Men's Health UK June 2021

JAY BLAHNIK FITNESS TECHNOLOGIST Apple’s senior director of fitness guides Men’s Health throughthe brave new world that is the tech giant’s new streaming service p64 RUSSELL BRAND AUTHOR AND ACTOR The comedian and Hollywood star-turnedguru reflects on what we hold sacred – and our capacity for inner transformation p56 MARCUS RASHFORD FOOTBALLER AND MBE The Man United forward opens up about a year in which he dominated both the sporting world and the political agenda on child poverty p42 PETER ATTIA LONGEVITY RESEARCHER Can continuous glucose monitoring, the latest the bio-hacking trend, really supercharge your performance? Attia assesses its claims p86 MICHAEL ACTON SMITH CO-FOUNDER OF CALM The pioneer of app-enhanced meditation shares his soothing daily routine for a clear and focused mind p59 OLLIE MARCHON PT & EX-RUGBY PLAYER The National Fitness Games promise to redefine fitness and get the UK moving. Its performance director explains…

Of all the game-changing, normality-skewering things that have happened in the past 18 months, some of the most curious have been the shifts in how we perceive the world around us. For instance, in a remarkably short space of time, flexible working has gone from being a commuter’s pipe dream to a banal, slovenly reality; in counterpoint, the idea of an all-inclusive holiday on the Med has acquired the kind of recherché glamour last seen before the advent of easyJet. On a more earnest level, our attitudes towards civil and social issues have become awakened. Affected by the Black Lives Matter protests and the way in which the vigils for Sarah Everard were policed, against the backdrop of three punitive lockdowns, many have found themselves questioning the notion of liberty for…

The semi-normality of life after lockdown has its benefits – a chance to grab a beer with your colleagues after work; a lunchtime sandwich made by someone other than yourself. But for those of you who commute to busy towns or cities, a return to the hubbub of pre-pandemic life can also have a detrimental effect on your stress hormones – which is bad news for your waistline, too. Back-to-work weight gain isn’t just an inevitable consequence of PE with Joe ending. Multiple studies have linked urban noise pollution with adverse health outcomes. According to a study in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal, higher 24-hour noise levels are associated with an increased risk of depressive symptoms. Another paper linked daytime clamour to poorer heart health. More recently, a study by the University…

Metamorphose your abs workout with this thorax-busting move. “The dead bug crunch is an advanced core exercise that requires strength, coordination and plenty of practice,” says Chris Jillard, a PT at Feel Good Strength. “As it’s a pretty tough test of your core strength, the exercise is best used in lower-intensity workouts,” he adds. “It’s most effective when completed under control and not for speed.” Focus on mastering the original dead bug technique before you attempt a higher number of reps, and likewise before adding the crunch element. “Practise by doing fewer reps, starting off by moving just your legs, then just your arms – and finally try to move your arms and one leg at the same time,” says Jillard. He suggests adding the move to your warm-up, to allow you to…

01 BACK TO BASICS Good Italian food is all about keeping things minimal – that’s why cream in a carbonara is as much of a no-no as pineapple slices on pizza. To make your own pasta, you only need three simple, healthy ingredients: finely-milled “00” flour, free-range eggs and high-quality olive oil. We enlisted Jay Patel, founder of London Italian eatery Legare (legarelondon.com), to deliver a crash course in lip-smacking nourishment. A PAPPARDELLE When you’re working with a broad, flat sheet of pasta dough (see method right), it makes sense that the easiest pasta to make is the broad, flat pappardelle. All you need to do is roll up your pasta sheet and cut it into 1in-thick strips. B TAGLIOLINI This is essentially spaghetti but easier to make. Most pasta machines come with a tagliolini…

01 PLUGGED IN “The tendency to endlessly scroll through bad news story after bad news story has been turbocharged over the past 12 months,” warns Tanya Goodin, an expert in digital detox. “Doom-scrolling” is a habit that is specific to your smartphone. Unlike your TV, the hi-tech device in your pocket is always there, offering you constant access to a depressing echo chamber of negativity. It’s like having the MailOnline comments section on an intravenous drip. 02 ACCENTUATE THE NEGATIVE “Your brain has a tendency to zoom in on the bad stuff,” explains Goodin. “The algorithms that control newsfeeds take this into account and ramp it up.” Reading worrying news triggers your fight-or-flight response. But your brain also hates to leave things unfinished. So, without resolution, you experience the Zeigarnik effect – anxiety…