MAKE YOUR COMEBACK LOCKDOWN

EDITION

JUNE 2020

BUILDNEW
27
APPSTHAT
WILLCHANGE
MUSCLE YOURLIFE

LEANER
AFTER40
REST
EASY SlashYour
FOR BodyWeight
BIGGER AndBecome
GAINS
Unstoppable

FASTER
HowThisGuy
YOUR
ULTIMATE
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TRAINING
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HOLLAND

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PROMOTION
Real men. Unreal feats of fitness on Instagram!
#mhbeastmode
3rdfinalist
@massimo_flaiani_blb
Shower to Shower Men
il d b
has unveiled ld ffresh
bold, h they’re about six inches above the floor.
new packaging for both their
aerosols and roll-ons, but it’s not
just a packaging update. The
revitalised range incorporates
fresh new fragrances, improved
formulations and the introduction
of anti-perspirant sprays for all
day dryness and confidence.
Fresh Sport offers 48 hour
protection with a cool
masculine fragrance.
Take Fresh To The Extreme
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.
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.
WANT TO TRY MASSIMO’S FRONT LEVER? These 3 exercises will get you there:
1/ 6-inch ho old 2/ L-sit > Toe to Bar 3/ Extended 1 leg front lever
Start by layin
ng flat on your back with Grip the pullup bar with your hands Similar to the Toe to Bar, you’ll need
yo
our feet together and arms to your shoulder width apart. Raise your legs to grip the pullup bar with your hands
sid
de. While keeping your lower back in until your body is L-shaped. This is shoulder width apart. Lift your legs until
co
ontact with the floor, raise your head your starting position. Using your core your back is parrallel to the ground. Keep
and shoulders along with your legs until strength, swing your legs up until your your knees bent. Now stretch out one leg
toes touch the bar and then return to the with losing form, and then alternate for
Raise your hands for more intensity. L position. That’s one rep. the duration of the workout.
DO: Hold for 30 secs DO: 3 sets of 10 reps 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
R2 000 cash. Then, at the end of four month hs, POWERED D
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 From the Editors of Men’s Health Magazine

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 AKE YOURCOMEBAC
CONTENTS
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

P.21
your meal.

92 THE NEW RULES

OF FATHERHOOD
How to dad like you
mean it.
FASTER
100 27 APPS THAT How this guy gets into
WILL CHANGE action-hero shape.
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.
 CONTENTS
P.36 VIRAL ESCAPES
Hit the road and head out
further than your nearest
grocery store (law-
permitting, 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 18 Can you match the

world record for the
40 The no-hhassle,
slow-simmered winter
8 Photographer and heaviest deadlift? warmer.
firefighter Patrick Ryan 42 The supeerfood
takes us on a wildfire
adventure. MHBODY that’s no long
ger just
a soggy side dish.
12 Ed’s Letter: Lessons 30 How Ongama 44 Find out what truly is
from fatherhood. Mafenuka built a model the measure
e of success.
physique.
46 Here’s ho
MH WORLD MHLIFE
ow to close
the pleasure
e gap.
15 Solid strength 48 Make ‘Thhe Sex Talk’
advice from your swole 33 Learnaboutthe a little less aw
wkward.
models creativity-boosting,
serenity-inducing, 50 Learn ho ow to make
16 ”Do I have to do health-enhancing child’s play out
o of
prehab to lift heavy?” powerofhobbies. fatherhood.

6 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

1IPUPHSBQI
3VEJ
(FZTFS)FSP
$SFBUJWF
.BOBHFNFOU
.PEFM
4FUI
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#PTT
'BTIJPO
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&LTUFFO
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$BSMB
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 Into the
Inferno
On the frontlines of some of the country’s most
devastating wildfires; these are the men taking
the battle to the blaze.
/ BY KIERAN LEGG AND THAAQIB DANIELS
UNFILTERED
A REAL, FILTER-FREE LOOK INTO WHAT MATTERS THIS MONTH.
 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 1 2
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. 3 4

10 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

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

7 8 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 11

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Danielle Weakley Editorial Director

Robert Cilliers Editor & Creative Director

WANITA NICOL Deputy Editor
AZEEZ JACOBS Fashion & Grooming Editor
NADIM NYKER Digital Editor
MARK ARENDSE Art 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
FATHE
myself. Every Sunday night I would
DAY IS
SUNDA
phone him for a catch-up call. My first
O N
1 JUNE
Sunday call after I had started my career
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)
R’S
CEO MEDIA24 Ishmet Davidson
CEO PRINT MEDIA Rika Swart
GENERAL MANAGER, LIFESTYLE Minette Ferreira
Y
CMO MEDIA24 LIFESTYLE Nerisa Coetzee
CFO, LIFESTYLE Jameelah Conway

as a naïve 20-something in advertising

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was full of angst and insecurities. Daunted MEDIA24 LIVE
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All prices recommended retail selling price.

with gratitude for the

Robert Cillie
incredible MH team for rs Jnr
MAGAZINES INTERNATIONAL

creating this “Comeback k SVP/EDITORIAL & BRAND DIRECTOR Kim St. Clair Bodden
Issue” to ensure we comee
out of this pandemic even n
stronger, leaner
and faster.
Brothers
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 Robert Cillie

rs Snr
@robdcilliers
s

Email: tellmh@media24.com
om Twitter
Twitter: @MensHealthZA Facebook
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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.

MICHAEL B. JORDAN,
ACTOR
Jordan’s trainer
Corey Calliet prescribes
a combination of squats,
lunges, burpees, squat
jumps and cardio.
“To really rev up your
metabolic rate and
PICTURES: SEAN LAURENZ (FEZ), JACQUES WEYERS (EDEN), OTHERS (SUPPLIED)

get burning, perform

the exercises in circuit
EDEN CLASSENS, RYAN REYNOLDS,
fashion and rest for FEZ MKHIZE, DOCTOR
ACTOR ACTOR
a minute or two between TV PRESENTER AND
“When you want Reynolds does rounds. Finishing your MR. WORLD RUNNER-UP
to bulk up, you’re trying jumping, throwing and workout with cardio “It’s all good and well for
to achieve hypertrophy, carrying during every increases the chances people to compliment
which means muscle gym session. “People of your body tapping into you on your looks; but if
growth and not muscle underuse carries,” says unwanted fat to use as you can’t turn a certain
strength – although you Don Saladino, his trainer energy,” he says. way because you’ve
will experience increases for Deadpool. “Double overdeveloped a certain
in strength as well,” says farmer walks, single-arm muscle group then
Eden. “Doing between carries and up-down you’re going to have
8 and 15 reps per set carries really help a horrible next twenty
will help overload stabilise the core and years, even though you’ll
your muscles and shoulders.” look good for the next
increase size.” 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.

QUESTION: AUDIO ADVISORS

We asked our IG audience

I Want to Lift Heavy, to share some of their favourite

motivational podcasts and
but Do I Have to Do audiobooks. Here are a few for

Prehab? So you’re ready you to check out.

to go all out Hulk in the weights

David Goggins
room, but some slow, controlled This ultra-distance runner,
mobility work to warm up those cyclist and triathlete’s journey and
joints is a must. If your response never-say-die spirit have earned
him interview spots with major
is something along the lines podcasters Joe Rogan, Rich Roll
of “not gonna happen” you may and Jay Shetty. His autobiography
want to reconsider. A few Can’t Hurt Me is available in
audiobook format.
minutes of prehab will not only
help keep you off the bench, it
could boost that 1RM, too. The Foundr Podcast
The entrepreneurial magazine
CHECK OUT OUR PREHAB HACKS:
and education platform also
MH.CO.ZA/WORKOUTS has a podcast that any business
owner will find insightful. Foundr’s
founder Nathan Chan hosts

30
the show and interviews top
entrepreneurs, diving into how
to start a business and thrive
The Number of Creative Date Ideas the Men’s in the modern era.

Health Team Has Put Together Due to the

COVID-19 Pandemic. Whether you’re in lockdown with your The GaryVee Audio
Experience
partner, or spending the social isolation season (read: year) apart, we’ve CEO and public speaker Gary
got an idea that’ll work for you. Restaurants, bars and other public Vaynerchuk is known for his zero-
places may be out of the question, but there are plenty of other ways to enjoy a date – including BS keynote speeches, business
advice and his abundance of
over video chat. VIRTUAL DATE LIKE A PRO: MH.CO.ZA/SEX-WOMEN 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
ON YOUR WAY TO XXL ARMS? TAG US! @MENSHEALTHZA #MENSHEALTHZA
where listeners can call in and ask
for unfiltered advice on anything.

Instagram
@menshealthza
Twitter
@MensHealthZA
Facebook
MensHealthSA
GETTY/GALLO | IMAGES SUPPLIED (INSTAGRAM)

See all the stories

featured by scanning
MADHUSHAN SINGH TIVON SHUMAN JP the QR code.
@madhushan_singh @tivonshuman @jaypee_strong

16 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

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 HOW DO YOU
URATE?
THIS
MONTH Playing to
OurStrengths
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:
“To Bro or
not to Bro?”
Muscle
Method:
501KG
The record set by Icelandic
Barbell Dumbbell Training with Training Machine Freeweights strongman Hafthor Björnsson last
a buddy solo training month for the heaviest deadlift of

42% 28%
all time. Known to G
Thrones fanss as The
Mountain, th
Game off

he 31-year-
old set the new world
record live streaming
from Thor’s Power
P Gym
in Iceland.

FOR THE RECORD

8HRS That’s how long 62-year-old George Hood

held steady to break the world planking
15MIN record in February this year. To top it off, he
15S did 75 pushups afterwards...
ds... just for fun!

SIX
MYTHBUSTER: Favourite Moves
on Leg Day
In an Australian study, strength
training for this many months was
You don’t have to lift heavier to get
IMAGES SUPPLIED; REIGN TOTAL BODY FUEL

shown to slow and even halt the

stronger. In velocity-based training, you Squats 47% degeneration of the hippocampus
add weight when you’re feeling good Deadlifts 32% – the area of the brain responsible
and lifting faster and dial it down when Leg Press 11% for long-term and short-term
your speed is lagging. In a small study Other 5% memory and thus vulnerable to
(HAFTHOR BJORNSSON)

published in the Journal of Strength and

Conditioning Research those who used
velocity training showed greater
strength increases compared to the
traditional group.
Alzheimer’s – and its subregions.
Best answer: Results still held strong a year after
“Walking out the gym after subjects completed the exercise.
a good arm workout.” *SOURCE: University of Sydney,
– @kckoopman Neuroimage: Clinical Journal

18 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

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 Train Like A Stuntman

Build New Muscle After 40

Rest Easy for Bigger Gains

COMPILED BY MEGAN FLEMMIT

FALL
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
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JAMES GEER

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 21

BODY

ex-gymnast in the credits of Casino Royale

for stunts. I kneew I wanted to take my talent
into this area, soo 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 breath-
holds, 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
you for the indu ustry but it’s once you’re on
the stunt register that you have to learn
to become a stunt performer. It’s not only
the high falls annd getting thrown through
windows and th he general smashing and
crashing. It’s leearning to react and mimic
the movement p patterns of the actor, as well
as etiquette on sset. You’ve got to learn as
you go and learn n pretty quickly because it’s
a cut-throat ind dustry.
I’ve brought up 12 years as
a professional stuntman
s and done 49
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
R Reynolds as Green
Lantern,
L Christian Bale
ass Batman; Chris Evans

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

as Captain
C America, Henry
Cav vill in Mission: Impossible
– Faallout, Channing Tatum in
Jupiter Ascending and, of course,
Chris Heemsworth as Thor.
I’ve workked with Chris for nearly
eight years annd we’ve done 12 movies
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
look good. He lik kes what I do for him and the

DOUBLE ACT:
DUPLICATING THE
HEMSWORTH LOOK IS
HOLLAND HANTON’S
BIGGEST CHALLENGE.
 BOBBY-DAZZLER
MY BODY IS MY TOOL. TAKE
This Centr workout from Holland
Hanton will whip you into action-hero

IT AWAY AND YOU’RE TAKING

shape. Do 3 rounds, taking a minute’s
rest between each

AWAY PART OF MY IDENTITY. 1 / 2-POINT PLANK 4 / ICE SKATER TO TOE

I WAS LOST FOR A PERIOD (8 REPS EACH SIDE)
A strong body
TAP (8 EACH SIDE)
Moving from side
begins at the core. to side in a skating
Start in a high-plank motion, bend at
position, glutes and the hips and knees,
way I move for him. He’s a phenomenal Were there moments when I thought it core locked. Lift touch one hand
athlete and a great actor, but there’ll be hadn’t worked? Absolutely. one hand and the down to the opposite
opposite foot off the foot, shifting your
times when he’ll decide, ‘No, I don’t want I struggled massively for the first few floor, to shoulder weight to that foot
to do that – that’s you, Bob’. months post-op. I was in a really bad and hip height, and bringing the
Before shooting, I see what shape the place. I was in so much pain – a new pain keeping your body other foot behind
tight. Repeat on it, lightly touching
actor is in and I do everything in my that I’d never felt before. Crazy things other side. down behind to
power to be as close as possible to their run through your head. My body is my stabilise. Explode
physique. But I have to say that Chris tool. It’s how I’ve made my living. Take it off the front foot,
firing those glutes
is by far the hardest to match. Because away and you’re taking away part of my
to repeat the
he’s just a specimen. He’s ridiculous. He identity. And I was lost for a period. movement on the
looks like he’s been carved out of ice. He’s I couldn’t train or do what I normally do. other side.
not just big – he’s big and lean, which is And I had the same question from people
the hardest thing to maintain or even every day: how’s your back? Day to day, 2 / TUCK JUMP
to achieve in the first place. But it’s the there wasn’t much improvement so to (8 REPS)
challenge I take on each time. keep trying to answer that same question Let’s work those
legs. Grip the floor
About a year ago I had lower-back brings you down. For the first time in my with feet hip-width
surgery. The issue was a build-up from my career I had downtime: six months off apart, then sink back
gymnastics days, combined with two or after 11 solid years of nonstop work. It was into your heels and 5 / SQUAT JUMP
leap up, bringing (8 REPS)
three incidents that really aggravated it. a lot of time to think and dwell. What have both knees towards Grip the floor with
There was severe disc degeneration and I done? Was it the right choice? I had to your chest. Be your feet, set at
compression, so I had two titanium plates believe in myself and focus on my end- sure to land softly, hip width, and
absorbing the squat down. Core
put in by a surgeon in Dallas, Jason Tinley, goal of getting back to full fitness – or as impact with the balls switched on, push
to give me that space back and ease the pain. close as possible with my new body. I also of your feet. the floor away with
It was a huge operation that involved needed the support of my wife and family your feet, leaping
up explosively.
having my spine stretched and and friends, and without that I couldn’t
repositioned and parts of my fascia joints have come through. I’ve just come back
removed. My body’s still adjusting. It’s from doing stunts on a movie – quite
been difficult – a lot harder, mentally, than a big one Chris and I did in India and
I thought it would be. Thailand. It was fully loaded action with
a lot of heavy stunts. I felt
3 / PLYO PUSH-UP
(8 REPS)
the identity coming back. 6 / PLANK TO
ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: TOM WARRY, LUCKY IF SHARP, LOUISA PARRY I

Time to work that

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
ILLUSTRATION: ANDREA MANZAT
upper body. Return SHOULDER TAP
to the high plank, (8 EACH SIDE)
this time hands just More core! Get
outside shoulder into a high plank.
width. Grip the floor Keeping your hips
with your hands stable, core braced,
and pull your chest lift one hand off the
towards the floor. ground to touch the
Explode up, pushing opposite shoulder.
the floor away from Return to the floor,

you. keeping everything

my entire core. If I can help
tight as a drum.
anyone, inspire anyone, that
would be a massive thing.
You’re not alone. Wherever
you are mentally, there’s
a way back.”

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 23

 BODY

THE BIG WORKOUT

Build a Body 01B

for the Ages

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

02A

DAD JACKED
No two bodies begin their fifthh
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 01A
A
02B
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 joint-
friendly 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 –
improve with time, basically.
SUPERSET
01
DUMBBELL
DEADLIFT 5-7 REPS
Harness the testosterone-
boosting 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.
WORDS: ANDREW TRACEY | PHOTOGRAPHY: PHILIP HAYNES I MODEL: DANIEL VENTURA AT W MODEL
02
PRESSUP
10-15 REPS
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.

24 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

 THE SPEC
MUSCLES
TARGETED

03B
OUT
MIN

RESULTS IN
2 WEEKS

04A
LEVEL
EASY

03A
04B

SUPERSET

03
DUMBBELL
04
RESIS
THRUSTER 8-10 REPS BAND ROW 5-7 REPS
S
This huge multi-joint Limit th
he posture-crunching
movement can trigger load of machines
hi and
d work
k
a flood of testosterone. Begin your core by using the dynamic
by holding the dumbbells at tension of a band. Sit with your
shoulder height, then squat back straight, then loop a light
down until the crease of resistance band around your
your hip passes your knees feet (A). Pull the band towards
(A). Power back up and your shoulders (B). Split your
simultaneously press the hands wider to recruit extra
weights into the air until your back muscle. Finish your
arms are locked out overhead reps, then go again from the
(B). Return the dumbbells back thrusters until your 20-minute
to shoulder height and repeat. 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 01A
body to adapt without
breaking it in the process.
By making small, oscillating
movements with these loads,
you can safely stimulate 02A
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 01
KB OVERHEAD CARRY
02
KB FRONT RACK CARRY
and Thursdays, with a day off 2 SETS OF 20M 2 SETS OF 20M
on Wednesday. At the very
Keeping your shoulders Slouching at your desk? Walk
least, it’ll help you hit your healthy is imperative for long- this way if you’d like a proud
daily steps. term strength. Clean a pair posture. Pinching your shoulder
of kettlebells into the front blades back, touch your fists
rack position and press them with the kettlebells under your
overhead until your arms are chin and brace your core (A).
locked out (A). March for 20m, Again, walk for 20m and head
turn and head back (B). Try to back. Ensure you take short,
push your arms up at all times. As deliberate strides, breathing
soon as you’re done, drop down deep into your belly and
into the front rack position, ready keeping your back, shoulders
for the next carry. and arms solid at all times (B).

26 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

 THE SPEC
MUSCLES
TARGETED
04A
03A

03B

WORKOUT
20 MIN

RESULTS IN
2 WEEKS

LEVEL
MEDIUM

04B

03
KB FARMER’S CARRY
2 SETS OF 20M
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.
04
ALTERNATING GORILLA ROW
8 REPS
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
Hit Snooze
For Bigger
Muscle
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
allow you to lift effectively
in the 20-25 rep range, fitting
REST PRACTICE
in the same volume of work
Drop the weight and move
into fewer sets. Essentially, a
into a loosening exercise
scientific rejig of your current designed to unlock lifting
workout will see you rest more potential
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
BENCH PRESS > T-ROTATION
mobility with our muscle-
From a push-up position,
loosening exercises (right). reach up and rotate
Match the move to your lift towards the ceiling with
your right hand, making
to make the most of your newly
a T-shape with your body
found free minutes in the gym. 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
 LOST
Flex for 18KG!
1 THE PROBLEM

the Camera
“When I started
modelling I was getting
booked quite often, but over
time, things slowed down and
/ BY THAAQIB DANIELS I felt like I had reached a plateau,”
says Ongama. Looking for more
consistent work, he started taking
When 22-year-old model Ongama ONGAMA MAFENUKA a closer look at the models who
Mafenuka noticed his bookings were landing the most bookings.
slowing down, he realised it was AGE: 22 “I realised the only difference
time to start working on his six pack OCCUPATION: between them and me was that
in order to make his body work for him. Model they were in great shape and had
LOCATION: Cape six packs. So there and then
Town
I committed myself to work
WEIGHT BEFORE: on my body.”
BEFORE
90KG
WEIGHT AFTER:
72KG THE LESSON: Find your goals, and
READY TO LOSE YOUR BELLY? USE OUR PLAN TO write ‘em down. According to
TIME TO GOAL:
TRANSFORM YOUR BODY – START TODAY AT 2 years a recent study, that’ll make you
BELLYOFF.CO.ZA 33% more likely to achieve them.

30 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 PHOTOGRAPHY BY GLEN MONTGOMERY

 BODY
Location: Bold Body, Cape Town

Build
We want to
hear your Model
Muscle
weight-loss
and personal
success
stories!
Email us at Before a shoot, Ongama likes
tellmh@
media24. to bang out a few reps to get
com. a pump going. Here are three
moves that can help you get
camera-ready.

1
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.

2
Bench Dips

This move can be done just

about anywhere. When
you’re lowering your body,
wait until your arms form
a 90-degree angle before

2 3
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.
4
returning to start. Keep your
THE RESULT butt close to the bench.
“After two years of trial
and a whole lot of error,
I finally achieved my goal to have 3
a six pack!” For Ongama, the
Air Squats
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.” While an air squat won’t net
you the same visible muscle
THE LESSON: Studies have shown as the weighted varieties; it
that when you’re motivated by can improve strength, range
a sense of self-fufilment (instead of motion and form.
of a financial incentive), you are far
more likely to reach those goals. 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

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
PHOTOGRAPH BY EMILY SHUR/AUGUST

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 FORD FRY
better, happier, more well-rounded men for it. When’s Day job: CHEF
The hobby: GUITAR PLAYING
the last time TV did that for you? The benefits: A COMPLETE
SENSE OF ESCAPE (PLUS
BRAGGING RIGHTS)

building a cutting board or a canoe FO RD FRY C O N S I D E RS H I M S E LF

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
– woodworking “opens up a free-
associating part of your brain,” he says.
“Your subliminal self takes over.”
Offerman used to sell his
creations, making things year-
round 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.’ ”
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.

34 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020


KYLE
HOLLINGSWORTH
Day job: ROCK STAR
The hobby: BEER BREWING
The benefits: GOING WITH
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,
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
ANY THING THAT ISN’T STARING INTO
THE ABYSS that is your smartphone?
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.”
LIFE
RICHARD
MARGOLIN
Day job: TECHIE
The hobby: ORIGAMI
(NO, REALLY!)
The benefits: EXTREME
FOCUS AND FINGER
DEXTERIT Y
I N WHAT M I G HT be the least likely
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.”
MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 35
 VIRAL
ESCAPES
WHETHER YOU’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

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
Harley-Davidson
built 33 demo
bikes that were
tested by over
12 000 people
worldwide before
completing the
final design.
PHOTOGRAPHS: SUPPLIED
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 stop-
offs everywhere.
LIFE
So you want
to talk torque?
You'll get
116Nm from this
coffee run
companion.
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 harley-
davidson-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 You've got to know
and lights – remember this bike is all about how to handle the
elements on this
the rush of acceleration, so every chance bike. Turn to page
you have of working the gearbox is an 78 to learn how to
master the cold.
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

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 batwing-
inspired 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.
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
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
Chances are you own, or dream
about owning a kit room, the ultimate
toybox, packed with kayaks, a One-
Wheel, 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.
LIFE
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
DON’T LET the exotic-sounding recipe name – Moroccan Lamb Stew – freak you out.
30 “Moroccan” just means you throw in some exciting (though easy-to-find) spices. Plus, lamb
10 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
One serving of the lamb stew
actually covers all your
30/10 needs. So consider these
sides extra credit.

30G 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.

BU Y IT C OOK IT Moroccan Lamb Stew

This recipe This recipe takes no longer to prepare than your usual pot of chilli con
calls for “stew carne and tastes nothing like your usual pot of chilli.
meat.” That
basically W H AT YO U ’ L L N E E D 1. In a large Dutch apricots, green 1 . HARISSA POTATO SALAD
means cubed oven over medium- olives, tomatoes
pieces of 2 T B S P CA N O L A O I L Chop 4 medium yellow
high heat, heat the (with their juices), potatoes into bite-sized pieces;
meat from 900 GRAMS CUBED LAMB
ST E W M E AT oil. Add the lamb, reserved lamb and add to a pot of boiling water.
various parts
2 GA R L I C C LOV E S, M I N C E D season well with beef broth. Bring Cook till tender, about 10
of the animal. minutes. Drain and cool. In
You could buy 1 L A R G E Y E L LOW salt and pepper, to a boil over high
ONION, DICED a bowl, toss the potatoes with
lamb roast, or and cook until well heat, and then 2 Tbsp olive oil, 2 Tbsp harissa,
4 M E D I U M CA R R OTS, D I C E D browned, 10 to 15 reduce the heat
lamb loin or and salt and pepper to taste.
lamb chops. 2 TS P G R O U N D C O R I A N D E R Refrigerate until cold. Top with
minutes. Transfer to to medium low and
But then 2 TS P G R O U N D C U M I N ¼ cup chopped parsley. Serve.
a plate lined with simmer until the lamb
you’d have 1 C I N N A M O N ST I C K Feeds 4 Nutrition per serving:
paper towels to drain. is very tender, 60 to
to remove the 1 4 0 0 G R A M CA N 176 calories, 3g protein, 27g
C H I C K P E A S, R I N S E D A N D 2. Add the garlic, 90 minutes. Discard carbs (2g fibre), 7g fat
bones. Stew DRAINED onion and carrots the cinnamon
meat saves 1 C U P D R I E D A P R I C OTS, and sauté until the stick. Taste and
you time. CHOPPED
onion softens, about adjust seasoning, if
½ C U P P I M E N TO - ST U F F E D
GREEN OLIVES 5 minutes. Add the necessary. Feeds 6
1 4 0 0 G R A M CA N D I C E D coriander, cumin NUTRITION PER
TO M ATO E S and cinnamon stick. SERVING:
2 C U P S B E E F B R OT H Cook until fragrant, 263 calories, 38g
about 30 seconds. protein, 46g carbs
Add the chickpeas, (10g fibre), 16g fat

UPGR A DE IT 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 . . . 2 . QQUINOA “COUSCOUS” SALAD

5 15 up quinoa according
ge instructions. Drain.
ARTISTS | PROP STYLING: MAT CULLEN/LALALAND.

MINUTES MINUTES DAY

In a large bowl, toss the quinoa,
1 tomato (diced), ½ English
FOOD STYLING: MICHELLE GATTON/HELLO

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.
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

PHOTOGRAPHS BY BOBBY DOHERT Y 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.
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”:
st
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.

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

 03
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. A B
The general va ariety is LEAN STALK STEAK WITH BROCCOLI COUSCOUS DOCTOR’S ORDERS SAUTÉE
TÉED
ED LO
LONG
NGG STE
TEMM IN MISO
available any time.” These METHOD METHOD
A H E A D O F CA L A B R E S E LO N G ST E M B R O C C O L I ,
recipes, each seerving two, BROCCOLI Remove the florets and shave 8 ST E M S Chop the long stem into 2cm
from Thompson n and Cub, N O R I , 2 S H E E TS to create couscous. Toast the pieces. Grate the ginger. Sauté
F R ES H G I N G E R, 1 0 G
mineral-rich nori for two the broccoli for one minute in a
will help you ma ake the SA LT, 5 G M I S O PAST E , 5 0 G
minutes in a 180°C oven, then little oil, then add the ginger
most of it all yearr round. S E SA M E O I L , 2 TS P grind up with the salt. Cut the R I C E N O O D L E S, 2 0 0 G and cook for a further minute.
A C LOV E O F GA R L I C, stalk in half and boil for six S I L K E N TO F U, 1 0 0 G, Remove from pan and set
DICED minutes, until soft but with bite, DICED aside. Boil 500ml water and
A R E D C H I L L I , F I N E LY then season generously with add the gut-friendly miso.
GREEN DICED the nori salt. In a heavy-based
S P R I N G O N I O N S, 2,
SLICED Simmer for a minute, then
GIANTS pan gently heat sesame oil, then
add the garlic and chilli. Allow
C O R I A N D E R, 1 0 G,
remove from the heat. Soak the
noodles in the miso water then,
You don’t need to soften without adding colour,
CHOPPED
when soft, combine with the
meat to build then add the couscous. Add a tofu, onion and cholesterol-
muscle – heere little water to loosen, then plate friendly coriander. Divide into
are three up with the stalk steak on top. two bowls and slurp away.
ingredients
that won’t
cause your
gains to wilt

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

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

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 D
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
BULK-UP ROMAN
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.
O NCHOVY
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
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 vs 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?

2.5K The average intake for men.

But it’s worth googling the
“Mifflin-St Jeor equation” to
calculate your own figure.
The percentage of your diet
you need to devote to protein,
if muscle repair and growth
are your main objectives*.
30%
THE DIFFERENCE
Calories are the energy in food, fuelling Carbohydrates, fats and proteins are the
everything from thinking to marathon three nutrients that contain those calories.
running. Consume a surplus and you’ll get Tweaking the ratios between these energy
bigger; eat a deficit and you’ll get smaller. sources helps you to zone in on specific goals.

WEIGHT LOSS

0.5KG
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.
0.7KG
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.

250
MUSCLE GAIN
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. KCAL
55%
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.

BETTER HEALTH
Calorie restriction has been linked to Even if macros help you hit your targets in the
a longer lifespan. Plus, the resultant weight gym, don’t ignore micros like vitamins. The
loss may help to reduce your heart disease “If It Fits Your Macros” diet makes no
risk, especially if you’re overweight. distinction between burgers and grain bowls.

WORDS: BEN WELCH | PHOTOGRAPHY: DAVID MARQUEZ | *MIKE ROUSELL, NUTRITION ADVISER | **@BENCOOMBER
FINAL WORD
“Calories determine your weight,” says “Macros can give your diet plan a specific
nutritionist Ben Coomber**. “Increase direction, but this doesn’t guarantee that
your intake and you’ll gain it, and vice what you eat is good for you,” says Coomber.
versa. Whatever your goal, bear it in mind.” “The foods still need to be healthy.”

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

 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

 “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.
Three strategies to make your next romp even more fun!
1 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
GETTY IMAGES
Secret Collection Gift Set by Shunga
(R799, desir.co.za)
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
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.Mid-
coitusisnotthetimetoenquireabouther
orgasm.Instead,havethattalkbeforeyouget
busy,sayssextherapistVanessaMarin.Let
herknowyou’regametodowhatevermakes
herfeelgood–aslongasit’swithinyourown
comfortzone–andthatyou’dliketogether
PLEASURE BOOSTERS
2 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)
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 non-
insistent 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.”
3 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
 Oo
oo
oo
o o h! A a a a a h h!

Oh h!
Ye e O o ooo
e e e s!

oh !
Mm o o o
mmm o o
m! 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.
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.Ialreadyknewaboutthesperm-
egg-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

48 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020


Ooo
oo
oo
oh
Ye s! ! caseswhofeeltheyhavetosay“Itmustbe
Ye s
! at severaldifferentfloors.Whichiswhatan
Mmmmm
mm
! develop some unusual ideas about nurses.
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, ice-
skating, 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
GETTY IMAGES
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
an allstationsthen”whentheelevatorstops
elevatorisdesignedtodo.
The readers’ letters also led me to
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’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.
LIFE
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
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
As other fathers will no
LESS INTIMIDATING
doubt have warned you, lack
WITH OUR CRIB SHEET
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 03

01

04 05

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
03
WEIGHTY ISSUES
Once you’re back at work,
balancing night shifts and
your nine to five will impact
04
BETTER OUT THAN IN
Over time, your new role
in life can lead to some
05
SILVER LININGS
The shock to your system
is temporary. Your positive
changes are permanent.
A study in PNAS shows
that dads undergo a boost
WORDS: TOM WARD | ILLUSTRATION: PETER GRUNDY

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.
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.
existential questions:
“Who am I as a person?”
“Am I really fit to be
a father?” It’s an under-
reported fact that
men, too, can develop
postnatal depression.
The long-term effects
of suppressed emotions
can be enormously
damaging, so speak up.
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.

50 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

5
2 0 8 C U R A T E D P A G E S • S U P E R L A T I V E I M A G E S

S A ’ S M O S T B E AU T I F U L M AGA Z I N E
WIN
PRIZES
WORTH
R27 500

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SA
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OTHER COUNTRIES
SA R75
EXCLUDING TAX
R65.22

&BEYOND SOSSUSVLEI
DESERT LODGE

LATEST ISSUE
N O W A V A I L A B L E O N A L L D I G I T A L P L A T F O R M S

Zinio . Magzter . Mags@home . Pressreader

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 don’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 you’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

01
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 2
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.

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.

02 Wash Clothes Spray

R99 takealot.com 2 ,
C/ FIELDS OF GREEN WEARING IS CARING a fabric refresh spray
Modern, industrial-scale cotton farming When you wash your that removes odours
relies upon pesticides and fertilisers. denim, lower the and gives your clothes
Not only do these degrade soil quality, temperature and add an “instant iron”.
making it harder for farmers to make Making your denim
natural detergents
a profit in the long run, they also leach
into the water table, harming wildlife to your load – like half go the extra mile is
and tainting drinking water. a cup of white vinegar. also crucial. When
Try The Apothecary there’s a hole in your
ILLUSTRATIONS: ANDREA MANZATI

Multi-Purpose Citrus pair, don’t condemn

D/ FINISHING POINT Infused Vinegar them to the landfill.
Many denim-finishing techniques Cleaner R105 Levi’s 3 offers in-
are highly hazardous. For example, faithful-to-nature. store denim servicing,
sandblasting has been directly linked
co.za 1 , which helps while independent
to silicosis, a fatal lung disease caused
by inhaling silica dust. Acid-washing can preserve colour. Or, repair specialists
also lead to respiratory issues and even opt for a denim cleaner are springing up
blindness – ouch. like Day2 Denim Dry everywhere.

56 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

 STYLE
A / MADE AND B / FAST FASHIOON
CRAFTED WITH A PURPOSSE
Levi Strauss & Co is Fashion giant Zara’sJJoin
getting serious about Life label was crafted
dusing
future-proofing the production methodsthat
planet. The denim minimise waterusag ge
brand has announced (among other enviro onment-
its commitment a more friendly techniques).Forthe
eco-friendly future by company, it’s oneste eptowards
putting conservation creating a moresustainable
and water sustainability brand overall. Thisde enim
at the forefront of their shirt is made of100% %
denim production. ecological- grownco otton.
The Made and Crafted Basic Denim Shi rt
collection is designed R499 zara.com
using fewer resources
from start to finish.
Levi’s Made &
Crafted 511 Slim Fit
Jeans R1 299
levi.co.za

03
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
1 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
D / RAW FOR innovation, but rather an
reduces harm to the
THE PLANET exciting opportunity to
Sustainable design unlock new potential with-
environment). The
innovation is a core part of in the fabric itself. They
majority of the
G-Star Raw’s mission. They focus on minimising the
company’s RE:Jeans
want to ensure that the environmental impact of
range now uses this
denim of today, and of the their products by taking
material. Pick up
future, is created with a circular approach to how
a hard-working
respect for people and the denim is both made and
eco-friendly pair...
planet. They believe that used. G-Star Raw! Kir
like this one! Slim Leg
sustainability is not Denim Jacket R3 299
Stretch Jeans R499
a constraint to denim G-Star Raw
woolworths.co.za

04
SECOND LIFE
SHORT CUTS
Denim cut-offs are
BLADES OF
GLORY
TOKYO STORIES
Take inspiration
an evergreen style Your knackered, from the Japanese
Here are three staple and simple to make. Snip old pair of jeans can extend the art of boro, in which fabrics are
3 ideas for getting off a couple of inches below life of your razor blades. Put the stitched together to create a
more mileage where you want the hem to denim on a flat surface and push personal story. With the right
from your old sit and press with a dry iron to the blades along the material to tailor, patchwork can be more
favourites keep the seams in place. keep them sharper for longer. Shinjuku than scarecrow.

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 57

The Great
Sneaker Evolution
AS SEEN ON:
Ryan Reynolds. The shoe’s
pared-down look means it can
go with just about anything.
AS SEEN ON:
Jason Statham. Distinguished
by the low profile, striped
graphics and tabbed heel.
AS SEEN ON:
Charlie Hunnam. Special
features: old-school technical
elements, soft-sided uppers.
58 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020
THE MINIMALIST TE NNIS
SUPERGA
A classic silhouette doesn’t mean you
can’t be interesting. Take this shoe’s
perforated navy leather for example.
Soft Leather R1 699 superga.co.za
THE OFF-THE- PITC H SO C C E R
’90S
THE
S I NCE
A SSIC
A CL
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.
Gazelle R1 299 adidas.co.za
THE RE ST- DAY RUNNING
SOVIET
A lesson in contrast: the Grayson is
a mashup of mesh and suede
materials with blue details.
Grayson R350 soviet.co.za
!
RSA TILE
L T R A VE
U
ZARA LECOQ SPORTIF
This simple black silhouette with For a punch, opt for contrast, like
a black sole maintains a classic look a white upper set against the natural
that appeals to any guy. rubber colour of a gum sole.
Single Colour R599 zara.com. Provencale Croco R1 299 lecoqsportif.co.za
!
ALBERT L. ORTEGA/GETTY IMAGES (REYNOLDS), BEVERLY NEWS/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK (STATHAM), SPLASHNEWS.COM (HUNNAM)
G-STAR RAW ONITSUKA TIGER
These low-profile sneakers are With its heritage look and signature
a modern rework of the classic design finish, the Mexico 66 model
Japanese sports shoe. The chunky is a timeless shoe that will elevate any
sole and toe-bumper give this pair outfit. Combo with straight-leg jeans
a strong silhouette. for the perfect off-the-pitch fit.
Rovulc OG II R1 499 g-star.com Mexico 66 R1 299 superbalist.com
ONG !
L D AY L
E, AL
OR TABL
COMF
NEW BALANCE DUCA
The 327 will reset and refresh your look The modern, sporty silhouette means
– the 70s heritage reimagined within a this style can be worn with practically
contemporary aesthetic. anything.
327 Sneaker R1 800 newbalance.co.za Pontino R2 999 ducadelcosma.co.za

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
AS SEEN ON:
Zac Efron. Grippy comfort
that gives you cool-kid cred.
No ollie skills required.
COUSART/JFXIMAGES/WENN (EFRON), SMXRF/STAR MAX/GC IMAGES (JAMES), RB/BAUER-GRIFFIN/GC IMAGES (JORDAN)
AS SEEN ON:
LeBron James. Come for
the socklike comfort; stay
for the futuristic look.
AS SEEN ON:
Michael B. Jordan. Perhaps
the most collectible style in
the sneaker world.
THE MODE RN S K ATE R
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.
Sk8 Mid Deboss R1 000 Vans 021 709 0084
THE HIG H -TEC H TR AINE R
E
S STYL
MEET
TECH
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
THE THROWBAC K BAS KETBALL
PUMA
They’re as comfy as can be, while the
mid-boot silhouette adds a retro-
inspired edge to your look.
Def Jam Sky LX R2 999 puma.co.za
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.
Pro Leather R1 600 converse.co.za
UNDER ARMOUR
Made for running and styled to grab
attention on the street, this is form and
function in perfect harmony.
UA HOVR Phantom SE Trek
R2 899 underarmour.co.za
RIG INAL
A T E D) O
(UPD
THE
FILA
Achieve a cool, retro look with the
original signature shoe of NBA star
Jerry Stackhouse.
Spaghetti Sneaker R1 799 Sportscene
STYLE
IP !
T GR
GREA
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
REEBOK
Functional enough for working out
and smart enough for the streets.
Keep your outfit simple and keep
focus on your feet.
Nano 9.0 R1 999 reebok.co.za
!
AIR JORDAN
This sneaker maintains the timeless
appeal of the OG AJ1, revamped with
fresh colours and premium materials.
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.
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!

60 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

 F O U R ST E P S EYE CREAMS: A VISUAL
TO A The first place men typically notice signs of ageing

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

STEP ONE
CLEANSER
Cleansers help your skin breathe 10. Sisley Eye
by removing the dead cells, oil, Contour Mask
and dirt that clog your pores, says Elemis Man R 1 815
Time Defence edgars.co.za
dermatologist Dr Howard Sobel.
Eye Reviver Dermalogica
This one is gentle but effective. Kiehl’s Ultra BioLumin C Eye
R950
Facial Cleanser, R350 edgars.co.za Lab Series Serum in
absoluteskin.co.za
Power V
PRICE

R1325
Instant Eye Lift dermalogica.co.za
STEP T WO R570
woolworths.co.za
RETINOL
Derived from vitamin A, retinol Jack Black Eye
increases the production of youth- Balm De Puffing
preserving collagen and elastin and & Cooling Gel
R490
curbs breakouts, says Sobel. Skin
absoluteskin.co.za
Workout Retinol Refirm, R995 sorbet.co.za Clarins Men
Anti-fatigue
Filler Eye Cream Eye Serum
SPF15 R405
STEP THREE R320 clicks.co.za clarins.co.za
EYE CREAM Nivea Anti Age
“The skin around the eyes is the Cellular Eye
thinnest and needs the most Skin Republic Cream
Anti-fatigue R265
protection,” says Sobel. According
Under Eye Patch dischem.co.za
to Chanel, this eye cream increases hydration R60
by 54% and the appearance of firmness by
R
superbalist.com
24%, while reducing the appearance of dark
circles by 14%. See right for more options. E Y E S - O N LY M U LT I - P U R P OS E
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
OR
YOU S I N C E MAS KS AR E TARG E TE D treatments that address
specific issues – breakouts, dryness, congestion – they’re
MASK, an easy way to see big changes in your skin with minimal
effort. The extra benefit, though, is you get to embrace
BRO? 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!

NIGHT CREAM
PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAN FORBES

These give you more

MH Sorbet PREVAGE City
hydration and protection
Man Charcoal Smart Double
than a moisturiser. Look RECOMMENDS Peel-Off Action Detox
for one that contains hyaluronic acid,
Mask Peel Off Mask
peptides and ceramides. Cetaphil Rich R70 R950
Night Cream, R385 clicks.co.za clicks.co.za ascotcosmetics.co.za

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 61

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

COMPILED BY KIERAN LEGG

His signature bush-

luxe 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 FASTEST-
GROWING LUXURY SAFARI COMPANIES IN SOUTHERN AFRICA.

62 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020


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
Beks learnt
everything he in Hwange during his school holidays.
knows about “You know the term ‘gofer’? Well,” he
running a camp
while on the job. 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.
By Narina Exelby “I’d gained insight into the life of a safari camp
Photographs: Narina Exelby and realised that it was possible for me to have
and Mark Everleigh a career in the safari industry.”
Experience Matters
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

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
Beks has 15
camps across
Southern
Africa.
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

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.”
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
ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF AFRICAN BUSH CAMPS
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
UPGRADES
those planes meant that we could offer
Beks’s
Business
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.” Advice
Take Others With You
In June this year, 14 years after opening
Somalisa, African Bush Camps is hoping to Have A Unique
open its 15th camp in August. It’s been a wild
Selling Point
When you start a business,
ride, but not one that Beks has done alone. be sure to have a unique
Mentors have played an important part in position. If you do exactly
his personal growth, and have been invaluable what someone else is doing,
you’ve got an uphill battle.
in helping ABC succeed. “I have never been
shy of calling people and asking for help or
getting perspectives on different situations,” Interrogate
Your Values
says Beks. “I’ve not had the time to go on When you’re looking for
courses because I’ve been too busy growing an investor, question the
ABC and being involved in every aspect of reasons they want to be
a part of your business. Be
the business. My education has come from up front with everything you
spending time with mentors and learning intend doing.
from a very practical perspective.”
Community has also played a fundamental Recognise The
role. From the very beginning, African Bush Challenges Early
Camps has been committed to supporting Recognise and respond
to economic challenges
the communities in which they operate, and
as early as possible – before
the African Bush Camps Foundation was you have to make tough
established when ABC began. Taking that financial decisions quickly.
commitment to community further, each
camp is staffed predominantly by people from Find Mentors
the areas surrounding the camps, and entirely Align yourself with
by people from that country. “We’ve really “godfathers” you can call
on when the chips are down.
walked the talk in making sure that we take You will always encounter
everybody else with us, from our staff to our problems – make sure you
communities, and that we share and enjoy the have people you trust, whom
you can call on for advice.
success as we’ve gone along.”
It’s important not only to find the right
people, Beks maintains, but keep them, too. Watch Your
Headcount
ABC now employs more than 600 people – Yes, you need people
many of whom are, like Beks did, climbing to build an empire, but
the ranks. “We do a lot of internal training remember that they will cost
you. Just keep an eye on it.
to keep people motivated and inspired. We
recognise and celebrate those who do well,
and we give people the opportunity to step Be Flexible
Be open to how your
up. We grow and celebrate role models and
business can evolve. What
mentors – people who share a collective works now may work for only
vision and passion – and it’s through these a period of time – it doesn’t
need to be forever.
homegrown successes that we’re building our
own culture.” There’s an old African proverb
that resonates deeply with Beks: if you want Appreciate
to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, take
Your People
Look after your clients and
others with you. “I’ve done fast,” he says. “The you’ll always have more.
business is established and we’re now in this Look after your staff, and
for the long run. I’m committed to making they will come along on
the journey with you.
sure that no-one gets left behind.”
MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 65
 UPGRADES

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

spending or saving. 4 YOUR JOB IS A JOKE

Their answers
3
were measured on Cracking jokes to climbing
the Spendthrift- in the office
Tightwad Scale. PLAN might seem like
the corporat
ladder.
(Spendthrifts will AROUND a quick way to Eighty-four
make it rain, while
Tightwads keep
STRESS end up in your
boss’s bad books,
percent of these
bigwigs agr ed
their savings under but turns out that worker
lock and key.) Much being the funny with a funn
guy might make side tended to
like adults, kids are
Feeling you the guy when perform bet er
four times more it’s time for at their jo s.
likely to fall into the stressed? Don’t
a promotion. In another
Tightwad camp make any plans.
A Robert Half study*,
– which is, in this New research has International humour
tough economy, discovered that Survey found ranked nea
exactly the attitude our ability to plan that 91% of the top for
you want to instil ahead (based on executives desirable s
little tyke has already in your little ‘un. memory) may be believe having in leaders. Just
1 developed serious severely affected a sense of humour leave the dad
But if your child is is important jokes at home.
emotional reactions care-free with cash when we’re in
REAL to spending and (Spendthrifts will a pinch. Stanford
saving dosh. And, researchers looked
INHERITANCE according to new
often buy an item
at the effects of
even if they are only
research, those mildly interested stress on the brain
responses are in it), the authors and discovered
modelled after your suggest opening up that it puts us in
While your kid’s own attitude towards a “low-level
a conversation to
total assets amount money. A University thought-process
help your kid better
to no more than of Michigan study state”, or
understand their
a piggy bank and looked at a group of otherwise, not
purchasing habits.
treasure trove of 225 kids to gauge the best mood
Try: “Why do you
action figures, the their reactions to to make smart,
want to buy that?”
rational decisions.
The research has

2
confirmed what we
already, at least on
5
FIND YOUR
CHRONOTYPE
TUNNEL THROUGH TASKS
a gut-level, knew.
Next time you’re
mounting pile of unfinished laying the ground If you’re constantly function better at
work. In a study published in work for big plans, tired (we’re talking certain parts of the
the Journal of Experimental make sure you ready to drop into day. For some, it’s
Psychology: Human Perception don’t have other a deep slumber by waking up to tackle
and Performance, researchers stressors derailing the time the clock tasks at 4am; for
investigated the effects of your thought hits noon) your work others, it might be
jumping from task to task. What process. schedule may be out staying up and
they found is that the brain needs of whack with your working until 4am.
WORDS: KIERAN LEGG | SOURCE: BELL LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE*

a solid moment to switch gears. preferred sleeping This is your Chro-

In isolation, not a big deal, but do pattern. The reality is notype, and if Breus
that ten or a hundred times in a that there is some is to be believed,
We’ve all dreamt about working single day, and you’re losing truth to the “I’m adjusting your work
from home, but in practice, precious minutes to these not a morning schedule to echo the
bashing out your daily tasks on repeated calibrations. The person” mantra rhythm of your bio-
your own doorstep isn’t without solution: block out time to you’ve been logical clock could
its pitfalls. Chief among them? work on specific tasks and chanting since offset some of the
The distractions. Whether it’s don’t break focus until the your first days fatigue that’s killing
tackling chores, fielding your kid’s timer runs down. Apps like as an intern. your productivity.
never-ending questions or giving BeFocused (Available on iOS According to Best way to find
into temptation and watching and Android) will create those Michael Breus, out if it works? Try
another episode of Ozark – last blocks for you, so all you need author of The Power it yourself. Take the
one, I promise – your productivity to do is follow through. of When, our bodies quiz at thepowerof-
may have nosedived off of the Available on iOS and Android are programmed to whenquiz.com

66 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

 UPGRADES

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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
IMAGES: SUPPLIED
Kieran Legg, Contributing Editor: Nadim Nyker, Digital Editor:
CA L L O F D U T Y WA R ZO N E RESIDENT EVIL 3
“Battle Royale is back, and Call “This is another remake that
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MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 67


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
68 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020
Rewrite Your History
Dial Down Your Phone Time
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
 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
ILLUSTRATION BY ALEX ARIZMENDI
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!
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

I’ll Break Up
colleagues and friends. And I wanted
to stop wasting time. Was my tendency
to take out my phone whenever I was

with My Phone
bored– or, more problematically,
whenever I was struggling with a work
project– reducing my ability to focus
on creative work I needed to do?
NO ONE’S LOOKING TO GIVE UP THEIR PHONE COLD MyfirstquestionforPrice:whatwouldI
TURKEY, BUT FOR DAN HARRIS, CUTTING BACK havetodotoachievethesegoals?ShouldI
SMARTPHONE USE EVEN A LITTLE TAKES A LOT OF WORK. throwthethingoutthewindow?
“Breakingupwithyourphonedoesn’t
meangettingridofyourphone,”shetoldme.
“Itisaboutlookingatyourphoneandfiguring
AS AN ALWAYS-ON conductingaworldwide,unregulated,real- outwhatrelationshipwouldfeelhealthyfor
newsanchor,IhadlongsuspectedthatIhad timescienceexperimentonourbrains.Inthe you,andthencreatingit.”
a particularlydysfunctionalrelationshipwith meanwhile,ApplehasaddedScreenTimeto Pricehadmetakeasmartphone-
myphone–thatmyconstantchecking iOSsopeoplecanmanagehowmuchtheyuse compulsiontestdesignedbyDrDavid
of emailandTwittermademelessproductive, theirdevice,andGooglehasrolledout Greenfield,aUniversityofConnecticut
lesscalmandlessconnectedwithmywife asimilarDigitalWellbeingfeaturefor SchoolofMedicinepsychologist.Iresponded
andourfour-year-oldson.Yetevenwith Android.We’reseekingsomecontrol. toyes-or-noquestionssuchas“Doyou
thatawareness,Iwouldoftennoticemyarm To get a handle on my own digital life, findyourselfspendingmoretimetexting,
moving,zombielike,towardmypockettopull I interviewed Catherine Price – science tweeting,oremailingasopposedtotalkingto
outmyphone.Thiswasespeciallyhumbling journalist, self-described recovering tech peopleinperson?”and“Whenyoueatmeals,
giventhat,asidefrombeingareporter,Iam addict, and author of How to Break Up isyoursmartphonealwayspartofthetable
a self-styledevangelistformindfulness.And, with Your Phone. There were a few issues placesetting?”
uh,thecreatorofanappfor...yourphone. I was hoping to tackle, like my Sisyphean The result? I failed the test. (By the way,
Forbetterorworse,Iamnotaloneinmy relationship with my inbox– no matter she told me that most people get the same
compulsivephoneusage.AGallupsurvey how hard I try to get email under control, outcome, which illustrates how pervasive
foundthat81percentofsmartphoneusers it keeps piling up, wearing me out and the problem is.)
saytheykeeptheirphonenearthem“almost making me miserable. I also wanted I should say, Price and I were doing
all thetimeduringwakinghours.”While
a Deloittesurveyfoundthat20percentof
peoplechecktheirphonemorethan50times
a day.Bottomline:whenweare,quiteliterally,
lefttoourowndevices,wespendmassive
quantitiesofourlifestaringatascreen.
Whatdoesthatmeanforourmental
health?Therearepowerfulearlyindicators
thatphoneusage–especiallyamongsocial-
mediausers–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 ILLUSTRATION BY EVAN COHEN


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
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS: KYLE HILTON (HARRIS), LESLIE XIA (AIRPODS).
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!
UP YOUR
INNER GAME
Dan Harris
is a TV anchor,
and the author
of 10%
Happier and Meditation for
Fidgety Skeptics.
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 71
 THE DNA OF
A CHAMPION
Alexander Volkanovski
dismantled the UFC’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

I 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 squat-
jumps 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 super-
strong,” 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-in-
trade. “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 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020
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 anti-
inflammatories 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 top-
ranked 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 phenom-
enal 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.
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
RIGHT: Woollongong, Australia, this is where
Volkanovski wandered into eight
AS A FIGHTER,
years ago as a heavy-set footy player
VOLK ANOVSKI
hoping to stay fit in the off-season.
KNOWS THAT
Lopez soon knew he had
STRENGTH WITHOUT
a contender on his hands after
BAL ANCE IS
watching Volkanovski torpedo an
USELESS.
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 flare-
ups 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 WASN’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
76 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020
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
into ‘mission-impossible’ situations,”
ABOVE:
smiles Lopez, as he explains how his
THERE’S NO QUICK charge is conditioned to shine under
FORMUL A, SAYS pressure. One of their most notorious
VOLK ANOVSKI. YOU sessions is called “The Spider”,
a workout Lopez picked up from City
HAVE TO E AT CLE AN
Kickboxing in Auckland – the gym
AND TR AIN HARD. 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.

“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
TOP LEF T: happened, too.”
A STRE AMLINED This cool-headed rationality
VOLK ANOVSKI IS is rarely associated with the carnage
LIGHTER, FASTER of the Octagon. But it’s the principle
– AND DE ADLIER. 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
a reason Volkanovski’s fighting
PUNCH ABOVE
moniker is “Alexander The Great”. He
doesn’t just out-fight his opponents; YOUR WEIGHT
he out-thinks them. “MMA requires multiple qualities like strength, power
and conditioning,” says Volkanovski’s strength coach
PASS YOUR STERNEST TEST Chris Jaffrey. “So, we do a lot of concurrent training that
Jose Aldo is, in Volkanovski’s words, develops all those qualities at once.”
“the greatest featherweight of all
time”. Technically flawless, the fighter
was undefeated in the UFC for over A1
Trap-Bar Deadlift.
A2
Box Jump.
a decade, a master of takedown 4 sets x 4 reps 4 sets x 5 reps
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
Complete superset then rest 2 minutes.
good in these situations,” Volkanovski
says. “I get tunnel focus and remind
myself I have a game plan to stick to.” Barbell Hip Single-Arm DB
B1 B2
His execution of that game Thrust. 4 x 6 Chest Press. 4 x 8
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 Complete superset then rest 2 minutes.
pick my shots.” The Australian won by
unanimous decision. Single-Arm DB
C1 Row. 3 x 6
Landmine Power
C2 Press. 3 x 8
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 Cable Horizontal Complete superset
C3 Wood-Chop.
says. “Whenever I land one, I try to then rest 1 minute.
figure out the reason why it landed. 3 x 10
When I get caught, I analyse why that
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
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.

What’s in Sick Moves

It for Me?
Before you commit
Feeling less than 100%?
There’s a fine line between
TRAIN OUTSIDE giving yourself time to
to a chilly park workout, TO CHISEL A SET recover from a cold and
you’ll want to know why OF ICE-PACK ABS skipping a workout because
you agreed to it. of a sniffle. To help you figure
Fortunately, there are out where you stand, we
some very cool benefits consulted GP Dr Paulo Beco

01/ Superior Fitness Q: It looks pretty grim out

When the cold air touches
your skin, your blood
there. Should I stay inside?
A: Nice try. Actually, exercising
vessels constrict, forcing
in the cold has many health
your heart to work harder.
advantages. Maintaining your
An animal study by
fitness when the weather drops
Northern Arizona University
raises your immunity, helping
found that this increases
protect you against viral illnesses,
your VO2 max, the key
while the increased exposure to
marker of cardio prowess.
the sun boosts your levels of
fortifying vitamin D.
02/ Bigger
Calorie Burn Even in the winter?
If the temperature is low
That’s right.
enough, you’ll start to shiver:
your muscles contract in
rapid bursts in order to What if I’m already
warm you up. This process feeling a bit sniffly?
raises your metabolic rate A cold shouldn’t stop you from
before you’ve even started exercising. Just make sure that you
training. keep warm. While bad weather
alone doesn’t cause infections
03/ Faster Fat Loss (you’re far more likely to pick one
Make it a habit and your up in a sweaty gym), allowing your
body composition will start body temperature to drop too low
to shift. Even mild cold for too long can put you at risk.
exposure boosts your
brown fat tissue, the kind Are there any excuses
that burns calories and that will get me out of my
improves your sugar
metabolism. Summer morning run?
bodies really are made in If there’s a chance you have the flu
the winter. or a chest infection, don’t train.

04/ Lasting Stamina How will I know?

Finally, those who chill Inhale deeply. If your chest
regularly can experience is rattling, or you feel short of
truly beneficial metabolic breath, take a rest day. If all of your
changes. Tests at the symptoms seem to be above the
University of Colorado neck, you’re probably OK, but
found that the cold causes consult a doctor if you’re still
our bodies to switch from concerned. Don’t head outside
burning carbs to fat, helping if you have a temperature at or
you push harder for longer. above 38°C, or your body aches.

Does DOMS count?

It doesn’t. Sorry.

80 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020


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
PHOTOGRAPHY: SUN LEE, BYRON KEULEMANS, GRAHAM WALSER AT LUCKY IF SHARP, ROWAN FEE, MICHAEL HEDGE, PHILIP HAYNES I
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
MODELS: LEE RJ BOSCH (LEFT), TOM KEMP (RIGHT)
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
shoulders, then perform a series of 7-second inhhales
through the nose, breathing out sllowly
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
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
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
through your mouth.
03/ Free Mover
A bulky jacket restricts your
range of motion during ben nch
dips and burpees. This
softshell bodywarmer is
windproof and allows for
freedom of movement. It also o
has two handwarmer pockets.kets
K-Way Vulcan “12 Softshell
Bodywarmer, R599
capeunionmart.co.za
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
touchscreen-compatible, so
can still hit “go” on your Taba
counter. Tech Touch Glove
R299, firstascent.co.za
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.”
1/ Calf Bounce
Get into a downward dog
A
position: your glutes high,
back straight and head
bac
bettween your arms (A).
B ernating legs, bend at
Alte
eacch knee and raise your heel
(B),, before pushing it back
dowwn. Bounce from leg to leg
for one minute, working
throough any sticking points.
h
A
2// Single-Leg Jump
Sttep back into a deep lunge
A). Shift your weight onto
(A
yo
our front foot and jump up
B 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
A on down to one rep.
3 Dual Direction Lunge
3/
Step back, as before (A).
S
B Shift your weight onto the
S
frront leg and push up until
you’re almost standing.
Without
W pausing, step into a
fo
orward lunge (B). Reverse,
moving
m back into the lunge.
Each time you pass
“standing”, that’s one rep. Do
three sets of 10 on each side.
Heart rate
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
o you
and jump your feet back into
ata
appress-up position. Drop
e II,
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
shouldder width. Now, squat
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 Fiery Corn
Fritters
Step 1/ These will
keep for a couple of
Fuel on INGREDIENTS
days in the fridge, so
batch-cook them.
the Fire
When training in sub-zero
SERVES 2
Coconut flour, 2 tbsp
Combine the flours,
the baking powder, Step 2/ Divide the
White rice flour, 2 tbsp spices and salt. batter into fritters
temperatures, your body of your preferred size
Baking powder, ½ tsp In a separate bowl,
needs extra carbs to and fry in batches
Cayenne pepper, ½ tsp whisk the eggs with
recover. We consulted in hot coconut oil.
Ground cumin, pinch 60ml of water. Pour
performance nutritionist, Cook for two to
Salt, pinch the eggs into the
Harriet Bates, to create three minutes on
Free-range eggs, 2 flour, then combine
the perfect post-training each side, or until
One mielie, cooked with the mielies,
refuel. Because life’s too browned. Serve
and stripped pepper and onion.
short to eat porridge topped with smoked
every day Red pepper, ¼, diced
mackerel pâté.
A spring onion
Mackerel pâté, 80g

GET STUCK INTO

A STACK OF FAST-
BURNING CARBS

01/ Corn
Training in
the cold puts a
greater demand
on your body’s 03/ Spice
heat-producing Capsaicin,
fat cells, which the “heat”
drains your carb compound
supply. Corn’s in chillies,
starchy carbs stimulates blood
are quickly flow to channel
absorbed, warmth back
replenishing to your hands
your stores. and feet. If ever
there was cause
for an additional
squeeze of
sriracha, this
02/ Onions is it.
A natural source
of antiviral and
antibacterial
compounds,
certain types 04/
of onion are so Mackerel
potent at killing Sucking in cold
germs that, air raises your
according to risk of exercise-
research at induced
Birkbeck bronchitis,
University, they which is the
could even help inflammation
to solve of the lungs.
the antibiotic Topping up your
resistance crisis. omega-3 intake
Up your dosage with extra oily
during flu fish and eggs is
season. the easiest way
to offset it.

82 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

 10°C to 15°C
It might be chilly, Your Workout
but shorts and
a tech tee will
suffice. You’ll warm
Gearometer
Unsure what to wear? Consult our guide to
up fast, we promise.
wrapping up right when the mercury falls
5°C to 10°C
Consider -5°C to 0°C
switching to Brace yourself. Add
a long-sleeved a gilet or a second
top. Tights under top, plus a beanie
shorts advised for for those with less
all but the hardiest. coverage on top.

0°C to 5°C -10°C to -5°C

In Praise raising your metabolism It’s time for both We applaud your
and kick-starting your the tights and commitment. Throw
gloves. And on a windbreaker
of Cold in-built heat-producing
mechanisms. It also
perhaps
a headband to
jacket, and don’t
forget those Zippo

Showers boosts the production

of norepinephrine and
cover your ears,. hand warmers.

Whether it’s a pre- dopamine, two hormones

workout 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,
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 commit-
ting 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
NOW GET OUT THERE!
Select your chosen training method, then ensure
my hair is dry before you’re reaping the maximum rewards
heading out.

01/ Run 02/ Swim 03/ Lift

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 cold-
induced diuresis (urinating
more often), says Bates.
An electrolyte tablet will
help with fluid retention.
If you’re running for The stress-relieving Stick to bodyweight
fat loss, the hike benefits of swimming not a 120kg barbell.
in your metabolic rate are enhanced by cold As your blood vessels
will make your efforts exposure, with the narrow, it’s harder for
more effective. But resulting hormonal oxygen to reach
even if it’s stamina hit intensifying your your muscles. Plus,
you’re chasing, this endorphin boost. your grip will be
is not the time for A few words jeopardised by
all-out hill sprints. to beginners: wear cold fingers. Add
Cold air is very dry a hat, if not a wetsuit, resistance with
(hence the burning and ease yourself in. a band or TRX
in your lungs), and Diving can shock attachment. As a
your heart will be your system. bonus, a Swansea
tested harder than Finally, never go University study linked
normal, too. Stick alone unless you’re low temperatures to
to a steady pace. a seasoned pro. high testosterone.

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 83

 MAGIC
MUSHROOMS
The humble mushroom is anything
but; these nutrient powerhouses are VEGAN LEMON
super-versatile, come in all shapes AND MUSHROOM
RISOTTO 
and sizes and pack a serious umami SERVES 4
punch. Use these simple recipes to OLIVE OIL

upgrademealtime,every time. 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
Recipes by AMY HOPKINS 1 CUP WHITE WINE
Photographs by ROBBERT KOENE 2 5 0 G S H I I TA K E ( O R B R O W N ) Mushrooms will help
MUSHROOMS, SLICED
Food Styling by BRITA DU PLESSIS 4 C LO V E S G A R L I C , M I N C E D
you build (serious)
T H Y M E L E AV E S mental muscle.
7 5 0 M L TO O N E L I T R E Two antioxidants
V E G E TA B L E STO C K (ergothioneine and
1 5 0 G E XOT I C M U S H R O O M S ,
LIKE SHIMEJI, SLICED OR glutathione) may help
S E PA R AT E D, A S N E E D E D prevent Parkinson’s
1 LEMON and Alzheimer’s, says
2 T S P N U T R I T I O N A L Y E A ST
research from Penn
PINCH CHILLI FLAKES
State University.
S A LT A N D F R E S H LY G R O U N D
BLACK PEPPER A 2019 study from the
½ C U P P I N E N U T S , TO A ST E D National University of
Singapore found that
eating two three-
1/ In a large, deep saucepan set
over medium heat, add one quarter cup servings
tablespoon olive oil and the of cooked mushrooms
chopped onion. Sauté until
per week may reduce
translucent and soft. 
2/ Add the risotto rice and stir for your odds of cognitive
one minute before adding the decline. Whip up this
white wine. 
quick dish to snag the
3/ In a separate large wok or pan
set over high heat, add one benefits.
tablespoon olive oil. When very
hot, add the sliced shiitake
mushrooms. Sauté for a couple 5/ Stir the cooked shiitake
minutes then add half the garlic mushrooms into the risotto
and a few thyme leaves. Sauté mixture. 
until fragrant and the mushrooms 6/ Place the now-empty mushroom
are golden on the edges.  pan back over high heat. Add
4/ While stirring the risotto rice, another drizzle of olive oil and sauté
add a quarter cup of vegetable the exotic mushrooms for a couple
stock every few minutes until the minutes before adding the
rice is cooked (you might not remaining garlic and some thyme.
need to use all the stock). 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. 
All types of edible 8/ Divide the risotto between four
mushrooms contain bowls, then top each bowl with the
varying degrees of exotic mushrooms. Garnish with
pine nuts, some extra thyme leaves,
protein and fibre. lemon zest and a final drizzle of
They also contain B olive oil before serving. 
vitamins as well as a
powerful antioxidant
called selenium, which
helps prop up the
immune system and
prevent damage to
cells and tissues.

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
For more than 30
Turn your bread of choice into
a vehicle for this tastebud- years, medicinal
approved toast topper. mushrooms have
been approved
SERVES 2
200G BROWN as an addition
MUSHROOMS, SLICED to standard cancer
OLIVE OIL treatments in Japan
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 and China. A study
L E AV E S F R O M A F E W S P R I G S from Harbin
O F T H Y M E , P LU S S O M E E X T R A University in China
F O R G A R N I S H I N G 
found that ingesting
FOR THE CARAMELISED ONIONS shiitake mushrooms
1 TBSP OLIVE OIL (which contain
3 R E D O N I O N S , F I N E LY a compound called
S L I C E D I N TO R I N G S
1 TBSP BROWN SUGAR lentinan) was
O R C O C O N U T S U G A R  “beneficial in terms
of increasing mean
FOR THE HUMMUS
survival duration,
1 TIN CHICKPEAS,
RINSED AND DRAINED tumour necrosis and
J U I C E O F O N E L E M O N  reducing recurrence.”
2 T B S P TA H I N I Researchers in Texas
OLIVE OIL
also found that an
P I N C H S A LT
ingredient – AHCC –
P I N C H F R E S H LY G R O U N D
BLACK PEPPER in shiitake mushrooms
PINCH CUMIN may help protect the
P I N C H PA P R I K A body against viruses
1 T B S P O L I V E O I L 
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 

3/ While the mushrooms and onions

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.  juice, olive oil, seasoning or water.
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.  your liking. If you’re making canapés,
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
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
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 length-
ways 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 non-
animal 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

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YOUR
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 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 nappy-
changing horror stories.

A NOTE ABOUT Callie Lipkin’s “Dad Time” project began in 2013 after the birth of her second
P H OTO G R A P H S BY THE DADS son, when her husband took on the role of full-time father. Ever since then,
CALLIE LIPKIN PICTURED Lipkin’s captured and celebrated fatherhood moments in every corner of the
THROUGHOUT 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
A D ”
“D
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.
T
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, un-
kidded 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 going-
out-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
HARNESS
S
YO U R N E W
SUPERPOWERS
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 Fitness force of nature S H AU N T created the Insanity
happen? I mean, it happens. workout, T25, Cize and his latest, Transform 20. But
To a lot of us. The latest no workout he has ever done is quite as hard, or as
study on fatherhood from the life transforming, as fatherhood.
Pew Research Center found
that “mothers and fathers
are equally likely to say that
T
parenting is central to who
they are: 57 percent of fathers
say being a dad is extremely HE TOUGHEST workout of my life could be
important to their overall
identity, and 58 percent of
called “Twinsanity Max 2” because in
mothers say the same about November 2017, that is the number of
being a mom.” We define
babies my husband, Scott, and
ourselves as parents and
everything else sort of falls I welcomed into our lives. And that
away, so that whatever used was after five years of baby-making
to be our priorities – sex,
money, friends, hobbies – insanity, recruiting egg donors and
don’t seem to matter quite as surrogate moms and waiting to see if our embryos
much anymore. We become
shorthand for ourselves, only
would take. But when Sander and Silas finally
36 percent lamer. arrived, two minutes apart, that’s when the most
Some of us fight it – we
wonderfully difficult time in our lives began.
don’t wear baggy jeans or
listen to classic rock or say, In my book, T Is for Transformation, I wrote
“That’s what she said.” We’re about “7 Superpowers” that guide my life. That
cool dads. We dress and speak
and consume like 22-year- was before we had kids. Now that they’re here,
olds, which is all well and I’m trying to practise four “superdad” powers.
good until we’re arguing with
a toddler about snack time or
(Why not seven? I’m a dad now! Who has time for
negotiating screen time with seven?) I’m not perfect at them, but I have two tiny
a grade two. Which, as far
as our kids are concerned, is
life coaches teaching me new stuff every day – even
for the best. They don’t need when they should be sleeping, or I should be.
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 C O O L DA D S K I L L S : As explained via
through this weekend, and the the interactions between
one after that, because we INTERACT Will Smith (30
know more than anything
that these kids – these tiny,
WITH YOUR million Instagram followers)
and Jaden Smith
expensive catastrophes – are CHILD ON (12 million), annotated by
worth it. That’s parenting. SOCIAL MEDIA Ana Homayoun, author
of Social Media Wellness.
That’s the dad life.

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?
P OW E R # 2: Anticipate!
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.
Will posts Homayoun
a photo of himself says: A great
and Jaden with example of a fun
the inspirational post – as long
message “Parent- as your child
ing is a balance approves it first.
between letting go
and holding tight.”
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-year-
old son, Daníel.
P OW E R #3 : Indulge!
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 #4 : Be You (Despite #1)!
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.
Jaden debuts a music Homayoun
video; Will posts a clip and says: Self-
writes, “Why do I have to deprecation
keep finding out on takes the edge off
Instagram that my own promotion.
son is dropping new But ask your kid
videos?? This joint is FIRE!! prior to posting.
Jaden, you’re on punishment.”
FOR
G RY
H N S
U
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.
W
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.
Will posts Homayoun
an old family says: Adorable,
baby video but ask. You
of when want your child
Jaden cut to mirror your
his own hair behaviour!
(very poorly)
as a boy.
MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 95
 TO
S OF
DAD

C A R RY O N T H E
ONE

COOLEST
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.

M PA RTS O F
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

YOUR DAD
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 Marvel writer and illustrator ADAM KUBERT
to eat 30 minutes later than the other. followed his father’s map – which didn’t
If you don’t have kids, you might not exactly stick to known roads.
know that to have them is to be confronted

D
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 AD LIKED TO travel and he loved to drive. Being
parenting; you are only shown the smallest
a freelance artist, he had a flexible schedule.
of victories early, and therefore your
expectations have a shorter distance Whenever the desire hit them, my parents would
to fall, which, I think, is nice. pack up all five of us kids, rent a camper van and hit
I don’t want to seem overly negative
about this, though. The bond that the the road for a month at a time. We drove through
twins have is as assured as the air that the US, Canada, Mexico and even Europe. Dad
they breathe and has been there since the
beginning. One time our daughter refused
would always bring his work. I’m not sure how much
to go on the playground until our son got he’d get done, but he would bring it. And I remember studying
there. Our son started reading earlier than
our daughter, and he would lie down next
his sketches: Superman, Batman, Flash, Tarzan. I remember
to her and read her Dr Seuss books. It also stopping at comic-book conventions with him and watching
meant I was able to take a five-minute nap other people being blown away by Sgt. Rock, Enemy Ace,
on the floor of the living room.”
TIMOTHY SIMONS starred as Jonah Ryan Hawkman and other heroes that had sprung from his mind
on HBO’s VEEP. and onto his pages, embodiments of his sense of vitality and
gumption and confidence to charge into the uncharted.

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.
1. Brighten Faces
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.

96 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

 Advertising
creative Nathan
He had an ability to effortlessly H. Wyse with his
stream a narrative, a skill I now three-month-old
son, Sanford
understand as similar to how he
Harold, and
lived his life. Family, work, travel, his three-year-
adventure, fatherhood – these were old daughter,
Josephine
all things to be done simultaneously,
Marley.
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 AT TN
ES P N S
lessons to pass on. OT
ZEAL
In 1976, my dad started a comic-
book school. I currently teach peed on it. Jack came home upset and my
there along with my brother Andy. wife was ready to go and grab the kids who
RAISE A did it and rough them up or something. My
The school has Saturday drawing
classes for kids and this weekend,
I’ll be taking my youngest daughter,
True Fan 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
Ava. I’ll do some drawing in my When his son started rooting territorial. I wanted him to know that in
office while she practises sketching for the rivals, sportscaster sports there’s loyalty, there’s passion. And
DA N PAT R I C K didn’t put up a fight. I said, If you ever win, it’ll be so much
cartoon characters. I’m not sure
better. So he went around telling everyone

M
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.
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
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.

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 97

THE BEST
DAD GEAR D I S C OV E R YO U R

STRENGTH
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
THROUGH THEM
your child comfy and give you the
freedom to keep hiking. R5 499;
thulestore.co.za
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:

N
GoPro Hero7
Does your phone
have 8x slow OTHING REALLY PREPARES
life – but it felt good to be doing something,
motion and noise you for the snotty-nose, ear-
reduction? Is it and Henry seemed to have fewer colds,
infection, stomach-bug fest
smaller than your wallet? This runny noses and bugs.
that is toddler daycare. My son,
is. R6 990; takealot.com Hygiene, while a squishy target, turned
Henry, went to a most excellent
hippie-dippy learning centre out to be easier to master than some of the
FOR INTERACTING:
Yoga Dice where the kids were ushered other goals, namely learning to manage
For a fitness fix outside to play and get dirty at every his mood. As a triathlete, I was familiar
that brings the opportunity. Every day seemed like a bout in with bonking, the nasty crash when you
family together, the germ Thunderdome. Around the time
these dice give
run out of energy because you don’t have
you a workout that will keep Henry was leaning into the terrible threes, enough fuel. At first I didn’t realise that
the kids entertained and you my wife started battling a recurrence of if his daycare team skimped on the Jolly
stretched out (in a good way). breast cancer, enduring multiple kinds of
R320; takealot.com
Jammers at afternoon snack, Harmless
chemotherapy and other treatments that
Henry would turn into Hangry Henry.
destroyed her immune system. The doctor’s
Usually I would expend all my energy trying
orders called for a clean and germ-free
FOR SANIT Y SAVING: to calm him down, and, soon enough, I’d
Tile Mate house and for peaceful nights conducive to
Hook the cracker- restorative sleep. Our lives at the time were bonk too.
sized gizmo onto in chaos, yet from this challenge came I started always packing an apple or
your keys, gym bag, a surprisingly settling force: Henry. In a Melrose cheese wedge for Henry. Then
or whatever else you
lose. Hit the Tile app and the
taking care of him, I began taking better I started packing another for myself.
doohickey rings. R349; care of myself. Sometimes even a snack-fed Henry would
takealot.com Step one for me was establishing melt down, but at the Zen Den at his daycare
a gold standard of hygiene as Henry was (no, really), he had learnt a technique called
FOR NOT SLEEPING: transitioning out of diapers. I became “turtle.” As the name implies, it involves
Jura Z6 a fanatical hand washer. I even wrote a story remaining still and taking several deep
You could scoff at
the cost, or you on how to wash your hands properly based breaths through your nose. Henry would
could see this as on tips from his daycare: create a mousse of huddle on the ground, his rib cage inflating
the happiness- suds in your palm and twist your fingernails and deflating. It usually worked. Earlier
delivery system it is. It grinds
beans. It brews rich espressos. in it; repeat with the other hand. I turned this year, at SXSW, I moderated a panel on
It auto-pours frothy lattes. It into a three-santizer guy (car, bag, mantel), self-care for men, and Aubrey Marcus, the
rules. R34 389, yuppiechef.com which I’m not sure is a sound approach to founder of Onnit, led everyone through his

C O O L DA D S K I L L S :
ACTUALLY ENJOY
A RUN WITH A PRAM
Scott Jurek, a competitive
ultramarathoner, has taken
his toddlers on two-hour runs.
Here’s what he’s learnt.
1. Tweak Your Posture
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.
2. Take the Easy Road
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.
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.

98 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020

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

What Makes a Great Dad?

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
We asked Twitter. Here’s what
they told us...
“Fostering confidence and
family went all in on bath time. Henry was strength while simultaneously
going through an Angry Birds/Octonauts/ encouraging humility and
grace.” –@J_MarksTheSpot
Lego Star Wars phase. I’d gather all these
toys and dump them into a lavender bubble
“I think it all comes down to balance.
bath and let him enter his own soothing We balance our time between
aquaverse. I’d often jump in too and do my providing for our family financially
& providing for them emotionally,
own version of meditation. His mom would our discipline with our compassion,
sit on the side of the tub. We’d talk about our commitment to our partners &
ourselves with our commitment to
Henry’s day as he played out all kinds of the kids. A balanced dad is a great
interspecies snorkeling adventures until dad.” –@Mr_Wimberly

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
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.
“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

C O O L DA D S K I L LS : 1. Get on Their Level 2. Stop Interviewing Them 3. Stick to the

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.
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.
“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.
“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.

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 99

 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
 80
The number of apps
the average person
has installed – but
only nine get fired
up daily

MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020 101

Key:
LIFESTYLE MENTAL
CHEATS MUSCLE
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 Team-
TOMM 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 house-
mates or family members
thanks to a shared login. R85
on iOS and Android
theorganisedmum.blog
102 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020
NUTRITION TRAINING CASH
HACKS UPGRADE SAVINGS
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
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
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 pre-
planning, 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
 38
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
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
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 10/ 12/ Nike
Maintaining daily MapMyRun Training App
yoga practice Whether you’re
is laudable, but not everyone Tired of running the same stuck at home or travelling for
has 90 minutes to spare route during your weekly work, you want to maintain your
posing to pan pipes. Especially parkrun? Find new routes fitness wherever you go. That’s
if you expend most of your using this running app. where the Nike Training Club
energy worrying about the Designed by Under Armour, app comes in. The app has
sniggers going on behind your the app tracks distance, pace, a library of on-demand workouts
(inflexible) back. Glo is your elevation, calories burnt and regardless of your goals.
solution. It offers thousands more. Pair it with the latest Choose to stream a class or do
of yoga, Pilates and meditation smart UA trainers and get a gym-friendly routine. Along
sessions, promising to personalised tips to improve with cardio and strength
improve your mental state, your gait and increase your workouts, the app also offers
posture and mobility. Plus, you speed, whether you’re tips to improve your nutrition,
can save up lessons to use training for a 5K race or a recovery and mindset. Stay on
offline. You can “happy baby” marathon. Free on iOS and top of your progress by tracking
from the comfort of your own Android mapmyrun.com each workout. Free on iOS and
home. R360 per month on iOS Android nike.com/ntc-app
glo.com
11/ Pocket 13/ Kindle
09/ Flexi Faced with the The great thing about
Committing to daily torrent of owning a Kindle is
a single gym information online, it’s easy to being able to access hundreds
membership, fixed to just lose track of what you actually of books from the palm of your
one club and location, feels... want to look at. From hand. Thanks to the Kindle app,
well, a bit 2019. Make this the informative news articles you no longer need to own
year you untether your to Men’s Health workouts, a kindle to reap the rewards. The
fitness goals. Flexi allows you Pocket lets you curate app allows you to access your
to book different types of a reading list by saving all the stored books from any device.
workouts at various gyms stuff you want to look at later You’re also able to move
nationwide. Paying only in one place. You can stash between devices and continue
when you train ensures media from any platform or reading from wherever you left
you’re never wasting money app, and file it all using lists, off. Regardless of your reading
on unwanted gym so you’ll never forget if you preferences, Amazon has
memberships. Bonus: each saved it for work or your something for you. You can also
workout you complete, you WhatsApp chat. It’s available save money by signing up for
earn cash back which can offline, too, so it won’t eat up Kindle unlimited, which allows
then be used on a future all of your valuable data. you to read as much as you
class. Free on iOS and Free on iOS and Android want. Free on iOS and Android
Android flexi.co.za getpocket.com 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
16/ Genius
Scan
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
18/ Blinkist
Pop science and self-help titles are
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 photo-
graphing your bathroom sink
or solving a devilish maths
problem to turn it off. Free on
iOS and Android alar.my
21/
LastPass
You should be using
a different, impossible-to-
guess 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

collaborate. Got a lot on your now shifting in record numbers. But

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
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 22/
experts distil the key concepts of best-selling SleepScore
non-fiction books into bite-sized text and audio A bad night’s sleep can wreak
files, giving you the elevator pitch for the latest havoc on your health,
so there’s no shortage of
on leadership, health and nutrition. Consider it
products that purport to help
a Sparknotes for self-improvement. R110 per you nod off. But for something
month on iOS and Android blinkist.com cheap, contactless and ready
at the tap of a screen, this app
is one purchase you don’t
need to, well, sleep on. The
19/ Zwift 20/ “world’s most accurate sleep
Another pioneer in Youper app” uses your phone’s
remote training for riders and Every day, Youper checks in microphone to monitor
runners alike, Zwift transforms to ask you how you’re feeling. your breathing rate and body
tedious turbo rides and You pick a colour and describe movements, then presents
treadmill slogs into challenging, your mood and the app takes a detailed breakdown of your
social sweat sessions. Pair any it from there. It’s an AI-backed sleep stages, along with
Bluetooth-enabled treadmill or emotional health assistant a nightly score. It even comes
static bike to the app and power designed to open up quick with personalised tips to help
your avatar around the roads of but insightful conversations you get better Zs. Sleep
six virtual worlds, including a to help you communicate tracking (and the smart alarm)
*JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH

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
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
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.
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

104 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020


73%
of people who use
fitness apps
exercise regularly,
compared to 46%
of non-users*
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
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
26/
What3Words
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 YOUR
OWN
IRON PAR

PHOTOGRAPHS BY FINLAY MACKAY

106 MH.CO.ZA/ June 2020
 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.

TO HELP PICK THE BEST GEAR
and glean tips on how to build an affordable
home gym, we consulted an Avengers-
style 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:
IN YOUR GARAGE
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 H E AV Y S T U F F
Popularised by CrossFit and
you up for everything from deadlifts to broad military workouts, sandbags
jumps. Don’t have much space? Technology are awkward to lift, making
to the rescue. These days, there are smarter them good tools for
building functional strength
do-it-all machines that enable you to perform whether you’re doing bear-
hundreds of exercises, whether they’re basic crawl drags, clean and jerks
like TRX or high-tech like Mirror. or farmer’s carries. Rebel
Sand Bags (from R450,
Like all of us, your home gym is a work in rebelstore.co.za) have
progress. After three months, take inventory. several handles placed
Ask those three questions again, and if need be, in different areas on the bag
so you can do almost any
evict the stuff you’re not using and draft new move with ease. They are
equipment. It’s your gym! Whatever your space available in weights from
or budget, we have you covered. Get after it! 5kg to a burly 30kg.

SWING SET
Some trainers say the
only weights you need in
your gym are kettlebells
– they’re that versatile.
Dragon Door Russian
BENCH WORK Kettlebells (from R330,
An adjustable bench like the Body Solid Flat Incline kettlebellsforafrica.
Decline Bench with Leg Developer Attachment co.za) have a paint finish
(R7 900, fitnessworldwc.co.za) lets you do standard that prevents chipping
moves like flat presses as well as incline exercises and and wear. Plus, they’re
ab work. It has six potential positions so you can target available in weights from
different muscle groups. 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 versatility. Use them for explosive moves

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
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 nylon-
polypropylene 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
P O W E R B A L L R E S I S TA N C E S E T A D J U S TA B L E D U M B B E L L S OLYMPIC RUBBER PLATE
apartment, to maximise Start with these five resistance Replace up to 15 pairs of dumbbells with Even if you can’t fit a barbell in your
your space and still get bands. Powerball’s bands also come one set. The range is great enough to apartment, pick up a 20kg plate. You
a serious sweat. with grip handles, ankle cuffs and challenge you on heavy floor presses can curl it, use it for rows or lunges, and
a door anchor for more exercises. but light enough to let you do lateral put it on your back for pushups.
R399, takealot.com raises. R5 800, mifitness.co.za R1 439, sportsmanswarehouse.co.za

… 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 J X F I T N E S S 9 1 3 H O M E GY M BULLDOG GEAR WALL- CONCEPT2: MODEL D ROWER
A space-conscious multi-function MOUNTED FOLDING RACK Intuitive to use, smooth, and durable,
and interval training. Yes, Made in the UK (they ship globally)
machine that offers over 10 exercise the model D also has a new display,
some of it is expensive, but options like the bench press, leg you can go heavy, then fold it which features easy programming
it’s worth it. “Where I see extension and lat pull down. R12 500, against the wall, saving space. for custom workouts. R20 995,
people fail is when they fitnessnetwork.co.za From R13 935, bulldoggear.eu concept2southafrica.com
compromise too much,”
says Lygdback. “It’s an
investment in your body
and health.”

RUBBER HEX DUMBBELLS R E B E L S A F E T Y F O A M P LYO B OX ONNIT 10-POUND STEEL MACE

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
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
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

… 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 MIRROR TONAL N O R D I C T R AC K S 2 2 I ST U D I O CYC L E
African shores. The mirror/display empowers you Essentially, this is a wall-mounted flat- Like a Peloton, it has streaming
to do on-demand workouts or get screen TV with resistance-training- workouts and a 55cm touchscreen. But
one-on-one training sessions with live cable arms. It’s great for guided solo it tilts up and down to better simulate
feedback for an additional amount. or partnered workouts. And it looks climbs and descents. You can import it
Could this be the future of fitness? pretty next level, too. from ubuy.za.com for R42 549

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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Get Stressed
To Impress
‘MINDFULNESS’ MAY BE HAVING ITS MOMENT,
BUT COULD INNER PEACE BE HOLDING YOU
BACK FROM HIGHER PERFORMANCE?
Stress wasn’t always
such a loaded word – just as the
avoidance of it hasn’t always been
a billion-dollar industry. But for
every wellness guru espousing the
benefits of daily meditation and
the whimsical modern philosophy
of ‘mindfulness’, there’s an
overstretched office worker whose
desperate efforts to calm his
pounding heart are flatlining 1 .
Let’s start by examining
what happens when you get
anxious. The autonomic
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
THE
DEVIL’S
Still not convinced
ADVOCATE
that stress is a blessing?
The arousal state also
releases noradrenaline
– a neuromodulator that
effectively grows new
brain connections. In older
people, those who undergo
moderately stressful events
see less cognitive decline.
WORDS: SCARLETT WRENCH | PHOTOGRAPHY: PAVEL DORNAK AT HEARST STUDIOS | RETOUCHING: COLIN BEAGLEY
The noradrenaline makes their
brains more adaptive, which in turn
protects them against degenerative
illness. And it can do the same for
you, at any stage in life.
Of course, there’s no reason
to retrain as an Army operative,
or start actually reading
Trump’s tweets. Just don’t believe
everything the zen zealots preach.
Anxiety is merely a fear of
the symptoms of fear. Learn to
interpret your arousal response as
a sign that your body is readying
itself for action. This automatically
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 DEALS WITH THE DEVIL
FORWARD
stage performers to pro athletes intrinsically 1 KILL THE CHILL
understands. Tiger Woods once said, “The day I A study by Brown University
don’t feel nervous before I go out on the green is found mindfulness benefits
women more than men, who
the day I give up.” He needed that buzz struggle to experience even
to perform at his best. minimal mental changes.
If you convince yourself that stress should
be avoided at all costs in order to maintain 2 TOTAL RECALL
a Buddhist-like calm, then you’re cheating At manageable levels, adrenal
yourself out of the brain-boosting effects a little stress hormones are shown
to improve long-term memory
pressure can deliver. What’s more, if you’re consolidation, according to
unable to achieve your desired state of serenity, Neural Plasticity and Memory.
you’ll interpret this as a personal failure, which
only serves to create an additional stressor.
3 PUMP IT UP
In fact, according to research from the
In a Uni of Wisconsin-Madison
American Psychological Association, study, those who experienced
high stress but didn’t view it
consciously trying to calm down ahead of
negatively lived longer than
a stressful event is less effective for reducing those with a zen-like lifestyle.
anxiety than firing yourself up.

  



 



    


 

       








 



 


 

 
   




  
 


  


 
  
   
     

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