ONE LIFE
ONE LIFE
Move Well. Eat Well. Feel Well.
one life. live it well.
Live it WELL
Swimming Special Vote for your favorite Holmes Place pool
Feel Well
Eat Well
Now available at Holmes Place Shops Feel like an Olympic medal winner with Speedo swimwear
The Grill Champion
A Holmes Place chef is a BBQ World Champion
Move Well
Hiking
Nature at your Feet
WI N ! h ort Prizes w +
2,0Eur0o0
follow us on facebook
SUMMER 2012
®
Editorial
Dear members and friends, Welcome to the latest edition of One Life magazine. In this summer edition, we recognize that many of our members will depart on vacation and cannot continue their daily club routines. While you cannot take your Holmes Place club with you, you can take our spirit with you—we have provided some interesting and innovative ways for you to keep working out at your holiday destination. Members of our wellness team have provided some great tips on how best to get started. Doron Dickman CEO, Holmes Place Europe
Eat Well
In the section of this issue, we feature many new healthy and fast recipes and take a look behind the new fad of “bubble tea.”
Feel Well
In the section, the Holmes Place yoga trainer team explains how the practice of yoga can help you in other endurance sports.
Move Well,
In there is a chance for you to vote for your favorite Holmes Place swimming pool and find out about some you may not have visited. There is a mini-guide to the Olympics, some great app recommendations, and an introduction to two new sports that are rapidly growing in popularity: Piloxing and SurfSET. By now, I hope that our readers are aware of Holmes Place’s serious commitment to helping our members to move well, eat well, and feel well. Holmes Place’s departure from the traditional “fitness club” model is based on an understanding that today’s society needs a balance that exercising alone does not provide. Why exercise and then put the wrong “fuel” in your body? Why eat properly only for your digestion to be affected by your stress levels? As an example of that commitment, each of our clubs now employs at least one nutritionist, dedicated and available to you to help improve the quality of your life through optimized nutrition. Over the next few months, we will be investing heavily across the group in our spa and relaxation facilities. Having completed the premier day spa in Europe at Potsdamer Platz, Berlin, we have re-invested in wellness in our clubs in Lausanne, Hamburg Bahrenfeld, Geneva, and elsewhere. Holmes Place celebrated 10 years of operations in Greece earlier this year. The recent economic and social upheavals in this country have been cause for the entire Holmes Place family to pull together. Despite the difficulties and the negative media coverage, we feel confident—our new club opened in Glyfada in April, and has been a success beyond our expectations. Holmes Place Greece has also just won an international Superbrands award and the Greek business has our full support. This has been the exciting year so far that 2012 promised to be, and it will get even better with the launch of some exciting new group exercise programs that I have been heavily involved in myself. We are working to keep your experience at Holmes Place unique and inspiring. Please let us know how we can improve. You only have One Life—Live it well. Please feel free to write to me at: Doron.dickman@holmesplace.com
SUMMER 2012 | HOLMES PLACE | 3
Contents 3
Editorial
MOVE WELL
6 10 Fitness Tips to: Move Well
8
Swimming Special
Which is the favorite Holmes Place pool? Plus recommendations from a swimming coach
12
London 2012
Mini-guide to the Summer Olympics
14
Impressions
The latest club opens in Glyfada near Athens, Greece
16
Apps
The best and worst smartphone applications for the Olympics, swimming, and hiking
18
New Fitness Trend Piloxing
22 Hiking
Some great tips on where and how to get started
19
New Fitness Trend
SurfSET
20
Summer Sports Events
How QR-Codes work:
Summer events for swimmers and hikers
Simply download a free app for QR codes from the app store (search for QR) and launch it. Direct your camera to the QR code and scan it, and you will be taken to a website.
22
Hiking
Nature at your feet
14
31
Contents
FEEL WELL 34
10 Fitness Tips to: Feel Well
36
New @ Holmes Place Shops: Speedo & more
38
Yoga
20 Calendar:
Summer Sports Events From swimming with Nessie to hiking in the Alps
EAT WELL 24
10 Fitness Tips to: Eat Well
26
Nutrition Column:
Why water really is that important
28
The BBQ World Champion …
… works at Holmes Place! Plus some fresh salads to go with your grilled meat.
30
How to get the most from yoga in other kinds of sports—or walks of life
40
Events & Awards
Holmes Place news
41
Motorola Sweepstake Special Win a MOTOLUXE Android smartphone
42
Sweepstakes
38 Yoga How yoga can be a motivation boost for any endurance sport and life overall
Fast Fit Food
New Member Recipe: Salmon Tartare with Strawberries
31
Baking Column
A light orange-and-lemon chiffon cake
32
Bubble Tea
Summer fun or calorie trap?
SUMMER 2012 | HOLMES PLACE | 5
Fitness
Move Well Summer, sun, holiday travels. The only problem is that you have to leave your favorite fitness club back home. Fortunately, these 10 expert tips can help you keep fit even while traveling.
6 | HOLMES PLACE | SUMMER 2012
Fitness
7 8
Jogging. Light running will help mobilize the whole musculature, improve oxygen absorption in the blood, and support circulation and weight loss.
Horseback riding. Take advantage of vacation time to try horseback riding, which promotes an upright body posture and strengthens the leg and gluteal muscles. Stud farms and ranches often offer beginners’ lessons, as well as riding excursions.
1 Text: José Angel Benitez Sierra I Photos: Kzenon, Marcin Robert Balc, Warren Goldswain/Fotolia
Fitness in your hotel room. A fun way to start your vacation day is with a light workout in your room, using a water bottle as a light weight. You can also get in some quick abs work while sitting on the bed.
2
Animation programs. Hotels often offer fun new sports challenges. How about a dance lesson for a change? Only 10 minutes of moving will count toward training endurance, coordination, elasticity, and muscle power.
3
Sea and pool. If your hotel is not near the sea, it will almost certainly have a swimming pool. Improve your condition by trying out different swimming styles or joining a water gymnastics group. Water has a supporting effect that makes it a friendly training environment for your muscles and joints.
4
Crossfit. One of the advantages of Crossfit is that it can be practiced anywhere, just by using what a location has to offer— be it a piece of wood or deep sand on a beach. The goal is to both build up muscle and improve endurance and strength.
5
9
6
10
Discover nature by foot. Hiking to take a break from everyday life can be done at any age and almost any place. Hiking strengthens the whole musculoskeletal system, as well as the cardiovascular system. It takes no special preparation or training, but be sure to wear the right shoes to support and protect your ankles.
Pedaling. Bicycles can be rented almost anywhere. Cycling through nature is fun, absolutely family-friendly, and quite relaxing. The spirit and purpose of this sport is to strengthen thigh and gluteal muscles. If you like your cycling to be more adventurous, try a mountain bike.
Relaxation time. Yoga, Tai Chi, Chi Gong, and Body Balance are the new trends when it comes to relaxation sports for body and soul. If you are already familiar with some of these practices, just grab a towel and find a quiet place at the beach, the hotel terrace, or a nearby park to indulge.
Beach time. Those who do not want to just lie in the sun like a blob can work out at the beach. Jogging barefoot on the sand is more work for the body than normal running on pavement. If you are looking to flirt as well, check out some beach volleyball. Even building sand castles can turn into a high-performance sport if you are ambitious enough!
Swimming Special
Köln Am Gürzenich
Making
Modern elegance in Cologne’s famous Old Town, near the Dome.
Waves
Every Holmes Place club has a pool, but which one do you like best? Now you can vote for your favorite!
A Dip in the Pool In swim commentary on TV, there is often talk of “hard” and “soft” water. Which is better? For mere mortals, those are minor differences. This only gets interesting when top athletes compete for advantages of hundredths of a second … What kinds of swimming classes do you offer? Learning new swimming techniques beyond the old-fashioned breast stroke is getting increasingly popular. Instead of just moving the arms, many want to learn the leg movements and the head-driven bodywave commonly used in the butterfly. The butterfly is the hardest to learn and the most exhausting. Even well-trained athletes often need to catch a break after just one lane of the butterfly.
Björn Sangmeister is a personal swimming coach at the Berlin Holmes Place Club at Ostkreuz
8 | HOLMES PLACE | SUMMER 2012
Text: Claudia Wiegand
Swimming coach Björn Sangmeister offers individual swim courses as well as group classes at Berlin’s Holmes Place Club Ostkreuz.
Which is healthier: swimming in a pool or in a lake? It all depends on the lake’s water quality and if it has been approved as safe for swimming. Pools will always have a certain amount of chlorine, but, in most places, that is strictly regulated by law and controlled. Chlorine is needed to keep pool water clean; in a lake, that would be done by algae. If you can actually smell chlorine, then there’s too much of it. At Holmes Place pools, that is something you don’t need to worry about, since our excellent tech guys always keep the chlorine at a safe level. Another advantage of swimming indoors is that it can be done at night and in darkness—something that would be dangerous in a lake.
Swimming Special
A pool is a pool is … not like any other pool. Yes, they all have water in them, but, as you will see on the next few pages, each one is unique, at least at Holmes Place. What do you see when you swim? How is the lighting? Do you like the amenities?
Hamburg Bahrenfeld A highly modern club built in a remodeled former factory, which gives it its own unusual charm.
What makes it so hard? You have to learn the powerful, headdriven bodywave and execute it at each stroke. Just plain moving ahead is difficult in the beginning, but you can start out wearing fins to get the hang of it. Video analysis is a great tool, particularly in improving the body’s position in the water. If you are almost upright, you won’t move ahead very well. We always start out with theory, because the techniques have to be learned bit by bit, stroke by stroke. Coordination is very difficult in the beginning, but again, fins will help overcome those first obstacles. I am a huge fan of fins. Why do things change so much and fast in swimming? Development is moving ahead rapidly, because research in biomechanics has gotten professional and highly sci-
entific. The tiniest movement can be analyzed for its effects on water pressure and water resistance, and how to optimize it all. For the fingers, a slightly splayed-out position is—at least currently—recommended, which can be learned by using hand paddles, such as ones by Speedo (available in the Holmes Place shops). What makes water so popular as a training environment? The buoyancy of water makes it very easy on the joints, and it is great for overweight people who are just starting out because it helps them get moving and motivated. Very helpful with that are group workouts, which also have resulted in many new friendships being formed here. It is recommended to combine swimming with some complementary strength training, just like
top athletes would do. As the arms and legs get stronger, it all gets easier. How long and often should you work out in the water? For healthy people, I would recommend training twice a week for 30–60 minutes at a time, always depending on their physical condition. It is important for people with heart disease to consult their doctor about safe swimming, since blood pressure will change when you’re in the water. As soon as you start feeling cold and the lips turn a shade of blue, you should stop. When you get too tired, your technique starts to suffer. For success in learning techniques, it is best to have a clean slate and not several years of established bad habits. Anything is doable, but it will take longer to relearn than to start fresh.
(Hirschberger Straße 3 in Lichtenberg, Tel.: +49 30 557 79 79 00, Fax: +49 30 557 79 79 10, info.osk@holmesplace.de)
SUMMER 2012 | HOLMES PLACE | 9
Swimming Special
Düsseldorf Königsallee The club in a top area of Düsseldorf features a 21m long sports pool
Berlin Ostkreuz The biggest Berlin Holmes Place pool, with a view of the lobby.
A call to vote: With this issue, One Life introduces the Members’ Favorite Award (MFA). This time, you can vote on your favorite Holmes Place club pool on both the One Life and the Holmes Place Facebook pages. Here are some options, and you can send in suggestions for your very own favorite club pool as well. If you do, please include a brief explanation of why you like that particular pool the best.
10 | HOLMES PLACE | SUMMER 2012
Swimming Special
Berlin Potsdamer Platz Small but chic: the wellness pool in the latest Berlin HP-Club addition.
Fun Facts about Water 1
4
Water is called H2O because it is made up of two elements: hydrogen and oxygen. Each water molecule consists of two hydrogen atoms bonded to a single oxygen atom.
2
5
The longest river in the world is the Nile River, which reaches 6,650 kilometers in length (4,132 miles).
the normal condition of sea level. The boiling point of water actually changes relative to barometric pressure. For example, water boils at just 68°C (154°F) at the top of Mount Everest, while water deep in the ocean near geothermal vents can remain in liquid form at temperatures much higher than 100°C.
3
6
8
Water covers about 70% of the Earth’s surface—the same percentage as in the human body. Ocean tides are caused by the rotation of the Earth and the gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun acting on ocean water.
Water from a sea or ocean is known as seawater. On average, every kilogram of seawater contains around 35 grams of dissolved salt.
Pure water has no smell and no taste, and a neutral pH level of around 7.
7
While most people know that water boils at 100°C (212°F), this is at
The Earth is a closed system, similar to a terrarium—it rarely loses or gains extra matter. The same water that existed on Earth millions of years ago is still present today.
9
An elephant can smell water up to three miles away. A dog’s nose is so sensitive that it can tell the difference between a tub of water and a tub of water with a teaspoon of salt in it.
10
Most of the water on earth—97 percent, to be exact—is saltwater and can’t be used for drinking purposes. Only 3 percent is freshwater, and most of that is tied up in the polar ice caps and glaciers.
SUMMER 2012 | HOLMES PLACE | 11
London 2012
Let the
Games Begin! The Queen had her Diamond Jubilee; now London is bracing for another event that is just about as rare: the Summer Olympics 2012. We tell you what is new, what is getting old, and what to look out for. When:
27
Opening ceremony:
From July to August 12, 2012.
Will be called “The Isles of Wonder” and be produced by artistic director and Oscar winner Danny Boyle (“Slumdog Millionaire”). Sir Paul McCartney will perform at its close.
Record: After beating out Paris, Madrid, New York City, and Moscow, 2012 makes London the first city to host the modernday Olympics for a third time, after 1908 and 1948.
Where? The main action will take place in a new 200-hectare Olympic Park built on a former industrial site served by the Stratford tube (subway) stop in East London.
Interesting venue: The Aquatics Center in the Olympic Park was designed by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid and has room for an audience of 17,500. The 160 m-long roof resembles the shape of a wave.
Most attractive athlete? A strong contender is the 2006 runner-up to Miss Paraguay, Leryn Franco, who finances her javelin career by modeling. Of course, every country will have its very own favorites— and we hope they all win!
12 | HOLMES PLACE | SUMMER 2012
Which sports are out: U.S. favorites softball and baseball.
How many sports are there?
26 39
sports in
disciplines.
London 2012
The logo: Cost £400,000 (about 580,000 €) and was developed by the London design company Wolff Olins. The logo is supposed to represent the number 2012 with the Olympic Rings in the zero, but looks downright ugly. Supposedly, it is aimed at young people, but, so far, the reaction has been extremely negative across the board.
Mascots: Wenlock and Mandeville are animations depicting two drops of steel from a steelworks in Bolton. They are named Wenlock, after the Shropshire town of Much Wenlock, which held a forerunner event of the current Olympic Games, and Mandeville, after Stoke Mandeville, a village in Buckinghamshire where a forerunner to the Paralympic Games was first held.
How many participants?
Text: Claudia Wiegand I Photos: ODA, LOCOG, Richard Kane/Fotolia
Medals:
What about the Paralympics? They will take place from August 29–September 9, with 20 sports in 21 disciplines. For the first time, the developmentally disabled will be allowed to compete.
At least this time, the medals are round again and weigh about 400 g. About 4,700 have been produced at the Royal Mint. Sport and discipline get engraved on the rim. Designer David Watkins followed recent tradition, with the front showing Nike, the Greek Goddess of Victory. The reverse shows the River Thames, the Games logo, and a mass of lines representing athletic energy.
204 Athletes from
nations will take part.
Which sports are in: Nothing new! Karate and squash almost made it but failed to get enough votes. Golf and rugby sevens will not be added until 2016. Some disciplines have been changed or added, though: Mixed doubles in tennis returns to the Olympics after 88 (!) years.
SUMMER 2012 | HOLMES PLACE | 13
H
olmes Place Glyfada opened its doors to welcome its new members on the first of April. The modern building in the southern suburbs of Athens has become the ultimate wellness destination for those who choose wellness as a way of life. The strict, high standards under which Holmes Place Glyfada was created and the luxurious feel of its facilities make it one of the most prestigious Holmes Place Clubs internationally—and well worth a visit for tourists (right after the Acropolis!).
Glyfada
A new fitness & wellness temple in Athens
Holmes Place Glyfada is housed in an ultramodern, spacious area of 3,400 square meters and features: • heated 25-meter pool with aqua programs and swimming programs for kids • Jacuzzi & Relaxation Area • beautiful, spacious gym area with sea view, equipped with the latest cardiovascular machines (treadmills, bikes,
rowing, glidex, and wave), state-of-the-art equipment for resistance training, and free weights • 4 group fitness studios: cycling, Pilates, Move Well (for fitness/aerobics), Body & Mind (for holistic/yoga) • Small group training with special equip ment (TRX®, Bosu, Kinesis, Power Plate) in the Functional Training Zone
• nutrition center • spacious and luxurious changing rooms • sauna & hammam (Turkish bath) • spa • indoor & outdoor café-restaurant • roof garden for chill-out drinks • parking
If you find yourself in Athens, be sure to check out Holmes Place Glyfada: 83 Gr. Lampraki Str., 166 75 Glyfada | glyfada@holmesplace.gr | www.holmesplace.gr
Section
Fitness, Dance & Friends Holmes Place celebrates
Text: Claudia Wiegand I Photo: name/Fotolia
I
n celebration of the 10-year anniversary of Holmes Place Clubs in Greece, Holmes Place Greece organized one of its biggest fitness events ever on May 11 and 12: the Holmes Place Festival. Members of all three Greek clubs and their friends enjoyed two days of group classes in a festival full of energy, music, and rhythm at the brand-new fitness studios of Holmes Place Glyfada. Offerings included special dance, cycling, yoga, and Pilates classes. Special guests, exclusively invited for the Holmes Place Festival, were the renowned international dance presenters Laeti Vital and Tom Woll, who brought fun and adrenaline to new heights with lively dance classes, including Step ’n’ Dance and House Moves Dance Aerobics. Among the highlights of the event were a “Spin like a Champion” cycling class with Greek Olympic champion Athanasia Tsoumeleka and “Xtradvanced” and “Power Yoga” with famous Greek presenters George Xiros and Niki Petroulaki. The event ended with a party at the Roof Garden of Holmes Place Glyfada, overlooking the glittering city lights of Athens, with great music, cocktails, and lots of positive energy from all participants.
SOMMER 2012 | HOLMES PLACE | 15
Apps
Appsolute
Fitness
The Summer Olympic Games in London are the first ever to be accompanied by a full onslaught of new media. Hobby athletes like swimmers and hikers can, of course, benefit from apps, too. Here are some recommendations for you.
16 | HOLMES PLACE | SUMMER 2012
Swim Coach Plus HD ééééé 2.39 €
MotionX GPS 0.79 €
ééééé
There is hardly a better tool to improve your swimming technique than video analysis. With this professional-looking and regularly updated app, you get a clever analysis tool to help you compare your own strokes to those of Olympic athletes, detail by detail.
The most popular and most useful app for iPhone hikers. The developers are doing a great job of listening to user requests and incorporating regular updates into their program. For anyone who likes to work with GPS orientation, there is no way around MotionX.
By Cricket4Evry1 Pty Ltd
By Fullpower Technologies
Apps
London 2012
iSwim Lite
ééééé 0.79 € A fee-based app for the Olympics. You can save yourself the expense, since all its functions—a medal count and schedule—are available for free in other apps that are done even better. By Jesse Head
London 2012:
Free
ééééé Free Beware the trap: Instead of a useful swim-training app, iSwim hides a dumb gimmick game behind its cool name. You are actually supposed to simulate swimming by poking your touchscreen with one finger—cramps guaranteed. Apparently the updates have gone totally belly-up as well: The last sign of life is from 2009 … By Apps4Life
Official Join In App for the Olympic and Paralympic Games
AlpineQuest GPS Hiking
iOS & Android
ééééé
Android
Free
ééééé
It would be great that there is a free version of this app. Unfortunately, it turns out to be very lite—the free version is missing the app’s main highlight: its GPS tracking. If you’re likely to get lost or don’t have something else that includes GPS, go for the full version. An extremely useful feature for hikers is that the app works offline as well as on. A must! Full version, 4.99€
Text: Claudia Wiegand
By Psyberia
The U.S. company Go Swim was founded by a couple of former Olympic athletes turned coaches. They have 10 years of experience in making swimming DVDs in close collaboration with top athletes. The considerably large app features Twitter feeds, an international swimming community, excellent training advice, and streaming videos.
Swim Speeds
Helps swimmers keep track of their traveled distances, times, and speeds. Of course, this is only a secondary tool, given smartphones’ unfortunate reluctance to keep working under water …
www.london2012.com/mobileapps
By Walsh iTechnology LLC
of the Olympic Games and Paralympic
ééééé Free
By Mobile Roadie
The official app of the Summer Olympic Games has a lot to offer: from a torch tracker to London’s cultural offerings during the Olympics to info about the Paralympics—and you can easily build your own Olympics schedule. (The BBC has announced the launch of its very own Olympic apps, with live streaming, etc., but they were not ready for review by presstime for this issue). By the London Organizing Committee
Go Swim
Free
ééééé
Peaks 2.39 €
ééééé
Sounds like a fantastic idea: All you have to do is point your iPhone at a given mountain and zoom—you find out all about it. However, you will learn nothing at all in this instance, because this amateur (cr)app just will not work; no wonder, when its last update was 2010. By Jonathan Harclerode
Games Limited
SUMMER 2012 | HOLMES PLACE | 17
Piloxing
J
ust when you think that just about everything that can be invented has been invented, even in fitness, a new trend or training device breaks onto the scene and shows that, even given the natural limitations of the human body, new workouts are still possible. In fact, the possibilities are huge, considering how many new trends are based on new combinations of established ones. The very latest example is called Piloxing—a vibrant and attractive mix of Pilates, boxing, and dancing that has many female fans in particular. Among the growing number of (naturally female) Hollywood stars promoting Piloxing are actress and singer Hilary Duff and Alexis Bledel of “The Gilmore Girls.“ As it should, given that Piloxing was developed with women in mind by Swedish fitness coach and dancer Viveca Jensen. She perfectly embodies the official website’s (www.piloxing.com) slogan: “Sleek. Sexy. Powerful.“ The goal of the Piloxing full-body workout is strengthening not only the body, improving endurance, and building up muscles, but enhancing the mind and soul as well. Core and balance also can improve through Piloxing.
New trend gets you strong, sleek, and sexy
18 | HOLMES PLACE | SUMMER 2012
The official training accessory for Piloxing is pretty basic: gloves that are filled with half-a-pound of sand. An intense class in Piloxing is supposed to be able to burn up to 900 calories.
SurfSET
Text: Claudia Wiegand I Photos: EpicStockMedia/Fotolia & Promo
Endless Waves
I
magine you have been surfing since the age of 9, but do not live in a classic surfing area. Mike Hartwick always had to improvise when it came to his favorite sport—both when traveling and in making time for it after he got involved in a hockey career, followed by one in finance. At some point, he found the perfect solution: He developed SurfSET after quitting his job in finance. SuftSET turned out to be a revolutionary workout program that takes place completely on a surfboard mounted on three inflated rubber tubes called RipSurfer X. Its motto is “Redefine your Workout. Redesign your Body.” According to the SurfSET website (www.surfsetfitness.com), Hartwick “would train with heavy weights in the gym during hockey season, and run away to the beaches of California to enjoy daily surfsets when the season ended. Mike loved the way his body looked and felt after months of surfing, and he hated having to leave the ocean behind and lose all the conditioning that came from his surf sessions.” Surfing in itself is already one of the most effective full-body training methods around. A SurfSET class cuts out the waiting time for the next wave and even skips the need to travel to the ocean, while adding some slightly modified surf movements for a whole-body workout. SurfSET boosts core, balance, strength, coordination, flexibility, agility, and cardio—all at once. On top of all that, SurfSET is some crazy and cool fun! Another big plus: no sharks, storms, or dead calms to endanger the experience. One SurfSET class promises to burn up to an amazing 1,000 calories. For an opportunity to catch a SurfSET class when traveling, check the website.
SUMMER SPRING 2012 | HOLMES PLACE | 19
Calendar
Ischgl Ironbike August 3–5 Ischgl, Austria
Marathon-Swim Zürichsee August 5
Rapperswil, Switzerland The 25th International SelfTranscendence Marathon Swim goes from Rapperswil to Zürichsee. At 26.4 km, it is the longest competitive swimming event in Switzerland. http://ch.srichinmoyraces.org
Summer Olympics of the XXXth Olympic Games July 27–August 12
The beautiful Tyrol in the Alps is a perfect backdrop for one of the most challenging mountain bike races in Europe. www.ischgl.com
London, England, UK London is the very first city ever to host three Olympics. The first two were in 1908 and 1948. This summer, London will host 302 competitions in 26 sports, including the newly reintroduced mixed doubles in tennis.
Starnberg Lake Swim August 11
Possenhofen, Germany
www.london2012.com
Governors Island Swim New York July 28
New York City, NY, USA Jump off a ferry and swim in the Upper New York Bay around Governors Island, New York City’s birthplace, with a spectacular view of Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. A unique event that had to be canceled last year for weather reasons. www.nycswim.org
20 | HOLMES PLACE | SUMMER 2012
Monster Swim August 18
Loch Ness, Scotland, UK
25 km southwest of Bavaria’s capital, Munich, is the famous Starnberger See, where “fairy tale king” Ludwig II, who built Castle Neuschwanstein (see pages 22–23), drowned in 1886. At 56.26 km², Starnberger is Germany’s fifth-biggest lake; yet, because of its average depth of 53 m, it holds the second-largest amount of water in a German lake. www.starnbergerseeschwimmen.de
See if you can spot Nessie, the fabled Loch Ness monster, while swimming in one of the UK’s largest lochs: Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. Loch Ness is 280 meters deep and holds more water than all of England’s and Wales‘s lakes combined! Wetsuits are recommended, as water temperatures are very low. A big plus for this bone-chilling event: It is all for a good cause—raising funds to battle cancer. www.monsterswim.co.uk
Calendar
2nd Olympiapark Berlin Staffeltriathlon (Relay Triathlon) September 16 Berlin, Germany What is the improved version of a triathlon? A relay triathlon. This event builds on a successful premiere last year. www.startschuss-berlin.de
Karwendelmarsch August 25
Scharnitz, Tyrol, Austria
Hiking Festival
September 15–October 7 Kobarid, Scca Valley, Slovenia
If you want mountains, here you get mountains! The impressive 52 km track leads through protected alpine nature areas and is suited for hiking, running, or Nordic walking. http://karwendelmarsch.info
This festival includes 17 guided hiking tours, along with exhibitions and lectures. www.dolina-soce.com
2nd Wander-Festival
August 31–September 2 Berchtesgaden, Germany The Berchtesgadener Land is also called the “Pearl of the Alps,” due to its rare beauty. Two different 24-hour hikes are on offer —one more classic, one more adventurous—plus several shorter hiking events. www.berchtesgadener-land.com
Earl of Pearl— Austrian Open Water Cup August 19
Island Swim August 18
Potsdam, Germany
Participants can build up scores in several swimming events in different Austrian lakes, leading up to a grand finale in August.
This big swim party with several competitive races around a picturesque little island in the former Prussian capital draws lots of spectators. Even children can compete in their own, shorter course.
http://openwater.jimdo.com
www.inselschwimmen.de
Zell am See, Austria
SUMMER 2012 | HOLMES PLACE | 21
Hiking
Nature
at Your Feet Hiking through a dramatic backdrop of mountain scenery gives you the opportunity to witness the great wonders of the natural world while testing your physical endurance. If you are want to keep fit and have a desire to explore nature, hiking lets you do both.
22 | HOLMES PLACE | SUMMER 2012
Hiking
Preparation
Text: James Hetherington I Photos: Jakub Cejpek, Jens Ottoson, auremar, Dudarev Mikhail, Jacques Marais/Fotolia
How you prepare for your hiking trip will greatly affect your physical performance. The most essential requirements for any hiking expedition include: • Appropriate clothing for a variety of weather conditions • A detailed map and a well-planned, defined route • A bag or pack filled with all the essentials (and little more) • A light source, in case you get lost after sunset • A cell phone with GPS capability
Famous routes in Europe
The right gear
Snowdonia National Park
Sporty trainers – the new hiking shoes
This exhilarating trek across one of Britain’s most popular hiking routes exposes you to the fabulous panoramic scenery of Snowdonia in North Wales. Consider staying at the youth hostel in Pen-y-Pass. After leaving the parking lot, head westward along the winding path that overlooks the beautiful lakes of Teyrn Llydaw to your left. Tackle the steepest and rockiest stage of the path before turning left, alongside the great Snowdon Mountain Railway. The entire length of the journey is around five kilometers and involves an ascent of around 700 meters. On a clear day with excellent visibility, the view from Mount Snowdon is breathtaking.
Mulhacén, Sierra Nevada, Spain
Mulhacén is the highest mountain peak in mainland Spain and offers a thrilling adventure off the beaten track. This relatively unmarked trail is suited to the enthusiastic, creative hiker seeking the perfect opportunity for a challenge. Walking from the beautiful village of Trevélez at 1,500 meters to the peak (3,482 meters) is a four- to five-hour journey for the intermediate hiker. The view from the top offers a remarkable vantage point from which to observe the Sierra Nevada, although it is largely out of bounds during the winter months.
Sporty trainers have recently come into fashion because of their versatility. They can be used in a wide range of settings, from hiking up a steep mountain to playing a game of golf. Brands like Merrell, New Balance, and North Face lead the way in providing fashionable hiking gear that is durable in the elements yet modern. Hiking shoes will keep your feet warm and comfortable even on the most challenging treks and in the face of the demands of Mother Nature.
Neuschwanstein to Tegelberg, Germany
This 19th-century castle, nestled in striking Bavarian scenery, offers marvelous views. The hiking route from the castle to the towering Tegelberg toward the east includes an ascent of around 750 meters and a distance of approximately two kilometers. The views of the lush forestry and towering peaks are well worth the effort.
SUMMER 2012 | HOLMES PLACE | 23
Nutrition
Eat Well Summer time, and the eating can be easy. All you need to do is follow these 10 tips from Holmes Place nutrition expert Gemma Bischoff.
1
2
Enjoy super salads. Salads are easy to prepare and can be packed with different nutrients for your body. The main thing is to pay attention to how much dressing you put on your salads and what type of dressing you use. A fresh dressing made from lemons and olive oil is a lot healthier than a creamy, pre-prepared one.
3
Don’t forget the protein. Some people tend to reduce their protein intake during the warmer months, because they want something “lighter.” A balanced meal should, however, contain a protein source (lean meat, poultry without skin, lentils/beans, tofu, cheese, eggs, etc.) for cell repair, immunity, and energy, as well as a high-fiber carbohydrate (also found in beans/lentils).
24 | HOLMES PLACE | SUMMER 2012
Text: Gemma Bischoff I Photos: Igor Tarasyuk, Ruslan Olinchuk/Fotolia
Stay hydrated. It is always important to get enough water, especially during summer. Water helps make your bodily functions work properly and, boosts your energy levels, as well as keeping your hair and skin from drying out. The recommended fluid intake for an adult (with a healthy weightto-height ratio) is 35 mL/kg body weight.
Nutrition
4
Smart barbecuing. One way that people do get their protein in during the summer is by grilling meat on the barbecue. That’s great (especially if you’re choosing smart, lean cuts of meat). However, you shouldn’t neglect the opportunity to get in some other important nutrition during this time as well by adding vegetables to the grill. Cooking on the BBQ exposes us to damaging free radicals (found in burnt foods). One way to reduce the effect of free radicals is by consuming plenty of salad or vegetables.
5
Use seasonal produce. A lot of amazing foods come into season in the summer, and they can form the bulk of your healthy diet at this time of year. Summer fruits and vegetables are packed with high levels of nutrients. Choose brightly colored salads, fruits, and vegetables to get a fantastic vitamin boost.
6
Iced smoothies instead of ice cream. It’s tempting to eat some foods during the summer that really don’t offer the best nutrition. Learn to make substitutions so you’re eating foods that are just as refreshing but a lot healthier for you. Substituting ice cream with a small fruit smoothie (made from low fat milk/yogurt and fresh fruit) is a great example of how to do this. If you have a blender, use it for froze—berries and you will end up with a healthy ice cream alternative!
7
Make sure that food is stored/ cooked properly. It is important to pay attention to foodhandling hygiene in the summertime, since warmer weather creates the perfect breeding ground for harmful
bacteria. Pay extra attention to the freshness of meats and seafood, and ensure that they are stored correctly. When barbecuing, it is vital to make sure that: T he coals are glowing red with a powdery grey surface before you start cooking. F rozen meat is properly thawed before you cook it. You turn the meat regularly and move it around the grill to cook it evenly. Remember that meat is safe to eat only when: It is piping-hot in the center. N o pink meat is visible. A ny juices are clear.
8
Pre-plan your meals. You plan your weekend getaways and activities for summer. Why not your meals? Make it easy by planning meals for the week and taking a shopping list for only these ingredients. This helps prevent impulse buys and indulging in unhealthy alternatives that you might be tempted to buy. The best part: You’ll save money.
9
Eat Well at the beach. It can be a challenge to resist ice cream and high-calorie fizzy drinks in the summer months, so stay clear of these temptations by being prepared. Pack a refrigerated box with ice, bottled water, sandwiches on whole-grain breads, vegetable sticks, hummus, yogurt, and lots of fruit. You’ll feel healthier and happier after your day in the sunshine.
10
Observe the season for vitamin D. In the Northern hemisphere, there isn’t enough UVB radiation from the sun from November through March for our bodies to make vitamin D, an essential vitamin. This changes during the summer. Depending on your skin type, you only need 10–15 minutes of sun exposure (without protective lotion) to generate enough vitamin D (people with darker skin need longer in the sun) for the day. Dietary sources of vitamin D (oily fish, eggs, meat, dairy products) can make up the difference. People who cover up in the sun, wear sunblock, are pregnant/breastfeeding, are over 65 years old, or have darker skin tones are still at risk of vitamin D deficiency in the summer and may still need a supplement (discuss this with your nutritionist or doctor first).
A lot of amazing foods come into season now, and they can form the bulk of a healthy summer diet. SUMMER 2012 | HOLMES PLACE | 25
No Life
without Water
Nutrition Coordinator Elena Brening
Nutrition Column
Everyone knows that water is important for the human body. But why is that so? The answer is provided by Nutrition Coordinator Elena Brening (Holmes Place at Potsdamer Platz, Berlin).
W
ater, by mass, is the most important building block of the human body—after oxygen. In fact, 73 % of the human body consists of water (water content by lean body mass or LBM). For women, this amounts to about 50 % of body weight; for men, up to 60 %. An individual’s total body water varies depends on bodytype, body fat percentage, age, and gender.
Brain 91% Eyes 98%
73% of the body is composed of water
Lung 86%
Heart 75%
Water’s Functions within the Body
Solvent Digestive juices detach all nutrients and agents from foods in the stomach and colon so they can get absorbed by the body.
Means of Transportation In the blood, water transports detached nutrients through the veins to cells and organs. Even an optimal oxygen supply will heavily depend on the blood’s viscosity or thickness, which affects flow velocity.
Garbage Disposal Waste products of the metabolism get excreted several times a day via urine and feces.
Water cannot be saved in the body, which is why water is constantly being dispensed. Within 20 days, the body’s full volume of water is completely renewed.
26 | HOLMES PLACE | SUMMER 2012
Air Conditioning Sweating on a hot day creates a moist film on the skin’s surface, which has a cooling effect.
Liver 86%
Source of Minerals Drinking water includes all essential minerals.
Control Functions • Energy system • E lectrolyte system • Acidic-base system
Blood 92% Muscles 75%
Fluid compartments of a 35-year-old man weighing about 70 kg.
Water is the most important component of synovia and invertebral discs
Text: Elena Brening, Photos/Graphics: Elena Brening & Fotolia
Water is an essential component of all body cells and body fluids. In synergy with minerals, it guarantees osmotic pressure.
NOTE
Building Block
Kidneys 83%
NOTE
Nutrition Column
Athletes will suffer a drop in performance after losing only a single liter of water. Once the viscosity of the blood is impaired, oxygen just will not be able to reach the muscles as quickly as needed. That, in turn, creates acidity (-> increased milk acid production), causing the muscles to tire much faster.
Daily water loss in mL
Thirst and deficiency signs headaches and indisposition follow. This is all caused by the blood having insufficient viscosity and the resulting lack of oxygen. A loss of 5% of bodily fluids will result in a considerably increased body temperature. A deficit of 10% will cause mental aberration and restrictions in the musculoskeletal system. Detoxification is hindered as well,
resulting in poisoning symptoms. A deficit of 20% causes kidney and circulatory failure that can lead to death. Physical exertion and heightened temperatures increase the production of sweat and, thus, speed up the loss of water. A need for fluid arises. An illness such as diarrhea or the strain of practicing a sport can double this need for fluids.
SOS Flat Belly Diet
Normal conditions
Warm weather
Heavy labor
Lung
350 mL
250 mL
650 mL
Skin
350 mL
350 mL
350 mL
Kidney, Urine
1,400 mL
1,200 m
500 mL
Sweat
100 mL
1,400 mL
5,000 mL
Stool
100 mL
100 mL
100 mL
Overall
2,300 mL
3,300 mL
6,600 mL
NOTE
Even though a person could survive up to 50 days without eating, he or she would only make it for two to three days without drinking anything. When someone has lost about 0.5% of their body weight in water, thirst will occur, manifesting itself in a dry mouth, dark-yellow urine, and fatigue. After losing only 2% of body fluid, performance will drop noticeably;
Water has 0 calories
(Short-term effect, but it works!) To get your belly in shape for summer sunbathing, try these tips.
For 4 days, do the following: E at no “light” products (because saccharin inflates) E at nothing hot (inflates as well) U se salt sparsely (causes bloating) D rink only a little coffee (influences colon activities = flatulence) D rink lots of plain water (for colon hygiene)
A void bloating liquids such as: – Carbonated drinks – Lemonades – Beer – Champagne D o not chew gum (introduces air into the stomach = flatulence)
A void “inflating” foods such as: – Legumes (white or brown beans, peas, lentils) – Crudités (especially celery, raw carrots, bell pepper) – Onions, leeks – Garlic – A sparagus – Sauerkraut
Note! To maintain a good figure for the beach, always eat in moderation. A full tummy just cannot be flat and will lead to flatulence overnight. Your best bet is to avoid all the foods listed above.
Tips Keep healthy drinks in plain sight and easy reach at home and while exercising, and always bring beverages along on runs, hikes, bike rides, and other activities. That makes it easier to stay hydrated. Only drink unsweetened tea, diluted spritzers, and lots of still water,—nothing “fizzy.” That way, you stay well-refreshed and use fewer calories.
App
Free
WCD Drink Alarm This app reminds you to stay hydrated, which is very important when running. By Discobeat Software Ltd.
SUMMER 2012 | HOLMES PLACE | 27
Barbecue
The BBQ World
Champion
Freddy Camerer not only makes coals glow in the beautiful Swiss Holmes Place Club of Seepark, Oberrieden—he has recently been crowned a BBQ World Champion. We congratulate you on winning the title! How did you become a BBQ World Champion? There are different categories. I am a World Champion in continuous grilling and also won an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records. With steaks, sausages, risottos, and pizzas, we used about 4.5 tons of food, all within 48 hours, with no breaks or sleep. The guests could eat and donate something to a good cause for children.
28 | HOLMES PLACE | SUMMER 2012
Healthy barbecue—is that even possible? Barbecue, with its temperatures of 100 to 140 degrees Celsius, is a very gentle way of preparing food. Too much heat would cause too much smoke, which is unhealthy. How do you keep meat from turning chewy? You should not use too much marinade, which just falls or drips off …
What health mistakes can you make with BBQing—when does it become unhealthy? Do not grill directly over an open flame and never eat too much crust or burnt grillables. Always clean the grill well. If you have a gas grill, get the gas mains (electrical connections) checked every two years. What type of meat do you personally prefer for a tasty BBQ? I enjoy simply anything that can be grilled, not just meat. But I will never say no to a nice steak—preferably beef—with a cold beer. How many hours do you spend barbecuing in the summer? Why just in summer? I grill all year long! Especially in winter, the results are nice and warm, and the BBQ scent … mmmhhh! On average, I would say two to three hours a day. In my spare time, I can hardly think of anything greater. BBQ is a passion, a lifestyle, and the most beautiful way to prepare your food. What clothing tips can you share for aspiring BBQ champs? Long sleeves are best, so you don’t burn yourself. At work, I always wear a hat to protect myself from the heat. Be sure to work with tongs or gloves. In closing, what would you recommend for a good BBQ and what should be avoided? Make sure you have enough time, are well-prepared, like to try out something new, and enjoy BBQing. Never work with a broken grill, do not use a rusty grill, avoid fire hazards, never use too much heat, and never, ever burn yourself. Everything else is up to individual taste …
Text: Claudia Wiegand I Photos: Lilyana Vynogradova/Fotolia
Dinner is ready! Holmes Place nutrition expert Gemma Bischoff teams up with HP’s very own BBQ world champion Freddy Camerer
grill the meat briefly at high heat on both sides. Let it simmer at lower temperatures. It’s best to work with a meat thermometer. That way, you will never grill too long or too short.
Barbecue
Salad bar(becue)
A barbecue will get even healthier when you add fresh salads to the mix. Here are two summer salad recipe suggestions from Holmes Place nutrition expert Gemma Bischoff that go great with anything on the barbie.
Avocado Grapefruit Salad (for 4 people)
Ingredients: 50 g pistachios 2 pink grapefruit 2 ripe avocados 2 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar 2 teaspoons sunflower oil 1 red chili (finely chopped) 1 scallion (cut into fine rings) 60 g alfalfa sprouts Salt and pepper
Roast the pistachios in a pan with1 out fat, then let them cool off. Peel the grapfruit, being sure to remove their white skins. Cut the grapefruit in half to create “filets� and catch the juice. Now peel, core, and dice the avocados. Stir the vinegar with the grapefruit 2 juice and oil. Add chili and scallion to the mix, as well as salt and pepper. This creates your vinaigrette. Finally mix the grapefruit filets, 3 avocado pieces, pistachios, and alfalfa sprouts and sprinkle everything with the vinaigrette. Per person: 380 calories, 33 g fat
Arugula Melon Salad (for 4 people)
Ingredients: 150 g arugula 1 sprig of basil 1 red onion 400 g watermelon pieces without rind 2 teaspoons pine nuts 1 lemon 4 teaspoons olive oil Some sugar, salt, and pepper Per person: 180 calories, 13 g fat
Wash and pluck the arugula and basil 1 into small pieces. Peel the onion and slice it into thin rings. Cut the melon into small cubes. Roast the pine nuts in a pan without fat. Press out the lemon and stir the juice 2 with just a little bit of sugar, salt, and pepper, and the olive oil to make the dressing. Mix the arugula, basil, pine nuts, wa3 termelon, and onion rings together and sprinkle them onto the arugula and basil with the dressing.
Arugula is also known as rocket or rucola. It is rich in vitamin C and potassium and is also considered an aphrodisiac.
Watermelon originated in Africa and one can weigh up to 100 kg! The average water melon is between 2 and 4 kg and has a water percentage of 95.8%.
SUMMER 2012 | HOLMES PLACE | 29
ume
a,
d
Gu
me recmber ipes
e l li e r
Gen
ev
Healthy cooking
i ll a
Gr
Fast Fit Food
S w it z e rl a n
in less than 10 minutes
Salmon Folklore has it that salmon return to the exact spot where they were born to spawn, and scientific tracking studies have shown this to be true.
Strawberries Strawberries are a hybrid species; they are not botanical berries, but an aggregate accessory fruit.
Lemon and lime India is the world’s biggest producer of lemons and limes. Limes are more bitter than lemons.
Olive oil The color of olive oil can vary between green (which has more chlorophyll) to yellow (which has more carotene).
FAST FIT FOOD
Salmon Tartare with Strawberries (For 1 person) Recipe from Guillaume Grellier (member of Holmes Place Geneva, Switzerland)
Ingredients: 120 g salmon 2 strawberries 1/2 scallion 10 g chives 1/2 lime Pinch of olive oil Salt and pepper
Cut the salmon and the strawberries into cubes about 3 mm square 1 and put them all in a bowl. Chop the scallion and the chives, and add them to the bowl with the juice of the lime. Work in a pinch of olive oil, stir it all well, and season it well with some pepper (strawberries just love pepper) and a pinch of salt. Voilà! The salmon-strawberry tartare is almost ready. Arrange it nicely 2 on a plate. For decoration, you can use a fresh strawberry cut in half and a stalk of chives. A mixed green salad with mint vinaigrette works well with this dish.
30 | HOLMES PLACE | SUMMER 2012
We would be happy to feature your very own “Fast Fit Food“ recipe in our next issue. Just send it in using this QR code on your smartphone.
Baking Column
Sour is the new Sweet
Citrusy orange-and-lemon chiffon cake recipe Whether you’re baking for your family or for a summer luncheon, this healthy, fruity cake will surely be a crowdpleaser. The best way to beat the heat this summer is to make sure you eat lots of fresh fruit and stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water, but the idea of eating fruit and drinking water might not be as tempting as the thought of enjoying a moist slice of citrusy cake with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice or lemonade. With the farmers’ markets flooded with colorful and nutritious fruits of the season, make the most of it by trying out this delicious chiffon cake recipe.
Preparation: Set the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Prepare two 9-inch (23 cm)
cake tins by greasing them with oil or spray. Lightly dust with flour and set aside.
Text: Juveria Farooq I Photos: Chef/Dreamstime.com, Diana Taliun, grekoff, photocrew, JJAVA, udra11, Mark Stout, Tomo Jesenicnik/Fotolia
The ingredients you will need are: 2 1/2 cups cake flour 1 2/3 cups honey 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup vegetable oil 5 large eggs, separated 1/2 cup fresh orange juice 3 tablespoons orange zest 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
For the orange-lemon cream frosting, you will need: 1 cup whipped cream 1/2 cup honey 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Mix the flour, sugar, baking pow1 der, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of your electric mixer. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the egg yolks, oil, and orange juice. Beat the mixture for around 4 minutes or until you get a smooth consistency. Stir in the orange zest.
In a separate clean bowl, beat to2 gether the egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently add the flour mixture to the egg whites. Do not beat too hard.
Spoon the batter into the two prepared cake tins, making sure to distribute 3 the mixture evenly between both tins. Place them in the oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes. To test for doneness, insert a wooden pick in the center of the cake; if the pick comes out clean, the cake is ready; if not, leave the pan in the oven for a couple more minutes.
Preparing the orange-lemon cream frosting: When your cakes have cooled 2 down completely, frost the top of one cake. Place the other cake on top of it and then frost its top and the sides of both cakes completely.
Add the honey and juices to the whipped cream and whip some more until 1 all the liquid is completely blended and the cream has a stiff consistency.
For a decorative touch, add crys3 tallized flowers, lemon and orange slices, or other fancy decorations you can find at your local store.
SUMMER 2012 | HOLMES PLACE | 31
Bubble Tea
Bubble Tea—
Summer fun or
calorie trap? Bubble tea is the new culinary hit of summer. But how healthy is it, really?
32 | HOLMES PLACE | SUMMER 2012
Bubble Tea
A
What the Pikachu is that?! They can’t have put pellets in your tea, can they?! Well, at least these bubbles burst when you bite them, and that is actually fun —before it gets old. Very fast. Each time a bubble bursts, it spews forth its filling, which is syrup in different flavors, all of which have one thing in common: They are very, very sweet. Oh, those olden days, when tea was still tea, and Bubbles a chimpanzee … While Michael Jackson was inventing the Moonwalk back in the 1980s, Taiwan was inventing bubble tea, originally with the purpose of introducing children to drinking tea. The original version had no pearls—as the gummy, chewy bubbles are known—in it, but it did feature fruit syrup or mashed fruit. Later, milk tea and black tapioca pearls were added. The pearls bear a likeness to fruit gum and versions have long since turned colorful. Tapioca is made from starch of the manioc root, which is often referred to as the “potato of the tropics.” Healthy as bubble tea seems, doctors and consumer advocates in Germany, where the beverage is currently booming, are warning of its dangers.
In the 1980s, Taiwan invented bubble tea with the purpose of introducing children to drinking tea. Often-underestimated, although not life-threatening, is the fact that the calorie count of a big cup of bubble tea can easily compare to a full lunch-time meal at about 500 calories. In many cases, there is not even any tea in the bubble tea, but milk, yogurt, and lots of sugar. More seriously, young children can die from swallowing the pearls too fast if the pearls end up un-chewed in the lungs. A healthier, and still trendy, alternative would be smoothies or frozen yogurt, which both can easily be prepared at home, where you know and control what goes into your drinks.
Text: Claudia Wiegand I Photos: Food&More/Fotolia
t the moment, it is bubbling, blobbing, and burbling all over the place—you would be hard-pressed to find a shopping mall without a shiny-new, cutesy, Asian-animé-style bubble tea shop in most countries. The triumphal march of bubble tea, the newfangled “it” drink, did start in Asia. From there, the drink’s wave of success swept over Australia and the U.S. before running ashore in Europe. The first time you try bubble tea, it may be an odd sensation. A futuristic-looking machine that would fit right in with most Star Trek episodes shakes rattles, and rolls a big plastic cup printed with Pokemon-ish little figures, all looking at you with those curious, big, round eyes so common in animé. Surely, nothing bad can go into a cup like that! After all that shaking, you would expect the drink to be thick with bubbles. Imagine the surprise when you find out that the name has a different meaning: The scientifically sealed plastic cup holding your drink was poked by a huge, broad straw which, when used to drink, soaks up a gum-like little globe that feels oddly artificial to the touch of your tongue. There’s no time to recover from the shock, however, as it is followed by a merry band of colleagues.
SUMMER 2012 | HOLMES PLACE | 33
Feel Well Summer is the most anticipated season of the year. Here are some tips on how to Feel Well this summer, whether you are at home, on vacation, or at work.
34 | HOLMES PLACE | SUMMER 2012
Text: James Hetherington I Photos: Yuri Arcurs, skampixel, Mura Istvan Zoltan/Fotolia
Wellness
Wellness
1
Try to eat more foods that contain the natural chemical serotonin: This chemical improves one’s mood and is found in a wide range of food products, including cookies, oats, whole grain items, chicken, fish, dairy, and pork. Lighter, low-calorie foods are easier to digest during hot weather. Vegetables like cucumbers and tomatoes have a high water content, cooling the body and providing plenty of nutrition.
2
Capture a little sunlight to boost your energy: Try to spend some time outdoors for your coffee and lunch breaks. Just 10 minutes of sunshine during the middle of the day can lift your mood and give your body a new lease on energy.
3
Close your eyes for 10 minutes in the early afternoon: A good night’s sleep is important, but sitting down in a quiet area and closing your eyes for just 10 minutes can aid concentration and reduce stress levels.
4
Go for a regular ride: Cycling is one of the most practical and effective ways to keep fit throughout the year, so cycle through the summer landscape to feel fresh and rejuvenated. If your workplace is close enough, consider biking to work to boost your fitness and cut your fuel bills.
5
Take a warm shower every morning: A morning shower can bring a world of benefits. Warm water stimulates the release of serotonin in your body and gives you a great boost to begin your day, particularly if you are not a morning person.
common problem during the summer months.
8
Dress appropriately for the temperature: Summer is not just about wearing lighter clothing, but about wearing clothes that don’t absorb the sun’s heat. Wear brighter, looser-fitting tops to let air circulate through your body and reduce perspiration. Keep your neck protected and apply sunscreen to any area of skin that is exposed to the sun.
6
9
7
10
Keep your home cool: On a hot summer day, escaping the heat when you don’t have the luxury of air conditioning can be stressful. One way to make a room feel cooler is by waking up early, when the outdoor temperature is usually at its lowest. Place a fan near an open window and let the cooler air circulate throughout your living room. As the day progresses, keep curtains and doors closed to retain the cooler air.
Enjoy some special summer drinks: Try gooseberry to refresh your body and reduce the aging effects of the sun. Cardamom tea will help detoxify your body after a long day in the hot sun, while apricots can help you tackle acne, a
Avoid the midday sun: In June and July, the sun’s UV Index reaches its peak in the northern hemisphere. People are advised to remain indoors between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when UV levels reach 7 or more. Exposure to UV levels of 10, common in regions like southern Spain and Greece in the summertime, can cause sunburn in less than 15 minutes.
Water, water, water: Drink plenty of clear fluids— plain water is usually best—to keep yourself consistently hydrated, and stay cool by sprinkling some water over your forehead from time to time. When it comes to keeping cool, there is no difference between regular tap water and expensive mineral water.
SUMMER 2012 | HOLMES PLACE | 35
Shop
HotSummer In the Holmes Place shops, you will find great new items for the summer, from unique Holmes Place towels and beach bags to limited-edition swimgear by famous swimming brand Speedo, featuring heroes of the Olympics.
36 | HOLMES PLACE | SUMMER 2012
Shop
Go for your hero! Limited edition: The Speedo “Hero” line is now available exclusively at Holmes Place shops Rooting for, yearning for, cheering on: Starting July 27, England’s capital of London will be taken over by the Olympic Games. More than 10,000 athletes will compete for coveted medals and are sure to reach their peak form as they are cheered on by their fans. The swimwear specialist Speedo is paying tribute to these Olympians and their great achievements with its brandnew “Hero” line. As of now, these elite swimming goggles, shorts, and swimsuits, designed especially for the 2012 Summer Olympics Games, are available in Holmes Place’s Speedo Shops. Of course, it is not only the looks that matter to Speedo: Both the swimwear and the swim goggles are perfectly suited for supporting your daily training routine. The Hero line in Holmes Place shops is only available in a limited edition, so be sure to check it out today!
Trendy flip-flops
HP Beach Towel The new Holmes Place beach towel is a great reminder of what is important: Living your life well. (And not forgetting this hip and trendy towel on the beach)
win
Text: Claudia Wiegand
• Available in 2 colors (grey & red) • Specially designed in premium rubber • Made with anti-slip material • Especially important for maintaining hygiene in locker rooms
The Holmes Place sport bag Swimming is great fun, but it can get annoying afterward when you don’t know where to put your wet clothes … Fortunately, the new Holmes Place Bag has a special mesh side pocket for those wet suits, towels, and other gear. • Available in multiple colors • Special compartment for wet gear • Exclusive original inside pocket for water bottles • Conveniently large U-shaped opening • Zippered front accessory pocket
We are giving away some highlights of the Holmes Place summer line of cool and trendy products. You can win: • 3 Holmes Place Summer Kits (featur• 1 of 2 Speedo Aquabeat MP3 players ing the HP beach towel, flip-flops, • 1 of 3 Speedo Aquacoach watches and sport bag) • 1 of 19 Speedo towels For more info on how to participate and win, check out page 42. Good luck!
SUMMER 2012 | HOLMES PLACE | 37
Yoga
One Day
at a Time
Yoga can help with many things in life: concentration, endurance sports—even learning to walk again.
N
o matter what our individual pursuits in life, we all can use regular boosts of inspiration along our respective paths. My yoga practice received such a boost recently after a friend posted a video on her Facebook site about someone named Arthur (“Never, Ever Give Up. Arthur’s Inspirational Transformation!” on YouTube). His experience is a great lesson for anyone considering yoga, whether just for general flexibility and fitness or to help cope with a serious injury. Arthur’s body was damaged after years spent as a paratrooper with the U.S. military, jumping out of airplanes. After leaving the military, he became overweight and could walk only with crutches. His motivation for learning yoga was to be able to walk normally again. While our individual circumstances may or may not be as dire as Arthur’s was, we all may seek to improve ourselves each day in some way.
A regular, daily yoga practice is a perpetual self-improvement process
If you can only reach as far as your knees when you bend forward, methodical yoga training would help you strengthen your core muscles, improve your alignment, extend your limbs (even if only one centimeter at a time), and, importantly, improve your breathing until your toes are within your grasp. The fundamental benefits of yoga also make it an ideal complement to almost any other training you undertake. Today, world-class athletes, outdoor enthusiasts, and casual swimmers regularly incorporate yoga as part of cross-training regimens. Many examples can be found online. Even if you practice archery or rock-climbing, you will find that working on your core muscles, body alignment,
38 | HOLMES PLACE | SUMMER 2012
and breathing through yoga can be as essential as handling a bow and arrow or extending to firmly grasp a rocky ledge.
Benefits for swimmers
Pursuits like swimming (or running) involve repetitive actions that work only certain muscles of your body. Incorporating yoga helps limit the stress on, say, shoulder and upper back muscles if you are a swimmer. Breathing is a basic element of a good yoga practice. As every serious swimmer knows, expanding the capacity of your lungs and
Yoga
Text: Joseph Fernandez I Photos: wariom, Elena Ray / Fotolia
For more information on yoga classes at your local Holmes Place Health Club, please follow this smartphone link by QR code
controlling your breathing so the flow of your inhales and exhales coincides perfectly with your arm, leg, head, and body movements can be the difference between a satisfying swim and a struggle to finish the last lap.
Determination eventually pays off
Of course, to benefit from any exercise regimen, you need to practice the activity on a regular basis. The most difficult part may just be getting started. Or it might be maintaining your practice when it becomes rather mundane.
Arthur, for instance, regularly toppled over when he first started doing basic yoga poses, and had to repeatedly get up and start over. He had made a decision, however, that he did not want his life to be as it had been for the past several years. He wanted to not only walk again, but to run, and much more. He eventually progressed from those initial challenges to gracefully flowing from one yoga posture to another—and then to walking and running. The transformation did not happen overnight; took several years of daily training, and his regular yoga practice was key to his success. It has been said that the person you are today is the person you saw yourself as five years ago. That leads to one obvious question: How do you see yourself five years from now? Whatever your vision for yourself (slimmer, stronger, healthier), realizing that vision begins with the decisions you make today. Keep that in mind as you decide whether to jump in the pool, go for that hike, or roll out your yoga mat.
SUMMER 2012 | HOLMES PLACE | 39
Events & Awards
Inside Story Steven E. Kuhn (General Manager, Holmes Place Hungary & Zurich)
Maria Michalopoulou (Holmes Place Greece Regional Marketing Manager, on the right) receiving the award
From soldier, bodyguard, and cocktail bar owner to being known as the “turnaround guy”: Steven E. Kuhn’s unique path to management success
Holmes Place Greece wins
a Superbrands Award On April 2, Holmes Place Greece received a Superbrands Award at the 2011–2012 Corporate Superbrands ceremony.
A
Superbrand is the brand of a product or service, corporation, or organization that is identified in the perception of the public with excellence in quality, reliability, recognition, consistency, and leadership in its respective sector. Every Superbrand has established a top reputation in its respective market segment and in the market as a whole. It offers significant tangible or perceived advantages in comparison to its competition that the public (consciously or subconsciously) recognizes and requires. The Superbrands institution was established in 1994 in Great Britain and has since been adopted in more than 75 countries around the world. Holmes Place Greece received the highest ranking among 34 other companies in its category. Other companies honored at this year’s event were Nike Hellas, Inditex, Sony Hellas, Apivita, Colgate-Palmolive, Coca Cola 3E, and Vodafone, just to mention a few.
40 | HOLMES PLACE | SUMMER 2012
Text: Claudia Wiegand, Teti Maltezou
T
here are management schools and business degrees, but sometimes the most successful managers have less-straightforward careers. Take, for instance, Steven Kuhn, who is in charge of Holmes Place Hungary and Zurich in Switzerland. Born in the state of Pennsylvania, USA, in 1967, Kuhn joined the Army as a young man and fought in the first Gulf War in 1990. He was awarded a Bronze Star but left the service in 1993. Ten years later, he was living in Germany, where he had been stationed, and wrote a best-selling book about his experience, Soldat im Golfkrieg (A Soldier in the Gulf War). Kuhn took on jobs as a bodyguard, doorman, and insurance salesman while working on his MBA via correspondence course. He then started to work as a manager, first with his own cocktail bar and clubs, then for international companies all over Europe. That’s when he became known as the “turnaround guy,” for inspiring businesses to improve their performance and become winners. For three years, Kuhn has been with Holmes Place, in charge of some Swiss and all of the Hungarian clubs, which regularly win awards as best fitness clubs. In his spare time, he writes a blog about “Being Human.” We’re glad that his untraditional path to management brought him to our doors!
Sweepstakes
Trendsetter Motoluxe WI N !
14
of MOTOL Sm a rtph UXE ones
The new MOTOLUXE is a smartphone that you will remember—and that will help you to remember.
Style & Design
Smartphones may be “smart,” but all too often are not very attractive. Quite the contrary with Motorola’s sleek new MOTOLUXE: Brushed-metal parts and a slim, elegant design mark it as a stylish trendsetter, whether you get it in classic Licorice Black or noble Glacier White. Thanks to its shape and surface, it lies comfortably in the hand. Light signals in blue, green, or red indicate incoming messages or that the batteries are running low.
Text: Claudia Wiegand / Photos: Promo
Technology & Functionality
In spite of its slim design, the MOTOLUXE has a four-inch touchscreen for excellent viewing and videochats. For those “face time” moments, it has a VGA camera integrated at the front. On the back, you will find an additional 8-megapixel photo camera complete with autofocus, 4X zoom, and LED-flash for brilliant snapshots.
Smart & Social
The videochat function is not the only way that MOTOLUXE helps connect people. Apps for social networks are preinstalled and the Friendship Circle graphics show you who gets contacted the most often, placing these contacts on your home screen. The Android smartphone will also remember your favorite music, pictures, and apps. The MOTOLUXE even has GPS, so you never lose orientation, no matter where you are.
We will be giving away 4 new MOTOLUXE smartphones by Motorola. For more info on how to participate, see page 42. SUMMER 2012 | HOLMES PLACE | 41
Sweepstakes PUBLISHER Holmes Place Lifestyle Clubs GmbH Charlottenstraße 65 10117 Berlin Germany Tel.: +49 (0) 30 209 148 48 Fax: +49 (0) 30 209 148 45
win
1 24 of
2 Speedo Aquabeats, 3 Speedo Aquacoaches, & 19 Speedo towels
10 Adidas MiCoach games: Next generation’s fitness choice The Adidas MiCoach is a sports program that covers a range of stateof-the-art products, giving you a maximum of control for all major training aspects. There are special apps, as well as electronic devices you can attach to your sports shoes for tracking pace, distance, or speed. Just released is a brand-new console game that brings fitness to the living room and takes mobile to a whole new level: Adidas MiCoach by 505 Games (PS3 and Xbox360) offers authentic training programs with real stars from sports such as soccer, tennis, track & field, and basketball. It’s fully interactive, so you can keep track of your progress, get rewarded, and—unlike any other fitness game—even improve your technique in detail. We are giving away 5 copies of Adidas MiCoach (505 Games) for the PS3 and 5 copies for the Xbox360 worth about 400 Euro.
win
1 10 of
Simply download a free app for QR code recognition from the app store (search for “QR“) and launch it. Direct your camera to the QR code printetd here and scan it. That will take you straight to our website www.onelife-mag.com. Both Holmes Place members and non-members may participate. All rights reserved. or www.onelife-mag.com
42 | HOLMES PLACE | SUMMER 2012
Swimmers have one great disadvantage compared to other athletes: Most of today’s cool tech gadgets don’t like water. All the better that there are Speedo Aquabeats and Aquacoaches: smart and waterproof MP3 players and sport watches available exclusively at Holmes Place shops. We are giving away 2 Aquabeats, 3 Aquacoaches, and 19 towels, all by renowned swimming gear maker Speedo.
PUBLISHING COMPANY J.L.King Publishing London Ltd. 79 Church Lane Mill End, Rickmansworth Hertfordshire, WD3 8PU United Kingdom Tel.: +44 (0) 203 384 486 0 info@jlking-publishing.com www.jlking-publishing.com MANAGING DIRECTOR Jeffrey L. King EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Claudia Wiegand Tel.: +49 (0) 30 364 626 22 Mobile: +49 (0) 176 27 27 49 15 claudia.wiegand@jlking-publishing.com GERMAN EDITORIAL ADDRESS J.L.King Publishing London Ltd. Postfach 02 12 47 10123 Berlin Deutschland Tel.: +49 (0) 30 893 718 76 Fax: +49 (0) 30 364 638 10 ADVERTISING Tel.: +49 (0) 30 893 718 76
3 Holmes Place Summer Kits (bag, towel, & flip-flops)
A beautiful day by the sea can be even better with a new bag. Of course, it needs to look great (check!), be big enough (check!), be easy to open (check!), be available in several trendy colors, and, maybe best of all, have an extra pocket to stash your wet swim gear for the ride home (checkmate!). The Holmes Place bag has all that! We are giving away three ultimate Holmes Place Summer Kits, featuring an awesome beach-towel, the bag, and a pair of flip-flops.
win
13 of
GRAPHICS & DESIGN Irina Tarnavskaya (Art Director) Artur Kamenir (Photo Editor) EDITORIAL STAFF James Hetherington, Joseph S. Fernandez, Juveria Farooq, José Angel Benitez Sierra, Gemma Bischoff, Elena Brening, Teti Maltezou, Miriam Abel, Tereza Jesinova, Natalie Auslaender, Lucie Nováčková, Ortal Ulman, Tatianna Hightower, Sean Turner TRANSLATION Claudia Wiegand PROOFREADING Ruth E. Thaler-Carter ONE LIFE AT THE APP STORE Look for “Holmes Place” or “One Life Holmes Place” COVER PHOTO panthesja/Fotolia No part of this publication may be reproduced without the express written permission of the publisher. No part may be transmitted in any form by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Views expressed by editorial contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher.
ONE LIFE
One Life–on the go! One Life is now international and even more mobile– both our English and German versions are accessible as iOS apps for iPad and, coming mid-August, for your iPhone as well. Check them out and enjoy One Life in every aspect of your life–be it big or small!
New for iPho n mid au e g
To obtain a German issue, just send an e-mail to german@onelife-mag.com. At the iTunes app store, look for “Holmes Place” or “One Life Holmes Place.”
one life. live it well
www.holmesplace.com