REMARKCENTRAL

An evolution of form.

The gym and I have had an on/off relationship since my mid-20s. I had been through various fitness fads and achieved a form I was happy with when I was around 28 (and, according to Men's Health, men reach their muscle mass peak at 30). My body responded well to the gym then, with my youth in full swing and metabolism in its prime.

In my 30s the gym became more of a ‘nice to do’ than ‘must do’ and I’d say that I was casually keeping fit. I’d visit the gym once or twice a week, if at all, just to maintain a bit of form. It was clear by then that my aging body wasn’t reacting as quickly as before and it became more of a distracting effort with disappointing results.

The real eye-opener happened after my relocation to the UK in 2011. As one might expect, with this move came an entirely new way of life. New job, new food, new day-to-day routines. It was challenging to get into a rhythm with the constant travel required for my job. I was also struggling with a relationship at the time which completely repressed, if not mostly destroyed, my confidence and self-esteem. For two years, I simply did not prioritise fitness.

In January 2013 I was at my lowest. I was on the cusp of turning 40 and certainly out of shape and overweight (see the photos directly below). My relationship was drowning me, my self-esteem was gone, and I no longer liked what I saw I the mirror. I had lost my spark, energy, and was not myself. So within the first few weeks of that year, I began a bold transformation that would change my life for the better.

I ended my toxic relationship in February 2013 and was finally liberated. I took a long, hard look in the mirror and asked myself: “Is this what I want to look like? Is this what I want to be? Am I confident standing here naked?” I was determined to celebrate my 40s with a fitness-focused attitude and tremendous body positivity. I wanted to re-ignite my sex drive, resculpt my body, and start loving myself again.

A renaissance: body, mind, attitude.

In the spring of 2013 I started a regimen of seriously hitting the gym. I overhauled my diet. And ever since that summer, I’ve remained committed to this regimen and have refined my health focus. Another motivator has been the aging process: after turning 40, I noticed my friends aging, my parents aging, people I looked up to in my youth aging. It became apparent that in order to remain and feel youthful, I needed to invest in the only body I have. This is something that is front of mind for me now.

And speaking of mind — in 2019 I was introduced to the benefits of meditation and mindfulness. Much like working out keeps the body physically fit, mindfulness keeps the brain in check and has helped me tremendously with my ability to cope with the stressors of the world. It’s enabled me to be more mentally tranquil and fulfilled, and has taught me to be grateful daily and to respect and appreciate equanimity. I’m also more in touch with my body through my meditation. If you’re interested in exploring mindfulness, I cannot recommend the Ten Percent Happier platform enough! Their app is a daily essential for me now, and they have wonderful resources, videos, and podcasts too. I strongly recommend it. In this crazy, divided, post-modern, schizophrenic, post-pandemic world, it’s essential that you find a way to bring calm to the chaos, and meditation has become one of my most treasured elixirs.

Regimen.

As of 2024, I workout five days a week. My weightlifting sessions are generally 45-60 minutes in length and usually comprised of push/pull routines (chest/shoulders one day, arms another day, back/core other days). I rotate squats, deadlifts, and lunges to round out my program. In response to the pandemic in 2020, gyms closed across the UK. Thankfully we bought a house that had enough room for a full gym setup, so I was able to keep my routine almost entirely as before. We weren’t expecting our home gym to become permanent, but now it’s a prominent feature in the basement studio level of our house. In addition to weightlifting, I’ve got a Peloton which I love (if you’re a fellow rider, you can follow me there @remarkcentral). I’ve also enjoyed running in our town of Rochester, it’s been great to run along the esplanade of the River Medway. It’s quiet, beautiful, and the air is so refreshing. And I’m working to increase my VO2 max levels…so far so good!

If I were to offer my advice on fitness routines, it would be to do research, give different routines a go, and see what works for you. As long as you have good form, know how muscle groups work together, and pay attention to your diet, you'll find a rhythm that works for you. In terms of inspiration, I enjoy following trainers and fitness sites like Nathan McCallum, Milestone, Buff Dudes, Athlean-X, and Andrew Tracey. They’re equally informative as they are entertaining.

And it’s essential to track your progress. Log your workouts and monitor your food. I recommend the Strong app for weightlifting. The app is integrated with HealthKit in iOS, and of course works wonderfully with Apple Watch. Speaking of Apple Watch, there are so many benefits to using it and it keeps track of my activities and cardio/VO2 max levels.

For anyone to be successful with fitness goals, diet is vital. Check out Lose It or MyFitnessPal to track daily calorie and nutrition intake. They both sync with HealthKit and Apple Watch and were key tools in helping me transform my body.

Now that I’ve crossed my 50 year old milestone, I'm no longer fanatical about my diet. In fact I’ve stopped counting calories because I’m currently satisfied with my body/size. But once you get into a habit of paying attention to what you’re eating, it empowers you to make better food choices. In 2018, when I was at my peak fitness level, I was so cut and lean — all driven by clean eating choices and low calorie intake. Fast forward six years, and I now have more of a bulky build, which is a version of myself I also like. I’ve also started appreciating bigger bellies more, so that’s no longer an insecurity. Beef is back on the menu, boys!

I weigh myself weekly using a Withings digital smart scale, which is insanely great to track not just weight, but also muscle mass, water, and other factors. The app also syncs with HealthKit. Use smart technology to your health advantage! 🤖

So to summarise my top fitness tips, they would be:

1. It's never too late to improve your mind and body fitness.

2. Establish your goals and be clear about what you want to change or achieve.

3. Understand the science behind meditation, exercise, and diet.

4. Use technology to your advantage to track and reward progress.

5. Document your progress along the way (journaling, selfies) and celebrate your transformed body and mind.

The photos below in the rotating carousel showcase a variety of body sizes and forms I’ve had over the years. 2017-2019 were my peak years; 2020 I was super lean, and 2021 onwards I’ve gotten thicker and bulkier. I like and appreciate these various form factors and it gives you a snapshot of how you can transform yourself if you’re dedicated. 💪🏻

Celebrate your body.

I’m proud to have made fitness a habit and have it deeply integrated into my lifestyle. In addition to the obvious health benefits, the commitment has elevated my physical confidence and I am grateful for my body and what it’s become. It’s good to explore how it feels, how it grows, how it adapts. As this evolution continues, I enjoy capturing my form and growth through photos and many ubiquitous selfies. 🤳🏻

Over these past 11 years, I’ve enjoyed redefining my body confidence. This enabled me to become comfortable with nudity and even explore posing nude for some fantastic photographers. You can see a few suggestive images in my Gallery. This confidence led me to enjoy naturism, often shared with my husband Luis. We like to venture to the Mediterranean coast and enjoy nudist beaches and gay nudist resorts. ☀️ It’s been wonderful living near Europe which doesn't stigmatise nudism the way America and the UK do. And as I ease into my 50s (😳) I’ve enjoyed the continued resurgence of my sex drive and interest in sexual positivity and energy. My husband and I are consensual non-monogamists, and enjoy the company of other men when the desire arises. We communicate and have deep trust to share such intimate openness. It’s very exciting.

I am very fond of beautiful photographs of the male form. If you wish to review a collection of what I find attractive and inspiring, you can visit my Tumblr, where I have a set of images tagged accordingly. Much like this website you're reading right now, my Tumblr is best experienced on a desktop platform with a large display, since viewing it within the Tumblr app or through the Tumblr dashboard ruins the layout and visual intention of the site.

Want to chat more about fitness, body positivity, sex, or nudism? Let me know. Now let’s move on to the story of my Beard + Stache.