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JULY 2019

FITAT ANY AGE 3 0 - PAG E S P E C I A L

BestAdvicefor Every Decade Harder at 25 Leaner at 55 Future-Proof Your Muscle

DRINK YOUR GUT AWAY

HOW THIS GUY STAYS FIT AT 56

BURN FAT FAST Turbocharge Your Metabolism P.41

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HOWTO RETIRE BEFORE

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THE MH COVER GUY ANTON NILSSON

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CONTENTS MEN’S HEALTH JULY 2019

COVER STORIES & FEATURES DRINK YOUR GUT AWAY Did you know a glass of red wine is the equivalent to an hour in the gym? 32 BURN FAT FAST ...And all you need is a pair of dumbbells. 41 FEAST LIKE A CHAMP 5-ingredient fitness fuel. 70 HOW TO RETIRE BEFORE 39 Start saving for the future. 90

FIT AT ANY AGE

THE 20S Prevent damage, save cash and put off ageing. Plus, go from scrawny to brawny. 100

P.20 Photograph: SEAN LAURÉNZ

MH WOMAN Boost your brand with Ayanda Thabethe.

THE 30S Drop weight, get fitter and tackle anxiety. Plus, do it while sleeping like a baby. 108 THE 40S Get back on track, deal with injuries and ramp up your savings. Plus, do you have low-T? 116 THE 50S Yes, you can still be active and hustle to retirement. Plus, you’ll enjoy sex more. 124

CONTENTS

RELATION .

VERSUS Yoga vs. meditation. 50

WEIGHT LOSS EVERYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT FAT IS WRONG Get the skinny on fat. 52

ST YLE

P.58

INVESTMENT Trench revolution. 57 WATCH THIS SPACE The world’s nine Swiss favourites. 66

ALL EYES ON YOU Six stellar winter trends.

OUD TO WINTER Complement the cold weather with these scents. 68

UPFRONT

BETTER MAN

MAN OF ACTION Find motivation. 8

FIGHT TO THE FINISH After surviving a near-fatal car crash, Alwyn Uys took on the Ironman. 16

ED’S LETTER Everything you will learn from this issue. 10 THE EXCHANGE “Should foamrolling hurt?” 13 COLUMN Age with grace. 14 6

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN... ... I work late? 22 DRIVE The six cars of your life. 24

MH.CO.ZA/ July 2019

THE CUT The best gear to hit MH HQ this month. 28

ASK THE SOMMELIER Drink a glass of success. 36

GEAR Play the advantage to improve your long game and your health. 30

GAME PLAN Bring on the popcorn. 38

HOW GROSS ARE YOU? The worst , most health-hazardous habits you should consider dropping. 34

THE MH FINISHER Give fat loss a big leg-up by ending your workout with hefty lower-body moves. 46

FITNESS

FOOD HAVE WE REACHED PEAK PROTEIN? There are a lot of claims out there. 74 VERSUS Exercise vs. nutrition. 76 GET LEAN ON HIGH PROTEIN A man, a pan, a plan. 77

PS

A st 78

tion.

WHY IS SHE CRYING? It’s not what you think. 82

HEALTH DON’T FORGET YOU’RE GONNA DIE! Gain perspective. 84 NOT ENOUGH TIME Fix the future. 86 YOU VS. WINTER See who will win. 88

WEALTH THE START-UP PROJECT Get in with a fighting chance. 94 WEALTH REPORT Squeeze out stress. 98

On the Cover COVER GUY

Anton Nilsson PHOTOGRAPHER

David Venni

Photographs: CARLO MIARI FULCIS, MICHAEL HEDGE

F MASTER Go above and bey 48

MAN OF

ACTION

BRAY-DUNES, FRANCE

FIND MOTIVATION. When your motivation in winter starts to waiver, turn to others, says Joburg-born Oliver Bath, who in May this year – alongside Todd Hussey and Nicholas Shraga – completed seven marathons in seven days across seven countries. They spent seven months training for this feat. “Although the bulk of the training is done solo, using platforms that log and share your training activities enables your teammates to keep a check on you, which motivates you.” And if that’s not enough? “Have something bigger than yourself to run for. Coupled with our group camaraderie is the motivation of running for Bokamoso Education Trust, a South African charity deeply involved in providing education for underprivileged children. Over two years, we have now managed to put two children through their schooling,” says Oliver proudly. To donate, head to bokamosotrust.org.za. 8

MH.CO.ZA/ July 2019

“For me, the toughest parts are during the training, and not over the seven days – that’s fuelled by adrenaline and hype. It’s getting through the seven months of mundane – and in many cases, solo – hours of training to get you to the start line that puts you in the precarious position of potentially giving up.” – OLIVER BATH, SOUTH AFRICAN RUN777 MARATHON RUNNER PHOTOGRAPH ROB CLOETE

MH.CO.ZA/ July 2019

9

LETTER FROM THE

Email: [email protected] Twitter: @MensHealthZA Facebook: MensHealthSA

EDITOR

Danielle Weakley Editorial Director

AgeIsBut ANumber

Robert Cilliers Editor & Creative Director

This is our annual Fit at Any Age issue. The theme could not be more apt for a guy of my age, following in the giant footsteps of my predecessors, Arthur Jones and Jason Brown – both great men and great editors, from whom I have gained so much knowledge and wisdom over the last eight and a half years at Men’s Health. This issue contains tools, tips and advice to help you look, feel and perform at your best – regardless of whether you’re 25 or 55. Here are 10 great lessons you’ll learn from this issue, no matter what your age:

1. VISUALISE YOUR ACTIVITY – our brains don’t know the difference between imagining something and doing it. Practise your training in your head. 2. CONFRONT YOUR WORST MEMORY – a different perspective couldchange your life. 3. EMBRACE YOUR CORE VALUES – enjoyable activities, with people you like spending time with, help to reaffirm the good: who you are, and what makes you happy. 4. DOSE UP ON BEETROOT JUICE – it boosts power output during cardio by increasing the production of nitric oxide, a potent vasodilator, allowing more oxygen to saturate muscle tissues. 5. CONSISTENCY OVER INTENSITY – you’re far better off operating at 80% for 100% of the time, rather than the other way around. 6. YOU CAN’T BUY HAPPINESS – but what you can buy is financial freedom. 7. START YOUR DAY WITH A NICE, JUICY ORANGE – vitamin C may help alleviate the body’s response to stress. 8. EXERCISE DAILY – 30 minutes of vigorous exercise can stave off 10 years of premature brain ageing. 9. MEDITATE REGULARLY – just five minutes a day has been linked to spikes in testosterone and human growth hormone. 10.ENDYOURWORKOUTWITHHEFTYLOWERR-BOD BODY MOVES OVES – itit’ss a tough t g ask, but the metabolic shock means you’ll be torching kiloss ng af r the last rep. I ’s w th bu . Someone who has learned most of these life lessons – by the age of 28 – is Alwyn Uys (p.16). With superior men m and physical strength, he became tthe first South African para-athlete to o complete the Ironman 70.3*. Or you take advice from Anton Nilsson (p. on how to stay cover-guy-ready at 56 Put your mind to it, get inspire and you y u will nail eve every yd de ad de – aan e’ e ou u o it.

10

MH.

.ZA

Contributors: Mark Arendse (Design); Michelle von Schlicht (Design) Shared services: Kerry Nash (Production Manager James Garaghty (In-House Photographer) Amina Essop (Office Administrator)

CEO MEDIA24 Ishmet Davidson CEO PRINT MEDIA Rika Swart GENERAL MANAGER, LIFESTYLE Minette Ferreira GENERAL MANAGER, MONTHLIES Nerisa Coetzee CFO, LIFESTYLE Jameelah Conway FINANCIAL MANAGER Melanie Leeman MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS PUBLISHER Nikki Ruttimann 011 713 9147 ([email protected]) COMMERCIAL HEAD OF EVENTS: MONTHLIES Francois Malan 021 408 1228 ([email protected]) COMMERCIAL MANAGING EDITOR Gerda Engelbrecht 021 443 9868 ([email protected]) COMMERCIAL MANAGER Lise Coetsee 021 443 9833 ([email protected]) DIGITAL CAMPAIGN COORDINATOR Lilitha Johnson 021 443 1237 ([email protected]) BRAND COORDINATOR Andile Nkosi 021 406 2257 ([email protected]) PUBLISHING SALES TEAM BUSINESS MANAGER: MEDIA 24 LEISURE SALES Danie Nell 011 322 0799/076 263 9114 ([email protected]) CAPE TOWN: Hannes Burger 076 152 4605 ([email protected]) Nick Fitzell 071 430 6311 ( ick.fitz k fit [email protected]) ll@ Daniela D Giovanni 083 709 7040 ([email protected]) O URG: Kylee Robertson 076 263 9114 ([email protected]) Jeanine Kruger 082 342 2299 ([email protected]) Lizel Pauw 082 876 8189 (lizel.pauw@ @media24.com) S arlene Smith 083 583 1604 [email protected]) Yumna Rojjan 072 399 5789 (yu [email protected]) Yelanda Mitchell M 074 897 576 (yelanda.M [email protected]) DURBAN: Mariska Venter 082 898 4376 mariska.v [email protected])

CIRCULATION SALES AND SOLUTIONS CIRCULATION MANAGER Riaan Weyers 021 443 9964 SUBSCRIPTION MANAGER Jenny Marinus ([email protected]) For any queries, please phone 021 406 2121 Subscription enquiries: 087 353 1300 Fax: 086 457 5943; Email: [email protected]; SMS: MensHealthSubs to 32511 (R1 per sms); Web: www.mysubs.co.za/magazine/menshealth Call centre operating hours: 8am-5pm (Monday to Friday) ALL SUBSCRIPTION PAYMENTS TO: Men’s Health, PO Box 16428, Vlaeberg, 8018 REPRODUCTION Media24 PRINTING Novus Print DISTRIBUTION On The Dot 011 402 1205 Copyright © 2009 Media24 (Pty) Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or be transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior permission by Media24 (Pty) Ltd. Men’s Health does not endorse the use of chemical or related slimming products that promise instant or long-term results. Slimming products should not be used as a substitute for a healthy diet and/or exercise. All prices recommended retail selling price.

MAGAZINES INTERNATIONAL

Alwyn crossi ng the Ironma n finish line .

ROBERT CILLIERS S D OR DITO Insta: @robdcilliers

ants. Running with gi

WANITA NICOL Deputy Editor AZEEZ JACOBS Fashion & Grooming Editor NADIM NYKER Digital Editor KIRSTEN CURTIS Contributing Editor MEGAN FLEMMIT Multimedia Journalist DAVE BUCHANAN Copy Editor KELLEIGH KOREVAAR Features Writer THAAQIB DANIELS Content Producer NADIA WINDT Fashion Assistant

SVP/MANAGING DIRECTOR ASIA PACIFIC & RUSSIA Simon Horne DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL LICENSING AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Richard Bean SVP/EDITORIAL & BRAND DIRECTOR Kim St. Clair Bodden DEPUTY BRANDS DIRECTOR Chloe O’Brien EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CONTENT SERVICES Shelley Meeks Global Editions / EDITORS-IN-CHIEF USA Richard Dorment, AUSTRALIA Luke Benedictus, BULGARIA Vladimir Konstantinov, CHIN NA Gao Zhen, CROATIA Kresimir Sego, GERMANY Markus Stenglein, GHANA Godfred Akoto Boafo, GREECE Vassilis Georgakakos, HUNGARY Máté Pásztor, ITALY Aldo Ballerini, KAZAKHSTAN Irina Utesheva, MALAYSIA Eugene Phua, NETHERLANDS Ronald Janus, NIGERIA Osagie Alonge, POLAND Aneta Martynow, PORTUGAL Pedro Lucas, ROMANIA Mihai Ghiduc, RUSSIA Maxim Semelyak, SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO Ivan Radojcic, SINGAPORE Kelvin Tan, SPAIN Jordi Martinez, THAILAND Chatchawin Unhanun, TURKEY Fatih Büyükbayrak, UNITED KINGDOM Toby Wiseman, LATIN AMERICA Sergio Rodriguez, MIDDLE EAST Carlin Gerbich

*“70.3” refers to the total distance in miles (113.0 km) covered in the race, consisting of a 1.9 km swim, a 90 km bike ride, and a 21.1 km run

MH WORLD

JULY

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

MEN’S HEALTH TWITTER POLL

QUESTION: When I

HEALTH

snack, I get hungrier – how do I stop the cravings?

The answer is snacking “proteins and healthy fats,” endocrinologist Dr. Belinda Lennerz tells us. “Your body digests both slowly, and neither triggers the kind of hunger-stoking insulin response you get from sugar or refined carbs.” Pro tip: stay away from sweet and salty flavours – a combo that fires up your brain’s ‘give me more’ sectors. Eat better: MH.CO.ZA/HEALTH

160

The number of women we surveyed

WHAT IS THE MOST VITAL PIECE OF FITNESS EQUIPMENT FOR YOUR WORKOUTS? DUMBBELL SET

34%

BENCH

9%

SEX

HEADPHONES

who revealed that, for women who highly value vaginal orgasms, a longer penis is preferred. Over a third (33.8%) claimed they were more likely to consistently have a vaginal orgasm when their partner’s penis was longer than average; however, 60% of the women said size makes no difference. See what else they said: MH.CO.ZA/SEX-WOMEN

50%

APPLE WATCH

7%

#MENSHEALTHZA

Based on 3,446 responses to Men’s Health

Instagram

@menshealthza Twitter

@MensHealthZA Facebook

Unakho Jadezweni @ujaesthetics

12

MH.CO.ZA/ July 2019

Quaniet Jakoet @quaniet

Zola Mbanguta @zola_vplay

Scan this QR code and see the stories featured

Getty/Gallo; Images supplied (Instagram)

MensHealthSA

THE

EXCHANGE ST YLE

First off, you don’t have to use a foam roller. It is a choice. For some, it may help with mobility or temporary pain relief, as the pressure enacts changes within tissues and the nervous system. But you should never use a foam roller for a bone issue. Pain

here could just mean pain; or you could be irritating a fracture, and causing more problems. When foam rollers are used correctly you will experience discomfort. Still, there should be no ongoing pain or discolouration of the

tissues after rolling. Self-applied pain is a personal choice, but more is not necessarily better. Some people tend to overdo or overvalue the ability to tolerate discomfort. But with rolling, too much pain can actually prevent gain.

I like my cologne. A lot. But how do I apply my fave scent without going overboard? Carlos, Pinelands.

You’re right to give them special treatment. But weeks (months?) without washing? Too long. If you want to keep the vibrancy of your black jeans, practise careful washing. That means washing them inside out and in cold water. Then air drying – don’t use the tumble dryer. We recommend Skip Intelligent Dark Washing Liquid.

B

R

G OU

We do many things to smell better. Deodorants, body sprays, and most commonly, cologne all work together to combat odour. But when applied way too heavily, cologne can actually end up being worse than foul odour itself. How much should you spray? Probably less than you think. Limit your

HT TO YOU B

Y

Mu

and 1

#1 s cl e

br

Getty/Gallo Images

How hard should I be foam-rolling? It should hurt, right? Liam, Chatsworth

Your biggest, strangest, and most embarrassing questions — answered!

GROOMING

I love my black denim jeans. But I’m afraid washing too often might fade them. Help! Sicelo, Jozi

FITNESS

JULY

relax a n

t

sprays. One spritz on the neck and another in the centre of your shirt. You can also apply cologne on your wrists and rub it in. You’ll know you’ve gone overboard when you can smell yourself coming, and/or your friends’ eyes water when you enter the room. There’s a test you can do: spritzing your cologne while a friend is an arm’s length away from you. With each spritz, ask the friend if they can smell you. If they can’t, you could use another spritz. If they can, skip the sprays – you’ve done enough.

FOR WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA AT THE TIME... Benzydamine Hydrochloride

@ HOME @ WORK @ PLAY NOT ALL MINOR MUSCLE INJURIES REQUIRE A DOCTOR’S VISIT.2 A TOPICAL, TRIPLE ACTING, ANTI-INFLAMMATORY GEL AVAILABLE OVER THE COUNTER2,3 peak to your harmacist or ealthcare Provider about an effective, on-the-go treatment option2,4 Visit www.norflexgel.co.za to find out more. References: 1. Impact Rx. Script Data - October 2018. 2. Norflex® Gel approved package insert, September 2001. 3. Difflam Gel [cited 2018 November 20]; Available from URL: http://www.myvmc.comdrugsdifflam-gel/. 4. Massey T, et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev; (6):CD007402. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD007402.pub2. For more information, speak to your healthcare professional. Further information is available on request from iNova Pharmaceuticals. Name and business address of applicant: iNova Pharmaceuticals (Pty) Ltd. Co. Reg. No.: 1952/001640/07. 15E Riley Road, Bedfordview. Tel. No.: 011 087 0000. www.inovapharma.co.za. IN2677/18.

ADVOCATE

T H E D E V I L’S

TIME IS SLIPPING AWAY – SO I’D BETTER HURRY, IF I WANT TO WATCH ALL THE STAR WARS MOVIES IN THE CORRECT ORDER

I was watching The Tonight Show with my friend Dave. One of Jimmy Fallon’s guests was British comedian Ricky Gervais. A fan asked him what the worst thing was about getting old. “I don’t know where to start,” replied Gervais. “I wake up in the morning now and go, ‘Oh God, I didn’t die.’ I’ve got a stiff back and stiff legs. I’m losing hair. It’s all bad,” he continued. And then Fallon asked him to pick just one thing. That was the wrong time for me to have taken a gulp of coffee. “Pendulous testicles,” Gervais replied sharply. Coffee sprayed out of my nose and tears rolled down my cheeks; but when I looked up, I saw that Dave was stony faced. He didn’t think it was funny. He doesn’t have a sense of humour, I thought; but then a hot flush stopped me dead in my tracks. Maybe the reason I found it so goddamn hilarious was because I could relate to it – and Dave, who’s a few years younger than me, couldn’t. Maybe I’m laughing because it’s true. Maybe it means I’m old. Am I old? In my mind I’m timeless. I still believe I’m age-proof: that there’s still time to achieve many triumphs – I will one day watch all the Star Wars movies in the correct order, learn how to make boeuf bourguignon, find a cure for cancer and be the first South African to win Wimbledon. But getting old – or worse, being old – means time is running out; it’s slipping away. A few days after the Tonight Show incident I found myself in a spinning class. When a particular tune came on, I gave a whoop and sang along. The teen next to me gave me a thumbs-up. You see, I told myself, I’m not old – I like music young people like. As we climbed off our bikes, I sidled up to 14

MH.CO.ZA/ July 2019

the teen and said, “Kiff tune, hey?” “Whatevs,” he shrugged. “It’s my mom’s favourite song.” His mom? So, did that make me old? I did a quick stocktake of my life, and realised there were signs of my advancing years everywhere. Just the other day, I went to the pharmacy with a R200 reward voucher – and having a reward voucher for a pharmacy is already a sign of my looming decrepitude, but that wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was, when I looked for something to buy, the

By Jonathan Ancer

product that appealed to me the most was a nose-hair remover. But I couldn’t bring myself to buy it. That would have just been “cray cray”, and even as I write “cray cray”, I see in my mind’s eye that teenager, visibly cringing. The last time I went to a restaurant, I complained to the waiter that the music was too loud. That’s something my father does. The nutritional information on products has become blurry, and I find myself asking people to repeat themselves. I used to have outstanding recall for details and names; now, I find myself saying “thingamabob” and “whatchamacallit” disturbingly often. And last night, after I told my daughter to go to bed, and she replied, “But why?”... well, I responded with the old person’s go-to chestnut: “Because I said so!” I haven’t been ageprofiled and targeted on social media yet, with ads for funeral cover, orthopaedic shoes and retirement villages. But when I’m bombarded with adverts for adult nappies, I’ll know it’s just a short sag, limp and hobble down the

road to oblivion. All of which has made me think about the meaning of ageing. I’m still reasonably young (give or take a year or two), but I know that eventually my body will start to slow down; and a panicky, it’s nowor-never feeling has started to creep into my being. I still have time to do the things I want, but I’d better get a move on – I mean, that boeuf bourguignon isn’t going to make itself, and there’s still a Wimbledon title up for grabs. Yes, I’m getting older; but that’s not all bad. Because with age comes confidence, wisdom and perspective. With age comes experience. I’ve learnt a few things over the years: I’ve learnt that everyone is winging it, but some just do it with a bit more confidence than others. I’ve learnt to identify – and avoid – damaged people whose negativity makes life grim. I’ve learnt to say no. And I’ve also learnt to be realistic. Which is why, this evening, I won’t be spending hours practising my serve; I’ll be in front of the TV, watching Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.

“I’ve learnt a few things over the years. Everyone’s winging it; some just do it with a bit more confidence.”

Getty/Gallo images

TheMeaningofAgeing

COLUMN

BETTER MAN YOUR GUIDE TO LIVING SMARTER, HEALTHIER AND HAPPIER

Fight To The Finish ALWYN UYS SURVIVED A NEAR-FATAL CAR CRASH, CRACKING HIS NECK, SNAPPING HIS FEMUR AND BREAKING HIS BACK. BUT HE WAS BUILT FOR ENDURANCE.

THE MAN ALWYN UYS OCCUPATION

FINANCIAL DIRECTOR & PARA-ATHLETE SEAN LAURÉNZ

LOCATION

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

BY

KELLEIGH KOREVAAR

Alwyn Uys glided onto the pink Ironman 70.3 carpet, the arms that steered him through a 1.9km swim, 90.1km cycle and 21.1km run in front of him, lifting only to wipe away a tear. He heard the crowd cheering, felt their energy; and the loudest applause he’d ever heard washed over him like the waves of the Durban sea he’d swum in earlier. Crossing the half Ironman finish line had always been a dream of his. Now, against all odds, it had come true. BROKEN DREAMS Alwyn had spent his university years playing for a formidable Maties rugby team, but was benched after a persistent arm injury. Wrapped up in trying to find out who he was if he couldn’t be a rugby player, he turned to triathlon, with the Ironman start line fixed in his mind. Then – for one second – he took his eyes off the road. Alwyn’s car hit a dip between dirt and tarmac, went spinning, and he was flung through the windscreen. One second: the length of time he took his eyes off the road. One second: how long, he recalls, it took his car to crash. One life-changing second. “The Ironman is known for being the toughest endurance race for any athlete. And when I was paralysed, I took a knock – a big one. Mentally, it broke me. I was this strong, capable guy who could do anything, physically. And in an instant, I’m sitting in a wheelchair, helpless. Dependent on people around me. “And that broke me. I used to be the one who was able to help others; and now? I couldn’t even turn myself around in my bed…” He laughs, and makes sure to add, “…at the time of the accident. I can do that pretty well now.” MH.CO.ZA/ July 2019

17

RISE ABOVE We wrote about Alwyn in January 2017, after following his three-year journey from hospital bed to racing hopeful; he’d just started triathlon training again, for the first time since just before his accident in 2014. After the accident, he’d tackled rowing at first. But his focus didn’t shift back to triathlon just because he wanted to continue the challenge he’d set for himself “before”; he was searching for something. “Rowing is a sport for which I required a lot of assistance and the guidance of a team, whereas with cycling and triathlon, I can go for a cycle or swim all on my own and experience that freedom, that independence. Which for someone with an acquired disability is huge. All that we seek is our independence back…” He pauses to think. “I call it the search for normality.” He grins. “I always say I’d rather be doing an Ironman with my arms only than spend another day in a hospital bed.” But if Alwyn thought the journey had been tough just getting to the point of training for a triathlon, the journey to the Ironman 70.3 start line would be a constant trial – one gruelling challenge or setback after another. While preparing for SA Championships, he was diagnosed with meningitis, which nearly took his life. He spent a month in hospital trying to fight the viral infection. This was his “lowest low”, he says, because he watched all of his hard work going to waste. “I dealt with the disappointment by telling myself, ‘I’m only human; these things happen – life happens! So, what are we going to do now? Where do we go from here?’ And I did all I could do to pitch up at the race, and give it all I had. Because giving up before even trying was never an option.” Despite the odds, Alwyn was released from hospital just in time to compete at SA Champs, in hand-cycling – for which he snatched a double gold medal. HIT THE ROAD In September 2018, after the high of winning SA Champs, he really started to buckle down and train for Ironman. But he’d been a handcyclist only before that, which meant he had to learn a new discipline, namely wheelchair racing (the equivalent of running). And he couldn’t just dive into a programme – he also 18

MH.CO.ZA/ July 2019

It’s the freedom and independence Alwyn feels when he swim wims s, s, that rew him m he .

had to learn to swim again. His goal? Sub-seven hours. Leading up to the race, Alwyn was clocking around 15 hours of training each week, while balancing a job at the same time. He swam three times a week, ran three times a week and cycled five times a week. And on weekends? There was no rest. That was when he would put in the big numbers: two long sessions – a long swim of 3km and a long cycle of 100km+. It wasn’t just Alwyn’s training that underwent a complete revamp – his diet changed too. For the last year he’s been on the ketogenic diet. Having been an athlete all his life, Alwyn’s been on many diets, but he follows this low-carb/high-fat lifestyle because he finds it effective for endurance sport. And it wasn’t just about physical fitness. “I’m a big fan of visualisation and meditation, and I find it very effective to train mentally, and strengthen my mind in that way, to prepare me for long endurance sessions. And to stay sane, really. Ironman training is not easy – it’s just as much mental as it is physical.” But, what had started as a goal years before Alwyn was in a car crash had morphed into something much bigger than himself.

“I needed to do the Ironman in a wheelchair. Not for myself – I’m okay! I’ve dealt with this disability. But so many other people with disabilities haven’t dealt with theirs. And I’m doing it for those who can’t: those people who’ve lost their lives to a disability, but are still alive today, those who are mere shells of who they were. And then, I also do the Ironman for a mother, a father, a best friend, and the siblings who’ve lost someone to a disability.” “I’ll never forget the looks people gave me when they saw me for the first time in that hospital bed. Looking at me with pity… crying on the inside, for my part… I’m doing it for them, to show them that they

ROLE MODELS

Alwyn smashed his goa al and finish hed the Ironman 70.3 Durban on 2 June 2019. 2

“Do oing an Ironman can be the definition of hell to some peo ople, to me it’s freedom!”

“Don’t get me wrong, I am determined to still walk one day, but it is no longer where my happiness lies,” he reflects.

haven’t lost me. That paralysis hasn’t taken my life – it’s given me life! Paralysis has shown me how to live my life to the full.” After all, how can you pity someone who wakes up every day, trains in the morning, heads off to work, manages to squeeze in another training session in the evening, and still finds time to cook, read and chill with family and friends? Essentially, Alwyn is the person you promise yourself you’ll be every Monday morning. Except he did it every day, for months – in pursuit of a sub-seven-hour finish.

FINISH STRONG “Doing an Ironman is the definition of hell to some people. To me, it’s freedom,” says Alwyn. On race day, when Alwyn lined up among all the other athletes who had put in the work, who had sacrificed hours in pursuit of this moment – the whole thing felt surreal, but he felt free. The 28-year-old set off wearing his extensive training like a badge, with the number “7” fastened to the front of his mind. But things didn’t go to plan.

For the first hour he felt tired, low on power, and nauseous at times, all while knowing he still had a long day ahead of him. “There are always elements we can’t control; but how you handle them is what determines how you finish a race.” And Alwyn was determined to finish, even if it wasn’t in the seven hours he was aiming for. “Ironman was more than just an event; it was an emotional journey, finding myself through the pain. I visited some dark places during the race, digging deep, and asking myself some uncomfortable questions – like, ‘WHY am I even doing this?!’ And in an Ironman, you get to know yourself really well.” After hours of powering through, and overcoming every uphill battle only to see a new challenge on the horizon, Alwyn Uys glided onto the vivid pink Ironman carpet. The arms that had steered him through a 1.9km swim, 90.1km cycle and 21.1km run rested in front of him, lifting only to wipe away a tear. He heard the crowd cheering, felt their energy; and music, and the loudest applause he’d ever heard washed over him like the waves of the Durban sea he’d swum in that morning. But for the last few moments before that finish, everything was silent. Overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people supporting him, and absorbed in his own thoughts, he crossed the line. All those years had come down to that one sublime moment. Alwyn’s time: 6:58.

Find out more about Alwyn Uys: alwynuys.com or on Instagram: @alwynuys

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ADVICE

Styling: Karin Orzol

Find her on the cover of the July issue of Women’s Health

T H E P LU G

Entrepreneur, model & TV host

THE SKILL

Instagram: @ayandathabethe_ Twitter: @ayandathabethe_

THE SOCIAL

AYANDA THABETHE

BUILDING A PERSONAL BRAND HAS NEVER BEEN MORE RELEVANT THAN IT IS TODAY. SOCIAL MEDIA PLAYS A HUGE ROLE IN GROWING A BUSINESS, OPENING UP THE WORLD OF MARKETING AND BRAND STRATEGY TO ANYONE WITH AN INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, TWITTER OR YOUTUBE ACCOUNT. ENTREPRENEUR, TV HOST AND MODEL AYANDA THABETHE GIVES US THE LOW-DOWN ON HAVING A SUCCESSFUL PERSONAL BRAND ONLINE. / BY THAAQIB DANIELS

Boost Your Brand

MH WOMEN

PHOTOGRAPH BY SEAN LAURÉNZ

“I don’t always look for approval. I’m going to do ‘me’ the best way I can. I think I’m always comfortable with what I post because I’m aware of my brand identity and what I wish to achieve. The people who identify with me are welcome to follow me, and the people who don’t, they don’t have to follow me. I think that’s the nice thing about having choice on social media. If someone’s content doesn’t interest you, you don’t have to follow them.”

Be Unapologetic

“If I’m unsure about whether I should post something or not, I ask people I trust for advice. I’ll ask if it’s something that will be okay in the long run, because once it’s online, it’s there forever. I think when you’re posting on social media, you need to be able to tell if it’s something you’d be proud of having out there.”

Trust Your Circle

“I look at social media as a marketing tool. It’s a platform for people to access info about you and what you stand for. It’s then easier for brands to know whether they identify with you, as well as your audience.”

It’s A Business

“I think building a personal brand starts with identifying who you are as a person, and what you want people to know about you,” says Ayanda. “And once you identify your niche, you can then build a more authentic audience that relates to what you’re putting out there.”

Know Yourself

BODY SCIENCE

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN

I Work Late? PRESENTEEISM WILL ONLY DEMOTE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH AND WEIGHTLOSS AMBITIONS – SO PUNCH THE CLOCK ON ITS PITFALLS.

01. Chained To Your Desk

02. Food For Thought

03. Rhythm Sticks

04. Antisocial Behaviour

Allowing work to eat into your evening makes it harder to switch off at bedtime. A recent study found that the circadian irregularities triggered by four nights of reduced sleep were significant enough to cause spikes in your heart disease and stroke risks. Thankfully, separate research found that an hour’s nap in front of the F1 on Sunday afternoon will offset the harm. Lights out.

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Leave the office late, and dinner will be late too. Mice studies suggest that this can disrupt circadian rhythms and lead to weight gain; but your extra kilos are more likely to be the result of poor food choices, caused by convenience and hunger. You’ve already packed your lunch, so make another portion for dinner. Eating al-desko meals in succession may be bleak, but it’ll help you resist Uber Eats.

When working late turns from a necessary evil into a habit, your social life will suffer as you swap post-work events for PowerPoint presentations. Social isolation can lead to depression. The cure lies in switching off your laptop and tapping into WhatsApp to arrange a midweek drink with friends – it’s a scientifically proven salve for your mental health woes.

GETTY/GALLO IMAGES

For many workers, it no longer feels unusual to pack up at 8pm rather than 5pm – even though that means toiling at the desk for up to 15 extra hours per week. This can affect your metabolism, by increasing your insulin resistance. Those who sit for extended periods have double the risk of developing diabetes. If you can’t get away, do a lap of the office every 30 minutes.

ChapStickSA

FOR CHAPS.

For 125 years, has given men every reason to smile. And now, the world’s number 1 lip care brand1 is available in South Africa to soothe, heal, moisturise and protect lips. The brand that started it all, is still the brand leading it all. Shop our range at any Dis-Chem store and selected Clicks stores*.

#>> ALL THAT POST-ADOLESCENT TESTOSTERONE coursing through your body means one thing: you want to get laid, and often. If you’re with a partner who has similar stamina and flexibility, go for it! Make each session count by spending a good 15 to 20 minutes making out before the clothes hit the floor. And use lube. Check out page 78 to find out which lube is best for you.

Illustration: Marta Signori, Insets: Getty/Gallo

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other body-wide problems, including heart disease. But it's also largely preventable. Make one appointment. If you get cleaned up and cked for cavis, you might be ay limiting your check-ups to every c couple of years, Wolff says.

“We tend to get more deep sleep when we’re younger,” says Men’s Health sleep advisor Dr. Christopher Winter. In other words, the sleep you do get probably counterbalances bingeing on Netflix into the wee hours, or staying up till sunrise, he says. Not every night, though. If your schedule is completely off, the best workaround is to aim for at least 49 hours of sleep over the week. But that's only for now; as you get older, you lose your reserve and deep sleep is harder to come by, so a crazy schedule will leave you ragged, hungry, and just feeling lousy. If only you could bank sleep now for later.

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When you're young, the trillions of connections in your brain become wrapped in an “insulation” called myelin – a construction project that starts in the back of your brain at birth, and over time, moves forward, speeding up connections along the way. The crucial frontal lobe, which controls decision making, is the last to wrap up. Chronic cannabis use in your 20s can mess up the process. The result: a higher propensity for risk taking thr ut life, Jensen says.

“The 20s are the worst decade for oral health in males,” says Dr. Mark Wolff. Skipping your pointments now an lead to tons of ca e (and money) iin the dentist’s office later. Tooth decay and gum damage are the real deal: they can be permanent. And gum disease has been linked to

Those Two (Three?) Times You Did Ecstasy

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Your brain is still pretty young – it’s not fully developed until your mid- to late 20s. Right now there are more connections between neurons. This helps you learn quickly, but it also means there’s more real estate for alcohol to bind to, explains Dr. Frances Jensen, author of The Teenage Brain. This makes the effects of booze more profound, and allows addictions to form in a stronger, more permanent way than they do later. Plus, binge drinking now is linked to reduced areas of the brain involved in memory, language, attention, and more – and they stay smaller for life.

A Hardcore Weed Habit

A Crazy Irregular Sleep Schedule

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The Check-up PROOF

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20s

YOUR FACE What to apply, lather on, and shave off to look your best at every age. BY GARRETT MUNCE

20s: Invest in Your Future

40s: Build Your Defence

30s: Nurture the Face You Have

50s: Fight the Good Fight

Photograph: Allie Holloway

“The single most important thing you should be doing during your 20s is protecting your skin from the sun,” says dermatologist Dr. Joshua Zeichner. Sun damage that happens early in your life can weaken the foundation of your skin and affect how it ages over time. A whole crop of new sunscreens like ClarinsMen UV plus SPF 50, 50ml (R370, clarins. co.za) are designed for daily use and are lightweight, clear, and easy to wear so that you won’t feel like you’re hitting the beach on the way to the office. Also: Wash your face twice a day (morning and night). Look for a cleanser that contains salicylic acid, such as Neutrogena Visibly Clear Spot Clearing Facial Wash. In your 30s, skin-cell turnover starts to slow down. “The skin can’t protect itself as well as it used to from the environment,” says Dr. Zeichner. “Collagen and elastin start to weaken, and fine lines can start to appear.” Products with retinol like Optiphi Intense Retinol Infinity Serum (R1 444, optiphi.com) can stimulate collagen production, which strengthens skin from the inside out and increases cell turnover, to keep your skin’s surface fresh and diminish early signs of ageing. Retinol can be irritating at first, so add a pea-sized amount to your moisturiser every other night and work your way up. Also: Find a hyaluronic-acid serum like Vichy Minéral 89 Fortifying and Hydrating Daily Skin Booster to help your skin cells retain moisture and function better.

In this decade, most of us start to see new spots and uneven skin tone, much of which is caused by sun damage from our earlier years. “Vitamin C is your go-to ingredient,” says Dr. Zeichner. “Think of this potent antioxidant as an insurance policy on your sunscreen. Put it on every morning under your SPF.” It’s been shown that daily use of vitamin C helps combat new UV damage and repair existing pigmentation issues. Try Uriage Depiderm White Lightening Corrective Serum 30ml, (R385, clicks. co.za). Also: Schedule a yearly full-body check-up with your dermatologist to monitor moles and sun spots. If you don’t have a dermatologist, get one. “In your 50s, skin starts to get dry and dull,” says Dr. Zeichner. Not only does it lose hydration, but our skin’s natural ability to purge dead skin cells slows down, which can leave them on the surface and give skin a sallow look. Using heavier, more hydrating creams will help, as well as a chemical exfoliator such as Dermalogica Rapid Reveal Peel (R1 499, dermalogica.co.za) to get rid of those dead cells. “Adding a hydroxy acid to your routine will help dissolve connections between skin cells so they can be shed more easily,” says Dr. Zeichner. “This will improve light reflection off the skin, to brighten a dull complexion.” Also: Switch to a gentle, hydrating cleanser such as Dove Sensitive Skin Beauty Bar, which won’t disrupt your skin’s pH balance. And keep using sunscreen!

You're healthy and young. Who needs a doctor? You do. Here, your healthy-guy talking points. BY RACHAEL SCHULTZ

Introduce yourself

First, have a go-to doctor. You need someone to be familiar with you and your medical history, says urologist Dr. Matt Coward, director of male reproductive medicine and surgery at UNC Fertility in Raleigh. When things go wrong, a physician who knows you (not just the random person at the clinic) can better determine whether your symptoms in a crisis are signs of something bigger. This doctor should also take your baseline numbers – blood pressure, lipids, fasting blood sugar – to measure against in the future. Get them rechecked every three to five years.

Share your sex life

Check that you’ve received the HPV vaccine. (It may not be too late to get the vaccine now.) According to the US CDC, almost everyone who doesn’t get vaccinated becomes infected with this symptomless STI at some point, which could raise the risk of genital warts and even some cancers. While you’re on the topic, ask for an “STI panel”, which includes tests for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and sometimes HIV, syphilis, hepatitis, and herpes. Ideally, you should get a new panel of tests with every new partner, or at least get them annually.

THE NUTRIENT YOU NEED NOW///

Vitamin D “When you're in your

20s, your body can still lay down the materials needed for strong bones that will sustain you through life,” says Dr. Mike Roussell, a Men’s Health nutrition advisor. “Vitamin D plays a key role in bone health.” Aim for 600 IU of D daily. (85g of cooked salmon has 570.) Eat more: Wild salmon, canned tuna, sardines, egg yolks, milk, Swiss cheese

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BUKHOSI KHOZA AGE: 24 LOCATION: Pretoria OCCUPATION: Online Personal

Trainer HEIGHT: 173cm WEIGHT BEFORE: 51kg

TRANSFORMATION!

How to Build Muscle at 20

The Challenge: “I grew up very skinny, but was very athletic and loved playing soccer. But my high school didn’t have soccer, so I had to play rugby. Being skinny and playing rugby is not the best combo. Especially if you had as little strength as I did. I started going to the gym to gain muscle mass and get stronger. I wanted to play first team rugby so badly, and that’s where my weightlifting obsession began. After three years in the gym, I could see all my hard work paying off, which gave me more confidence and motivation to improve myself even more. I was obsessed with fitness, so much that I gave up rugby straight after matric to follow my passion. I fell in love with the process of getting fit, so I worked on becoming a trainer and fitness model. I’ve had my ups and downs in my fitness journey, but what kept me going was the need to constantly improve myself. And honestly, pursuing this goal is the only thing that made me feel like I have a purpose. My results have brought me a higher level of self-belief and have allowed me to inspire others as well. I’m becoming both mentally and physically stronger, because I invested in my own personal growth. Now I want to help others do the same.” 104 MH.CO.ZA/ July 2019

TIME TO GOAL: 4 Years

THE NUTRITION THE FITNESS Bukhosi is self-trained. After a lot of experimentation in the gym, he found what works for his body and stuck to it.

Think Big

The secret to Bukhosi’s muscle growth is his approach to working out. Instead of isolation moves like biceps curls, he went for exercises that spread the workload across his entire body, such as squats and deadlifts. “I would work my full body every day,” he says. “Your workout programme must cover all body parts. And you’ll need to lift a bit heavier than your usual.”

Your Body Weight Is The Best Weight

If you’re just getting started, make bodyweight exercises the backbone of your routine. They’ll help you improve overall body awareness and ensure that you’re keeping your core involved in all your training.

The Mind Is A Muscle

“One of the most important things I learnt through my fitness journey is that it all starts with your mental health,” he says. “You need to have the right mindset in order for you to grow physically.” Bukhosi also found that having a strategic approach to his training helped him achieve better results. “You need to know what you want, and how you’re going to get it. Plan accordingly.”

“Getting a fit body is not only about training, but also good nutrition and good mental health. It’s a whole combination.”

Give Those Jaw Muscles a Rest

Bulking up requires a lot of chewing. This is where protein shakes can help. Try going with three meals of real food and then incorporate three liquid shakes to help cut down all that mastication.

Make The Diet Portable

Pick smart and pack smart when you’re away from home. When you’re out to eat, cough up the extra cash for a bowl of berries at breakfast. And then leverage protein for snacks: biltong, low-sugar protein bars, nut-and-seed trail mixes.

Prep For Your Meal Prep

Bulking diets require structure to thrive. Even Bukhosi slipped up at first when he started eating more healthily. “Compared to before, I’ve become really focused on my diet and what I eat. I can now control my craving, and I’m aware of what’s good for my body.” For people with busy schedules, it's tough to get the hang of prepping your meals. Try this: shop on Tuesdays and meal prep four meals for lunches and dinners, which should last you until the weekend. Then shop and prep three more lunches and dinners on Saturday, which should take you back to Tuesday. Tweak it to your schedule, and see what works for you. Fiddle until you find what works.

– Thaaqib Daniels

Photographs: Supplied; additional words: Thaaqib Daniels

Getting buff as a skinny 20-year-old is a tough ask, but not impossible. Bukhosi Khoza was on a mission for muscle a few years back; and now, at age 24, he’s no longer that skinny kid on the rugby field, but a fully fledged (and flexed) personal trainer. This is how he did it. Make sure you follow his journey on Instagram @bukhosi_khoza.

CURRENT WEIGHT: 78kg

YOUR FIRST BIG INJURY How it happens, how to treat it, and how to live with it for the long haul.

The Spot:

Lower Back

“Poor form wh hen you’re lifting ng weights can trigg ger spasms in the muscles that go up p and down yourr back,” says Dr. Rya an Lingor, team ph hysician for the New York Rangers. Treat it: Some evidence says heat is better, other science says ice. “Go with whatever feels better to you,” Dr. Lingor says. Light stretching helps keep muscles from continuing to spasm, he e adds, and OTC antti-inflammatories such h as ibuprofen help relieve pain. The lon ong-term fix: Keep form rm on point: build core strength with rotationa al movements suc ch as chops, and do deep ep ab-strengtheners like front and side planks.

The Spot:

Knees

The Injury:

ACL Tear

It often happens when you’re doing something like swerving to receive a pass and you slip. A classic reason your ACL goes: an uneven strength relationship between your quads and hamstrings, says Dr. John Gallucci Jr., CEO of JAG-ONE Physical Therapy. Treat it: Immediately after injury, ice it, rest, and do some gentle quad stretching (heel to butt). Parttial tears may heal w with physical therap apy. A tear of mo ore than 35 to 45% % will probab ably require the knif nife, Gallucci says. The long-term fix: Strengthen quads and hamstrings with walking lunges and step-ups, says Gallucci. Keep the knee tracking between the second and third toes.

The Spot: Ankle

Illustration: Allie Holloway

DISAPPEARING CONDOM BY MATTHEW KASSELL

The Injury:

Muscle Spasm m

T H E G R E AT

The Injury: Sprain It happens to world-famous athletes, so don’t be surprised if you roll your ankle, causing the ligaments that support the outside of it to stretch beyond their normal limits and tear. The more times you suffer a sprain, the more susceptible you are to future instability and injury. Treat it: These seem like no big deal, but they can limit you for life if you try to push through the pain – even if they’re relatively mild. In the first 48 hours, use RICE: rest, ice, compression, and elevation, along with anti-inflammatories. Then do gentle range-of-motion exercises such as ankle circles. The long-term fix: Teach your ankle to stay strong under stress with balancing exercises such as single-leg body-weight squats on a balance board, and agility exercises like running in progressively smaller figure-eights. – Alyssa Shaffer

THE FIRST TIME I had sex without a condom, I was a third-year at varsity and had been with my girlfriend at the time for about six months. We’d both been tested, and she was on the Pill. It seemed relatively responsible. But while I found the experience pleasurable, I also felt exposed, as if I were playing cricket without a box. It wasn’t gratifying enough that I wanted, afterwards, to ditch condoms altogether. For the most part, I appreciate what they do. Surprisingly, my position puts me in the minority, as an increasing number of men are going without condoms. The vast majority of guys don’t use them often or for long, according to Men’s Health sex and relationships advisor Debby Herbenick, a sexual-health researcher at Indiana University, and most people don’t use them in casual sex after their mid-20s. This is jarring, considering in 2017 there were an estimated 2.2 million new cases of gonorrhoea, 3.9 million new cases of chlamydia and 47 500 new cases of syphilis in men aged 15 to 49. Given those numbers, you’d think that guys would be using plastic wrap and an elastic band. So why aren’t more men reaching for their condoms at a time when they need them most? The reasons are many, according to sexual-health experts. There’s a lack of education around sex. There’s the influence of no-condom pornography. There’s a general sense of ambivalence, along with a distrust of publichealth recommendations, particularly in low-income communities. There is also, as always, alcohol. The guys I talked to spoke mostly of pleasure. “It feels a lot better if you don’t” wear a condom, says David, a 21-year-old university student who’s had sex without a condom in about 20 different casual hookups, by his estimation. The women he’s slept with, he adds, often prefer, and consent to, him not using one. Angel, a teacher, who is single and in his late 30s, abandoned condoms 15 years ago. He acknowledges that it’s “super-dangerous”, but gets tested regularly and hasn’t contracted any diseases yet, he says. “I know that it’s not the smartest thing,” says Angel, “but when you’re in the moment, and ready to go, sometimes you’re not thinking logically.” Few people are, I guess, when they have sex on the brain. I’ve heard the same about syphilis.

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his first national crown a year later, and has been among the best ever since. But he plays a sport whose players have a short shelf life. Traditional sports stress mind and body, but esports are mostly mental. They challenge your brain, especially its knowledge centres, object-perception hubs, and learning and processing engines. The reaction time and efficiency of these systems begin to diminish naturally in your mid-20s, which may be why esports are dominated by people in their early 20s. That means that Marquez may be nearing game over. Last year, he finished a career-low sixth in the world Melee rankings. Marquez says he’ll “play as long as my hands allow,” but to do so he’ll have to slow the cognitive-ageing process. Emerging science offers hope. With the right training, Marquez, and anyone with a PlayStation, might be able to preserve – or level up – his brain prowess.

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Level up to greater brain longevity and mental agility by learning from the youngest sport of them all – esports. BY IMAD KHAN JOSEPH MARQUEZ’S HANDS are a blur. His

right thumb slides from button to button, his left thumb shifting between angles mere degrees apart on a circumference the size of a 50c piece. He’s just seconds into his Super Smash Bros. Melee contest against Justin McGrath, 25 – and this is not going well. Marquez, 27, is performing 325 actions per minute, or five inputs every second. That requires processing visual information onscreen, reacting, contemplating, strategising, and executing 106 MH.CO.ZA/ July 2019

– all within milliseconds. His fingers slam buttons, unleashing a flurry of moves. But it’s not enough. Marquez, the oldest star left in last August’s Evo 2018 Melee tourney, falls, slipping into the losers bracket. He doesn’t dwell on that. “I try not to think when I’m playing,” says Marquez, known as Mang0. And that strategy has worked for a decade. He is a star for Team Cloud9, a top squad in the R10 billion world of competitive gaming, better known as esports. Marquez entered his first tournament in 2007, won

times begin to decline, according to research from Simon Fraser University in Canada. Scientists analysed reaction-time data from 3 305 gamers between the ages of 16 and 44, observing their reactions when playing StarCraft II, a game that has you making a lot of decisions in real time. The researchers scored “looking-doing” latency, how quickly players could spot something unique onscreen and react. A 39-year-old is about 150 milliseconds slower than a similarly skilled 24-year-old. That’s up to 30 seconds of lost reaction time every 15 minutes. One potential chemical reason for this decline: N-acetylaspartate (NAA), the second-most concentrated amino acid in the central nervous system, begins diminishing. Among NAA’s purported functions is contributing acetate for myelin sheaths, which insulate nerve cells and increase the speed and efficiency at which information travels throughout the brain. This, combined with the shrinkage of the memory-driving frontal lobe and hippocampus, starts the erosion of your ability to store and recall information. Gaming may offer a workaround for many. Different video games seem to stimulate different parts of the brain. That means your Xbox can provide a brain “workout” – if used correctly. But just as your body can’t thrive on fitness 24/7, your brain needs the right dose of gaming – not round-the-clock Call of Duty.

Illustration: Quickhoney

AGE 24. That’s when your brain’s reaction

Photographs: Robert Paul & Marquez

Fighting games, such as Super Smash Bros. and Street Fighter, challenge you to accelerate your thought process. Open-world games such as Fortnite and Grand Theft Auto, could prevent age-related volume loss in the hippocampus. Esports science is in its infancy, so both researchers and players are searching for (and disagreeing on) the right mix. Marquez doesn’t seem interested in the research. Many esports teams believe more practice is better. Marquez’s tournament prep: he plays Super Smash Bros. Melee, a Nintendo GameCube-era game that he also streams online, off and on all day. He’s not changing. “Maybe my reactions are a little slower,” he says. “But put me in a certain situation in the game and I can react to some shit that nobody else can.” His experience may indeed compensate for biological decline, but he may not be optimising his brain performance, says Dr. Mark Campbell, who heads the three-year-old Lero eSports Science Research Lab at the University of Limerick in Ireland. Campbell thinks e-athletes may retire early because they burn out, worn down from relentless (and one-dimensional) training hours. He recommends that players focus on efficiency instead of volume, using intermittent training. In general, people can maintain intense concentration for 15 minutes, he says, so e-athletes should break their “training” into smaller, intensive blocks, rather than just nonstop playing. Think 15 minutes working on controller skills, then 15 minutes strategising in the heat of the action, then 15 minutes of game play. “The idea is training with a bit of purpose,” he says. This is worth keeping in mind for everything from your sports prep to your personal brain-honing efforts, and it fits with what neuroscience has taught us about learning in general. Along with focused training, variety may be critical. Different games deliver different cognitive advantages. Marquez, for example, misses out on the benefits for the hippocampus that come with open-world games. Suchgamesmaysucceedbypushingyou

ESPORTS TOURNAMENTS SOUTH AFRICA

Modern esports got their start about two decades ago. Today, tournaments can draw more than 10,000 fans (top left). Joseph Marquez (left) is one of the world’s best at Super Smash Bros. Melee. The fighting game challenges his hands (above) and brain to operate at peak efficiency, performing 325 actions every minute of game play.

to explore three-dimensional game worlds. One of the earliest video games to do that was Super Mario 64, a 1996 Nintendo 64 game and the subject of a 2014 study. Researchers got adults to play it for at least half an hour daily for two months. They saw brain volume increases in the regions responsible for spatial processing, memory, strategic planning, and motor skills. Why? Dr Craig Stark, a neurobiology professor in the US, who studies how video games affect the mind, may have the answer: the “environmental-enrichment effect”, which has been observed in mice. Drop a mouse into a room with toys and places to explore, and “wonderful things happen to its ability to learn new information,” he says. “Immersive, 3-D types of games,” Stark says, make you the mouse. The shining esports example is open-world heavyweight League of Legends. “You have to remember where you're going, where your resources are, and then hold on to all of that information,” Stark says. “People doing League of Legends keep their hippocampi in good shape.” Our brains are wired to learn and retain new information, so you can use environmental enrichment to hone your own. “Navigate around and get back home without that nice little iPhone GPS,” says Stark. Athletesofmore-physicalsportsare rAge Expo

28-30 June Sun Arena at Times Square, Pretoria

Comic Con Africa 21-24 September Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand

embracingthesimulatedexploration that gaming offers, too. Football and basketball athletes utilise NeuroTracker, a virtual-reality-style game that has you track multiple targets across a 3-D space. Virtual performance has been predictive of athletic-performance statistics throughout the season. The military is also making use of virtual-reality flight and fight simulators. NASA uses VR simulations to train for rescues and practise spacewalk procedures. And flipping the script, gamer Jann Mardenborough recently went from being a Gran Turismo 5 champion in 2011 to being a driver on a real motor-racing team. THE RISE OF ESPORTS and esports research

means more attention for Marquez, who meets his chief rival, Adam “Armada” Lindgren, in that losers bracket. Lindgren, 25, owned his elder in 2017. At Evo 2018, Marquez and his favourite character, Falco, fall to Lindgren again. More age-related slippage? Marquez is defiant. “I really don’t think age matters much,” he says. But Lindgren is burnt out. Weeks later, on YouTube, he announces he’s retiring from Smash singles. Still, Marquez, the Atari of his craft, isn’t going anywhere. “You might even be smarter as you get older,” he says. Ifyouplaytherightgames. Rush

27-29 September Ticketpro Dome, Johannesburg

CON.ECT

5-6 October NMMU Vodacom Sports Centre, PE

MH.CO.ZA/ July 2019 107

Thirties

Your

So your hair's a little thinner. (There are solutions, if you want them.) And you’re getting a little less sleep. (Blame it on the baby, if you have one.) Arm yourself with some essential life skills, like disasterproofing your life, and prepare for the future. But whatever you do, don't panic. You can nail this decade, and we're here to help you. THE NUMBERS

What Fitbit tells us about the average man in his 30s.

BODY MASS INDEX:

27.0

108

RESTING HEART RATE:

63

DAILY STEPS:

10006

DAILY ACTIVE MINUTES:

Photographs by RAMONA ROSALES

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Graphik Light 4.75/5

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WHATEVER YOU DO,

DON’T PANIC

Up to a third of men will suffer from an anxiety disorder or panic attacks in their lifetime. But as real-life responsibilities truly start to bite in your thirties, you’re more vulnerable than ever. Use our timeline to survive any breakdown.

0-3MIN WHAT IT FEELS LIKE

You’re short of breath and your heart rate spikes. You’re trembling; and in an evolutionary response, your body redirects blood to muscles and organs that can help you overcome a threat. Though designed to maximise your odds of survival, this can lead you to misinterpret a minor office crisis as a matter of life and death. WHAT’S HAPPENING

A panic attack occurs when the mind makes a powerfully negative interpretation of normal events. When your boss sets you an impossible deadline, for example, your hypothalamus activates your pituitary and adrenal glands, causing stress hormones adrenalin and cortisol to flood into your system: the “fight or flight” response. YOUR DEFENCE

A US study found that

refocusing the mind on simple tasks can calm you down. The solution can be as mundane as counting the number of tiles on your office ceiling until the panic passes.

3MIN – 2 Hours WHAT IT FEELS LIKE

Your breathing normalises and your heart rate falls. “What was that? Am I dying?” you wonder. You’re not, despite your sweaty palms and pale, ghostly complexion. WHAT’S HAPPENING

Adrenalin has a half-life of three minutes, so the initial panic soon passes. Cortisol, however, sticks around for longer. It can take two hours for your more chronic feelings of stress to subside. YOUR DEFENCE

Your brain is associating your current situation with a sense of panic. Sitting still, staring at your overflowing inbox, will

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do nothing to rest your overactive endocrine system. Remove yourself from the situation: leave your desk for a 10-minute break and divert your attention to what’s around you, even if that's just what’s being served in the office canteen. Eventually, your cortisol levels will start to even out and you can return to your desk on a more even keel.

1 WEEK WHAT IT FEELS LIKE

Anxiety can easily extend beyond a specific stimulus and hang over you even when you’re not in a stressful situation. Unexplained chest pains and a persistent sense of fear are symptoms that your anxiety is becoming a chronic problem. WHAT’S HAPPENING

These heightened anxieties mean that your hypothalamus is unable to switch off fully. In its state

of constant agitation, it’ll keep ordering the release of the hormones adrenalin and cortisol; with levels set to surge at any point, the simplest upset can burst the dam. YOUR DEFENCE

In severe cases, doctors may prescribe you anti-anxiety drugs along with beta blockers to steady your heart rate. Otherwise, these Men’s Health all-stars are effective lifestyle prescriptions: omega-3 fatty acids in oily fish, which curb adrenal activation caused by stress; the cortisol-slashing B vitamins in steak; and a lunchtime run, which produces moodboosting endorphins while making use of the extra adrenalin. Outrun your panic: flight, in this case, might be the best way to fight back.

YOU’RE ON your way: (hopefully) paying off those loans and (maybe) having kids. How to prepare for the crunch? Some have adopted FIRE plans (Financial Independence, Retire Early), but this strategy is incredibly difficult, says NerdWallet’s Arielle O’Shea. “You have to be a person who can either save a huge portion of your income (and FIRE people save 40, 50, 60% of their income) and live on very little money, or else take side jobs to supplement your income.” Not inadvisable; just difficult. More difficult still is having children, which will make retiring early harder. “A lot of people think that when they have children, they should start saving for their kids (like for university) instead of for themselves,” says O’Shea. Instead, keep saving for retirement. (More on that on page 123.) So keep aiming for a 15% savings mark. This doesn't all have to flow into your retirement annuity, though. Look into a tax-free saving account, which lets you invest aftertax Rands, meaning your money will grow and be ready to withdraw tax-free. You can withdraw from this account at any time, for any reason, should you find yourself out of work and needing emergency funds. However, there is a catch: you can only contribute R30 000 per year towards this fund (with a lifetime cap of R500 000). The best thing you can do in your 30s is avoid inflating your lifestyle as your salary increases.

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The Challenge

Around this age, the number of nerve receptors in your heart declines and your maximum heart rate drops – which is why you’re breathing a little harder on your weekend jog.

IT’S A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT: START THINKING ABOUT YOUR LONG GAME.

The Goal

Run your first half marathon

The Time Frame

Photograph: rick-miller.co.uk

12 weeks

YOUR THIRTIES UNDENIABLY REPRESENT A PHYSIOLOGICAL TURNING POINT. But rest assured, this is no hairpin bend towards decline – merely a gentle lifting-off-the-throttle from your testosterone-fuelled twenties. The key, therefore, is to act now and shift your focus to building lifelong fitness, not summerlong abs. You need to work on your engine. Yes, the prospect of a 10km morning run is making you feel tired already, and these days it takes an extra day to shake the DOMS from your legs. However, there's still plenty of adaptive energy in your muscles and cardio system. With some smart tweaks to your exercise and nutrition plan, you can arrest any decline and become a long-distance contender in weeks. We’ll see you at the start line. CONSISTENCY OVER INTENSITY Gone are the days when you could push through your limits recklessly,

day in, day out. Be realistic in how you plan to tackle this half marathon, but remember that slow and steady wins the race. You're far better off operating at 80% for 100% of the time, as opposed to vice versa. Hit your weekly kilometre goal, even if you have to walk bits of it. PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE Prioritise adequate recovery. During your rest days, you’re not only recuperating from the session you’ve just done, but preparing for what you plan to do later in the week. The day after a long run or intense speed session should be followed by a gentle jog at most, along with one or more of the following: a massage, foam rolling, cryotherapy, compression wear, a mobility session, or your feet up in front of Netflix. WORK ON YOUR TEKKERS Almost everyone can run. But how

many people can run properly? A good coach at one of your favourite local clubs will be able to offer pointers and feedback on technique – such as arm or knee drive – which will minimise the impact on your body and ensure you can continue for years to come. Running, after all, is all about efficiency. Better technique requires less effort, which allows you to run further, more easily. TIMING IS OF THE ESSENCE If you’ve always thought more about what you eat than when, now’s the time to change that. Adopt a “train low, compete high” carbohydrate protocol: eat less when training, and more on race day. Training in low-carb conditions boosts your numbers of mitochondria, the body’s energy producers. Then, by loading up on race day, you’ll make even better use of those macronutrients. Yes, carboloading is a thing.

GO SLOW AND LOW It’s a good general rule for most people to go for moderate- to low-glycaemic carbs to improve their blood glucose balance: sweet potatoes, wholegrain pasta, oats, and so on. But this becomes even more important after you hit 30. At this point, mitochondrial density starts to fall in skeletal muscle, and this may affect your ability to manage blood glucose levels – causing dips in energy, which can nullify your resolve to train. DOSE UP ON BEETROOT JUICE If you’ve maxed out on dietary changes, consider this instant endurance hack. Beetroot juice, which is rich in nitrates, has been shown to boost power output during cardio by increasing the production of nitric oxide, a potent vasodilator. This allows more oxygen to saturate muscle tissues. Have a shot of beetroot juice two hours before your race, and you may find yourself speeding ahead when your rivals start to struggle. MH.CO.ZA/ July 2019 111

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WERNER VAN WYK AGE: 34 LOCATION: Jeffrey’s Bay OCCUPATION: Marketing Manager WEIGHT BEFORE: 113kg WEIGHT AFTER: 84kg TIME TO GOAL: 14 Months

How to Drop Wei ht in your 30s When you’re a career-focused 30-something with a tight schedule and busy work days, like Werner van Wyk, sometimes weight sneaks up on you. But the marketing manager wasn’t going to let those extra kilos take up permanent residence. With the help of his coach, JJ Botha, he started making subtle lifestyle changes. Now, 14 months later and 29kg lighter, he tells us how he did it.

The Reality Check: One day at the office, my pants ripped in front of colleagues and I had to go home to get changed. Needless to say, I was embarrassed. More of these moments would follow. Even my pants buttons would pop off from time to time. I'm quite tall, so I never realised how much weight I'd gained; I felt humiliated and ashamed inside. A colleague and I decided to start planking at work. Baby steps, you know? During this time I consumed fewer kilojoules; and within three weeks I'd lost 7kg. That was a great start that I was incredibly proud of. But I knew I could do more.

112 MH.CO.ZA/ July 2019

THE FITNESS Werner recruited the help of personal trainer JJ Botha to help motivate and guide him, and to help him keep his training consistent.

Eyes On The Prize

Werner told his coach that his goal weight was 95kg, and that he wanted a toned and chiselled chest. JJ’s reply to that was: “You’ll have a six-pack by December.” He also advised Werner to ignore the negative comments that he’d inevitably get from some people. “You're doing this for you, no one else.”

Find Your Balance

At the age of 30 and up, you need to re-evaluate what your body wants and needs. Werner did cardio training for six mornings a week, and sessions with his coach five afternoons a week. Rest days were vital, as he needed his energy for work as well. And his coach made sure he didn’t overwork himself.

Engage Before Exercise

After three decades, your body has bad habits that can lead to injury. Spend 10 to 15 minutes warming up, stretching tight tissues (think hip flexors and pecs, if you sit often) and awakening dormant muscles (like the rhomboid muscles in your mid-back) with resistance-band drills.

RECOMMENDED FAT-BURNING WORKOUT: Mountain Climbers

THE NUTRITION A few beers every weekend didn’t help Werner achieve his goals; but following the dietary guidelines given by his coach made the difference.

Take It Slow

“Although Werner was very focused, at times he was too hurried to achieve his goals. He soon realised that there's no fast-forward button, and that he should remain consistent in order to see proper results,” says coach JJ. Tackling all your goals at once could easily result in feeling overwhelmed. Choose a goal a week. One week you focus on drinking more water, the next you cut back on kilojoules, and so on. As the weeks go by, you accumulate the beneficial behaviours with far less stress than if you'd taken on multiple goals.

Visualise Your Meals

Coach JJ says that summer bodies are made in the kitchen. Werner needed some help in this regard. So with the guidance of his coach, he backed off the booze and junk food. By envisioning and planning more nutritious options early in the day, he made it more likely that he'd stick with it later. He even ditched the weekend round of beers.

Check In With Yourself

The number on the scale isn’t your only marker of progress. Even if that number hasn’t changed, what else about you has? Are you sleeping better? Feeling more confident? More energised? More motivated?

Additional words: THAAQIB DANIELS Photographs: Supplied

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People tell you that time goes by so fast when you have a newborn. Not at 2am on a Tuesday it doesn’t. BY PAUL KITA

Illustration: Tavis Coburn

USED TO take pride in how well I slept. But now, as a 33-year-old new father, I am proud no more. I used to scoff at the 35.5% of American men who clocked less than seven hours of sleep a night, as the latest US CDC numbers report. Who are these people who “can’t” sleep? These people who are at increased risk of heart disease and weight gain, because they struggle to set a bedtime? I know now that these people are moms and dads – like my wife Meghan and I, who spent months after the birth of our first kid waking up every two hours to address his wails. It was during this time warp that I called sleep advisor Dr. Christopher Winter, the author of The Sleep Solution. He helms the Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine centre, and he’s a father himself. I wanted to commiserate. “Most new parents don't expect how much sleep they will lose – not only when they're trying to get the baby back to sleep, but also when they're trying to get themselves back to sleep,” Winter says. “It’s usually because there’s no plan. I call this ‘guerrilla sleep.’” This led to flashbacks of late-night nursery raids in which Meghan and I, eyeblacked with dark circles, tried to incoherently give each other orders as the live grenade of a shrieking child flailed before us. Had we devised a pre-crisis attack plan, we might have fared better. Winter suggests dividing and conquering. “Agree on ‘on’ and ‘off’ shifts, ideally of about seven hours every other night,” he says. The “on” shifter, who takes on feeding responsibilities and the baby monitor, stays in a spare room, apart from the “off” shifter, who is only to be woken up for emergencies. Winter recommends separate rooms, if possible, with the goal of more restful collective sleep for the couple. My son sleeps much better now, but there are still nights of terror. Something deeper within me has shifted, though. I no longer take as much pride in my own sleep as I do in my child’s. Don’t tell Meghan, but most nights I don’t even mind a 2:00 a.m. teethinginduced caterwaul. That means I can swoop in, scoop up my child, and soothe him until he rests his tiny cheek against my chest. As I try to return to sleep myself, I implement another of Winter’s ideas: meditating on something calming. He had suggested mentally mapping out some relaxing weekend activities. Instead, I often think of my son, dreaming dreams of his own, and hope that I’m a part of them.

SEX TIP OF THE DECADE

➧

SLEEP

HOW TO LIKE YOUR BABY

Sure, you feel fine. But double-check that: certain key issues have subtle – or no – symptoms. How are those numbers now?

“Because of stress, lifestyle, lack of sleep, obesity, sedentary behaviour – even favouring weightlifting over aerobic exercise – so many younger men have elevated blood pressure,” says Dr. Martin Miner, codirector of the Men’s Health Centre at the Miriam Hospital in Providence, US. Untreated, it can damage your heart, arteries, kidneys, eyes, and erection – so confirm that your numbers, including cholesterol, triglycerides, and HDL levels, look good at

every visit. Premature heart attacks can hit by age 45, so you need to act on any skewed numbers right now.

Do I need a fertility check?

If you have problems ejaculating, issues with your erection, or disproportionate testicle sizes, ask for a semen analysis – even if you’re still a way off from having kids. “We can often prevent male infertility [by reducing stress, treating depression, and giving up smoking] before it’s actually set in stone,” urologist Dr. Matt Coward, says. – R. S.

THE NUTRIENT YOU NEED NOW///

Healthy Fats

These are hallmarks of the Mediterranean diet, which studies have shown may reduce your risk of heart disease, the top killer of men. Seek out monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (including omega-3 fatty acids). Eat more: Olive oil, avocado, nuts (almonds, cashews, macadamia), mackerel, oysters, anchovies

>>> YOU’VE PROBABLY established a bedroom repertoire that’s been proved effective. Nice work. Now add in more intimacy – those lovey-dovey moves that release oxytocin, a neurotransmitter dubbed “the cuddle hormone” that bonds you and your partner. Keep eye contact during missionary, say “I love you” during the deed (only if you mean it), and hold hands during a post-coital snuggle.

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1.YOUGOTFIRED

2.YOUGOTDIVORCED

3.YOUMESSEDUP

Out of a job? So were Steve Jobs and Howard Stern in their 30s. “Understanding you’re not the first person to whom this has occurred can normalise your experience,” says Dr. Geoffrey Greif, a professor at the University of Maryland School of Social Work.

First marriages that don’t work out typically end in the 30s. The resulting big changes can take anywhere from 6 to 12 months to process, says Poulter. So let the dust settle, then use these strategies to saddle up again.

Whether you crossed the line with a female colleague or made a tone-deaf, Matt Damon– like #MeToo comment, you need to address the issue.

OWN YOUR ROLE Blaming yourself – or someone else – for your problems only works for so long, says clinical psychologist Dr, Stephan Poulter. Owning up to your role in what went wrong, on the other hand, can be a truth serum. You might figure out what you want (a more engaging gig), what you were disappointed with (the lack of responsibility), or what your unspoken expectations were (more flexible hours). “This kind of self-reflection becomes a compass on how to navigate moving forward,” Poulter says. The next step: making the changes to address those discoveries.

WRITE A NEW STORY “People going through separation often have a problem of managing their stress,” says Dr. David Sbarra, a psychology professor in the US. “That in and of itself is a problem you have to solve.” It’s fine to go over forensics. (Is there a pattern in my relationships?) But an important element of recovery is stepping out of the story of how everything is terrible. For insight on your next move, reach out to those in similar situations (your buddy who split from his wife) as well as opposite ones (the guy at work who's been married for 25 years), suggests Greif. Talk to multiple people, triangulate, and create a new road map.

And once you get rehired . . . It’s easier to find a new job when you have a job. So network strategically. Seek out interviews, meet with mentors, mentor younger employees, and know how your field is evolving and if your skills are, too.

Embrace your core values. Doing enjoyable activities with people you like spending time with helps reaffirm the good: who you are and what makes you happy. This is an opportunity to do all the stuff you wanted to with friends and family.

114 MH.CO.ZA/ July 2019

APOLOGISE PROPERLY My behaviour was out of character. I’m humiliated by what I did. Guess what, pal: this isn’t about you. “It’s about the person you hurt,” says Men’s Health advisor Avi Klein, a psychotherapist. Acknowledge the impact on them – you made another person feel unsafe or self-conscious. It shows you’re aware of the effects of your actions. “There’s no end to how much empathy you can give someone when you’ve done something wrong,” he says. Allow the other person to decide how they will interact with you (or not). It’s respectful, and it also gives them the agency you robbed them of – important in evening out power imbalances. Create a plan to make amends. It shows you’re taking the problem seriously. Tell people that you’ll answer any questions. It’s on you to start difficult conversations and make those around you comfortable enough to share concerns.

CONFRONT YOUR WORST MEMORY Twenty-five years after a chance encounter in a primary school bathroom humiliated me, revisiting the episode – and my tormentor – changed the course of my life. BY SEAN HOTCHKISS

I WAS TEN YEARS OLD. It was 1993. And

I’d recently entered a new junior school. One afternoon I left my classroom to pee. I entered one of the stalls in the men’s bathroom, dropped my shorts to my ankles, and relieved myself. What happened next is hazy. What I can recall is that I became preoccupied with something on or around my genitals – so preoccupied that, without noticing, I backed away from the toilet and out of the stall. I stood by the sink examining my balls. My shorts were still around my shoes when I heard the metal door slam. Standing in front of me was the toughest grade seven boy in school. Brandon [his name has been changed] was a sports star, handsome, and popular. And now he was incredulous. “What the fuck are you doing?!” I froze. “Are you some kind of faggot?” Flight kicked in. I gathered up my shorts and ran. Back in the classroom, I slid down in my seat and closed my eyes. No. I wished the entire experience away. AFTER THAT DAY in the bathroom with

Brandon, I disappeared. I stayed away from the other kids at break time, left for home as soon as classes finished. My marks went down. I came to know

Illustration: Edmon De Haro

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that particular prepubescent agony of wondering where I fit in. I was sure I liked girls, but the homophobia that existed among boys in my blue-collar neighbourhood was so vicious that news of my pantslessness would mean danger, and I had convinced myself it was only a matter of time before Brandon told the entire school I was gay. By age 11, I began wearing T-shirts to the swimming pool, covering my body. For years, I hid my face beneath a cap worn low down. Puberty finally hit, bringing brutal bouts of acne with it. Years later, still struggling with my identity, I escaped into drugs. When I finally got sober in 2017, I was confronted for the first time with the vast, shadowy realm of all the parts of me I’d suppressed. Was that sole incident with Brandon to blame for all my years of childhood pain? No. But it was the day I learnt that I would have to hide. I tried every trick that could help me dig through my warehouse of hidden memories. I had my head shrunk by Freudian psychoanalysts in the city, I had my soul retrieved by a rural shaman, and along the way I learnt something transformative: every time I worked up the courage to reveal a shameful memory, it lost its power – often instantly. Adults understand that crappy childhood experiences are as common as chicken pox. But kids don’t. By uncovering all the parts of ourselves we’ve hidden, we soothe the awkward grade six in us who was sure his brand of torture was unique. One afternoon during a breathing exercise with my therapist, I remembered Brandon. I couldn’t believe how long I’d repressed the memory, or how strongly the feelings came back. I felt my whole body go rigid. Hesitantly, I revealed to my doc what had happened that day in the bathroom, and the way the shame had haunted me in the years since. I went home and Googled Brandon’s name, and a Facebook page came up. Had to be him. I kept searching and found his email address. I typed an email: I was a classmate of his from primary school. I had a memory I wanted to corroborate with him, and would he be willing to talk? Two hours later, a text arrived: It’s Brandon. I felt a familiar clenching in my chest.

“

I THOUGHT I MIGHT HYPERVENTILATE. IN ALL

MY FANTASIES OF HOW THIS MIGHT GO DOWN, I’D NEVER

GOT TO THE PART WHERE I WOULD ACTUALLY HAVE TO SPEAK TO HIM. I pulled off the highway and sucked in deep breaths. I thought I might hyperventilate. In all my fantasies of how this might go down, I’d never gotten to the part where I would actually have to speak to him. I spent two hours crafting the perfect text message. That evening, I finally mustered the courage to hit send. Less than five seconds after the text landed, Brandon called. Startled, I picked up. “Yo.” It was the same deep voice that’d been replaying in my brain for months. “Hey, Brandon,” I said. “Thanks for –” “What’s up?” he asked. Cool, aloof. “Refresh my memory.” When I finished telling my story, he paused for what felt like an hour. “I came from my science class,” he said, in what sounded like disbelief. “I came into the bathroom, and yeah, there you were, with your pants down. I was scared. I thought, Jesus, this kid is flashing me! I didn’t know what to do!” I laughed. He laughed. “I told the kid who sat next to me in home ec about it,” he said. “But I never spoke or thought about it again.” Then he asked, “Was I mean?” When I explained to him what he’d said, his voice dropped. “Man,” he said. “That was wrong.” Then he asked, “Why were you in therapy?” I told him about my struggle with addiction. “No kidding,” he said. “I’ve been there too.”

”

With the tension defused, and a bond cemented, we laughed like coconspirators, like brothers. We laughed and laughed. “Look me up next time you’re in the area,” he said when we finished. “I’m so glad you called.” I thanked him and hung up the phone, triumphant. It was a feeling better than any buzz, any high. What happens the day after you face something that’s been haunting you for a quarter of a century? You wake up at 4am, electrified. The most shameful moment of my life resolved. The most epic fear reduced to laughter. Had it really happened? In the weeks and months that followed that phone call, my life was transformed. I smiled more. I obsessed less. Hours I’d spent scrutinising my skin and body in the mirror were alchemised into time I spent out in the world, lighter, freer. Relationships with the older men in my life – even the tough, macho types I realised I’d always projected Brandon onto – became easier. I experienced the world less as a scared boy and more as an upright man. In recovery, I’ve learnt that the places within ourselves we dread going are the places we must go. And sometimes we find something we could never expect. A story, a narrative I’d held on to for years turned out to be just another experience shared by someone who saw it from a different angle. His explanation of that set me free. As Brandon said, “I can’t believe that day haunted you for all this time, and I never thought about it again.” MH.CO.ZA/ July 2019 115

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Forties

It’s not too late to get back on track if you’ve let things slip – the transformation on the next page proves it. And even knocking out the pain from your long-ago injury is an option now. Start ramping up your savings and paying closer attention to your ticker, and you have more than half your life ahead of you. THE NUMBERS

What Fitbit tells us about the average man in his 40s.

BODY MASS INDEX:

27.8

116

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64

DAILY STEPS:

10026

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CHARL STANDER GOALS: Manage diabetes and lose

weight AGE: 45 LOCATION: Port Elizabeth

TRANSFORMATION!

When Charl Stander woke up in hospital after being diagnosed with diabetes, he didn't stay down for the count. The 45-year old took control of his eating habits and implemented a new way of life. Here’s his journey to six-pack stardom. (Check out his full transformation story on our website: mh.co.za/weight-loss)

The Reality Check: Charl Stander sat up in a hospital room. The walls around him lost colour every time he blinked; heavily sedated, he was in the worst shape of his life. In June 2014, after being diagnosed with type-2 diabetes, the car salesman from Port Elizabeth was in disbelief. “Can’t they just give me a pill?” he wondered. Unfortunately, they couldn't. But Charl didn't accept defeat. Two days later, he had a sudden realisation: even though his pancreas wasn’t releasing insulin anymore, his life wasn’t over. This was a fight he couldn’t give up. He had a responsibility as a husband and a father of four, and this was just the beginning. “I got up from my hospital bed, signed myself out, and made the first step to changing my life. On that day, I had already beaten diabetes mentally.” Now it was just a matter of achieving his physical goal: taking his 144kg weight back to two digits. 118 MH.CO.ZA/ July 2019

STARTING WEIGHT: 144kg

THE FITNESS Over the next four years, Charl adapted his daily routine to better himself both mentally and physically.

A Rough Start

He bought himself a rowing machine. But the early stages of this journey weren't going to be easy. “I’ll never forget, I rowed for a single minute before stopping – and I was too exhausted to climb off the machine. My children helped me get back on my feet after ten minutes of rest.”

Be Patient

He cut down on carbs and sugars, and started working out in the home of his beloved car – the garage. “Yes, there’s plenty of help available for diabetics, but the main ingredient for living with it? Discipline. I’ve been working out in my garage for the past five years. Every morning I wake up at 4am; then I have my insulin injections, before hitting the garage (my gym) at 5am. I then leave for work at 6:30am.”

Stick To It

Charl has managed to shed an impressive 45kg since his diagnosis and now weighs 99kg; but even though he made it to below 100 on the scale, he sticks to his fitness regimen with maximum effort. He’s also developed a rock-hard resistance to negative energy, and looks to inspire others to do the same. “Don't let the opinions of others determine who you are. Be what you choose to be. I sure did – without the help of a pancreas.”

WEIGHT AFTER: 99kg TIME TO GOAL: 4 Years

THE NUTRITION “I don't have a dietician, except for my wife, who prepares low-carb meals,” says Charl. Here's some advice on how diabetics can manage a diet and lose weight – like Charl did.

Get Tested For Diabetes

Weight loss for diabetics is different to that for non-diabetics. If you’re diabetic, you have to pay particular attention to carbohydrates, especially empty carbs devoid of fibre and stuffed with sugar. That means replacing foods such as white bread, white pasta, cooldrinks and sweets with non-starchy vegetables and fruit. Consult your physician, as lower-carb nutrition plans may alter your need for medication.

Eat More Cabbage

This cruciferous vegetable offers a ton of fibre, nutrients, and diseasefighting antioxidants for minimal kilojoules. For a simple coleslaw, thinly slice and combine with a splash of red-wine vinegar, and a little salt and pepper. Or chop and toss into a chicken stir-fry.

Fear Not The Pig

A lot of people skip pork and opt for chicken because they think pork fat is bad. Well, when you’re on a lowcarbohydrate diet, you need to make up for the lost kilojoules (and avoid being hungry all the time) with fat.

Additional words: THAAQIB DANIELS; Photographs: NICK ONKEN

How To Reset in Your 40s

OCCUPATION: Car Salesman

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DRINK

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I USED TO BE a “drinker”. It was part of my identity. I was and still am very good at drinking. I have a go-to order, depending on the place. I know how to make interesting cocktails from memory. I know which gins are just great marketing. I enjoy drinking, and from about age 25 to 42, I drank frequently. Frequently means pretty much every night. Sometimes those nights were fun; but so many of them weren’t fun, exactly. They were sort of aimless. They were a way to pass the time. And they were so not worth the hangovers, which were only getting worse as I grew older. So I stopped being a “drinker”. And I started being someone who drinks occasionally. I started drinking with purpose, and that purpose is to socialise meaningfully with other people who are drinking. Like if my friends are meeting for a once-a-month bar hang. Or if someone's proposing a toast. Or if it would mean a lot to a co-worker if I grabbed a beer after work. Once a week, tops. I am now an intentional drinker. It works like this: Never drink alone. Because... why? Never drink anything that's bad: cheap wine, some sort of beer/tequila/schnapps hybrid, or anything you just don’t want to drink. Always enjoy the people you’re drinking with, too. If you find yourself not enjoying these people, then leave. And leave the drink behind as well. Water. Lots and lots and lots of water. More water. Otherwise, drink! But with purpose and restraint. And the satisfaction of knowing that in the morning, you’ll remember all the fun you had.

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nose,shoulders,andback.Whenthis happens,Dr.Franksays,therearethree options:“Ownit,groomit,ordestroyit.” Toexerciseyour“destroy”option,herecommendstakingfinasteride,aUSFDA-approvedtreatmentforhairlossthatalso workstoregulatebodyhair,thankstothat DHTconnection.ThedruginhibitsDHT, whichhelpscontrolhairproduction.Butto permanentlygetridofunwantedbodyhair, thebestwayistozapit.“Laserhair-removaltechnologyhascomealongway,” saysDr.Frank.“ThenewMotusAXlaser canremovehairpainlessly,andinhalfthe numberoftreatmentsasstandardlasers. Italsoallowsforthetreatmentoffineand lighthair,andiseffectivefordarkerskin tones.”(Lasersessionsvary,butmost willrunyouaroundR400each) –GARRETTMUNCE

>>> IT CAN BE TEMPTING to give your partner the same old shtick in the sack. After all, you could probably find your partner’s hot spots blindfolded (and maybe you have). But at this age, novelty is your friend. Try the We-Vibe Unite (R1 380, passionfruit.co.za), a couples’ toy. The narrow end goes inside her and vibrates along your penis while you’re inside her. See? Novelty is soooo worth it.

MH.CO.ZA/ July 2019 119

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The occasional creak – or something bigger – can turn into chronic pain. Which is debilitating. Consuming. And with the advent of opioids, it could take you down a dangerous path. A better treatment is within our grasp.

S

BY DAVID FERRY

EANSTEPHENS, byhisownadmis-

sion,wasanoldmaninayoung man’sgame. In2006,at38,heenlistedin theArmyNationalGuard,“alittle bitolder,alittlebitused,”hesays, buthedidn’tletitgetintheway ofhisdutiesinAfghanistan.He couldstillkeepupwiththe19-year-olds double-timingthroughthedesertwith 50-kilogrampacks,stillstandfor12hours straight in the back of a Humvee manning the .50-cal. Sure, the pain at the end of the day didn’t wash away with some ibuprofen and a good night’s sleep like it used to, but he could handle it. By the time his fourth tour rolled around, though, his labours were catching up with him. He was 42, and the hours he was spending on quad bikes training Afghan police on the eastern frontier were taking their toll. What started as a weird clicking in his neck and a twinge in his back devolved into a searing, debilitating sensation, and soon his head no longer felt connected to his spine. His hands began to fail him, too, the result of 18 months of vice-gripping that machine gun. By 2011, when he was medically evacuated from Afghanistan, he couldn’t even button his own shirts. Pain – the earliest of our afflictions, a state from which no man escapes – is a hell of a thing. It’s one of our oldest inherited traits, an evolutionary system designed

120 MH.CO.ZA/ July 2019

toprotectus:burnyourselfonce, and you probablywon’tputyourhandinthe fire again.Pain,inasickway,isgood for us. Pain,annoyingly,makessense. Butsometimes,againstallevolutionary inclinations,thesystemgoeshaywire. WhenStephensgothomefrom Afghanistan,hispaindidn’tsubside. Afraidofinjuringhimselffurther, he limitedhismovements.Hisdoctors prescribedtramadol,anopioidthat brings sweet relief from the agony of, say, a surgical wound; but it was at best a fleeting escape from the constant companion that his pain had become. He took three to five pills a day, but still the headache at the base of his skull blurred out the rest of the world, still his hands wouldn’t work. He’d “lose his shit”, he recalls, as the anger and stress and anguish consumed him. This is chronic pain – the tissue has healed, the wounds have scarred over, but the silent scream radiates. More than 1.5 billion people in the world suffer from it. The experience is familiar: the bum knee you blew out skateboarding in your 30s, the back you can blow up just by getting out of bed wrong, whatever it is you did 20 years ago to make your shoulders hurt all the time now. For people like Stephens, however, the suffering is truly debilitating. This pain costs jobs and relationships and lives. For a patient with a broken leg or an open wound, modern medicine has made

extraordinary strides over the years, as whisky and a leather belt have given way to anaesthetics and OxyContin. But in most of the world, chronic-pain treatment is in an ignoble shambles. The remedy is often injections, surgery with a questionable success rate, or what Stephens got after his four tours in Afghanistan: potentially addictive pills that dull the pain but ignore the underlying problems. Here’s the thing, though. We know how to treat chronic pain. We’ve known how since the ’70s. But chances are, you’re not about to get the best treatment. With effort, you can approximate it yourself; but to do so, you have to know a little bit about the inner workings of chronic pain.

WHY IT HURTS IF YOU INJURE your toe, the nerve endings

in your foot fire off electrical impulses to your brain: something bad happened down here. Your brain works with specialised nerve cells in your spinal cord to figure out a response. Was that a burn? Better get that leg out of the fire pit. Did we just break our ankle? Let’s turn the pain dial up and make it ache for a couple weeks so we’ll stay off it. Once the injury heals, the brain turns the dial down and stops sending these amplified pain messages to your body. The hurt, blissfully, dissipates. But with chronic pain, the neural circuits stay amplified – your brain has actually rewired itself – keeping the pain dialed up to 11, even if the damage has been repaired. “Chronic pain,” says Dr John Loeser, former director of a legendary pain-treatment centre at the University of Washington, “means nature has failed.” Dr John Bonica, the father of pain medicine, knew none of this when he started treating injured soldiers returning from the Pacific at a military hospital south of Seattle 75 years ago. There, apparently healed patients or those with missing limbs would confound their doctors with complaints of unceasing pain. Dr. Bonica, who would go on to write the first modern text on pain, realised that something complex – something not entirely physical – was at work. He saw that anxiety, depression, and PTSD were common bedfellows of chronic pain, suggesting that pain was affected by emotions as much as by tissue damage. Much later on, research would find that regions of your brain associated with anxiety and depression are

“

THE APPROACH WAS REVOLUTIONARY AND ACCOMPLISHED SOMETHING NO OTHER TREATMENT DID:

Photograph: Jamie Chung

IT WORKED.

alsolinkedtoyourfearandpainresponse. Butbackthen,goingbyhisobservations, Bonicadecidedthatchronicpainwassuch acomplicated,multi-facetedanimalthatit requiredallsortsofcaregivers.Twodecades afterWorldWarII,heopenedthecountry’s first“multi-disciplinarypainclinic”–that famousoneattheUniversityofWashington. “Itwasnotsomethingasinglepersoncould solve,”saysDr.Loeser,whorantheclinic afterDr.Bonicaretired.“Thebottomline was,thiswasgoingtobeateamapproach.” Thegoaloffullyeradicatingpainwasout, andinsteadasquadwasformedtoteach patientshowtomanagetheirsymptoms andimprovetheirqualityoflifefromall angles.Aphysicaltherapistshowedyouhow tomoveagain,apsychologisttaughtyounot tobeafraidofyourpain,anoccupational therapisthelpedyoufigureouthowto manageyourangstatwork,adietician helpedyouloseweightandtakesomestress offyourjoints,anursecasemanagerkept everythingrunningsmoothly,and adocsupervisedthewholeteamand your overallprogress.Thecombinedapproach wasrevolutionaryinchronic-paincare, anditaccomplishedsomethingnoother treatmentdid:itworked. Bythelate1990s,thereweremore than1000interdisciplinarychronicpain-managementprogrammesacrossthe US.Theywereexpensiveplaces;treatment byafullcomplementofexpertscould runupto$30,000(aroundR430000). Yetnumerousstudiesshowedthatthis approachnotonlysucceeded,butalso paidforitself.Havinghealthyhumanswho areabletowork,itturnsout,costssociety muchlessinthelongrun. In1995,PurduePharmaintroduced OxyContin.Itwasanimmediatehit.A fewearlystudiessuggestedtantalisingly –andfalsely–thatOxyContincouldbe aneffective,non-addictivetreatment forchronicpain.Insurancecompanies recognisedaquick,less-expensivefixwhen theysawone.“Theysaid,justgive’emthe medication,theopioids,”sayspainexpert

”

DrMichaelSchatman, directorof researchandnetworkdevelopment atBostonPainCare. By2015,therewere20millionopioidreliantpatientsintheUS.And56remaininginterdisciplinarypainclinics.

TREATPAINWITHOUTPILLS SEANSTEPHENS wasnervous.TheVeterans

HealthAdministrationhadgoneonthe sameopioid-prescribingbingeastherest oftheAmericanmedicalsystem,anda swellofveteranswithopioid-usedisorders –68000 of them – filled the ranks by 2015. Vets were twice as likely to die from an accidental overdose as other Americans, and a ruling came down from on high: opioids were out of favour. When Stephens showed up for an appointment at the San Francisco Veterans Administration Medical Centre in 2010, his doctor, Dr Karen Seal, told him that they were going to start working to decrease his dose of tramadol. His pharmaceutical crutch, the opioid he’d been relying on to get through the days, was about to be pulled out from under him. “I was scared.” In the two decades since Oxy, almost all of the interdisciplinary pain clinics have closed, and the VHA has become a surprise leader in keeping this approach alive. Other

clinics are mostly at big institutions – such as the Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic – because, Schatman says, these places can afford to lose money on poorly reimbursed pain care. But the VA doesn’t have to make money. It’s responsible for treating its patients for life, and over time, managing pain is cheaper than endless pills and procedures. Dr. Seal happened to be the head of the VA’s integrated-pain team, and she was now in charge of tailoring pain-treatment regimens that didn’t involve unlimited refills of meds. Her message to Stephens was no-nonsense: “Pharma tells you that you can take a pill to fix everything.” But not here, she said. Here there would be goals to help manage pain without relying solely on opioids. Here they would work with him to get his life back. Some of the treatments Dr. Seal prescribed to Stephens sounded obvious enough (physical therapy, non-addictive drugs, simple goals like exercising for 20 minutes straight), but others were the kind that could make men squeamish (yoga, deep breathing, meditation, cognitive behavioural therapy). Stephens knew, vaguely, that there were other ways to treat pain. He’d tried marijuana, but he didn’t like it. He knew yoga was a thing, MH.CO.ZA/ July 2019 121

our most basic ideas about pain. Dr Tor Wager, a neuroscientist at the University of Colorado Boulder, found recently that if the brain anticipates receiving more pain from an injury, it will dole out more pain sensations – regardless of physical damage. “When you expect more pain, you really do feel more pain,” he says. And when you live in constant pain, you’re afraid of feeling more ofit.Yougetinafeedbackloopthattruly makesthepainworse.Learningtothink aboutitdifferently can help break this cycle. Paired with physical therapy, gentle exercise and emotional support, this holistic approach has had dramatic results across the VA. So far, the agency has reduced the number of vets addicted to opioids by about 40%, and a study by Dr. Seal showed that patients in interdisciplinary clinics were 50% more likely to cut their dosages significantly. “I’ve become almost evangelistic about this,” she says. “When you’re off opioids, you get your life back.” For Stephens, the approach helped him take control. “The out his knee and needs pain is still there,” he says. “My surgery? The answer wife still has to button my shirt is physical rehab,” Dr. Mackey says. Although for me.” But now he’s in charge it may hurt, “you need of his pain – not the other way to get those muscles around. Today he does deep strengthened and support that area that’s painful.” breathing throughout the day. Studies show that PT He has a therapy dog that keeps reduces pain in the long him calm. And he gives himself run, and insurers often cover it. ten-minute breaks to de-escalate anytime he feels the pain rising • Don’t deal withitinsilence. Managing your pain and his fear cresting. “That will is a long-term effort, and get me past whatever pain there some insurers may offer is,” he says. support groups. In or near big cities, there are often For the tens of millions of nonfree meet-ups where you vets who are suffering, there’s can find out how others a similar way to find relief, but handle pain. it takes some effort (see “Take • Take steps to relax. Reducing stress reduces Charge of Your Pain”, on the left). your pain, Dr. Mackey says. Another thing it takes, Stephens Apps pps like Headspace says, is guts. The guts to be the can guide you through mindfulness lessons, and “old guy” at your first yoga class, yoga, meditation classes to be willing to try something and acupuncture provide that sounds unrelated to your relief to plenty of people. Your pain may never fully pain,likedeepbreathing. disappear, Dr. Mackey Becauseintheend,feelingselfsays, but that’s not the consciousatayogaclass or being point. By putting all this together, you can take embarrassed about going to a control and stop pain from therapist is a lot less painful than dominating your life. You a life in constant pain. win; pain doesn’t.

TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR PAIN “The best way to address chronic pain is to treat it like a team sport,” says Dr Sean Mackey, chief of pain medicine at Stanford University. You need different players to manage different positions. If you don’t have access to an interdisciplinary pain clinic, here’s what to do: • Talk to a social worker or therapist. “The strain in pain lies mostly in the brain,” Mackey likes to say, and a psychologist who specialises in pain can help you understand this in a relatively short time period. It’s not mumbo jumbo, either. “Your beliefs, emotions, and thoughts about your pain play a huge role in your experience of pain,” he says, and he has the brain scans to prove it. Chronic pain rewires your brain, and therapy can help undo that rewiring. It may not eliminate pain, Dr. Mackey says, “but it can improve it and give you back control.” • Consider PT. “What do you think the first thing team doctors for a rugby team do when a guy blows

The Check-up

40s ➧

but he didn’t think of himself as a yoga guy. “I wasn’t interested in finding another solution to pain,” he says. “But these people talked to me about all the things we can do to get past this point. It was this real “Aha!” moment. I never put it together that stress relief could be pain relief.” Probably one of the hardest components of interdisciplinary care for men to sign on to is seeing a therapist. Treating physical pain with cognitive behavioural therapy may sound like new-age BS, but the brain is a strange thing. Show devout Catholics a picture of the Virgin Mary during labcontrolled pain studies, and they’ll report less pain. Give people a placebo to make them believe they’re about to receive pain relief, and the brain will actually release natural opioids to block the pain. New brainimaging studies are consistently upending

This is the age of checking: Find out what’s really going on in your arteries, your brain, your guts and your skin, so you get on the right preventive maintenance plan. One more new number

You should be keeping good track of your heart-health numbers. But also make sure you get a blood-glucose test, since some evidence indicates that about a third of people over 45 are pre-diabetic – even if they’re at a healthy weight.

A colonoscopy already?

Used to be you could put it off till age 50, but the first screen should now be at 45 – or earlier, if you have a family history of colorectal cancer.

loneliness, and a lacklustre feeling about life, says Dr Edward M. Adams, president of the American Psychological Association’s Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinities. Don’t gloss over this: South African men are five times more likely than women to die by suicide.

“I’ve got this thing on my back...”

Forty is when sun damage starts to add up, says Dr Martin Miner, of the Miriam Hospital in Am I depressed? the US, so ask about any weird-looking Primary-care docs marks that you are now tasked notice, and see a with inquiring dermatologist for a about your mental full-body skin check. health, but it’s not Melanoma – the least their first language. common but most If your doctor deadly skin cancer asks the unhelpful – is more likely to “Any depression?” hit men by age 50 question, ask how than women, largely you would know. because men haven’t In men, depression been as good about often looks more like anger, aggression, prevention. – R. S. drinking too much,

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FUZZY, FLABBY, AND

Illustrations: Edmond de Haro & Marta Signori

E

CAN’T GET IT UP Do you need testosterone therapy?

ither we’re in a low-T epidemic, or an epidemic of falling for persuasive ads. Testosteronereplacement prescriptions have soared – they quadrupled in guys aged 18 to 45 between 2003 and 2013 – as ads for the therapy have become widespread. So if you’re tired or losing muscle, have ED, can’t concentrate, feel irritable, or just never feel all that great, could T therapy really help? How to find out:    Get Tested Sounds obvious, but as many as a quarter of men receiving T therapy do it blindly – that is, they start a regimen without testing whether they actually have low T. Supplementation won’t help if your T levels are normal. In fact, “it will turn off your own production,” says Dr Brad Anawalt, chief of medicine at the University of Washington Medical Centre. “The pituitary recognises there’s plenty of testosterone in the blood, and stops producing hormones that stimulate the testicles to make more.” To be sure, get a fasting testosterone test from your doc, preferably in the morning, when the hormone’s levels peak. Repeat the test at least

once, with the second a day or more after the first. Two low morning readings indicate testosterone deficiency. Readings can vary from day to day and even hour to hour, and they can be lower if you’re sick. So don’t test when you’re under the weather.   Cancel Out Other Causes If your levels are a little low, don’t just blame it on your age. Lately, some doctors have begun to question the idea that testosterone starts dipping by about 1% a year around age 35. “If that were true, it should happen in all men, and it doesn’t,” says Dr Ranjith Ramasamy, director of male reproductive medicine and surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. “A healthy, fit 40-year-old will have testosterone levels like a 20-year-old’s.” Poor health is more likely to cause low T than the other way around. If your levels are right around 300 ng/dL, which is on the cusp of being low, and you have symptoms, “look first at other conditions”, Dr. Anawalt says. Medications such as opioids lower testosterone. So does a condition called male hypogonadism, in

which problems with the testicles or the pituitary gland – or both – prevent your body from producing enough T. Far more common than either of these? Extra kilos. “If you’re overweight and lose 7% of your body weight, testosterone could increase 10 to 15%, which would put you squarely in the normal range,” Dr. Anawalt says.   Weigh the Risks You don’t want testosterone therapy if you do want kids: in healthy men, it can make the pituitary shut down sperm production. Possible side effects of T therapy also include an increased risk of sleep apnoea, blood clots, and prostate cancer.   Then Pull the Trigger Your doc still may write you a script. In men with verifiably deficient levels – generally below 300 ng/ dL – and low-T symptoms (fatigue, decreased sex drive), replacement can ratchet up desire, sexual activity, physical function, and vitality. But not this weekend: it takes three to six months for supplemental testosterone to have an effect. – RICHARD LALIBERTE

NO, YOU can’t stop saving for retirement just because you have kids. Having children will certainly increase spending, and you might think you need to save for them right away (because university!). “But really, the best thing you can do for your kids is continue saving for your retirement,” says NerdWallet finance journalist Arielle O’Shea, “because there are no bursaries or grants for that.” Instead, ramp up your retirement annuity contributions and use online tools such as Old Mutual's retirement calculator to determine your progress. Your bond should carry a low interest rate, so don’t accelerate those payments to the detriment of your retirement savings. Working longer should never be a Band-Aid for not saving enough, but looking for a new job that feels fresh and provides a higher salary may help motivate you to work longer, should you have to.

THE NUTRIENT YOU NEED NOW///

Fibre

This supernutrient fights heart disease while filling you up and preventing you from filling out your pants. Plus, science shows it fights cancer, particularly colon cancer, which can start forming around this decade. Fibre can taste delicious, but if food sources aren’t handy, psyllium-husk supplements may work for you, too. Eat more: Guavas, raspberries, blackberries, mangoes, pears, butternut, asparagus MH.CO.ZA/ July 2019 123

Your

Fifties

and beyond

Yes, you can still be active. In fact, you should be – just don’t push it. Most elite guys in their 50s are moving more and taking more steps than in their 40s. Eat plenty of bananas. And hustle to retirement. Keep in touch with old friends. And enjoy sex more than ever now that the kids are (hopefully) out of the house. THE NUMBERS

What Fitbit tells us about the average man in his 50s.

BODY MASS INDEX:

28.1

124

RESTING HEART RATE:

64

DAILY STEPS:

9993

DAILY ACTIVE MINUTES:

Photographs by RAMONA ROSALES

65

HOURS OF SLEEP:

6.33

Graphikk L Light 4.75/5

GRAPHIK REG 6.5 GRAPHI P

S EMIBO

110 0 0> >

ANTON NILSSON AGE: 56 LOCATION: Stockholm OCCUPATION: Model HEIGHT: 186cm CURRENT WEIGHT: 84kg

COVER GUY PROFILE!

ANTON NILSSON isinincredibleshape.The

56-year-old started modelling in his late twenties, making it essential for him to take care of his health. By following the simple formula of eating well and exercising often he’s been able to maintain his well-being throughout his career.

The Challenge: As a model who works for international brands, Anton spends a good portion of his time travelling the globe. Having a schedule that differs week on week forces the model to be flexible in his approach to health and fitness. “I see that as a good thing, and it keeps me on my toes,” he says. His healthy eating habits and gym routine go beyond the aesthetic pressures of being a model. He believes that he's honouring his body by taking care of it. “No matter where you live in the world – Stockholm, Cape Town or New York – your home is your body. You have to look after it, and do whatever it takes to keep it in the best possible condition.” Part of what keeps him in shape is doing slower exercises such as Pilates. "I've been faster and stronger, but I've never had better balance." 126 MH.CO.ZA/ July 2019

THE FITNESS

While Anton needs to stay in shape for his job, he’s learnt that exercise doesn’t need to be boring.

Make Exercise A Priority

When he’s at home, Anton likes to follow a schedule that includes working out and exercising in the morning. When he’s travelling, he trains when he can. “If the hotel doesn’t have a fitness centre, I try to be creative about it. There’s a lot of things you can do in a hotel room, the stairs or the surrounding areas.”

Find What Interests You

Aside from sculpting his physique in the gym, Anton stays active during his spare time. “Tennis, skiing, kayaking, hiking and cycling are all activities I enjoy doing and try to do as often as possible,” he explains. There’s no reason to sweat it out in the gym if it brings you no joy.

Listen To Your Body

As he’s aged, Anton has stopped concentrating on results. Instead, he focuses on how exercises make him feel – both physically and mentally. “I think a strong body consciousness is a good thing. If you’re in tune with your body, you’re less likely to abuse it.” The model has struggled with a weak back throughout his life, so now he makes sure to include gentle exercises that strengthen his core and back.

THE NUTRITION Whether he's travelling the world or spending time at home working on other projects, Anton makes sure he eats as healthily as possible. Fill up on his advice.

Make A List

Over the years, Anton has made a list of food that’s good for him. When he travels he uses this list to guide him. “It’s usually not complicated to find a combination of food that works for me.” Most of his meals consist of chicken or fish with veggies.

Take Care Of Your Gut

A healthy gut contributes to proper digestion, a strong immune system and good brain health. Anton looks after his gut by eating something fermented every day. “I’m a big consumer of sauerkraut,” he says. Appease your gut by adding Greek yoghurt, fruit, legumes and grains to your diet.

Prep Your Snacks

The hours between meals are where most people’s healthy habits stray. To avoid reaching for unhealthy snacks while he travels, Anton carries his own. “My friends laugh at me when they see me bringing out a bag of lettuce and pretending it’s chips.” If lettuce doesn’t appeal to you, create a snack pack of nuts or homemade granola.

Additional Words: MEGAN FLEMMIT; Photographs: DAVID VENNI

Maintain Your Health in Your 50s and Beyond

A

SO YOU’RE NEAR the finish. Most retirement accounts permit catch-up contributions, so if you haven’t been hitting that 15% contribution goal over the past couple of decades, you have higher contribution limits once you reach 50. Take advantage of these. "The tax laws around retirement savings in South Africa have changed in recent years to encourage investors, especially the ones starting at a late age, to drastically increase their contributions. The government now allows investors to contribute up to 27.5% of their annual salary, (with a limit of R350 000) towards retirement

savings. They've also made it easier, in that pension funds, provident funds and retirement annuities are now taxed in the exact same manner," says Geo Botha CFP, a director and wealth manager at Bovest. Start keeping a few years’ worth of income in cash, or something that isn’t volatile – like a fixed-income investment, says Arielle O’Shea, from online financial platform NerdWallet. So, if the markets go south, your money won’t go with them. But don’t cash everything in too early: you still need your money to grow. Dial back the risk a little, but continue to invest in stocks and growth investments.

50s+ Maintenance!

In addition to getting monitored regularly (including a second colonoscopy and blood-glucose tests every three to five years), flag any changes in your body – acute aches and pains, worsening vision. Small signs may mark bigger problems that are common in your 50s, such as arthritis or age-related macular degeneration.

PSA or no PSA?

Illustrations: Studio-Takeuma, Marta Signori & Getty/Gallo

BIG BANG THEORY

In two studies involving women 18 to 59, compared with younger women, the older women were more likely to orgasm. The likely explanation is that mature women may have become more comfortable with their sexuality and learned over time what works to get them off. But guys have to do more than just lie there! There are other factors at play, says Dr Debby Herbenick, director of the Centre for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University. Orgasm frequency and relationship satisfaction work hand in hand. Couples who are more satisfied with their relationship are more likely to engage in intimate practices (think romantic texts, gestures, mood-setting, etc.) that enhance orgasm frequency, and more frequent orgasms enhance positive feelings about the relationship. Win-win.

SEX TIP OF THE DECADE

The PSA blood test is the only way to catch prostate cancer, but the test is far from perfect – it misses some cancers and “catches” others that aren’t really there. But considering prostate is the second-deadliest

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FIT AT 50

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FINANCIALLY

The Check-up

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As with home repairs, health fixes are much easier to make before trouble gets out of hand. Give special attention to these four areas. cancer in men, ask your doctor if you need the test starting at 50 (earlier, if you're black or have a family history), says UNC fertility urologist Dr Matt Coward.

How’s your dipstick?

Bring up urinary symptoms – a weak stream, getting up multiple times a night to pee, even incontinence – as they’re common markers of benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH, a treatable enlargement of the prostate that affects around 50% of men between 51 and 60. Also mention if you’re having fewer, softer erections. Erectile issues are often an

early sign of heart disease, but could also be a red flag for treatable problems such as lack of sleep, hormonal imbalances, depression and anxiety, says the Miriam Hospital’s Dr Martin Miner.

A renewed look at your heart

Considering that heartattack risk climbs after 45 and peaks at 65, get your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar measured. Don’t be surprised if these numbers are suddenly not as stellar as you thought they were: guidelines for treating hypertension and lipids are now much more aggressive than they were just a few years ago. – R.S.

THE NUTRIENT YOU NEED NOW///

Potassium “Your risk of hypertension increases

every year,” says Dr Mike Roussell. “Potassium balances sodium in your diet and supports healthy blood pressure.” As a bonus, greens that have potassium also tend to be rich in fibre, which will help with blood-sugar control. Note: potassium supplements can be dangerous, because too much of the nutrient can lead to heart issues. Eat more: Apricots, artichokes, butter beans, mince, beetroot, Brussels sprouts, clams, potatoes

>>> YOU CAN STILL get it on without worrying about losing an erection or your ticker giving out mid-thrust. First, Viagra is readily available; and second, research shows that sex rarely increases heart-attack risk. So, please – have the sex. What better time to challenge yourself to complete the myriad positions in the Kama Sutra (or the ones in the Men's Health Big Book of Sex)?

MH.CO.ZA/ July 2019 127

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thinksomeofthegermsthatinfiltratethebrainmaybethe instigatorsofthechangesthatbecomeAlzheimer’s. Ifthisso-calledmicrobialprotectionhypothesisproves true–andsupportingevidencehasbeenpilingup–itwill pointthewaytoanewandradicalapproachtostopthe build-upofaproteincalledbeta-amyloid.Theseproteins accumulateinthebrainsofAlzheimer’spatients,making uptelltaledepositscalledplaquesthatareassociatedwith dementia.For30years,scientiststhoughtbeta-amyloid wasafunctionlessrogueprotein,andtriedtohaltits accumulationbydegradingitorblockingitsproduction. Thebug-huntingnewguardthinksthisoldhypothesisis knockingonthewrongcellulardoors.Maybebeta-amyloid isn’ttheactualproblemafterall;maybeit’sasymptomof somethingelse.

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THENEWCULPRITS INHISCAMBRIDGELAB, HarvardMedicalSchoolprofessor

IN JULY 2000, as the World Alzheimer Congressconvened

in Washington, DC, there was a moment – a“dawning sense that scientists could be on the verge ofstemmingthe epidemic,” Time magazine put it – when a treatmentfor the disease seemed imminent. Science waspouringminds and money into solving this devastating problemthat creates total neurological meltdown and canbreakapart and bankrupt families. Spoiler alert: nope. Almost two decades later,the heartbreaking and costly illness first identifiedbyAlois Alzheimer in 1906 is more prevalent than ever.According to Alzheimer's South Africa, approximately 750000South Africans have the disease. While Alzheimer’softendoesn’t show up in a tangible way until your 70s or later,thebrain changes associated with it begin decades earlier.Thesurge of money that inspired that optimism has failedtoproduce a drug that brings anything more than a modest,temporary improvement in symptoms once they showup–ifthat. The dearth of progress has some researchersrethinking everything they’ve been taught about whatAlzheimer’s disease is and how it works. Although the ranksof these scientists are small, the idea uniting themisa big one: that Alzheimer’s is caused by germs.Andnot some exotic new germs, but the same microscopic organisms that cause things such as gum disease and cold sores. Most brains accumulate pathogensas they age – blood vessels become leakier, makingthe blood-brain barrier more porous. These scientists

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128 MH.CO.ZA/ July 2019

ALZHEIMER’S MAY BE CAUSED BY THE SAME

MICROSCOPIC ORGANISMS THAT CAUSE THINGS LIKE GUM DISEASE AND COLD SORES.

”

Illustration: Edmon de Haro

A maverick new germ theory could help keep your ageing mind intact. BY JEFF BERCOVICI

Dr RobertMoirhashelpedpinpointthatsomethingwith experimentsshowingthatbeta-amyloidcanactas anantimicrobial–itkillspathogensinpetridishesand inthebrainsofmice.Beta-amyloid’spresenceinthebrains ofpeoplewithAlzheimer’s,then,suggestsit’s theretofight someunderlyinginfection.Totargetbeta-amyloidwithout addressingtheinfection,Moirsays,“isliketryingtoputout aforestfirewithoutblowingoutthematchthatcausedit.” Moirhasmanagedtomakeheadwaydespitelimited supportfromtheNationalInstitutesofHealth,which hasfavouredinvestigationsthatviewbeta-amyloidasthe exclusivecauseofAlzheimer’s.SincehisfirstandonlyNIH grantranoutin2014,Moir,despitehispioneeringwork, hasstruggledtolandasecond.Thislackoffundingcould changesoon,thankstotheeffortsofindividualslikeDr LeslieNorins,aretiredpublisherofmedicalnewsletters whoisofferinga$1millionprizetotheperson(s)whocan provearoleformicrobesinAlzheimer’s. Aformerinfectious-diseasesresearcher,Norinsticksoff someoftheclues,scatteredaroundthemedicalliterature,thatconvincedhimthemicrobeideaneededmore research.Neurosurgeons,whoroutinelyhandlebrain tissue,havebeenreportedtodiefromAlzheimer’satan unusuallyhighrate.Onestudyindicatedthatmarriedpeopletakingcareofspouseswithdementiasufferedsimilar cognitiveimpairmentmoreoftenthanthosetakingcare ofspousesforotherreasons.Autopsieshavedetectedviral DNAinamyloidplaques.Variousstudieshaveassociated noticeableimprovementsinsymptomsoroutcomeswith antibioticsorantivirals.

ToNorins,itallfitthepatternofacertainkindofgerm –thekind,liketuberculosis,leprosyorHIV,thatflourishes onlyunderveryparticularconditions,helpingitelude detection.Competingresearchteamspointtodifferent suspects,withtheshortlistincludingherpessimplex 1,chlamydia,andToxoplasmagondii.SiliconValley isn’twaitingaroundforconsensus.Onestart-upcalled Cortexymeiscurrentlyrampingupenrolmentofsubjects foraphaseIIstudyofadrugthattargetsapathogencalled Porphyromonasgingivalis.Betterknownforcausing gumdisease,P.gingivalishasbeenfoundinthebrains ofAlzheimer’spatientsandcausestheuniquepathology ofthediseaseinmice.Inapreviousstudy,membersof the(verysmall)treatmentgroupshowedatrendtoward improvementonseveralmeasuresofcognitivefunction afterjust28days.

HEALTHYGUT,HEALTHYBRAIN THERESEARCHLINES onmultiplemicrobesaren’t

mutuallyexclusive.“Theremaynotbeone‘Alzheimer’s disease’.Itcouldbetherearefive,”saysDrGeorgePerry, whoeditstheJournalofAlzheimer’sDisease.Butthey mayberelated.MoirsuspectsAlzheimer’sbeginswitha dysbiosis,adisruptionthatoccurswhenthebody’snormal microbiomefallsoutofbalance,lettingonebugoranother runwild.Inoneintriguingexperiment,disruptingthegut microbiomesoffruitfliesdesignedtodevelopAlzheimer’s aggravatedtheirneuronloss.“Ifyouwanttostop Alzheimer’sbeforeitoccurs,itmayinvolvetreating microbialimbalances,”saysMoir.Gutdysbiosiscould increasethepermeabilityofthegutwallsomicrobes makeitintothebloodandeventuallythebrain. Figuringouthowtotametherightmicrobescould makeitpossibleforyoutostaymentallyfitasyouage, undamagedbythisprogressivedisease. Theknowledgethatanyoneofhalfadozencommon germsmightcausecognitivedeclineisn’texactly reassuring.Butthetoolkit’snotemptyofoptionsthat mightreduceyourrisk.(Stayingawayfrompeoplewith Alzheimer’sisn’toneofthem,bytheway.)Anumberof studieshaveshownthatfrequentexercisecandelaythe progressionofAlzheimer’sinpeoplewhohavegenetic variantsthatputthemathigherriskforthedisease. Maintaininghighfitnesshelpswithmostaspectsof ageing,ofcourse,andkeepsvascularwallshealthy.Poor dentalhygienehasbeenlinkedtoheartdiseaseaswellas dementia,somakeanextraefforttokeepyourteethand gumshealthy. Howeverthemicrobehypothesisturnsout,you’llwantto keepyourgutmicrobiomeinbalance,sinceit’sconnected tobetterhealthoverall.“Eatahigh-nutrientdietthat’srich infibre,”saysPerry.Fibrehelpshealthybacteria flourish, andadietlowinjunkfoodhelpskeepvesselsstrong. Andwhileit’snotgerm-related,expertslikeMoirloveto remindyoutofeedyourmind.“Interactingwithfriendsis emergingasthekeyprotectivefactorforabunchoflate-life diseases,”hesays,“includingAlzheimer’s.”

AM I LD OR

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HI

Facing an existential question, we look for answers. BY CHRIS DIXON

Dr. Shane Woolf is a 46-year-old father of two and a mountain biker who currently works as a sports-medicine guru. Ron Miller, 51, leads the team at Sawtooth Physical Therapists. He subjects himself to brutal mountain-bike competitions. He’s also a father of two kids. It turns out both of these fine gentlemen had been giving a lot of thought to exactly the sort of existential dilemmas the ageing dad athlete faces. Both warn that injuries to athletes in their 50s are fiendishly common, especially those involving connective tissue. There’s also declining bone density. All of this, frankly, is pretty damn depressing. See a sports-medicine specialist. An expert can identify issues with your posture, muscle imbalances, bone density, motor skills, and even diet. Also ask that specialist to help you develop a personalised fitness programme. Don’t pursue any sport hard right out of the gate. A high level of cardio fitness and flexibility is especially vital as you age. An easy yoga programme at least twice a week that ratchets up in intensity over time can be hugely beneficial. To maintain bone density, introduce some load-bearing exercise like running or strength training twice a week. You’re in it for the long haul now, so start out slowly – 15 minutes a couple of times a week. Rest and recover. When he was younger, Miller trained on the bike, hard, every other day. Now he does very high-intensity workouts only twice a week. Many experts recommend a polarised training approach: 20% high intensity and 80% low intensity. Visualise the activity. “Our brain doesn’t know the difference between us imagining something and doing it,” says Miller. “Practise those runs in your head, so you get them down. You can’t train 24 hours a day, but you can work in some skill sessions in your head multiple times a day.” Give your proprioception a prod. Regularly practise standing on one leg with your eyes closed for 15 seconds, then 30. Make it more challenging by extending outwards in a yoga pose. Even stand on one leg, eyes closed, while brushing your teeth. Taking your eyes out of the equation helps keep your balance honed. Get regular. “Try to maintain a consistent level of activity,” says Dr. Woolf.

MH.CO.ZA/ July 2019 129

THIS MONTH

WHAT’S YOUR MORBID FASCINATION?

Death!

DEATHINSA

88.8%

TV SHOWS ABOUT SERIAL KILLERS

Conversations With A Killer: Ted Bundy

DEATH BY NATURALCAUSES

Statistics South Africa released a report in 2018 on the top-10 leading causes of death in SA, covering data from 2016 (based on death notifications maintained by the Department of Home Affairs). In our country, people die mostly from natural causes – they account for 88.8% of all deaths, with non-natural deaths making up the other 11.2%.

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TUBERCULOSIS

DIABETES MELLITUS

OTHER FORMS OF HEART DISEASE

4

CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASE

5 HIV

Hannibal

126 LIFE EXPECTANCY THE NUMBER OF TIMES KENNY DIES IN SOUTH PARK

Bates Motel

TV SHOWS WITH THE HIGHEST BODY COUNT

“OMG I DIE ”

A DYING ART

SOME OF OUR MOST POPULAR MOVIE STARS HAVE RACKED UP RATHER LARGE NUMBERS OF DEATHS ON SCREEN. HERE ARE SOME OF OUR FAVOURITES (ALONG WITH THEIR DEATH COUNTS). 130 MH.CO.ZA/ July 2019

“A PHRASE USED TO DESCRIBE ONE’S INTENSE PLEASURE/ EUPHORIA TOWARDS SOMETHING, USUALLY MUSIC OF THE ELECTRONICA GENRE. THIS PHRASE MAY BE CONSIDERED OVERUSED AND ANNOYING BY SOME PEOPLE.”

– Urban Dictionary

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Game Of Thrones

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Supernatural

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The Walking Dead

According to the latest World Health Organisation data published in 2018, the life expectancy for South African males is 60.2 years (67 for females). SA is currently 153rd in the World Life Expectancy ranking.

CHRISTOPHER LEE 60 ON-SCREEN DEATHS

You may know him as Count Dooku from Star Wars, or as Saruman from Lord of The Rings, but the late Christopher Lee holds the record for most on-screen deaths by an actor.

JOHN HURT 45 ON-SCREEN DEATHS

The late veteran’s most memorable moment is arguably from the movie Alien, in which his chest explodes and an alien emerges. He also portrayed Ollivander in the Harry Potter movies.

SAMUEL L. JACKSON 28 ON-SCREEN DEATHS

AKA Nick Fury, Jules Winnfield, John Shaft, Frozone, etc. Jackson is one of the few actors ever to die in a video game, after voicing Frank Tenpenny in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

SEAN BEAN 25 ON-SCREEN DEATHS

Who knew that the actor playing Eddard Stark (Game of Thrones) was really good at dying? Sean Bean has acquired a reputation for the almost inevitable demise of his characters.

LIAM NEESON 24 ON-SCREEN DEATHS

“I will find you, and I will... be killed on screen.” It seems that when Liam Neeson’s not tracking down his daughter’s kidnappers, he’s playing dead in other movies.

Getty/Gallo

TOP 5 KILLER DISEASES

Dexter

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