERAGE GUY (AND CELEBRITY) ON THE STREET AND YOU’LL NOTICE THAT OUR COLLECTIVE SHOE GAME HAS BLOWN UP. EVERYBODY IS IN SOME KIND OF SNEAKER. BUT EVEN AMID THE EXPLOSION OF OPTIONS, THE STYLES STILL HAVE THEIR RESPECTIVE SPORTS ROOTS. / B Y A Z E E Z J A C O B S

THE MODE RN S K ATE R GREA

AS SEEN ON: Zac Efron. Grippy comfort that gives you cool-kid cred. No ollie skills required.

VANS The classic skater shoe gets a lift in a mid-top pompeian red. It has padded collars for extra comfort and a checkerboard pattern.

CONVERSE The pro leather launched in the 1970s has established itself as one of the most iconic and stylish basketball shoes of all time – update with a streamline silhouette.

IP T GR

DC DC recognises the fusion between art and skateboarding, taking footwear to the next level. Take on the skate scene with confidence. DC Crisis R899 superbalist.com

Sk8 Mid Deboss R1 000 Vans 021 709 0084 Pro Leather R1 600 converse.co.za

THE HIG H -TEC H TR AINE R

COUSART/JFXIMAGES/WENN (EFRON), SMXRF/STAR MAX/GC IMAGES (JAMES), RB/BAUER-GRIFFIN/GC IMAGES (JORDAN)

S MEET TECH

AS SEEN ON: LeBron James. Come for the socklike comfort; stay for the futuristic look.

STYL

CATERPILLAR The aggressive outsole tread, silhouette and hiking inspired lace system blur the lines between stylish and functional with an unfiltered, unapologetic attitude. Raider Sport R1 899 catfootwear.co.za

UNDER ARMOUR Made for running and styled to grab attention on the street, this is form and function in perfect harmony.

REEBOK Functional enough for working out and smart enough for the streets. Keep your outfit simple and keep focus on your feet.

UA HOVR Phantom SE Trek R2 899 underarmour.co.za

Nano 9.0 R1 999 reebok.co.za

THE THROWBAC K BAS KETBALL RIG D) O E T A (UPD THE

AS SEEN ON: Michael B. Jordan. Perhaps the most collectible style in the sneaker world.

INAL

PUMA They’re as comfy as can be, while the mid-boot silhouette adds a retroinspired edge to your look.

FILA Achieve a cool, retro look with the original signature shoe of NBA star Jerry Stackhouse.

AIR JORDAN This sneaker maintains the timeless appeal of the OG AJ1, revamped with fresh colours and premium materials.

Def Jam Sky LX R2 999 puma.co.za

Spaghetti Sneaker R1 799 Sportscene

The Air Jordan 1 Mid SE R2 000 nike.com

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 59

GROOMING

The Night Shift

Wake up looking younger and healthier with these products that go to work while you’re sleeping. BY GARRET MUNCE & AZEEZ JACOBS

AFTER A HECTIC DAY, you probably don’t want

to add even more to your to-do list. But having a super-quick strategy for washing and taking care of your face achieves the opposite: it can help you relax and be ready to take on tomorrow – and every day after – looking fresh instead of frazzled. In fact, science has shown that nighttime is the best time to double down on skin-care efforts. “During the day, your skin is in defence mode,” says dermatologist Dr Morgan Rabach. Your mug is getting blasted by the elements: harsh sunlight, city smog and your own face palm when you forget to file those urgent reports. 60 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

In the evening, “the rate of [skin cell] regeneration doubles,” says Rabach, which means your face literally fixes itself. Wrinkle prevention and collagen production increase, too, as does the production of melatonin to help repair UV damage. But your body also gets dehydrated overnight, which explains why you wake up looking like a shriveled raisin. A simple nighttime skin-care routine will “seal in moisture and give a vitamin boost to your skin,” says Rabach. There’s even evidence that the soothing textures and scents of some products could help lower levels of stress-causing cortisol. Wake up with a whole new outlook!

EYE CREAMS: A VISUAL

F O U R ST E P S TO A

FITTER FACE

The first place men typically notice signs of ageing – like fine lines and wrinkles – is around their eyes, but eye creams can help with way more than that. These power-packed products are specifically designed to help with dark circles, dull skin, puffiness and also those aforementioned wrinkles. See our best bets here.

RRR

Five products, three minutes, a nightly regimen that’s good for the Zs, says neurologist and sleep expert Dr Christopher Winter. STEP ONE

CLEANSER

STEP T WO

RETINOL

PRICE

Cleansers help your skin breathe by removing the dead cells, oil, and dirt that clog your pores, says dermatologist Dr Howard Sobel. This one is gentle but effective. Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser, R350 edgars.co.za

Elemis Man Time Defence Eye Reviver R950 absoluteskin.co.za

Derived from vitamin A, retinol increases the production of youthpreserving collagen and elastin and curbs breakouts, says Sobel. Skin Workout Retinol Refirm, R995 sorbet.co.za Filler Eye Cream SPF15 R320 clicks.co.za

STEP THREE

EYE CREAM

“The skin around the eyes is the thinnest and needs the most protection,” says Sobel. According to Chanel, this eye cream increases hydration by 54% and the appearance of firmness by 24%, while reducing the appearance of dark circles by 14%. See right for more options. Chanel Blue Serum Eye Revitalizing Concentrate, R1 205 woolworths.co.za STEP FOUR

MOISTURISER

Make sure it contains hyaluronic acid, says Sobel. That helps your skin cells retain water at night. Optiphi Moisture Control Light, R1 840 optiphi.com

10. Sisley Eye Contour Mask R 1 815 edgars.co.za Lab Series Power V Instant Eye Lift R570 woolworths.co.za

Clarins Men Anti-fatigue Eye Serum R405 clarins.co.za

Skin Republic Anti-fatigue Under Eye Patch R60 superbalist.com

E Y E S - O N LY

YOU MASK, BRO?

Dermalogica BioLumin C Eye Serum in R1325 dermalogica.co.za

Jack Black Eye Balm De Puffing & Cooling Gel R490 absoluteskin.co.za

Nivea Anti Age Cellular Eye Cream R265 dischem.co.za

M U LT I - P U R P OS E

S I N C E MAS KS AR E TARG E TE D treatments that address specific issues – breakouts, dryness, congestion – they’re an easy way to see big changes in your skin with minimal effort. The extra benefit, though, is you get to embrace that no-effort philosophy while wearing one. Most masks require you to keep them on for a set period of time (usually around 20 minutes), during which you can do almost nothing but lie down and watch Netflix. Congratulations!

PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAN FORBES

NIGHT CREAM

These give you more hydration and protection than a moisturiser. Look for one that contains hyaluronic acid, peptides and ceramides. Cetaphil Rich Night Cream, R385 clicks.co.za

MH RECOMMENDS

Sorbet Man Charcoal Peel-Off Mask R70 clicks.co.za

PREVAGE City Smart Double Action Detox Peel Off Mask

R950 ascotcosmetics.co.za MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 61

UPGRADES COMPILED BY KIERAN LEGG

His signature bushluxe camps give guests the freedom to truly experience the outdoors.

Wild Card WHEN BEKS NDLOVU WAS A SIX-YEAR-OLD BOY LIVING ON THE FRINGE OF HWANGE, ZIMBABWE’S LARGEST NATIONAL PARK, THE IDEA OF GOING ON A SAFARI HAD NEVER ENTERED HIS IMAGINATION. “SAFARI” WAS FOR WHITE PEOPLE, HE THOUGHT. FAST FORWARD 37 YEARS, AND BEKS IS THE FOUNDER AND CEO OF ONE OF THE FASTESTGROWING LUXURY SAFARI COMPANIES IN SOUTHERN AFRICA.

62 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

The Wild Side of Your Business The Best Gamer Tech Bust Stress and Make Money

Experience Matters

Beks learnt everything he knows about running a camp while on the job.

By Narina Exelby Photographs: Narina Exelby and Mark Everleigh

Beks Ndlovu opened his first camp in 2006, when Zimbabwe was writhing in economic turmoil, and has now established 15 luxury camps in eight parks in three countries. And whenever he can take time away from work, he goes on safari. His success, in part, is due to his ability to think laterally and make strategic decisions. But a large part of it comes down to Beks’s people skills and creativity. That was how it all started out, really. When Beks was a teenager some of his older friends went to work in safari lodges and, suffering from serious FOMO, Beks volunteered at camps in Hwange during his school holidays. “You know the term ‘gofer’? Well,” he laughs, “that was me.” Beks was the guy who fetched the firewood. The one who pumped the water and kept the donkey boiler going. He was the one who carried water to guest tents for their bucket showers; then he started to do the wake-up calls by delivering tea and coffee. After a while, Beks was the one polishing the Land Cruiser and packing the drinks box. “And if I was lucky,” he recalls, “I’d end up on a game drive, sitting beside the guide and learning from him as we went.” By the time he completed high school, job offers were rolling in. Beks went from wearing khakis and veldskoens at boarding school to wearing khakis and veldskoens in the bush. “I’d gained insight into the life of a safari camp and realised that it was possible for me to have a career in the safari industry.”

All that gofer-ing turned out to be seriously good schooling for what was to come, and Beks worked his way up from trainee to qualified guide to camp manager to manager of three safari operations. He had gathered an intimate understanding of how every aspect of safari camps run, from choosing the site for a camp to building and maintaining one, to interacting with guests, marketing at trade shows, and eventually managing teams and working with systems. Seven years after leaving school, having worked at some of Southern Africa’s most prestigious camps and making a name for himself as a respected guide, Beks set up his own private guiding business. “I recognised that Africa was a big continent – and I didn’t want to be stuck in one geographical area,” he explains. “I also wanted to get involved in going out and attracting the clientele and crafting my own journeys.”

Find the Gap While leading private guided safaris, Beks was exposed to a wide range of camps across the continent and he noticed that most safari camps didn’t offer guides the sort of freedom and experiences he wanted his guests to enjoy. “After five or six years I thought, what I’d really love to do is set up my own camp – an iconic camp that would attract other safari guides who are equally as passionate – and they would be my first support base.” So, in 2006 Beks secured a concession in Hwange National Park and built Somalisa, a camp with views across the savannah. “I did it with very little money,” he says. “We cleared out our home in Bulawayo and basically set it up again in the bush.” Although rudimentary compared to what it is now, the camp still had its own charm. Beks has always had an eye for design and loves to collect antiques – it’s his personal style that has helped to shape the signature bush-luxe ambience that his camps are now known for. Not only was Somalisa a magnificent space to be in: through his own experiences Beks knew exactly how to make his camp the top choice for independent guides travelling with clients. “I was able to give my former peers the

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 63

Beks has 15 camps across Southern Africa.

platform they needed to shine. I gave them a vehicle, and they had the freedom to use the camp as their own, and to a rhythm that suited their style,” he says.

Think Strategy When Somalisa opened in August 2006, Zimbabwe’s tourism industry was rock bottom, but Beks had already made a plan. Even before Somalisa was complete he was looking for a camp location in Botswana, where the safari industry was booming. When he found an unused photographic safari area, he leased a portion and “quickly knocked up a camp”. Linyanti opened 10 months after Somalisa and, just as Beks had hoped, it helped to keep the Zimbabwe camp afloat. “Opening Linyanti basically propelled me into the marketplace,” says Beks. “I had already established my name as a guide and with a second camp in a successful country, people in the tourism industry trusted me – if they wanted to travel Zimbabwe, they knew they could do so with me.” In 2009 Beks invited two well-known guides “with serious passion and large client bases” to invest in his business, which by then was called African Bush Camps (ABC). Having the partners and the extra capital meant Beks could expand the ABC portfolio by building another two camps. The investor-guides ran

64 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

those properties, which freed Beks up to focus on other areas – and by 2012 African Bush Camps had established seven luxury camps in Zimbabwe and Botswana. Was Beks moving too fast? “ABC grew quickly – but it felt natural and organic because we developed the right places at the right time in order to make everything work,” he reasons. “It was like putting the pieces of a puzzle together.”

Don’t Go On Gut Alone In 2010, in his quest to grow his business even further, Beks took on a major investor. “He showed all the signs of being aligned with my vision but,” Beks admits, “in retrospect I didn’t take enough time to assess him properly. Also, I should have structured his investment differently.” Three years into the partnership things soured. “Our visions and values just weren’t aligned,” says Beks. “He’d lost interest but wanted more control, and I wasn’t prepared to give him that.” What followed were two painful years and exorbitant legal fees. “I had to build serious resilience,” Beks recalls. “I also learnt valuable lessons. I’ve learnt to be a lot more diligent with documentation – take the emotions out, and assess the situation properly before

UPGRADES those planes meant that we could offer incentives and discounted rates to our guests. It’s helped us move people between properties and having that revenue from the camps is a tool that allows us to be flexible.”

Beks’s Business Advice

Take Others With You

diving in. I still trust my gut instinct, but I don’t go on gut alone. I use whatever I’ve got available to make an informed decision. The gut is important, but it’s not enough.”

ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF AFRICAN BUSH CAMPS

Think Laterally When Beks took on a new investor in 2013 – someone deeply committed to investing in the people and conservation in Zimbabwe – African Bush Camps was propelled to the next level. Some of the seven camps expanded while others were refurbished, establishing each camp in the portfolio as a true luxury safari destination. “At that time,” says Beks, “I realised that it would make a very big difference to our business if we created a circuit: a whole journey that allowed people to experience different parts of Southern Africa on one safari – and they would travel only with us.” ABC’s seven camps were in four parks – two in Zimbabwe and two in Botswana – and so what Beks needed was an aeroplane to move guests between them. Budget, however, didn’t stretch far enough to buy one and Beks couldn’t convince any of the charter companies to sell him seats on theirs. So, Beks started a charter company. He established Safari Logistics by leasing one plane and guaranteeing its owners a certain number of flying hours per month. That proved successful, so he leased another, then another. Safari Logistics now leases six planes, with access to more should they need them. The logistics business was loss-making for five years – something Beks was prepared to write off as a marketing expense. “Having

In June this year, 14 years after opening Somalisa, African Bush Camps is hoping to open its 15th camp in August. It’s been a wild ride, but not one that Beks has done alone. Mentors have played an important part in his personal growth, and have been invaluable in helping ABC succeed. “I have never been shy of calling people and asking for help or getting perspectives on different situations,” says Beks. “I’ve not had the time to go on courses because I’ve been too busy growing ABC and being involved in every aspect of the business. My education has come from spending time with mentors and learning from a very practical perspective.” Community has also played a fundamental role. From the very beginning, African Bush Camps has been committed to supporting the communities in which they operate, and the African Bush Camps Foundation was established when ABC began. Taking that commitment to community further, each camp is staffed predominantly by people from the areas surrounding the camps, and entirely by people from that country. “We’ve really walked the talk in making sure that we take everybody else with us, from our staff to our communities, and that we share and enjoy the success as we’ve gone along.” It’s important not only to find the right people, Beks maintains, but keep them, too. ABC now employs more than 600 people – many of whom are, like Beks did, climbing the ranks. “We do a lot of internal training to keep people motivated and inspired. We recognise and celebrate those who do well, and we give people the opportunity to step up. We grow and celebrate role models and mentors – people who share a collective vision and passion – and it’s through these homegrown successes that we’re building our own culture.” There’s an old African proverb that resonates deeply with Beks: if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, take others with you. “I’ve done fast,” he says. “The business is established and we’re now in this for the long run. I’m committed to making sure that no-one gets left behind.”

Have A Unique Selling Point When you start a business, be sure to have a unique position. If you do exactly what someone else is doing, you’ve got an uphill battle.

Interrogate Your Values When you’re looking for an investor, question the reasons they want to be a part of your business. Be up front with everything you intend doing.

Recognise The Challenges Early Recognise and respond to economic challenges as early as possible – before you have to make tough financial decisions quickly.

Find Mentors Align yourself with “godfathers” you can call on when the chips are down. You will always encounter problems – make sure you have people you trust, whom you can call on for advice.

Watch Your Headcount Yes, you need people to build an empire, but remember that they will cost you. Just keep an eye on it.

Be Flexible Be open to how your business can evolve. What works now may work for only a period of time – it doesn’t need to be forever.

Appreciate Your People Look after your clients and you’ll always have more. Look after your staff, and they will come along on the journey with you.

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 65

UPGRADES

WEALTH REPORT

REAL INHERITANCE While your kid’s total assets amount to no more than a piggy bank and treasure trove of action figures, the

little tyke has already developed serious emotional reactions to spending and saving dosh. And, according to new research, those responses are modelled after your own attitude towards money. A University of Michigan study looked at a group of 225 kids to gauge their reactions to

spending or saving. Their answers were measured on the SpendthriftTightwad Scale. (Spendthrifts will make it rain, while Tightwads keep their savings under lock and key.) Much like adults, kids are four times more likely to fall into the Tightwad camp – which is, in this tough economy, exactly the attitude you want to instil in your little ‘un. But if your child is care-free with cash (Spendthrifts will often buy an item even if they are only mildly interested in it), the authors suggest opening up a conversation to help your kid better understand their purchasing habits. Try: “Why do you want to buy that?”

TUNNEL THROUGH TASKS

We’ve all dreamt about working from home, but in practice, bashing out your daily tasks on your own doorstep isn’t without its pitfalls. Chief among them? The distractions. Whether it’s tackling chores, fielding your kid’s never-ending questions or giving into temptation and watching another episode of Ozark – last one, I promise – your productivity may have nosedived off of the 66 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

mounting pile of unfinished work. In a study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, researchers investigated the effects of jumping from task to task. What they found is that the brain needs a solid moment to switch gears. In isolation, not a big deal, but do that ten or a hundred times in a single day, and you’re losing precious minutes to these repeated calibrations. The solution: block out time to work on specific tasks and don’t break focus until the timer runs down. Apps like BeFocused (Available on iOS and Android) will create those blocks for you, so all you need to do is follow through. Available on iOS and Android

Raise money-savvy kids, power through your to-do list and bust stress with our MH-certified research and expert advice.

YOUR JOB IS A JOKE

PLAN AROUND STRESS Feeling stressed? Don’t make any plans. New research has discovered that our ability to plan ahead (based on memory) may be severely affected when we’re in a pinch. Stanford researchers looked at the effects of stress on the brain and discovered that it puts us in a “low-level thought-process state”, or otherwise, not the best mood to make smart, rational decisions. The research has confirmed what we already, at least on a gut-level, knew. Next time you’re laying the ground work for big plans, make sure you don’t have other stressors derailing your thought process.

Cracking jokes in the office might seem like a quick way to end up in your boss’s bad books, but turns out being the funny guy might make you the guy when it’s time for a promotion. A Robert Half International Survey found that 91% of executives believe having a sense of humour is important

to climbing the corporat ladder. Eighty-four percent of these bigwigs agr ed that worker with a funn side tended to perform bet er at their jo s. In another study*, humour ranked nea the top for desirable s in leaders. Just leave the dad jokes at home.

FIND YOUR CHRONOTYPE 5

If you’re constantly tired (we’re talking ready to drop into a deep slumber by the time the clock hits noon) your work schedule may be out of whack with your preferred sleeping pattern. The reality is that there is some truth to the “I’m not a morning person” mantra you’ve been chanting since your first days as an intern. According to Michael Breus, author of The Power of When, our bodies are programmed to

function better at certain parts of the day. For some, it’s waking up to tackle tasks at 4am; for others, it might be staying up and working until 4am. This is your Chronotype, and if Breus is to be believed, adjusting your work schedule to echo the rhythm of your biological clock could offset some of the fatigue that’s killing your productivity. Best way to find out if it works? Try it yourself. Take the quiz at thepowerofwhenquiz.com

WORDS: KIERAN LEGG | SOURCE: BELL LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE*

THE

JUNE

UPGRADES

THE BEST GE AR TO HIT MH HQ THIS MONTH

STEELSERIES ARCTIS PRO In the past, wireless cans struggled to maintain adequate audio quality. But the newest generation of cordless headphones are capable of pushing out monster sound while giving you one less wire to worry about. Steelseries’ Arctis Pro headphones are a step above the rest, featuring dual wireless tech that will ensure you’re getting crisp, highres audio every time you boot up your console. It comes bundled with a transmitter base station that lets you, among other things, customise sound levels and field phone calls from your couch. Hear that? That’s the sound of your next gaming rig investment. (R6 499, evetech.co.za)

ASUS ROG STRIX XG258Q 24.5” This high-fidelity monitor is geared for the modern-day gamer. While traditional screens are limited to a lacklustre 60hz refresh rate (the rate at which the screen can flash new frames up on screen), this behemoth quadruples old standards to attain new power. The result: every game, from your shooters to your racing simulators, is rendered in liquid smooth detail –provided your gaming rig can keep up. So, you won’t run into the screen-tearing and stutters that might otherwise mess up your aim. (R10 999, evetech.co.za)

STAFF CHOICE

OMEN BY HP

RAZER NAGA TRINITY Featuring 12 additional buttons on the side of the mouse, this peripheral gives you unparalleled control – on and off the clock. Each of these ease-to-reach keys can be configured to trigger the function of your choice, whether it’s swapping weapons in a game of Call of Duty Warzone or switching tabs in Chrome. The ergonomic design also makes it comfortable – useful when that next gaming session turns into an all-nighter. (R1 799, incredible.co.za)

OMEN BY HP In the quest for next-level portability, laptops often sacrifice on erpowered hardware. So, while your MacBook might be able to handle spreadsheets, that performance will nosedive when you try boot up any of the latest AAA titles. HP’s offering seeks to solve this problem by cramming as much tech as possible into its ultra-slim, ultra-portable design. While the i7 processor, 16GB of memory and lightning-quick SSD storage are nothing to scoff at, the real meat (at least from a gaming perspective) is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 graphics card HP’s engineers have somehow managed to squeeze between the other next-gen parts. Capable of playing the newest releases (at decent settings), this versatile laptop will crush gaming sessions – and spreadsheets – without breaking a sweat. (R37 999, hpshop.co.za)

IMAGES: SUPPLIED

WHAT WE’RE PLAYING... Mark Arendse, Art Director: FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE “This remake captures the spirit of the original ‘97 classic, but injects next-gen graphics and a refreshed (and super satisfying) combat system. Can’t. Stop. Playing.” On PS4.

Kieran Legg, Contributing Editor: CA L L O F D U T Y WA R ZO N E “Battle Royale is back, and Call of Duty’s take is the best one yet: drop in, loot and fight to be the last team standing. Bonus: it’s completely free.” On PC, PS4 and XBOX ONE

Nadim Nyker, Digital Editor: RESIDENT EVIL 3 “This is another remake that builds on all the best parts of the original to give us one of the top zombie horror games of the past decade. To be played in the dark.” On PC, PS4 and XBOX ONE

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 67

Rewrite Your History Dial Down Your Phone Time

COMPILED BY MEGAN FLEMMIT

How To Change

Your Story FOR A THIRD OF MY LIFE, I LIVED IN AN ENDLESS REPLAY OF THE STORY OF HOW I NEVER MEASURED UP – A LOOP THAT KEPT ME LOCKED IN A SPIRAL OF SHAME AND MEANINGLESS HUSTLING. THEN I GOT THE NUDGE TO DO SOME FACT-CHECKING. / BY SEAN HOTCHKISS

WHEN I WAS FIVE, my parents divorced. Shortly after, my father met Sandy, first at a cocktail party and then again at a tennis league for single 30-somethings in the area. She was brilliant, anxious, fast-talking, and came from old money. They were engaged within two years. Sandy was a perfectionist and held us, her family, to the same standards. She placed yellow Post-it to-do lists around the house, sent my new stepbrother and me to etiquette classes (our dog wasn’t spared, either) and could cut me to shreds with a single remark and gesture to my father: “He’s wearing that?” I understand now that if Sandy was hard on us, she was even harder on herself. But when my mother dropped me off for the weekend, I’d hide out in the garage to avoid facing her. At dinner, I’d fix my eyes on the floor. I saw my father’s growing affection

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for my stepbrother and wondered, “What the hell is wrong with me?” We all have stories in our histories we’re holding on to – tragic plot lines that seem to run through everything we do. I’ll never find true love. I’ll never be a success. I’ll never get past what happened to me. The more we believe them, the more our prophecies seem to self-fulfill. And let’s be clear: my initial trauma wasn’t all that tragic. There’s a generic mildness to it that survivors of all kinds of harsher abuse or tragedy might resent. But the story that Sandy had seen some fatal flaw in me ran deep. I believed I was inherently bad and inferior, that nothing about me was okay. Author and self-help guru John Bradshaw calls this condition “toxic shame,” the feeling that no matter what we do, we’re wrong. And it doesn’t take a five-alarm altercation or hellacious abuse for it to start festering.

To cover up, I went out into the world trying to be perfect. If I impressed everyone I came into contact with, maybe I’d feel okay. The powerful, important, rich and influential came into my crosshairs. They represented Sandy for me, and winning these types of people over became an obsession. In college, I dated a fabulously wealthy young woman and tried to integrate into her milieu of private jets and lavish vacations. Years later, I set my sights on the world of high fashion as a magazine writer. I thought rising to the highest ranks would prove to everyone – myself most of all – that I was worthy of being alive. It didn’t work. No matter how many times my face or my byline appeared in print, no matter how beautiful the women I dated or how impressive my Instagram feed, I felt unfulfilled. I even tried spirituality as a remedy for

ILLUSTRATION BY ALEX ARIZMENDI

feeling inferior, but there’s not enough meditation in the world to fix an old story that says, “I’m a piece of shit.” Meanwhile, the anger and confusion I carried about Sandy came out in strange ways. For instance, any woman in my life who became angry with me or who held a position of authority – girlfriends, bosses, editors – I took a special interest in torturing. I turned my back on them, burned them, left them hanging. It was like I was getting back at Sandy through them. Sandy and my father divorced in 2005. He embezzled money from her, and she caught him. Not long after, he committed suicide. In the following years, I shut the door on Sandy. Her e-greeting cards on my birthday most years went unanswered. I tried to forget she existed. But in 2016, while digging through some old files, I uncovered the programme from my father’s memorial service. I read the speech Sandy had given that day and felt myself go rigid at the final lines: “But most of all, Sean, he loved you, his son. And that is the message and image I so very much need for you to hear right now.” I felt the pain of loss well up in my chest. I remembered that afternoon at the service, sitting there, still unable to make eye contact with Sandy as tears streamed down my face. I told my therapist, Jacob, about the memory. “Maybe you should go see her,” he said. The thought of talking to Sandy face-to-face terrified me, but Jacob explained to me that the scariest place I didn’t want to go was where the wisdom was. That’s what sets you free. And I wanted to be free. The only way out is through That spring, I reluctantly began a series of meetings with Sandy that would span three years. The first, a four-hour lunch at her country club, was simply a reintroduction. Sandy sat across from me, tanned and freckled, the deep creases on her face showing her age. She spoke anxiously, smiled often and even got a little teary when we said goodbye. The meeting seemed to touch her. I asked my mother on the phone later that afternoon: “Is it possible that as an adult I actually like Sandy?”

During our second meeting, Sandy trusted me with sensitive information about my father’s deceit and their resulting divorce. And at our third, we again spoke for hours, sharing stories. She even apologised, telling me: “If I was ever hard on you, I regret it.” With each of our meetings, I realised that all the work I’d done in therapy and on my recovery was freeing me from the expectations I’d had for Sandy that had been clouding my perception. I could see her more clearly now. She wasn’t scary. In fact, with each meeting, I saw more of her pain, more of her humanity. It’s been my experience as a life coach that behind whatever kind of trauma we’ve been through – sexual, physical or emotional abuse, addiction, divorce, suicide, being cut from a sports team –

I TRIED SPIRITUALITY AS A REMEDY FOR FEELING INFERIOR, BUT THERE’S NOT ENOUGH MEDITATION IN THE WORLD TO FIX AN OLD STORY THAT SAYS, “I’M A PIECE OF SHIT.” is a core story we have about ourselves. Common ones include: I’ll never be enough. I don’t deserve love. I’m better off dead. As long as these stories exist, we find ways to perpetuate them. There’s a funny thing about these stories, though. They tend to crumble under examination. This can be done in many ways, including with a therapist, life coach, support group, or twelve-step sponsor. It can also be done by going back and facing the very thing we fear. I painted Sandy as the enemy for most of my life, which kept me angrily trying to prove her wrong, and it nearly buried me. But thanks to my therapist’s suggestion and my willingness to follow

through, the story I’d been carrying around all these years was being proven untrue. Sandy clearly didn’t hate me. And if that wasn’t true, maybe I wasn’t terrible. Maybe I’d never had anything to prove. As I stopped feeling like I had to impress everyone, I became less angry. I started treating myself better. The critical voice inside my head that I’d always identified with Sandy began to fade, replaced by a gentler message. I’m okay. In fact, I got so okay that I started thinking about how I could help others. So when I went home last October, I decided that instead of continuing to hold it over Sandy’s head that she’d never cared about me, I’d do something revolutionary: I’d show up ready to care about her. My stepbrother was back home with his new fiancée, and we all gathered at Sandy’s house for dinner. We sat at the old dining-room table where we’d eaten dinner hundreds of times during my childhood. I could see Sandy was anxious, that she wanted to make me feel welcome, so I tried to set her at ease. “It’s good to be here,” I told her. Later that night, I sent her an email: “I was angry with you for many years,” it said, “but I’m not angry with you anymore. You’re the only stepmother I’ll ever have, and it’s important to me to have a relationship with you.” The next morning, walking along the ocean in my hometown, I had a vision of the four of us – my father, Sandy, my stepbrother, and me – all in my dad’s old truck, laughing wildly. It was the first time I could remember having such a happy memory from my childhood, and I knew that it meant I was free. I’d finally let go of the old story. Old stories will always replay until we examine them, but out beyond the stories we tell ourselves is opportunity. When we have the courage to challenge and drop an old narrative, it’s often rewritten better than we could have imagined. Letting go of the story that Sandy would never be the stepmother I needed because there was something wrong with me allowed her to become something I actually wanted: someone who can support me on this tougher-than-I-ever-imagined road of being human. And that’s all I can ask for.

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 69

MIND

Okay! Okay! I’ll Break Up with My Phone NO ONE’S LOOKING TO GIVE UP THEIR PHONE COLD TURKEY, BUT FOR DAN HARRIS, CUTTING BACK SMARTPHONE USE EVEN A LITTLE TAKES A LOT OF WORK.

AS AN ALWAYS-ON newsanchor,IhadlongsuspectedthatIhad a particularlydysfunctionalrelationshipwith myphone–thatmyconstantchecking of emailandTwittermademelessproductive, lesscalmandlessconnectedwithmywife andourfour-year-oldson.Yetevenwith thatawareness,Iwouldoftennoticemyarm moving,zombielike,towardmypockettopull outmyphone.Thiswasespeciallyhumbling giventhat,asidefrombeingareporter,Iam a self-styledevangelistformindfulness.And, uh,thecreatorofanappfor...yourphone. Forbetterorworse,Iamnotaloneinmy compulsivephoneusage.AGallupsurvey foundthat81percentofsmartphoneusers saytheykeeptheirphonenearthem“almost all thetimeduringwakinghours.”While a Deloittesurveyfoundthat20percentof peoplechecktheirphonemorethan50times a day.Bottomline:whenweare,quiteliterally, lefttoourowndevices,wespendmassive quantitiesofourlifestaringatascreen. Whatdoesthatmeanforourmental health?Therearepowerfulearlyindicators thatphoneusage–especiallyamongsocialmediausers–correlateswithhigherrates of anxietyanddepression.Butit’stooearly to assessthefullimpactofthedigital revolution,evenascountlessarticlesurgeus to putdownourphonesandtechcompanies themselvesattempttoaddresstheamount of timewespendlookingatthem.The smartphonecameoutin2007,andthirteen yearsisnotenoughtostudyallofitspossible effects.Intheageofthesmartphone,we humansare,asafriendofminehassaid,

70 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

conductingaworldwide,unregulated,realtimescienceexperimentonourbrains.Inthe meanwhile,ApplehasaddedScreenTimeto iOSsopeoplecanmanagehowmuchtheyuse theirdevice,andGooglehasrolledout asimilarDigitalWellbeingfeaturefor Android.We’reseekingsomecontrol. To get a handle on my own digital life, I interviewed Catherine Price – science journalist, self-described recovering tech addict, and author of How to Break Up with Your Phone. There were a few issues I was hoping to tackle, like my Sisyphean relationship with my inbox– no matter how hard I try to get email under control, it keeps piling up, wearing me out and making me miserable. I also wanted

to close the distance my phone puts between me and the people I care about– like my son and my wife, as well as my colleagues and friends. And I wanted to stop wasting time. Was my tendency to take out my phone whenever I was bored– or, more problematically, whenever I was struggling with a work project– reducing my ability to focus on creative work I needed to do? MyfirstquestionforPrice:whatwouldI havetodotoachievethesegoals?ShouldI throwthethingoutthewindow? “Breakingupwithyourphonedoesn’t meangettingridofyourphone,”shetoldme. “Itisaboutlookingatyourphoneandfiguring outwhatrelationshipwouldfeelhealthyfor you,andthencreatingit.” PricehadmetakeasmartphonecompulsiontestdesignedbyDrDavid Greenfield,aUniversityofConnecticut SchoolofMedicinepsychologist.Iresponded toyes-or-noquestionssuchas“Doyou findyourselfspendingmoretimetexting, tweeting,oremailingasopposedtotalkingto peopleinperson?”and“Whenyoueatmeals, isyoursmartphonealwayspartofthetable placesetting?” The result? I failed the test. (By the way, she told me that most people get the same outcome, which illustrates how pervasive the problem is.) I should say, Price and I were doing

ILLUSTRATION BY EVAN COHEN

UP YOUR INNER GAME

ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS: KYLE HILTON (HARRIS), LESLIE XIA (AIRPODS).

Dan Harris is a TV anchor, and the author of 10% Happier and Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics.

this interview in my house. Immediately after presenting the results of the test to me, she started guiding me to make some radical changes. First, she had me rummage around in my bedroom clupboard and find a new “bed” for the phone. This, she decreed, would be where I would keep it at all times. Meaning that if I wanted to check it, I would have to stand awkwardly in the cupboard. Moreover, if I woke up in the middle of the night, I’d be less inclined to get up and grab it. Next, she took my phone and turned off all my notifications – and also deleted social media and Slack. That’s when I got a little twitchy. It wasn’t just in my head. Price pointed out that I was having a physical response. Our phones trigger the release of a neurotransmitter called dopamine, which makes us feel excited – and it makes us hooked. When you can’t check your phone, your body starts to release stress hormones because it wants to fill that need. Price said that notifications exacerbate this problem. Every time you hear that ding, your baseline levels of adrenaline go up. “And that’s one reason I think that when people take a break from their phones, whether it’s just for an hour or for a full 24 hours... they are often surprised by how calm they feel, in the sense that they’ve put down this burden they didn’t even realise that they were carrying.” Finally, she made my phone as boring

as possible by turning the whole thing to black and white – transforming it into more of a tool than a constant temptation. She even took the picture of my son off my lock screen to reduce the “emotional connection” I had with my phone. Very quickly, I started to see some changes. I noticed that, not having dipped directly into the data stream upon waking up, things were more vivid for me: the early-morning light in our apartment, the peals of laughter from my son as we played, the gleam in my cat’s eyes as he lounged. And when I would eventually get around to checking email, I often saw that I hadn’t missed much. (If it were truly urgent, Price noted, people would call me.) Outside the apartment, I discovered that I was checking my phone less often, which

A MINDFUL BONUS FROM DAN!

was contributing to a relief from my feelings of being generally frazzled. Part of my new-found abstention was the result of a dramatic reduction in beeping and blinking notifications, which had been turned off. But it was also a result of Price’s emphasis on using my meditation skills to notice when I was having irrational impulses to look at my phone – and to let them pass. (She, too, is a meditator.) As a consequence, I found that in those everyday in-between moments – waiting for elevators, sitting in airport lounges – I was less likely to be reflexively sucked into screen time. Oh, I also wound up experiencing delicious feelings of self-righteousness as I noticed how mesmerised everyone else was by their phone. (Price warned me this would happen.) It’s been several months since my encounter with Price. I’ll admit, I’ve backslid on many counts. My random checking has ticked back up. Also, I got a new phone and didn’t set the screen to black and white. That said, the phone largely stays in its “bed” when I’m at home. This means my son pretty much never sees me on it. Which is great. So while I still have room for growth, my overall digital life remains dramatically improved. Plus, I continue to enjoy the occasional dose of self-righteousness.

I spoke with Catherine Price on my podcast called “10% Happier”; check it out if you want more of her advice about how to go from an “obsessive relationship” to a “friends with benefits” situation with your phone. We also unlocked a great mindful phone meditation by Alexis Santos called “Using your phone.”

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

THE DNA OF A CHAMPION Alexander Volkanovski dismantled the UFCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest stars to become world featherweight champion. How did the Australian do it? By losing 30kg and rebuilding his body, for starters

DIVIDE

FIND OUT HOW UFC PHENOMENON ALEXANDER VOLKANOVSKI SLASHED HIS BODY WEIGHT TO BECOME UNSTOPPABLE

CONQUER BY LU K E B E N E D I CT U S P H OTO G R A P H Y BY G I L ES PA R K

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 73

It’s just past 8am in an Australian gym and Alexander Volkanovski is already soaked in sweat. He punches out trap-bar deadlifts then launches straight into explosive squatjumps with a medicine ball clutched to his chest. Grimacing with effort as he straightens under the next deadlift, the angle of the hex bar is ever-so slightly wonky. This isn’t due to sloppy form – the 31-year-old is training with a broken right hand. He’s just back from surgery having fractured his first metacarpal early in his December title fight with Max Holloway. The injury didn’t stop Volkanovski from clinching a shock victory to become the UFC’s new featherweight champion. And it definitely won’t keep him out of the gym. “Alex came back to training straight away,” says Chris Jaffrey, his strength and conditioning coach. “He hates having any time off.” As he rattles through a set of barbell hip thrusts, it’s clear that Volkanovski doesn’t have the wiry physique of your standard featherweight. While he may fight at 67kg, his build is undeniably stocky. Prior to UFC, when Volkanovski played semi-pro rugby league for the Warilla Gorillas as a rampaging prop, he weighed up to 97kg. And while he’s now conspicuously leaner, much of that front-row power remains coiled within his 1.68m frame. “Alex is superstrong,” says Jaffrey. “There’s no one stronger in his division.” That rugged physicality runs in the family. Volkanovski’s dad is a Macedonian concreter who is every bit as hard as his stock-intrade. “My dad, my brother and I were the kings of arm-wrestling”, says a dripping Volkanovski, towelling off after the session. “We always used to beat everyone.” This raw strength was evident from a young age. As a 12-year-old kid, Volkanovski wandered into the local PCYC gym, where a trainer quickly spotted his potential and persuaded him to try wrestling. He won the national title the following year. Despite this instant success, however, Volkanovski soon hung up his tights. “People thought I could’ve gone really far,” he shrugs. “But I just wanted to play [Australian rules] football with my mates.”

PUSHING THROUGH PAIN

Crucially, Volkanovski’s strength isn’t just physical. To understand the drive that enabled him to conquer 74

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the UFC’s most competitive division, you have to go back to July, 2018. Three days before his showdown with Darren “The Damage” Elkins in Idaho, Volkanovski was training when, he recalls, “I felt my rib pop”. A medical confirmed he’d torn his intercostal muscle. Rib injuries are notoriously painful. “I was in agony. I was really, really hurt,” Volkanovski says. “I couldn’t move. I could hardly even get out of bed. I was thinking, ‘How can I fight? Now I can’t bring a pay cheque back to the family!’ I started to cry, but I had to stop because it was hurting too much! That’s how much pain I was in.” On examination, a UFC doctor told him most fighters would pull out with the injury, even if they’d sustained it two weeks before a bout. But Volkanovski decided to soldier on, praying that strong antiinflammatories and adrenaline would see him through. Considering his opponent, this looked frankly suicidal. Elkins was a stubborn brawler known for rallying from dire situations to grind out ugly wins. Not only was he the topranked featherweight contender, but Volkanovski would effectively have to fight him one-handed. “Right before the fight, I still couldn’t throw right hands,” he says. “All I could do was jab.” Somehow Volkanovski found a way to win by unanimous decision. It was a result that confirmed his phenomenal toughness and left him with renewed belief. “I was literally fighting at 60 percent. And then to be able to take

ABOVE: VOLK ANOVSKI HATES TAKING TIME OFF TR AINING – EVEN WHEN HE’S INJURED. RIGHT: AS A FIGHTER, VOLK ANOVSKI KNOWS THAT STRENGTH WITHOUT BAL ANCE IS USELESS.

out the contender...” He trails off, shaking his head.

STRIPPING DOWN

You can’t instil that sort of hard-knock tenacity, but MMA coach Joe Lopez has maximised it at his Freestyle Fighting Gym. Located down an unremarkable suburban street in Woollongong, Australia, this is where Volkanovski wandered into eight years ago as a heavy-set footy player hoping to stay fit in the off-season. Lopez soon knew he had a contender on his hands after watching Volkanovski torpedo an experienced heavyweight in an early sparring session. “Alex had a great gas tank and natural strength – and he could hit hard,” he recalls. The problem was that Volkanovski’s overall condition threatened to undermine his potential. Back then, he wasn’t just 30kg heavier. He was also hobbled by chronic back issues. Bulging discs and sciatica restricted his training and could sideline him for weeks at a time. As the flareups intensified, he even feared the problems might leave him in a wheelchair. Weight gain, a crook back – these are familiar problems for many men of a certain age. But Volkanovski was determined to regain control of his life. Convinced by Lopez that fighting at featherweight would give him the optimal chance for success, he overhauled his diet in an effort to stabilise his yo-yoing weight in the low-70kg range. There was no quick-

// BACK THEN, HE WASNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T JUST 30KG HEAVIER. HE WAS ALSO HOBBLED BY CHRONIC BACK ISSUES //

//THE REVELATION FOR VOLKANOVSKI: HARD WORK ALONE WON’T CUT IT//

fix formula, Volkanovski says, just a strategic regimen of clean eating and a shed-load of cardio, strictly adhered to. Cutting out all processed food, he steadily dropped through the weight classes. Fixing his back was far trickier – one specialist even told him to give up MMA for good. But Volkanovski kept researching alternatives until, in 2018, he found Jaffrey and the team at the BaiMed Performance Centre. There, the trainers worked to improve his hip mobility and build up his leg strength to take the load off his back when wrestling. The results were immediate. Suddenly, Volkanovski was able to train with far greater consistency. No longer fighting with the handbrake on, he could finally hit the accelerator. The revelation for Volkanovski was that hard work

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alone won’t cut it. Sometimes you need expert guidance to get results. Whatever your goal, he says, the correct road map will help you reach your destination. “Find who can help you and put yourself in a position to get the right information,” Volkanovski says. “It’s not always easy. But you can always find a way.”

TRAIN FOR PAIN

By 10am, Volkanovski is immersed in pad work with Lopez, throwing elbows and knees with concussive force. His next fight isn’t scheduled for at least four months, but he’s still training at least twice a day. Here, within the heavily padded walls of Lopez’s gym, Volkanovski not only developed his technical chops, but honed his combat mentality. “Part of our training is to stick him

ABOVE: THERE’S NO QUICK FORMUL A, SAYS VOLK ANOVSKI. YOU HAVE TO E AT CLE AN AND TR AIN HARD.

into ‘mission-impossible’ situations,” smiles Lopez, as he explains how his charge is conditioned to shine under pressure. One of their most notorious sessions is called “The Spider”, a workout Lopez picked up from City Kickboxing in Auckland – the gym that forged reigning middleweight champ Israel Adesanya and where Volkanovski does his pre-fight training camps. “The Spider is about doing a group of exercises to get the body totally fatigued and overloaded with lactic acid,” Lopez says. The moves could range from pushups to medicine-ball slams – just as long as they’re performed to exhaustion. “Then, when your body is totally fried, the guys start coming at you,” Lopez says. “So you’re wrestling one person after another after another.

TOP LEF T: A STRE AMLINED VOLK ANOVSKI IS LIGHTER, FASTER – AND DE ADLIER.

“As soon as Alex starts winning, I’ll pull that guy out and put another fresh one in. I always want him to be losing and starting from a bad position. We do that for up to 20 minutes at a time,” Lopez continues brightly. “I’ve got a similar one that I call ‘The Meat Grinder’.” Volkanovski thrives under this wild intensity. His resilience was memorably highlighted in his fight against Chad Mendes, an elite wrestler with sledgehammer fists. In the second round, the American caught Volkanovski flush with a big right that dumped him on the canvas. As the Aussie got up blinking away blood from his left eye, Mendes came forward blazing. Rather than panic, Volkanovski evaded the worst of the flurry and calmly nodded at his opponent, inviting more. “I just knew that he was going to blow his load and slow down,” he says. “Then I was really going to pour it on him.” After throwing everything he had, Mendes needed a moment to catch his breath. Volkanovski’s work rate was relentless as he swarmed his opponent with a suffocating tempo before dropping him with a body shot and right hand to win. “My pressure style is part of my game,” he says. “When people take me down, all I’m thinking of is their gas tank. Because I know I’ll get back up and then I’ll be right back at them.” These are the moments Volkanovski lives for – when adversity rears up on its hind legs primed to crush him in its jaws. “Yeah, I’ve always had that drive,” he admits. “When I was playing footy, if we were stuck on our 10m line struggling to get out, I was always like, ‘Give me the ball! I’m getting us out of here!’ I’ve always had that competitive side and that hard belief in myself.” Truth be told, this sort of gung-ho spirit isn’t always helpful in the hurt business. There’s a fine line between gutsy and kamikaze. A fighter who storms forward without composure will leave openings. But there’s

a reason Volkanovski’s fighting moniker is “Alexander The Great”. He doesn’t just out-fight his opponents; he out-thinks them.

PASS YOUR STERNEST TEST

Jose Aldo is, in Volkanovski’s words, “the greatest featherweight of all time”. Technically flawless, the fighter was undefeated in the UFC for over a decade, a master of takedown defence and bone-shattering kicks. Facing Aldo was a stern enough challenge, but Volkanovski had to fight him on the Brazilian’s home turf. Walking into the Octagon in Rio, the Australian was met with a throbbing wall of intimidation. “Uh vai morrer! Uh vai morrer!” howled thousands of Brazilian fight fans. The stark translation: “You’re going to die”. The Illawarra boy stayed calm. “I’m really good in these situations,” Volkanovski says. “I get tunnel focus and remind myself I have a game plan to stick to.” His execution of that game plan was beautiful. Aldo’s mastery stemmed from his solid base. An uncanny sense of balance left him always in the right position to sprawl, attack or defend. Yet Volkanovski never let the Brazilian settle, keeping him guessing with a blizzard of feints and fakes. “I wanted to make him move and constantly adjust,” Volkanovski says. “Then I could just pick my shots.” The Australian won by unanimous decision. Volkanovski’s title shot against Holloway last December was another tactical masterclass. The Hawaiian liked to build off his jab to control range before endless high-speed combinations invariably mashed his opponents’ defence. But Volkanovski prevented Holloway coming forward with a barrage of leg kicks. And despite breaking his hand, Volkanovski also managed to out-strike Holloway, 173 to 103. “I’m very calculated,” Volkanovski says. “Whenever I land one, I try to figure out the reason why it landed. When I get caught, I analyse why that

happened, too.” This cool-headed rationality is rarely associated with the carnage of the Octagon. But it’s the principle that informs the fighter’s entire approach to the sport. Methodical reflection has laid the path to his becoming the undefeated world champ. Flying fists and roundhouses may dominate the highlight reels. But Volkanovski recognises that, in UFC, knowledge

PUNCH ABOVE YOUR WEIGHT

“MMA requires multiple qualities like strength, power and conditioning,” says Volkanovski’s strength coach Chris Jaffrey. “So, we do a lot of concurrent training that develops all those qualities at once.”

Trap-Bar Deadlift. 4 sets x 4 reps

Box Jump. 4 sets x 5 reps

Complete superset then rest 2 minutes. B1

Barbell Hip Thrust. 4 x 6

Single-Arm DB Chest Press. 4 x 8

Complete superset then rest 2 minutes. Single-Arm DB C1 Row. 3 x 6

Cable Horizontal C3 Wood-Chop. 3 x 10

Landmine Power C2 Press. 3 x 8

Complete superset then rest 1 minute.

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 77

WINTER IS COMING YOUR COLD WEATHER TRAINING MANUAL

A DROP IN TEMPERATURE IS NO REASON TO HOLE UP IN THE WEIGHTS ROOM UNTIL SPRING. SWEATING IT OUT IN NATURE’S GYM OFFERS BENEFITS YOU SIMPLY CAN’T AFFORD TO MISS FOR HALF THE YEAR. FROM SMART WARM-UPS TO KIT UPGRADES, OUR HANDBOOK WILL BRING THE HEAT, WHATEVER THE ELEMENTS THROW AT YOU. 78

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

GIVE YOUR FITNESS LEVELS A LIFT AS THE TEMPERATURE DROPS

WO R DS BY SCA R L ET T W R E N C H A N D C H A R LOT T E DA LY

If you have been something of a fair-weather friend to the great outdoors, we sympathise. The Saturday-morning

Parkruns, long hikes and outdoor bodyweight circuits that appealed so much over the summer undeniably lose their lustre once the season shifts. And it’s a self-perpetuating cycle: the more you deprive your body of nature and sunlight, the more you then allow winter malaise to seep in. However, you shouldn’t turn your back on outdoor training just yet. Not only is it one of the best ways to

What’s in It for Me? Before you commit to a chilly park workout, you’ll want to know why you agreed to it. Fortunately, there are some very cool benefits 01/ Superior Fitness

When the cold air touches your skin, your blood vessels constrict, forcing your heart to work harder. An animal study by Northern Arizona University found that this increases your VO2 max, the key marker of cardio prowess.

02/ Bigger Calorie Burn

If the temperature is low enough, you’ll start to shiver: your muscles contract in rapid bursts in order to warm you up. This process raises your metabolic rate before you’ve even started training.

03/ Faster Fat Loss

Make it a habit and your body composition will start to shift. Even mild cold exposure boosts your brown fat tissue, the kind that burns calories and improves your sugar metabolism. Summer bodies really are made in the winter.

04/ Lasting Stamina

Finally, those who chill regularly can experience truly beneficial metabolic changes. Tests at the University of Colorado found that the cold causes our bodies to switch from burning carbs to fat, helping you push harder for longer.

keep your mood on an even keel over the darker months, it has plenty of benefits for your body goals, too. Exposure to temperatures even 6°C below your comfort levels (about 16°C) can trigger positive adaptations: you start to burn more fat and increase your insulin sensitivity, helping to regulate blood sugar levels. Of course, none of this has any merit if you’re rendered out of action by flu or a sprained ankle. That’s why we’ve consulted the experts to ensure you reap all of the rewards while freezing out the risks. Grit your chattering teeth and go in for the chill.

Sick Moves Feeling less than 100%? TRAIN OUTSIDE TO CHISEL A SET OF ICE-PACK ABS

There’s a fine line between giving yourself time to recover from a cold and skipping a workout because of a sniffle. To help you figure out where you stand, we consulted GP Dr Paulo Beco

Q: It looks pretty grim out there. Should I stay inside? A: Nice try. Actually, exercising in the cold has many health advantages. Maintaining your fitness when the weather drops raises your immunity, helping protect you against viral illnesses, while the increased exposure to the sun boosts your levels of fortifying vitamin D.

Even in the winter? That’s right. What if I’m already feeling a bit sniffly?

A cold shouldn’t stop you from exercising. Just make sure that you keep warm. While bad weather alone doesn’t cause infections (you’re far more likely to pick one up in a sweaty gym), allowing your body temperature to drop too low for too long can put you at risk.

Are there any excuses that will get me out of my morning run?

If there’s a chance you have the flu or a chest infection, don’t train.

How will I know?

Inhale deeply. If your chest is rattling, or you feel short of breath, take a rest day. If all of your symptoms seem to be above the neck, you’re probably OK, but consult a doctor if you’re still concerned. Don’t head outside if you have a temperature at or above 38°C, or your body aches.

Does DOMS count? It doesn’t. Sorry.

80 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

THE INSULATION GAME

When battling the elements, your cotton T-shirt and shorts won’t cut it, but neither do you want to be peeling off sweaty layers five minutes in. Our kit list has you covered for any eventuality

Cold-Proof Your Muscles You might get away with skipping

your stretches at the gym, but Virgin Active this ain’t. Get loose with Tracey’s icy-weather warmup Mobility Your injury risk is higher in the cold, when circulation is reduced and your posture is tenser. “Get movement into your joints and warm up your calves,” says Tracey. “This will cut your chances of an ankle sprain.”

01/ Base Needs

You want a weatherproof top that’ll protect you from whipping winds and keep you cool when the sun comes out. Made from soft merino wool, this versatile long sleeve T-shirt will keep you dry in any weather. Long Sleeve Crew T-shirt, R1 250 coremerino.com

02/ Dry Run

Nothing will have you cutting your run short like sodden trainers. Salomon’s Alphacross trainers have a quick-drying upper, while the stud pattern on its soles will ensure that you keep your grip on mud and road alike. Salomon Alphacross, R1 599 salomonsports.co.za

03/ Free Mover

A bulky jacket restricts your nch h range of motion during ben dips and burpees. This softshell bodywarmer is windproof and allows for o freedom of movement. It also kets has two handwarmer pockets. K-Way Vulcan “12 Softshell Bodywarmer, R599 capeunionmart.co.za

PHOTOGRAPHY: SUN LEE, BYRON KEULEMANS, GRAHAM WALSER AT LUCKY IF SHARP, ROWAN FEE, MICHAEL HEDGE, PHILIP HAYNES I MODELS: LEE RJ BOSCH (LEFT), TOM KEMP (RIGHT)

1/ Calf Bounce Get into a downward dog position: your glutes high, back straight and head bac bettween your arms (A). ernating legs, bend at Alte eac ch knee and raise your heel (B),, before pushing it back dow wn. Bounce from leg to leg for one minute, working thro ough any sticking points. 2// Single-Leg Jump Sttep back into a deep lunge A). Shift your weight onto (A yo our front foot and jump up xplosively, bringing your ex re ear knee high, so you land on the working leg (B). Hit th he ground softly, with your nee relaxed. Do five reps on kn ea ach leg, then four, and so on down to one rep. 3 Dual Direction Lunge 3/ Step back, as before (A). S Shift your weight onto the S frront leg and push up until you’re almost standing. Without pausing, step into a W fo orward lunge (B). Reverse, moving back into the lunge. m Each time you pass “standing”, that’s one rep. Do three sets of 10 on each side.

Heart rate 04/ Helping Hand

There’s a point at which no woolly gloves or padded jacket can help you. These reusable hand warmers retain heat for up to 12 hours. Stuff one in your pocket and use it when your fingers seize up. Zippo Hand Warmer, R349, mantality.co.za

05/ Face Guard

A fit physique shouldn’t come at the cost of a face ravaged by icy winds. Kiehl’s lightweight moisturiser is more shield than cream. Apply it before heading out to strengthen your skin’s barrier. Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream R420 for 50ml edgars.co.za

Icebreaker 01 Chilll Out Shivering too much? your movements will w be inefficient. “Try relax into the temperature,”” says MH UK’s fitness editor Andrew Tracey. Rolll your hales shoulders, then perform a series of 7-second inh through the nose, breathing out sllowly through your mouth.

06/ Icy Grip

Frozen fingers shouldn’t be the reason you fail during your final pullup. These training gloves have built-in silicone beads to improve your grip and are o you touchscreen-compatible, so ata can still hit “go” on your Taba e II, counter. Tech Touch Glove R299, firstascent.co.za

This “sprawl-up” drill is designed to get your blood pumping and raise your internal thermostat while loosening your hips and back. Do 20 seconds’ work, followed by 10 seconds’ rest, for four minutes. A// Reach towards the floor and jump your feet back into press-up position. Drop ap our hips while keeping your yo arms extended, as if ushing the ground away. pu B/ Lift your hips and jump your feet forward, returning nding, with your feet at to stan der width. Now, squat should into a seated position on the ground. C/ With your knees bent, roll back until your hips lift from the ground, then roll forward, back onto your feet, then jump up explosively.

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 81

Throw Fuel on the Fire When training in sub-zero

temperatures, your body needs extra carbs to recover. We consulted performance nutritionist, Harriet Bates, to create the perfect post-training refuel. Because life’s too short to eat porridge every day

Fiery Corn Fritters INGREDIENTS SERVES 2 Coconut flour, 2 tbsp White rice flour, 2 tbsp Baking powder, ½ tsp Cayenne pepper, ½ tsp Ground cumin, pinch Salt, pinch Free-range eggs, 2 One mielie, cooked and stripped Red pepper, ¼, diced A spring onion Mackerel pâté, 80g

Step 1/ These will keep for a couple of days in the fridge, so batch-cook them. Combine the flours, the baking powder, spices and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with 60ml of water. Pour the eggs into the flour, then combine with the mielies, pepper and onion.

Step 2/ Divide the batter into fritters of your preferred size and fry in batches in hot coconut oil. Cook for two to three minutes on each side, or until browned. Serve topped with smoked mackerel pâté.

GET STUCK INTO A STACK OF FASTBURNING CARBS

01/ Corn

Training in the cold puts a greater demand on your body’s heat-producing fat cells, which drains your carb supply. Corn’s starchy carbs are quickly absorbed, replenishing your stores.

02/ Onions

A natural source of antiviral and antibacterial compounds, certain types of onion are so potent at killing germs that, according to research at Birkbeck University, they could even help to solve the antibiotic resistance crisis. Up your dosage during flu season.

82 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

03/ Spice

Capsaicin, the “heat” compound in chillies, stimulates blood flow to channel warmth back to your hands and feet. If ever there was cause for an additional squeeze of sriracha, this is it.

04/ Mackerel

Sucking in cold air raises your risk of exerciseinduced bronchitis, which is the inflammation of the lungs. Topping up your omega-3 intake with extra oily fish and eggs is the easiest way to offset it.

10°C to 15°C

It might be chilly, but shorts and a tech tee will suffice. You’ll warm up fast, we promise.

Your Workout Gearometer Unsure what to wear? Consult our guide to wrapping up right when the mercury falls

5°C to 10°C

-5°C to 0°C

Consider switching to a long-sleeved top. Tights under shorts advised for all but the hardiest.

In Praise of Cold Showers

Whether it’s a preworkout rinse or a post-effort ice bath, Andrew Tracey is a man unafraid of discomfort. Here, he explains why he’s a firm believer in taking the plunge

The first thing you should do before your next outdoor training session is jump into the coldest shower you can handle and stay under for five minutes. Relax, keep your breathing steady, focus your mind and stick with it. If that sounds pretty punishing, you’re not wrong. But there’s a method to this madness. Counter-intuitively, an icy bath or shower can help you warm up before training. It flips your body’s internal thermostat,

raising your metabolism and kick-starting your in-built heat-producing mechanisms. It also boosts the production of norepinephrine and dopamine, two hormones that shift your nervous system into a sympathetic state, which essentially means that it’s a great way to get hyped up before your workout, particularly when combined with a double espresso. But maybe you shouldn’t drink that in the shower. The first time you try it, you’ll hate it. This is a good thing. It will help you build the mental fortitude you need when committing to a tough training programme. Plus, once it’s over, you will have completed the hardest part of your workout. It’s unlikely you’ll skip the rest. As for me? I favour hopping into a chest freezer, filled with ice and water. Yes, even in the winter. I just make sure my hair is dry before heading out.

0°C to 5°C

-10°C to -5°C

It’s time for both the tights and gloves. And perhaps a headband to cover your ears,.

We applaud your commitment. Throw on a windbreaker jacket, and don’t forget those Zippo hand warmers.

NOW GET OUT THERE!

Select your chosen training method, then ensure you’re reaping the maximum rewards

01/ Run

Icebreaker 02 Liquid Refreshment When training in the cold, we can lose 3-8% of our body mass due to sweat loss (those layers add up), suppressed thirst and coldinduced diuresis (urinating more often), says Bates. An electrolyte tablet will help with fluid retention.

Brace yourself. Add a gilet or a second top, plus a beanie for those with less coverage on top.

If you’re running for fat loss, the hike in your metabolic rate will make your efforts more effective. But even if it’s stamina you’re chasing, this is not the time for all-out hill sprints. Cold air is very dry (hence the burning in your lungs), and your heart will be tested harder than normal, too. Stick to a steady pace.

02/ Swim

The stress-relieving benefits of swimming are enhanced by cold exposure, with the resulting hormonal hit intensifying your endorphin boost. A few words to beginners: wear a hat, if not a wetsuit, and ease yourself in. Diving can shock your system. Finally, never go alone unless you’re a seasoned pro.

03/ Lift

Stick to bodyweight not a 120kg barbell. As your blood vessels narrow, it’s harder for oxygen to reach your muscles. Plus, your grip will be jeopardised by cold fingers. Add resistance with a band or TRX attachment. As a bonus, a Swansea University study linked low temperatures to high testosterone.

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 83

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

The humble mushroom is anything but; these nutrient powerhouses are super-versatile, come in all shapes and sizes and pack a serious umami punch. Use these simple recipes to upgrademealtime,every time. Recipes by AMY HOPKINS Photographs by ROBBERT KOENE Food Styling by BRITA DU PLESSIS

VEGAN LEMON AND MUSHROOM RISOTTO SERVES 4 OLIVE OIL 1 LARGE BROWN ONION, F I N E LY C H O P P E D 1 CUP ARBORIO ( R I STOT TO ) R I C E 1 CUP WHITE WINE 2 5 0 G S H I I TA K E ( O R B R O W N ) MUSHROOMS, SLICED 4 C LO V E S G A R L I C , M I N C E D T H Y M E L E AV E S 7 5 0 M L TO O N E L I T R E V E G E TA B L E STO C K 1 5 0 G E XOT I C M U S H R O O M S , LIKE SHIMEJI, SLICED OR S E PA R AT E D, A S N E E D E D 1 LEMON 2 T S P N U T R I T I O N A L Y E A ST PINCH CHILLI FLAKES S A LT A N D F R E S H LY G R O U N D BLACK PEPPER ½ C U P P I N E N U T S , TO A ST E D

1/ In a large, deep saucepan set over medium heat, add one tablespoon olive oil and the chopped onion. Sauté until translucent and soft. 2/ Add the risotto rice and stir for one minute before adding the white wine. 3/ In a separate large wok or pan set over high heat, add one tablespoon olive oil. When very hot, add the sliced shiitake mushrooms. Sauté for a couple minutes then add half the garlic and a few thyme leaves. Sauté until fragrant and the mushrooms are golden on the edges. 4/ While stirring the risotto rice, add a quarter cup of vegetable stock every few minutes until the rice is cooked (you might not need to use all the stock).

All types of edible mushrooms contain varying degrees of protein and fibre. They also contain B vitamins as well as a powerful antioxidant called selenium, which helps prop up the immune system and prevent damage to cells and tissues.

Mushrooms will help you build (serious) mental muscle. Two antioxidants (ergothioneine and glutathione) may help prevent Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, says research from Penn State University. A 2019 study from the National University of Singapore found that eating two threequarter cup servings of cooked mushrooms per week may reduce your odds of cognitive decline. Whip up this quick dish to snag the benefits. 5/ Stir the cooked shiitake mushrooms into the risotto mixture. 6/ Place the now-empty mushroom pan back over high heat. Add another drizzle of olive oil and sauté the exotic mushrooms for a couple minutes before adding the remaining garlic and some thyme. Once cooked, set aside. 7/ Meanwhile, add some lemon zest (reserve some spirals for garnishing) and a good squeeze of lemon juice to the risotto. Stir in the nutritional yeast and chilli flakes, then season to taste with salt and pepper. 8/ Divide the risotto between four bowls, then top each bowl with the exotic mushrooms. Garnish with pine nuts, some extra thyme leaves, lemon zest and a final drizzle of olive oil before serving.

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 85

KOREAN-STYLE MUSHROOM STIR-FRY WITH RICE NOODLES AND CASHEWS SERVES 2 1 PA C K E T T H I N R I C E NOODLES (RICE VERMICELLI OR GLASS NOODLES) ¼ C U P LO W - S O D I U M S OY S A U C E 3 TBSP RICE VINEGAR 2 TSP MINCED GARLIC 1 T S P V E R Y F I N E LY CHOPPED RED CHILLI 2 TBSP SESAME SEEDS ¼ CUP CASHEWS, R O U G H LY C H O P P E D 2 TBSP SESAME OIL, P LU S E X T R A 1 MEDIUM BROWN O N I O N , S L I C E D I N TO THICKISH SLICES 2 C A R R OT S , J U L I E N N E D 1 RED/ORANGE PEPPER, JULIENNED 2 C U P S F I N E LY S L I C E D B U T TO N M U S H R O O M S 1 C U P T E N D E R - ST E M BROCCOLI, SLICED I N TO 3 C M P I E C E S 2 C U P S B A BY S P I N A C H C O R I A N D E R L E AV E S

1/ Prepare the rice noodles according to package instructions. Set aside. 2/ Combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, chilli and two to three tablespoons water. Set aside. 3/ In a large wok set over high heat, toast the sesame seeds until golden. Remove and set aside, then toast the cashews until golden. Remove and set aside. 4/ To the wok, add the sesame oil then the onion, carrot and pepper slices and stir-fry for two minutes. Add the mushrooms and broccoli and cook for two more minutes (adding some more sesame oil, if necessary). Add the noodles and the soy mixture. Stir-fry and toss the noodles around. Add the baby spinach and stir-fry for a further one or two minutes until the spinach has wilted (add a little more water, if needed). Stir in the sesame seeds and nuts. 5/ Do a taste test for seasoning and serve scattered with coriander leaves.

GARLIC AND THYME MUSHROOM TOAST WITH HUMMUS AND CARAMELISED ONION Turn your bread of choice into a vehicle for this tastebudapproved toast topper.

SERVES 2 200G BROWN MUSHROOMS, SLICED OLIVE OIL 1 L A R G E C LO V E G A R L I C , V E R Y F I N E LY C H O P P E D / M I N C E D L E AV E S F R O M A F E W S P R I G S O F T H Y M E , P LU S S O M E E X T R A F O R G A R N I S H I N G FOR THE CARAMELISED ONIONS 1 TBSP OLIVE OIL 3 R E D O N I O N S , F I N E LY S L I C E D I N TO R I N G S 1 TBSP BROWN SUGAR O R C O C O N U T S U G A R FOR THE HUMMUS 1 TIN CHICKPEAS, RINSED AND DRAINED J U I C E O F O N E L E M O N 2 T B S P TA H I N I OLIVE OIL P I N C H S A LT P I N C H F R E S H LY G R O U N D BLACK PEPPER PINCH CUMIN P I N C H PA P R I K A 1 T B S P O L I V E O I L

For more than 30 years, medicinal mushrooms have been approved as an addition to standard cancer treatments in Japan and China. A study from Harbin University in China found that ingesting shiitake mushrooms (which contain a compound called lentinan) was “beneficial in terms of increasing mean survival duration, tumour necrosis and reducing recurrence.” Researchers in Texas also found that an ingredient – AHCC – in shiitake mushrooms may help protect the body against viruses and infections.

FOR THE TOAST 2 TBSP OLIVE OIL 4 SLICES RYE BREAD P I N C H C H I L L I F L A K E S

1/ Place the mushrooms in a large pan set over high heat with about a tablespoon of olive oil. After two minutes, add the garlic and thyme leaves. It’s important not to overcrowd the mushrooms, so, if necessary, cook them in two batches. Once cooked, remove and set aside. 2/ To make the caramelised onions, add the olive oil and onions to a pan over medium heat and sauté until soft. Add the sugar and turn to medium low as the onions caramelise.

3/ While the mushrooms and onions are cooking, you can quickly whip up the hummus. Place all of the hummus ingredients, but only half of the lemon juice, into a food processor or blender and add one tablespoon of cold water. Blitz into a smooth paste. Do a taste test and see if you need to add more lemon juice, olive oil, seasoning or water. Once you’re happy, set aside. 4/ To toast the bread, use the mushroom pan. Add one tablespoon of olive oil and toast the rye on both sides until cooked to your liking. If you’re making canapés, you can toast the mini bruschetta in the oven, drizzled with a little olive oil, while everything else cooks. 5/ To assemble, smear the toast with hummus, then add some caramelised onion before topping with the mushrooms and a sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves. Season with a little salt and pepper and a pinch of chili flakes.

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 87

MUSHROOM MILLET SALAD WITH HERBS AND FETA SERVES 2 (OR 4 AS A SIDE) 2 5 0 G OY ST E R M U S H R O O M S (OR ANY LARGE MUSHROOMS) OLIVE OIL A FEW SPRIGS THYME 1 TSP CUMIN SEEDS 2 RED ONIONS, SLICED I N TO W E D G E S 2 CUPS COOKED MILLET 1 0 0 G F E TA ( O R G O AT ’S C H E E S E O R V E G A N F E TA ) , CHOPPED F L AT - L E A F PA R S L E Y, C H I V E S O R D I L L L E AV E S , FOR GARNISHING S A LT A N D F R E S H LY G R O U N D BLACK PEPPER FOR THE DRESSING 1 T B S P B A L S A M LC V I N E G A R 1 TSP HONEY 2 TO 3 T B S P O L I V E O I L 1/ Preheat the oven to 200˚C. 2/ Slice the shrooms lengthways and lightly score them in a criss-cross pattern. Sauté the mushrooms in a large pan with olive oil, thyme and the cumin seeds. Once cooked, remove from the pan and set aside. In the same pan, sauté the onion wedges, adding a little more olive oil, if necessary. 3/ In a large bowl, add the cooked millet, mushrooms, onions and feta. 4/ To make the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together and pour over the salad. Toss everything together. 5/ To serve, garnish with the herbs and season.

White button mushrooms are one of the few nonanimal sources of vitamin D. Whether they are grown, indoors or out, they are exposed to UV light which increases their concentration of this important vitamin. 88 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

BEYOND

Vegan • No Non-GM • Naturally Cholesterol Free Good Source of Protein and Fibre This delicious plant-based burger looks, sizzles and tastes just like a ground beef burger. The Big Fry Burger has been lovingly crafted with a vision to inspire change – for our planet, the animals and your health. @thefryfamilyfoodco

@frysfamily

www.fryfamilyfood.com Available in the frozen section of select stores nationwide.

YOUR PERSONAL TRAINER ON THE MOVE GREAT REASONS TO GET THE DIGITAL EDITION

35% OFF Only R39 per issue R468 Annually Saving of R252

Subscribe to the digital edition of Men’s Health and save 35% on the cover price. Packed with expert advice on improving every area of your life, from health & fitness to grooming, style and sex & relationships. Call: Call 087 353 1300 • WhatsApp 087 353 1333 • SMS: Sms MENSHEALTHSUBS to 32361 with your details and we’ll contact you. Sms cost R1.50. Free minutes don’t apply. Visit: zinio.com , magzter.com • Email: subs@media24.com * Offer valid until 21 June 2020

COOL DAD

L I K E YO U

MEAN IT FIFTY YEARS AGO, dads spent

almost 30 percent less time with their kids. They did 60 percent less housework. And if you brought a baby into a brewery, you’d be quickly ushered to the sidewalk. As your own dad will tell you, times have changed. But one thing hasn’t: fathers continue to learn certain important truths about themselves through their children. Well, that and nappychanging horror stories.

P H OTO G R A P H S BY

CALLIE LIPKIN

A NOTE ABOUT THE DADS PICTURED THROUGHOUT

Callie Lipkin’s “Dad Time” project began in 2013 after the birth of her second son, when her husband took on the role of full-time father. Ever since then, Lipkin’s captured and celebrated fatherhood moments in every corner of the world. For more pictures from the “Dad Time” series, visit callielipkin.com.

Singer-songwriter, author, and father Liu Jian pedals Shanghai streets with his four-year-old daughter, Liona, and one-year-old son, Leo Kai. And ice cream.

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 93

T WHA ” D A “D S N MEA

Make Peace WITH THE

“Dad Life” The truth – in its ugly, brutal, boring glory – will set you free. Or at least so says R I C H D O R M E N T , editor-in-chief of Men’s Health US.

H E S I N G L E WO RST question you can ask the parent of a small child is “When are you having another?” The second-worst question is a little less predictable and a lot more insidious. About a month ago, a younger, unmarried, unkidded colleague asked me what I had done that weekend. It was Monday morning and I was tired and I thought he might actually want to know, so I told him. First, I said, my wife and I took turns driving our three little kids to various sports practices and birthday parties and playdates. Then, I told him, I changed a ton of nappies and washed a few urine-soaked sheets. I told him about the pre-dawn PAW Patrol binge and the post-midnight check for monsters under the bed. I described the meltdowns (plural) in two grocery stores, and the blowup over whether sweatpants qualified as goingout-for-dinner pants, and the bare-knuckle fight between my eight-year-old son and my five-year-old daughter. (She won.) The colleague smiled and nodded and grimaced in all the right places, and I summed it up in a way that was probably ironic but could’ve been a cry for help: “You know, just livin’ that dad life.” “That dad life.” I’ve been doing the dad thing for nearly a decade, and I’ve watched as my expectations about parenting have converged and diverged with larger cultural shifts in how women and men are raising kids. I’ve also watched, with a combination of amusement and horror, as dad has emerged as an adjective that makes any object, practice or idea about 36 percent lamer. Dad bods. Dad jokes. Dad rock

and dad jeans and dad hats. We’re at a point where dad has become a dreaded modifier, a shorthand both specific and universal, a meme. “That dad life.” My dad life. How did this happen? I mean, it happens. To a lot of us. The latest study on fatherhood from the Pew Research Center found that “mothers and fathers are equally likely to say that parenting is central to who they are: 57 percent of fathers say being a dad is extremely important to their overall identity, and 58 percent of mothers say the same about being a mom.” We define ourselves as parents and everything else sort of falls away, so that whatever used to be our priorities – sex, money, friends, hobbies – don’t seem to matter quite as much anymore. We become shorthand for ourselves, only 36 percent lamer. Some of us fight it – we don’t wear baggy jeans or listen to classic rock or say, “That’s what she said.” We’re cool dads. We dress and speak and consume like 22-yearolds, which is all well and good until we’re arguing with a toddler about snack time or negotiating screen time with a grade two. Which, as far as our kids are concerned, is for the best. They don’t need a parent who prioritises sex or friends over their playdate schedule. They don’t need some dopey grown-up asking them about the latest Kendrick drop. They need someone who’ll grind through this weekend, and the one after that, because we know more than anything that these kids – these tiny, expensive catastrophes – are worth it. That’s parenting. That’s the dad life.

HARNESS YO U R N E W

SUPERPOWERS Fitness force of nature S H AU N T created the Insanity workout, T25, Cize and his latest, Transform 20. But no workout he has ever done is quite as hard, or as life transforming, as fatherhood.

HE TOUGHEST workout of my life could be

called “Twinsanity Max 2” because in November 2017, that is the number of babies my husband, Scott, and I welcomed into our lives. And that was after five years of baby-making insanity, recruiting egg donors and surrogate moms and waiting to see if our embryos would take. But when Sander and Silas finally arrived, two minutes apart, that’s when the most wonderfully difficult time in our lives began. In my book, T Is for Transformation, I wrote about “7 Superpowers” that guide my life. That was before we had kids. Now that they’re here, I’m trying to practise four “superdad” powers. (Why not seven? I’m a dad now! Who has time for seven?) I’m not perfect at them, but I have two tiny life coaches teaching me new stuff every day – even when they should be sleeping, or I should be.

C O O L DA D S K I L L S :

INTERACT WITH YOUR CHILD ON SOCIAL MEDIA

As explained via the interactions between Will Smith (30 million Instagram followers) and Jaden Smith (12 million), annotated by Ana Homayoun, author of Social Media Wellness.

FOR G RY U H N S DAD

Master THE

“OTSM” There are hunters. There are gatherers. And then there are scavengers, like DA N PA S H M A N , food-show and podcast host. Sæpór Randalsson is a 3-D artist and one half of a dad duo with partner Ágúst Karlsson. They live in Reykjavík, Iceland, with their two-yearold son, Daníel.

P OW E R #3 : Indulge!

P OW E R # 1 : Change!

Kids aren’t welcoming you into their lives. You’re welcoming them into yours. And that’s a good thing, because their world is a mess sometimes. Make your kids part of the best life you want to lead, and they’ll match or beat it when they grow up. If I want to be a good dad and husband and keep my work going and still play tennis, I need to be more efficient. What changes are you willing to make to fit in more kids, more fun and better health?

Knowing as much as I do about fitness and nutrition, I still gained 3kg after the boys were born. The secret, I later found, is in what I call the 85/15 approach. We keep the mix healthy 85 percent of the time while also making sure french fries are available (the other 15 percent). We let Sander and Silas roam everywhere in our house: no barriers. It gives them a sense of freedom, and they’re not in front of the TV all the time.

P OW E R # 2: Anticipate!

P OW E R #4 : Be You (Despite #1)!

Scott and I try to be especially in tune with each other to make sure that when one of us is at the breaking point, the other can step in. Find your support systems to prevent stress and its toll from becoming permanent. Scott’s the captain of the ship, and I’m the cruise director. He keeps us organised, I make sure we’re still having fun, and we both watch out for the balance.

I don’t coach my sons; I set an example instead. Scott and I are kind to each other (except sometimes during a 3am crying fit), eat the right foods (except french fries – 15 percent fun, remember?) and maintain our exercise habits (no exceptions). We won’t have to nag and harass our kids, because they’re watching us do it right most of the time. And that’s the best inheritance a kid can have.

Will posts a photo of himself and Jaden with the inspirational message “Parenting is a balance between letting go and holding tight.”

Jaden debuts a music video; Will posts a clip and writes, “Why do I have to keep finding out on Instagram that my own son is dropping new videos?? This joint is FIRE!! Jaden, you’re on punishment.”

Homayoun says: A great example of a fun post – as long as your child approves it first.

H E N I’M W I T H my kids, I require approximately 14 000 additional calories per day. Like cross-country skiers, parents struggle to take in all their requisite calories. This is why the OTSM (or “over-the-sink meal”) is essential. Eating over the sink serves several purposes. First, it reduces dirty dishes. Putting food on a clean plate before eating it is like making your bed before going to sleep. What’s the point? These are the mundane chores we’ve been brainwashed to believe will put us on the path to responsible adulthood. Second, the OTSM reduces waste and saves money. No need to budget extra funds for Dad’s dinner – most of my OTSMs are scrounged from my kids’ table scraps. As they eat, I circle the table like a buzzard. Then I bring the plates to the sink and feast. It’s important to remember that a good OTSM is something that you can hold in one hand and eat without it falling apart. If the kids’ scraps are hard to corral into easy bites, I dump them all into a flour tortilla or large lettuce leaf and wrap it up. Perhaps not by coincidence, meals that I make for my kids also happen to be some of my favorite OTSMs: scrambled eggs, cheese and crackers and crunchy vegetables like peppers. Despite all this talk about efficiency and mess, there is plenty of beauty to be found in the OTSM. Combine ingredients thoughtfully in your fist. Seek out contrasting flavours and textures. And most important, when you take that bite, close your eyes and focus on the food. Let your troubles and your children, disappear from your consciousness. The sink is but a portal to a better place.” DAN PASHMAN hosts the Sporkful food podcast and Cooking Channel’s You’re Eating It Wrong.

Homayoun says: Selfdeprecation takes the edge off promotion. But ask your kid prior to posting.

Will posts an old family baby video of when Jaden cut his own hair (very poorly) as a boy.

Homayoun says: Adorable, but ask. You want your child to mirror your behaviour!

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TO S OF DAD ONE

C A R RY O N T H E

S AV O U R

Singledom! Actor T I M OT H Y S I M O N S knows a thing or two about having one child. Because he has twins.

Y W I F E A N D I H A D two babies, and having two babies is harder than having one baby. The simplest analogy that I can come up with is this: imagine that you have one baby. Now imagine that there is another whole-ass baby in your house. People with one baby can do all sorts of shit that we couldn’t. Singleton parents don’t generally have to be so nightmarishly stringent about a schedule. Any parent of two will tell you that strict adherence to a schedule is the only thing that will get you through a day. Chaos is that boulder from Raiders churning toward you from the moment you wake up till the moment you go to sleep. If given a choice, I would welcome the sweet relief of being crushed to death in place of one of my kids deciding to eat 30 minutes later than the other. If you don’t have kids, you might not know that to have them is to be confronted daily with the knowledge that you will fail. There is no great parenting; there is only good enough. Having two kids means you are never allowed to consider great parenting; you are only shown the smallest of victories early, and therefore your expectations have a shorter distance to fall, which, I think, is nice. I don’t want to seem overly negative about this, though. The bond that the twins have is as assured as the air that they breathe and has been there since the beginning. One time our daughter refused to go on the playground until our son got there. Our son started reading earlier than our daughter, and he would lie down next to her and read her Dr Seuss books. It also meant I was able to take a five-minute nap on the floor of the living room.” TIMOTHY SIMONS starred as Jonah Ryan on HBO’s VEEP.

C O O L DA D S K I L LS :

TAKE A (PRETTY GOOD) FAMILY SELFIE

These tips from photographer Christopher Testani, father of an almost-two-year-old, will help.

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1. Brighten Faces

COOLEST PA RTS O F YOUR DAD Marvel writer and illustrator ADAM KUBERT followed his father’s map – which didn’t exactly stick to known roads.

AD LIKED TO travel and he loved to drive. Being

a freelance artist, he had a flexible schedule. Whenever the desire hit them, my parents would pack up all five of us kids, rent a camper van and hit the road for a month at a time. We drove through the US, Canada, Mexico and even Europe. Dad would always bring his work. I’m not sure how much he’d get done, but he would bring it. And I remember studying his sketches: Superman, Batman, Flash, Tarzan. I remember stopping at comic-book conventions with him and watching other people being blown away by Sgt. Rock, Enemy Ace, Hawkman and other heroes that had sprung from his mind and onto his pages, embodiments of his sense of vitality and gumption and confidence to charge into the uncharted.

Your phone’s flash will wash you all out. Make sure there’s some light – the sun, a streetlight, a lamp – illuminating your family. Then, while you’re extending your arm, snap from a few different positions (left, straight on, right). One should work.

2. Shoot Fast, Edit Later

Attention spans are limited. Use the live-photo function or HDR mode on your camera and snap. If you’re pausing to change settings or flip between filters, your next few frames won’t be as great as your first.

3. Don’t Spare the Rod

As much as I hate them, selfie sticks work. They help you capture more of the background, giving your family selfies a better sense of place. Any cheapo rig will do.

He had an ability to effortlessly stream a narrative, a skill I now understand as similar to how he lived his life. Family, work, travel, adventure, fatherhood – these were all things to be done simultaneously, not compartmentalised or blocked out and highly structured. This was a life made dynamic and full-bleed, running free from the constraints of predetermined boxes. This was a life where when you turned the page, you were excited to see what came next. Later in his life, Dad wrote and drew stories based on more personal experiences. He did one called Jew Gangster and Yossel, a story about a young cartoonist in the Warsaw Ghetto, based on what could have happened to him if his family hadn’t decided to leave Poland before the Nazi occupation. I began to understand this period of reflection not only for himself but for the greater sense of family. This was his history and, by nature, it was ours too. By mining the details of trials past, he was illustrating lessons that might prove helpful to us in the future. My dad died in 2012. I miss him, but I still feel close to him in many ways, largely because of the legacy he left. I carry with me his same sense of adventure, be it through travel or through my work. I possess, through him, that same torch-bearing sense that I, too, have lessons to pass on. In 1976, my dad started a comicbook school. I currently teach there along with my brother Andy. The school has Saturday drawing classes for kids and this weekend, I’ll be taking my youngest daughter, Ava. I’ll do some drawing in my office while she practises sketching cartoon characters. I’m not sure how much work I’ll get done. Maybe I’ll plan our next adventure together as a family instead.

adam kubert is the son of cartoonist Joe Kubert. Adam has been working in comic books for more than 40 years and is currently crafting Captain America with best-selling author Ta-Nehisi Coates.

Advertising creative Nathan H. Wyse with his three-month-old son, Sanford Harold, and his three-yearold daughter, Josephine Marley.

: AT TN ES P N S OT ZEAL

RAISE A

True Fan When his son started rooting for the rivals, sportscaster DA N PAT R I C K didn’t put up a fight.

Y S O N WAS 1 2 when he became a Red Sox fan. It was the year before they won the World Series. Growing up in Connecticut mostly around Yankees fans, he came home and he told me he had found his baseball team. I said, “Ah, gosh, Jack,” but he told me that he didn’t want to hear it. He was rooting for the Red Sox. I bought him a hat and a sweatshirt. He took the hat to school the next day and a few Yankees fans put it in the urinal and

peed on it. Jack came home upset and my wife was ready to go and grab the kids who did it and rough them up or something. My protection was to let Jack know that this is what sports are all about. You’re called a “fan” for a reason. There are fanatics. It’s territorial. I wanted him to know that in sports there’s loyalty, there’s passion. And I said, If you ever win, it’ll be so much better. So he went around telling everyone that year, “Red Sox are winning it all,” and they’d be like, “Ah, yeah, cute kid.” Even Red Sox fans at the restaurant we go to were like, “Oh, yeah, okay.” Jack never stopped believing, and he started understanding what sports were all about: retribution, payback, passion. But his mom always wondered, “Why would they pee on his hat?” You see, she’s not a sports fan. That’s rivalry. You can always buy another hat.

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THE BEST DAD GEAR We tested piles of new gadgets. Here’s the stuff that’ll actually improve your parenting. FOR LUGGING:

Thule Sapling Having a kid doesn’t have to mean the end of your fitness ambitions. This carrier will keep your child comfy and give you the freedom to keep hiking. R5 499; thulestore.co.za

D I S C OV E R YO U R

STRENGTH THROUGH THEM

During an almost unbearable challenge, Men’s Health US executive editor B E N C O U R T learnt about self-care from his three-year-old son. FOR FILMING:

GoPro Hero7 Does your phone have 8x slow motion and noise reduction? Is it smaller than your wallet? This is. R6 990; takealot.com FOR INTERACTING:

Yoga Dice For a fitness fix that brings the family together, these dice give you a workout that will keep the kids entertained and you stretched out (in a good way). R320; takealot.com

FOR SANIT Y SAVING:

Tile Mate Hook the crackersized gizmo onto your keys, gym bag, or whatever else you lose. Hit the Tile app and the doohickey rings. R349; takealot.com FOR NOT SLEEPING:

Jura Z6 You could scoff at the cost, or you could see this as the happinessdelivery system it is. It grinds beans. It brews rich espressos. It auto-pours frothy lattes. It rules. R34 389, yuppiechef.com

OTHING REALLY PREPARES

you for the snotty-nose, earinfection, stomach-bug fest that is toddler daycare. My son, Henry, went to a most excellent hippie-dippy learning centre where the kids were ushered outside to play and get dirty at every opportunity. Every day seemed like a bout in the germ Thunderdome. Around the time Henry was leaning into the terrible threes, my wife started battling a recurrence of breast cancer, enduring multiple kinds of chemotherapy and other treatments that destroyed her immune system. The doctor’s orders called for a clean and germ-free house and for peaceful nights conducive to restorative sleep. Our lives at the time were in chaos, yet from this challenge came a surprisingly settling force: Henry. In taking care of him, I began taking better care of myself. Step one for me was establishing a gold standard of hygiene as Henry was transitioning out of diapers. I became a fanatical hand washer. I even wrote a story on how to wash your hands properly based on tips from his daycare: create a mousse of suds in your palm and twist your fingernails in it; repeat with the other hand. I turned into a three-santizer guy (car, bag, mantel), which I’m not sure is a sound approach to

life – but it felt good to be doing something, and Henry seemed to have fewer colds, runny noses and bugs. Hygiene, while a squishy target, turned out to be easier to master than some of the other goals, namely learning to manage his mood. As a triathlete, I was familiar with bonking, the nasty crash when you run out of energy because you don’t have enough fuel. At first I didn’t realise that if his daycare team skimped on the Jolly Jammers at afternoon snack, Harmless Henry would turn into Hangry Henry. Usually I would expend all my energy trying to calm him down, and, soon enough, I’d bonk too. I started always packing an apple or a Melrose cheese wedge for Henry. Then I started packing another for myself. Sometimes even a snack-fed Henry would melt down, but at the Zen Den at his daycare (no, really), he had learnt a technique called “turtle.” As the name implies, it involves remaining still and taking several deep breaths through your nose. Henry would huddle on the ground, his rib cage inflating and deflating. It usually worked. Earlier this year, at SXSW, I moderated a panel on self-care for men, and Aubrey Marcus, the founder of Onnit, led everyone through his

C O O L DA D S K I L L S :

1. Tweak Your Posture

2. Take the Easy Road

ACTUALLY ENJOY A RUN WITH A PRAM

Before your run, adjust the height and angle of your pram’s handlebars. You want your head, shoulders and lower back in alignment. This will help stabilise your core and prevent strain-related muscle fatigue.

Turning with a jogger stroller throws off your stride. Pick a route with as many straightaways as possible. When you do face a turn, pop a wheelie. Without the front wheel (or wheels), you can navigate the turn more efficiently.

Scott Jurek, a competitive ultramarathoner, has taken his toddlers on two-hour runs. Here’s what he’s learnt. 98 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

3. Don’t Forget Fun (and Snacks) If your pram doesn’t have storage, rig the handlebars with a car pocket organiser and fill it with the goods: energy gels, books, toys, a premade smoothie, a small Bluetooth speaker for music.

Director Vincent Singleton with his five-year-old daughter, Sophia (and her doll), in their Chicago home.

What Makes a Great Dad? We asked Twitter. Here’s what they told us...

preferred stress buster – six deep and slow inhales and exhales: turtle. Then there’s the wild kind of energy – the bouncing-off-the-walls-during-a-rainy-day kind of energy that shouldn’t be fed with jam biscuits or turtled into submission. A babysitter exposed Henry to WWE and he took a shine to Dolph Ziggler. Luckily, we had a couch that could withstand leaps and slams and Henry trying to suplex me. Those bouts went many rounds deep, and his endless energy helped power his sick mom. I couldn’t stop him. I could only try to keep up and wait for the shenanigans to ebb. When they did, we were both left with a feeling of having worked out whatever we needed to simply by way of silliness. Even after snacks, turtle-ing and three WWE title matches, Henry might still need help settling down for the night. So our

C O O L DA D S K I L LS :

SHOOT VIDEOS OF YOUR KIDS THAT PEOPLE WILL WATCH Nick Woodman, CEO of GoPro, has three boys. He’s also sick of watching boring videos parents film. Don’t shoot boring videos. Take his advice instead.

family went all in on bath time. Henry was going through an Angry Birds/Octonauts/ Lego Star Wars phase. I’d gather all these toys and dump them into a lavender bubble bath and let him enter his own soothing aquaverse. I’d often jump in too and do my own version of meditation. His mom would sit on the side of the tub. We’d talk about Henry’s day as he played out all kinds of interspecies snorkeling adventures until the bubbles went away. We were all more relaxed those nights. Those habits helped us through many tough times, including when Henry’s mom lost her fight with cancer a few years later. Henry is now almost too big to wrestle and we don’t share a bath. But we still tussle on the couch once in a while, and though I don’t get in anymore, the tub remains our decompression and talk-therapy tank.

1. Get on Their Level

Shoot while standing and you’ll record kids’ heads, not faces. Move within 1.5 metres and crawl on the floor with them. Kneel, lie on your stomach or back – anything to capture the energy and expressiveness of their facial features.

2. Stop Interviewing Them

“Fostering confidence and strength while simultaneously encouraging humility and grace.” –@J_MarksTheSpot “I think it all comes down to balance. We balance our time between providing for our family financially & providing for them emotionally, our discipline with our compassion, our commitment to our partners & ourselves with our commitment to the kids. A balanced dad is a great dad.” –@Mr_Wimberly “Time. If you spend quality time with your kids, it’s the best gift you could give. When you give time to your kids, everything else seems to fall in place.” –@tonelantern “Realising that your children will never grow up the way you want them to. But you got their backs no matter what.” –@efmendo

“Tell Daddy what you’re doing” is a common camera-toting phrase. But it interrupts the child’s behaviour. Hold the camera off to the side, aiming it at them. If you forget it’s there, so will your kid, resulting in more natural, free-flowing videos.

3. Stick to the “One-Minute Rule”

That’s how long your family videos should be, max. You can shoot a three- or four-minute video for yourself, but edit it down to 60 seconds for others. Even better: a montage of 10-second clips.

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27 Apps

That Will Change Your Life Your phone has put the global hive mind at your fingertips, so why squander your storage on face swaps and unused messenger services? These game- changing downloads are programmed to transform your health, wealth and fitness bythe gigabyte. Your smartphone is about to get a whole lot smarter. COMPILED BY THE MH TEAM | ILLUSTRATIONS BY PETER CROWTHER

The number of apps the average person has installed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but only nine get fired up daily

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Key:

LIFESTYLE CHEATS

MENTAL MUSCLE

NUTRITION HACKS

TRAINING UPGRADE

CASH SAVINGS

03/ Calm We’ll assume that, by now, you’re fairly clued up on the benefits of meditation and mindfulness. But scheduling effective timeouts between school runs, conference calls and workouts will test anyone’s patience. With more than 100 guided sessions for busting stress, anxiety management and enhancing focus, Calm is your co-pilot to the land of chill, and it can also help you get to sleep. Specially selected bedtime tales narrated by the likes of Matthew McConaughey and Stephen Fry will coax you into a higher state of subconsciousness. R879 per year on iOS and Android calm.com

04/ Spark

01/ TeamTOMM No one wants to spend their weekends cleaning and doing chores. And writing long lists of what needs to be done, only for them to be ignored and become more clutter? We’ve all been there. But you also don’t want to live in a pigsty (at least you really should not). That’s where TeamTOMM comes in. It helps you break down what you need to do and guides you through housework 30 minutes at a time. Plus, it also gives you daily playlists and lets you share the workload with housemates or family members thanks to a shared login. R85 on iOS and Android theorganisedmum.blog 102 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

02/ 22seven Find yourself hitting the money

equivalent of #DayZero halfway through the month? 22seven let’s you keep track of your money simply and discover money insights about your spending with their hints and observations. Plus, you can get a personalised budget automatically and the app helps you invest in your goals so you can reach them sooner. Did someone say drinks on you? Well, only if it’s in your budget. Free on iOS and Android 22seven.com

Email was supposed to make our lives more efficient but, in reality, it tends to be about as productive as debating in parliament. Though clicking “select all”, then “delete” might offer temporary catharsis, what if you miss that urgent note from your boss? Spark works with your go-to email app to flag messages it identifies as important, place non-urgent mail in a holding pen and block annoying repeat mailers. It also allows you to schedule emails to be sent later, so with a bit of preplanning, your boss might think you’re working hard at 6am. It’s time to take back control of your inbox. Free on iOS and Android sparkmailapp.com

minutes of app-based meditation per week can reduce stress, according to Arizona State University

05/ Hyperli If your weekend activities hurt your finances as much as your head, it’s time to download Hyperli. With this app, you can search hundreds of activities across the country to find precisely what you’re looking for and get them all at a discounted price. Whether you want to eat out, go beer tasting or go on holiday, the app allows you to save money while doing the most. It also offers deals on online courses, products and even fitness classes. Planning your weekend has never been easier. Free on iOS and Android hyperli.com

07/ RowVigor Transform your monotonous ergo training into inspiring

full-body workouts. RowVigor has a wide array of rowing based workouts that pair the cardio activity with other strength based exercises. Choose from a deep pool of sessions that suit your current needs. You can even row down some of the world’s most scenic and challenging rivers. Track your workout and challenge your friends to beat your score. Currently free on iOS and Android rowith.com

08/ Glo Maintaining daily yoga practice is laudable, but not everyone has 90 minutes to spare posing to pan pipes. Especially if you expend most of your energy worrying about the sniggers going on behind your (inflexible) back. Glo is your solution. It offers thousands of yoga, Pilates and meditation sessions, promising to improve your mental state, posture and mobility. Plus, you can save up lessons to use offline. You can “happy baby” from the comfort of your own home. R360 per month on iOS glo.com

10/ MapMyRun Tired of running the same route during your weekly parkrun? Find new routes using this running app. Designed by Under Armour, the app tracks distance, pace, elevation, calories burnt and more. Pair it with the latest smart UA trainers and get personalised tips to improve your gait and increase your speed, whether you’re training for a 5K race or a marathon. Free on iOS and Android mapmyrun.com

12/ Nike Training App Whether you’re stuck at home or travelling for work, you want to maintain your fitness wherever you go. That’s where the Nike Training Club app comes in. The app has a library of on-demand workouts regardless of your goals. Choose to stream a class or do a gym-friendly routine. Along with cardio and strength workouts, the app also offers tips to improve your nutrition, recovery and mindset. Stay on top of your progress by tracking each workout. Free on iOS and Android nike.com/ntc-app

06/ Streaks Some psychologists claim that it takes 21 days for a new habit to form; others argue that it takes closer to two months. Either way, sticking to anything for that long can be tough, whether it’s flossing your teeth, hitting your step count or forgoing your post-lunch trip to the vending machine. Streaks is a self-improvement coach that helps you ingrain these healthy behaviours by logging the good stuff you get done – or bad stuff you deftly avoid. Create up to 12 tasks that you want to make part of your routine, then mark them off as you complete them. R80 on iOS streaksapp.com

09/ Flexi Committing to a single gym membership, fixed to just one club and location, feels... well, a bit 2019. Make this the year you untether your fitness goals. Flexi allows you to book different types of workouts at various gyms nationwide. Paying only when you train ensures you’re never wasting money on unwanted gym memberships. Bonus: each workout you complete, you earn cash back which can then be used on a future class. Free on iOS and Android flexi.co.za

11/ Pocket Faced with the daily torrent of information online, it’s easy to lose track of what you actually want to look at. From informative news articles to Men’s Health workouts, Pocket lets you curate a reading list by saving all the stuff you want to look at later in one place. You can stash media from any platform or app, and file it all using lists, so you’ll never forget if you saved it for work or your WhatsApp chat. It’s available offline, too, so it won’t eat up all of your valuable data. Free on iOS and Android getpocket.com

13/ Kindle The great thing about owning a Kindle is being able to access hundreds of books from the palm of your hand. Thanks to the Kindle app, you no longer need to own a kindle to reap the rewards. The app allows you to access your stored books from any device. You’re also able to move between devices and continue reading from wherever you left off. Regardless of your reading preferences, Amazon has something for you. You can also save money by signing up for Kindle unlimited, which allows you to read as much as you want. Free on iOS and Android amazon.com MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 103

14/ Todoist Getting organised doesn’t have to mean breaking out an A3-sized calendar and a fresh box of Post-its. Todoist is an app that consolidates all your tasks on your phone and lets you organise them however you see fit. You can set reminders, order tasks by priority, break big projects up into bite-sized steps and make sure you’re never ambushed by those easy-to-forget deadlines ever again. While the app is completely free (with most features unlocked) you are limited to a certain number of projects, and the number of people you can invite to collaborate. Got a lot on your plate? R60 gets you access to premium for a month. Available on iOS and Android todoist.com

15/ Parking Pin Like a smug friend with an unerring memory, Parking Pin makes a note of where you’ve left your car before you’ve even asked it to, coming to your rescue in those “Oh, shit…” moments. It works with Apple’s location services to pinpoint your spot as soon as you put the brakes on, then provides you with a map and directions. It also keeps tabs on how much time has elapsed since you parked and notifies you 15 minutes before your slot expires, even in the absence of signal or Wi-Fi. Which also provides a convenient excuse should you need to exit an awkward conversation. R20 on iOS everydayodyssey.com 104 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

The days of hunting for a copy shop to scan those important docs are, fortunately, over. This app lets you grab high-quality scans using your smartphone’s camera, creating sharp and clean PDFs ready to share. Bonus: the app even lets you merge documents together and reorder pages, making it so much better than that unreliable unit in the office. Free on iOS and Android thegrizzlylabs.com

17/ Alarmy “Sleep if you can” the creators of this app dare users. If you’re a snooze-ophile who has bested your phone’s built-in alarm app, Alarmy is here to kick you out of bed. Unlike traditional wakers, this alarm clock has a few tricks up its sleeve. There’s no button to hit the brakes on the beeping, instead you’ll have to complete tasks, like photographing your bathroom sink or solving a devilish maths problem to turn it off. Free on iOS and Android alar.my

18/ Blinkist

Pop science and self-help titles are now shifting in record numbers. But with new “must-reads” seeming to hit the shelves every hour, many life-changing ideas will inevitably pass you by. Blinkist’s app abridges the gap. Its experts distil the key concepts of best-selling non-fiction books into bite-sized text and audio files, giving you the elevator pitch for the latest on leadership, health and nutrition. Consider it a Sparknotes for self-improvement. R110 per

month on iOS and Android blinkist.com

19/ Zwift Another pioneer in remote training for riders and runners alike, Zwift transforms tedious turbo rides and treadmill slogs into challenging, social sweat sessions. Pair any Bluetooth-enabled treadmill or static bike to the app and power your avatar around the roads of six virtual worlds, including a futuristic New York. There are more than 1 000 workouts to choose from, plus around 300 group races each day, giving you the chance to dish the dirt as they eat your (pixel) dust. R215 per month on iOS and Android zwift.com

20/ Youper Every day, Youper checks in to ask you how you’re feeling. You pick a colour and describe your mood and the app takes it from there. It’s an AI-backed emotional health assistant designed to open up quick but insightful conversations to help you communicate better with your doctor or therapist during your next session. It also tracks your mood, giving you insight into what affects it and how. The goal: help you take control of your emotional health. Free on iOS and Android.

21/ LastPass You should be using a different, impossible-toguess password for every single one of your online logins, whether it’s your bank account or social media profile. But that security can come at a cost, namely getting locked out of Netflix because you just can’t remember those crucial details. LastPass not only generates near-uncrackable passwords for all your accounts, but will also store that information, ready to fill in automatically when needed. Now, you just have to memorise one password. Free on iOS and Android lastpass.com

22/ SleepScore A bad night’s sleep can wreak havoc on your health, so there’s no shortage of products that purport to help you nod off. But for something cheap, contactless and ready at the tap of a screen, this app is one purchase you don’t need to, well, sleep on. The “world’s most accurate sleep app” uses your phone’s microphone to monitor your breathing rate and body movements, then presents a detailed breakdown of your sleep stages, along with a nightly score. It even comes with personalised tips to help you get better Zs. Sleep tracking (and the smart alarm) are free. But paying the R170 monthly subscription will net you access to weekly sleep reports, recommendations and more. Rest easy! Free on iOS and Android sleepscore.com

*JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH

16/ Genius Scan

25/ Happy Cow As more people switch up their diets, finding restaurants that fit your new lifestyle can get a whole lot more complicated. Happy Cow helps you find vegan, vegetarian and healthy restaurants near you. You can apply a range of filters and it even has a weightloss planning option if you’re still wanting to stick to those goals. Grub’s up! Free on iOS and Android happycow.net

73%

of people who use fitness apps exercise regularly, compared to 46% of non-users*

26/ What3Words

23/ Forest Buying an app to cut down

on your phone use feels akin to discussing your vegan ambitions over a second chicken sandwich. But trimming back your screen time becomes a simple game with Forest. The next time you’re faced with a dull task that demands unwavering attention – like reworking your budget – open up the app and plant a virtual tree. If you leave the app too soon to play around with, say, Instagram, the tree dies. You’ll know you’ve become a monk-like master of concentration when you’ve grown your own woodlands R29.99 on iOS and Android forestapp.cc

24/ Otter A 2019 survey found that 67% of workers say excessive meetings keep them from getting their best work done. And if there’s one thing that sucks up time and stifles productivity more than a lengthy meeting, it’s writing up the notes. Otter can’t help you with the former, but the auto-dictation app transcribes your colleagues’ chatter in real time to create searchable notes with speaker ID and key phrases. Useful when you’re arguing over who should be credited with big ideas. Free (R145 per month for premium) on iOS and Android otter.ai

GPS tech might be one of the world’s great game changers, but it has its limits. Generally, it can’t take you to places unnamed or unmapped, or find you the best entrance to a station, or locate your pals when you take a wrong turn on a weekend trail run. This app divides the world into 3m blocks and assigns each one a unique three-word address, so you can properly pinpoint a location. Free on iOS and Android what3words.com

27/ Speedshred Okay, so we cheated, this isn’t actually an app. But if you’ve made it your mission to get leaner, quicker, fitter and/or stronger, this is your action plan. Created by former cover guy and personal trainer Trevor Lagerway, it’s a 12-week training and eating programme with videos that help you nail the moves with proper form. Transform your body into an instrument – not an ornament. R499 speedshred.co.za MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 105

BUILD OWN

YOUR

IRON PAR

PHOTOGRAPHS BY 106 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

FINLAY MACKAY

BEFORE

ADISE AFTER

The best part about having your owngym: You don’t have to share it (unless you want to!). There’s nobody “working in” with you on the bench, no one taking selfies with the battle ropes, no janky music on the speakers. Nomatteryourbudget or space, you cancreateyourown homegym using these tips.

IN YOUR GARAGE TO HELP PICK THE BEST GEAR and glean tips on how to build an affordable home gym, we consulted an Avengersstyle fitness squad: Hollywood trainer Magnus Lygdback, who creates home gyms for stars like Ben Affleck and Alexander Skarsgård; Cooper Mitchell, editor-in-chief of GarageGymReviews.com; strength and conditioning coach Ebenezer Samuel and former pro football player Brett Williams. Assuming you don’t have unlimited space or resources, like Dwayne Johnson, you’ll need to figure out what you want. Before you do anything, says Lygdback, ask yourself these three questions:

MEN’S HEALTH US EXECUTIVE EDITOR Ben Court (bottom left) suffers from

fitness ADD. His favourite workouts involve lots of exercises with different objects to lift, swing, carry and slam. Samuel (below) helped him convert his home garage into a dynamic space primed for intense metabolic circuits.

B A R S TA R The Powercore multigrip pullup bar (R1 400, mifitness. co.za) offers a sturdy platform for pullups and leg raises. Plus, it doubles as an anchor for a TRX HOME (R3 400, trxsouthafrica. co.za), which links to an app with loads of exercises.

1. What do you like to do? 2. What does your body need? 3. Do you want to get better at something? Then use that info to guide how you divide your space and budget. If you like doing bodyweight work and circuits, your biggest costs may be a bench, a pullup bar and kettlebells. If you like classic strength training, make sure you have enough room for a standard Olympic barbell, which is 2.1 metres long. At minimum, two-ish square metres should set you up for everything from deadlifts to broad jumps. Don’t have much space? Technology to the rescue. These days, there are smarter do-it-all machines that enable you to perform hundreds of exercises, whether they’re basic like TRX or high-tech like Mirror. Like all of us, your home gym is a work in progress. After three months, take inventory. Ask those three questions again, and if need be, evict the stuff you’re not using and draft new equipment. It’s your gym! Whatever your space or budget, we have you covered. Get after it!

H E AV Y S T U F F Popularised by CrossFit and military workouts, sandbags are awkward to lift, making them good tools for building functional strength whether you’re doing bearcrawl drags, clean and jerks or farmer’s carries. Rebel Sand Bags (from R450, rebelstore.co.za) have several handles placed in different areas on the bag so you can do almost any move with ease. They are available in weights from 5kg to a burly 30kg.

BENCH WORK An adjustable bench like the Body Solid Flat Incline Decline Bench with Leg Developer Attachment (R7 900, fitnessworldwc.co.za) lets you do standard moves like flat presses as well as incline exercises and ab work. It has six potential positions so you can target different muscle groups.

SWING SET Some trainers say the only weights you need in your gym are kettlebells – they’re that versatile. Dragon Door Russian Kettlebells (from R330, kettlebellsforafrica. co.za) have a paint finish that prevents chipping and wear. Plus, they’re available in weights from 6kg to a beastly 48kg.

INSPIRATION BOARD A whiteboard is great for listing your workout and noting PBs. The Parrot Magnetic Whiteboard (from R599, parrot.co.za) is easy to mount and clean and comes in fourteen sizes. The Ikea Kallax (R1 999, myflatpack.co.za) provides deep, sturdy shelving for boxing gear, straps, mobility tools, and more.

KILLER CARDIO Few warmups get the blood flowing as quickly as a two-minute spin on the devil’s bike. The Schwinn Airdyne AD7 (R20 680, ubuy.za.com) has a bright LCD display showing calories burnt, watts, distance, speed, RPM and heart rate. Hop on for everything from max-intensity one-minute intervals to 45-minute tempo rides. And thanks to its wheels, you can

roll it away to create space. Med balls are great for home gyms because of their

versatility. Use them for explosive moves like slams and floor-based ab stuff like Russian twists. The Rebel Slam Balls (from R155, rebelstore.co.za) are grippy and durable and are available in weights from 3kg to 80kg. GymNext’s Flex Timer (R3 040, gymnext.com) pairs with your smartphone, enabling you to set intervals and display your heart rate. They don’t ship outside of the US or Canada but you can use a service like Shipito (shipito.com) to ship it here.

B AT T L E R OYA L E Onnit’s 40-feet battle ropes (POR, primalrevolution.co.za) are made of a flexible but durable nylonpolypropylene blend and have XL end caps, making them easier to grip. The Title Vinyl Punching Bag (from R450, boxing.co.za) has a tough PVC cover. The Hayabusa T3 boxing gloves (R2 790, hayabusafight.com) have plush padding and are easy to put on and take off.

POWER BASICS Don’t waste money on fancy flooring from popular sports retailers. Instead, try horse stall mats or industrial tool suppliers. These Xtreme Living Interlocking Mats (R425, powertooltraders.co.za) come in a 6-piece set. They’re also 10mm thick which is ideal if you’re doing box jumps or you drop your weights.

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 109

IN YOUR CLOSET IF YOU LIVE in an

apartment or are just a minimalist, use these tips from former pro athlete Brett Williams, who lives in a small apartment, to maximise your space and still get a serious sweat.

P O W E R B A L L R E S I S TA N C E S E T Start with these five resistance bands. Powerball’s bands also come with grip handles, ankle cuffs and a door anchor for more exercises. R399, takealot.com

A D J U S TA B L E D U M B B E L L S Replace up to 15 pairs of dumbbells with one set. The range is great enough to challenge you on heavy floor presses but light enough to let you do lateral raises. R5 800, mifitness.co.za

OLYMPIC RUBBER PLATE Even if you can’t fit a barbell in your apartment, pick up a 20kg plate. You can curl it, use it for rows or lunges, and put it on your back for pushups. R1 439, sportsmanswarehouse.co.za

J X F I T N E S S 9 1 3 H O M E GY M A space-conscious multi-function machine that offers over 10 exercise options like the bench press, leg extension and lat pull down. R12 500, fitnessnetwork.co.za

BULLDOG GEAR WALLMOUNTED FOLDING RACK Made in the UK (they ship globally) you can go heavy, then fold it against the wall, saving space. From R13 935, bulldoggear.eu

CONCEPT2: MODEL D ROWER Intuitive to use, smooth, and durable, the model D also has a new display, which features easy programming for custom workouts. R20 995, concept2southafrica.com

RUBBER HEX DUMBBELLS Budget so that you have no wider range than 5kg – for example, 5, 10, 15 versus 5, 15, 25 – to progress safely. From R249, Sportsmans Warehouse se

R E B E L S A F E T Y F O A M P LYO B OX Foam boxes offer advantages over wooden ones: you don’t risk scraping your shins. These boys feature 4 different levels that can stack together. From R1 655, rebelstore.co.za

ONNIT 10-POUND STEEL MACE Use this old-school strength tool for shoulder-mobility work, standing core exercises and recovery sessions. It’s much harder to control than you think. R720, onnit.com

MIRROR The mirror/display empowers you to do on-demand workouts or get one-on-one training sessions with live feedback for an additional amount. Could this be the future of fitness?

TONAL Essentially, this is a wall-mounted flatscreen TV with resistance-trainingcable arms. It’s great for guided solo or partnered workouts. And it looks pretty next level, too.

N O R D I C T R AC K S 2 2 I ST U D I O CYC L E Like a Peloton, it has streaming workouts and a 55cm touchscreen. But it tilts up and down to better simulate climbs and descents. You can import it from ubuy.za.com for R42 549

… SPARE ROOM THE ENTIRE MH FITNESS

squad helped select this gear, which is for guys who have space in their homes and want to do both traditional strength work and interval training. Yes, some of it is expensive, but it’s worth it. “Where I see people fail is when they compromise too much,” says Lygdback. “It’s an investment in your body and health.”

… LIVING ROOM STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACH

Ebenezer Samuel, shares his favourite high-tech strength and cardio machines, that we’re still waiting to arrive on South African shores.

FOR A BUDGET BODY BLAST Men’s Health’s own online shop has everything you could ever need to get fit. Build muscle and blast fat by signing up for our training plans like Speed Shred and Belly Off. Plus, you can also get dedicated plans for building muscle after 40 or upgrading your body without a gym. Head to plus.mh.co.za for more info. 110 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

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Don’t Miss Out Want to know what’s hot and happening in retail? Here’s the latest from our advertisers.

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FOURTH STREET

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Get Stressed To Impress

THE DEVIL’S ADVOCATE

Still not convinced that stress is a blessing? The arousal state also releases noradrenaline – a neuromodulator that effectively grows new

‘MINDFULNESS’ MAY BE HAVING ITS MOMENT, BUT COULD INNER PEACE BE HOLDING YOU BACK FROM HIGHER PERFORMANCE?

brain connections. In older people, those who undergo see less cognitive decline. The noradrenaline makes their

Stress wasn’t always such a loaded word – just as the avoidance of it hasn’t always been

brains more adaptive, which in turn protects them against degenerative

a billion-dollar industry. But for every wellness guru espousing the

illness. And it can do the same for you, at any stage in life.

benefits of daily meditation and the whimsical modern philosophy

Of course, there’s no reason to retrain as an Army operative,

of ‘mindfulness’, there’s an overstretched office worker whose

or start actually reading Trump’s tweets. Just don’t believe everything the zen zealots preach.

desperate efforts to calm his

Anxiety is merely a fear of

pounding heart are flatlining 1 . Let’s start by examining

the symptoms of fear. Learn to interpret your arousal response as

what happens when you get anxious. The autonomic

a sign that your body is readying itself for action. This automatically

nervous system puts your body in ‘fight or flight’ mode, which causes your heart rate to rise. But here’s the kicker: this is not a bad thing. In fact, your body reacts in the exact same way when you’re excited. It’s only context that causes us to name the response as fear rather than exhilaration. Don’t run from it – chase it. That’s not something you’re used to hearing from Instagram spiritualists, we’re sure, but stay with us. A study was conducted in which participants were asked to complete maths problems. Those who reported feeling anxious about their abilities performed worse as their levels of the stress hormone cortisol increased. So far, so obvious, right? However, those who didn’t interpret their jitters as anxiety – despite being no more adept at number crunching – actually performed better as their bodies released more cortisol. Stress sharpened their minds 2 . This ‘arousal energy’ has a sweet spot, you see. Yes, too much of it will fry your brain, but a deficiency can also cause you to underachieve. It’s something everyone from

THIS MONTH’S ADVOCATE Prof Ian Robertson, leading neuropsychology expert, author of The Stress Test (ianrobertson.org)

114 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

puts you in a ‘challenge’ mindset, where you’re anticipating reward rather than a ‘threat’ – where you’re expecting a form of punishment 3 . The next time public speaking or encroaching deadlines leave your stomach in knots, tell yourself that this is an opportunity to perform at your best under pressure. Now turn off the panpipes and go get ’em, Tiger. DON’T GET WRAPPED UP IN ANXIETY, LET IT PROPEL YOU FORWARD

stage performers to pro athletes intrinsically understands. Tiger Woods once said, “The day I don’t feel nervous before I go out on the green is the day I give up.” He needed that buzz to perform at his best. If you convince yourself that stress should be avoided at all costs in order to maintain a Buddhist-like calm, then you’re cheating yourself out of the brain-boosting effects a little pressure can deliver. What’s more, if you’re unable to achieve your desired state of serenity, you’ll interpret this as a personal failure, which only serves to create an additional stressor. In fact, according to research from the American Psychological Association, consciously trying to calm down ahead of a stressful event is less effective for reducing anxiety than firing yourself up.

DEALS WITH THE DEVIL 1

KILL THE CHILL

A study by Brown University found mindfulness benefits women more than men, who struggle to experience even minimal mental changes.

TOTAL RECALL

At manageable levels, adrenal stress hormones are shown to improve long-term memory consolidation, according to Neural Plasticity and Memory.

PUMP IT UP

In a Uni of Wisconsin-Madison study, those who experienced high stress but didn’t view it negatively lived longer than those with a zen-like lifestyle.

WORDS: SCARLETT WRENCH | PHOTOGRAPHY: PAVEL DORNAK AT HEARST STUDIOS | RETOUCHING: COLIN BEAGLEY

moderately stressful events

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