Men's Fitness South Africa July - August 2021

BEST WORKOUT MOTIVATION: BEATING SOMEONE’S ASS. Been slacking off instead of hitting the gym and throwing up some iron? Get yourself an enemy to go after. Okay, not an enemy, exactly, but someone who can give you some stiff competition. That’s the very best motivation to work out, according to US University of Pennsylvania researchers who found that, rather than a cheering section, you need to feel a sense of competitiveness to be extremely consistent with your workouts. Their study, an 11-week weightlifting, running, spinning, and yoga program involving 790 students, showed that exercisers who competed for the top spot on leaderboards had 90% higher gym-attendance rates than those in groups in which competition wasn’t emphasised. So, if you’re feeling less than excited about crushing it these days, challenge one…

Like any new tech, trackers have their pros and cons, so nailing down benefits is tricky, says Kelly Evenson, PhD, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the US, and the closest thing to a human fitnesstracker “tracker” there is. For example, one recent study she did suggested that trackers don’t improve health; but her newest research shows they can, indeed, lower heart disease risk — but only if used faithfully. For max usefulness, she says, wear it in the same position every day, update software often, and pair it with benefitboosting apps.…

* Japanese people are some of the healthiest on the planet. They have the highest life expectancy for men (76) and women (86), and, at 3%, the lowest obesity rate. (The US sits at a flabby 32%.) They also have the lowest risk of death from all causes, along with reduced odds of dying from cardiovascular disease and stroke. So what the hell are they doing so right? Eating sushi. Or, to be more specific, eating salmon, tuna, cod, mackerel, octopus, eel, a little beef, some chicken, and a whole lot of rice, buckwheat noodles, carrots, cucumbers, mushrooms, pickles — well, basically what you’d see on the menu at your local sushi spot. Yes, according to a new study published in the journal BMJ, it’s the typical Japanese diet —…

EJACULATING AT LEAST 13 TIMES A MONTH LOWERS YOUR CANCER RISK. READY, SET… GO! The more often you ejaculate, the lower your risk of prostate cancer will be, US-based Harvard University is reporting — and it doesn’t matter if you’re making sweet love to your honey bunch, banging a bridesmaid in a cab, or choking the chicken in your mom’s guest bathroom. The recent 10-year follow-up to a 2004 study confirmed that men who ejaculated more than 21 times a month had a 20% lower risk of prostate cancer than those who got off only 4 to 7 times a month. “Even 13 or more ejaculations per month led to significant reductions in prostate cancer risk”, says study head Jennifer Rider, PhD. She and her colleagues speculate that getting rid…

IF YOU WANT MORE HEALTHY VARIETY IN YOUR MEALS, START BOWLING. Instead of eating off a plate (how common!), the hot new restaurant trend is plopping everything into — wait for it — a bowl. What, not revolutionary enough for you? Well, it’s actually a pretty mind-blowing, fit-body-building idea. No longer are you forced to limit yourself to just an entrée and two sides stuck on a dreary plate, looking like they’re doing time on the same cell block. Now you can pile on just about anything your heart desires — proteins, whole grains, vegetables, sauces — to make up an exciting, balanced meal with layers of complementary tastes. Bowl meals are especially popular at American healthy fast-food joints like Sweetfin Poké, Sweetgreen, and Chopt, which are spreading across the…

HOW MUCH YOU SPEND ON GIFTS DOESN’T EQUAL HOW MUCH YOU CARE. You may think you’re frugal, but chances are that frugality goes right out the window when you shop for someone you love. In a study in Judgment and Decision Making, subjects shopped for one of three items: A wedding ring, a storage container for either a grandfather clock or a cremated grandfather (ha!), or birthday cupcakes for a loved one. Results: When buying for someone they loved, most subjects felt it was inappropriate to question a price, look for a cheaper option, or haggle — even when prices were negotiable. For example, 91% of wedding-ring shoppers chose high-priced rings that weren’t necessarily high quality, and most buyers of crematory containers and b’day sweets said okay to any price…