How do they embody the spirit of Men's Health?


When June's 33-year-old Mark Hewlett discovered he had Type 1 diabetes on his birthday eight years ago, he instinctively looked for the upside. "I only got it in adult life as opposed to growing up with it so it hits you like a tonne of bricks," the 2003 Fear Factor Grand Champion says. "But I'm an optimistic person and I said ‘okay lets see what the positives are.'"

He likens the disease to having a fitness instructor inside your head. "It's a constant mental note telling you to eat well, exercise and get plenty of rest, so it indirectly helps keep you in shape," he says.

Hewlett stays trim with a punishing regimen of yoga, surfing, running and kickboxing and a diabetes-friendly, low-GI, high-protein diet, which he cheekily plugs, includes his very own organic frozen yoghurt from his HOUSE OF HEW store on the Sunshine Coast. "It's the best way to feel at your optimum," he says.


Newcastle boy Tim Robards first started lifting weights to try to make his high-school footy team. "I was pretty skinny as I used to eat well from a young age," the 25-year-old medical science graduate recalls. "The other kids called me tofu boy, but they all wanted to taste my sandwiches."

With a hulking physique carved from a regimen of weights, boxing, running, swimming and Oztag, plus a diet consisting of "salads and whatever I cook on my little Weber barbecue," tofu boy's healthy habits have clearly paid off.

Robards is doing a Masters in Chiropractic at Sydney's Macquarie University and hopes to open a clinic in Bondi in the future. "I'll be trying to save the world one spine at time," he laughs.


May's cover guy, Dean Tahana is a busy man. The 2007 Mr Australia winner runs his own mortgage brokering business in Brisbane and this past May he competed in the international male model of the year competition in China. "I started my business four years ago and it's only in the last couple of years that I've been able to spare the time to go to castings," the 29-year-old says.

Tahana believes high-intensity cardio is the key to sculpting a lean physique, relying on boxing, swimming and running to keep trim. "I try to run five kays like a sprint some days, other days I'll ease back a bit more and run ten kays," he says. When not working or modelling, Tahana spends time with his 15-old-month old daughter in Noosa.


Australian water polo captain Thomas Whalan went to his third Olympic Games this past August. Over the past eight year, he's completed a Commerce/Law degree, worked in a law firm, competed for his home club (Sydney University) and spent five seasons on the European pro circuit.

"It's a lot easier in Italy (where he plays for Savona) because you're being paid," explains the 27-year-old Whalan, but I train no more than I do in Australia. So I train 11am-1pm, then rest and go back in the water from 6-8pm. At home I'm out at Homebush at about 5am to train a couple of hours, then go to work or study, then it's back to the pool for the evening sessions." Somewhere in between he has to fit in three weights sessions a week and a game day. And yes, he hits the wall just like the rest of us.

"In Seinfeld, George Costanza once made a bed under his desk, which I think is a brilliant idea. When I was working at a law firm I'd duck into the bathroom at about 3:30, set my alarm, sit down and sleep for five minutes. That really got me through the day. Naps are fantastic, but anything more than 30 minutes is too much because you start going into that deeper sleep and it's harder to get up."

On the flipside, Whalan sees jet lag as a plus. "I enjoy it, because if I wake at 4am, I'll go for a run or a swim - it's great, because I'm not usually a morning person."

Whalan can't do much about the volume of his training or his other commitments, all he can do is look after his energy levels to make sure he gets the most out of his time.

"I find that if you're down on energy levels, you probably need to get more vitamins into you, probably carbs as well. Eating in that half hour after training is really vital, too. If you're putting that off for an hour or two, you'll probably have trouble getting through the day. I always make sure I have food in my bag to see me through the day - bananas, muesli bars, Power Bars, Musashi protein drinks."

Even at rest, Whalan works on his sport. When he's sitting around at home he attaches physio bands to a pole at all different angles to do proprioception exercises - exercises designed to raise the body's awareness of how its different parts interact - to stabilise his shoulders and work on throwing technique.

"Lately I've also given up entertainment DVDs because I'm really trying to scout out our opposition for Beijing. Now I watch DVDs of individual players or the tactics of teams that we'll be playing, so I'm getting my physical rest, but my mind's still working."

Pool sharp tips from Tom:

• When you hit the wall, look for a quiet spot to nap for five to 30 minutes
• Make use of jet lag - get up crazy early and knock things over
• Eat within 30 minutes of training so you get through the day
• Proprioception training for sport can be done almost anywhere