Men's Health UK January/February 2022

DON LEE ACTOR AND PT The Korean-American star of Eternals, Lee explains how he finds his calm by returning to his first passions: boxing and training p18 AARON BAGGISH CARDIOLOGIST Your heart is your body’s hardest-working muscle. Dr Baggish explains what it’s doing 24/7 – and how you can maintain its performance p106 BRETT TORESDAHL PHYSICIAN Having worked at the Olympics, Toresdahl knows how to protect the body from wear and tear. Heed his tips for age-proof joints p162 CRAIG WILLIAMS NIKE BRAND LEADER As head of Nike’s Jordan division, Williams has a few demands on his time. He shares the mindful practices and hacks that give him the edge p59 LAURA HILL TRENDSETTER Senior editor at Welltodo, Hill gazes into her crystal med-ball to reveal the trends that will define your training in 2022 and beyond p80 BRINDA CHRISTOPHER SPECIALIST CONSULTANT Knackered? Same here. Dr Christopher…

These new year missives are usually meant to be about looking forward – cheery feel-good gestures that blithely dismiss past regrets and focus instead on greener pastures. New year, new you, new waistline, and better still, if you’re lucky, new car, dog, job, wardrobe and freshly upgraded admirer to boot. I have written many such editor’s letters and most riff upon a similarly positive theme. Don’t worry about the gallon of eggnog you drank over Christmas, and never mind the dustbin load of Ferrero Rocher you dispatched – all will be resolved with a few taps of the wand. This time around I want to offer a little more perspective. Because, let’s face it, if it really was that easy, you’d probably not find yourself in the same old rut again…

It’s easy to take for granted a vegetable that has been cultivated for at least 5,500 years and was as ubiquitous on the menus of the ancient Egyptians and Sumerians as it is today in Italian, French, Chinese and almost every other cuisine. The onion is a utility player that rarely gets the glory; it’s the part of a recipe that your eyes skim over. After all, despite its use as a metaphor for hidden layers by the Dutch social psychologist Geert Hofstede, the Swiss-German author Hermann Hesse and even Shrek, can we expect to learn anything new about a plant so deeply rooted in our eating habits? The answer, as it turns out, is yes. According to scientists at Hokkaido Information University in Japan, it contains an abundant supply of…

There are few phrases that crop up quite so frequently in our workout tutorials as ‘don’t round your back’. Well, for once, we’re going to ask you to do the opposite. While it goes against traditional lifting cues, you’ll see big rewards from your rebellion. ‘By avoiding positions, we leave ourselves vulnerable to injury,’ explains MH fitness editor Andrew Tracey. This move ensures you’re primed. The squat-and-curl action is designed to unlock hip flexors and hamstrings, switch on the glutes and strengthen your posterior chain – invaluable if you plan to shift some serious metal after weeks of slumping on the sofa. ‘Use a light load to safely explore positions, build strength gradually and future-proof your body against injury,’ says Tracey. The move will help to extend your range of motion,…

For years, your phone was more of a gym distraction than a gym tool – a gateway to idle social media scrolling and the occasional #gains selfie. But now, your phone is primed to take centre stage as your latest and greatest training partner. The pandemic hit the light-speed button on the development of fitness apps. The best are now optimised for our pending post-Covid lifestyles, letting you replicate the gym experience you want, no matter the equipment you have to hand or your location. That’s why even gym chains, which once viewed virtual fitness as a rival, are getting in on the action. Everyone from Barry’s to F45 now has a virtual training service, while many PTs have worked to make remote coaching a regular part of their offering. But to get…

01 SEEING IS BELIEVING It might sound whimsical, but visualisation – vividly picturing a positive outcome to a situation – has proven effects, especially for those struggling with self-belief. ‘Visualisation allows people to “watch” themselves completing tasks that may initially feel impossible,’ says Dr Emma Azzopardi, a psychotherapist at Physis Consultancy. Tempted to give up on your marathon dreams? Picture yourself flying over the finish line, hugging your partner and collecting your medal. The more detail you can add, the more possible it feels. 02 LEVEL UP It can benefit skill development, too. Even without physically carrying out a task, if we go through it step by step in our minds, ‘our neurons modify their structure’, explains Dr Josephine Perry, author of Performing Under Pressure. ‘This supplements our physical practice, without the additional…