The Male Stylist

My Fitness Journey – Part 1: Decisions & Mentality

Fitness Part 1

In June last year I was becoming a bit deflated with my gym routine. I felt like I needed a new structure and approach to my workouts and my results had stagnated in recent months. I spent the next few days reaching out across Twitter, trying to get advice and recommendations on personal trainers/workout plans to start incorporating into my weekly routine. One of the most interesting and constructive responses came from a man called Chris (@LiftingToLive) on Twitter, who asked me a great deal of questions about what I was doing, what I really wanted out of this and what my diet looked like on a weekly basis.

He asked me to be as honest as I could be, both with myself and with him, as the only way for him to get an idea of where I was struggling was to talk about what I was having issues with and where I felt I was lacking. Within a week, he had delivered a full workout plan, alongside a basic diet spec and some key elements to focus on. He even came down to London for a workout session to give me some tips on technique and advice on what I should be focusing on with each workout. However, the main thing he told me to do was to start getting my mind in the right place for this new structure and it’s only now that I look back, I can see what he was talking about. Today, I wanted to share with you my tips on what I did to adjust to my new lifestyle and how I changed my mindset to more positively focus on my fitness goals. View Post

How Do You Feel About Your Own Body Image?

Body Image - How Do You Feel

It’s been a while since I’ve posted about body image and, during that time, the conversation has only grown in mainstream media and blogging. The movement has helped many friends of mine come to grips with their own insecurities and perceptions of the way they look as well as helped educate people on where to go and who to talk to if you are struggling. However, much of this information relies on the idea that you are aware of your own body image issues and then want to address them.

So, what about those people who are struggling with the way they look but don’t recognise this behaviour as irregular? What if you’re subconsciously putting yourself down without understanding that that is what you’re doing? What if you’ve been living like this for you’re whole life and without ever being aware that you might be hurting your own confidence? Today, I wanted to talk through some common behaviours I’ve seen/heard about when discussing negative body image to help you identify the actions that lead to low body confidence. View Post

Guys, We Need To Be Better…

Time's Up - 1

#MeToo, Time’s Up & Men

The end of 2017 and the beginning of 2018 will likely be remembered for the issues raised around sexual abuse in Hollywood. From the Harvey Weinstein scandal and #MeToo, through Kevin Spacey and his fall from the Hollywood elite to the explosion of the “Time’s Up” movement introduced by Oprah Winfrey in her Golden Globes speech, the public has seen the predatory actions and sexually oppressive behaviour of men come back to haunt them. It would be a mistake to think that we are even close to the end of all this. Instead it is the beginning of a long-overdue rebalancing, helping women gain their voice and position in modern society as well as hopefully closing the gender gap that is still present in 2018.

However, among the plethora of headlines, interviews and social media debates something has felt ever-present when reading between the lines. A truth about men that needs to be said every day to every man until we eradicate this kind of behaviour. We, as a gender, NEED to be better…
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Fizz, Festivities & Friends ft. House of Fraser [AD]

House of Fraser - 2

Note of Disclosure: This post was sponsored by House of Fraser

The Christmas period can often be quite stressful in the run-up to the big day, with crowded diaries, the stress of getting gifts and the office workload beginning to pile up. House of Fraser have kickstarted their new #BringMerryBack campaign, in an effort to keep spirits high during the darker evenings of winter shopping. Last week, they invited a group of bloggers, including myself, to attend a Christmas dinner in Searcy’s Champagne rooms at the top of The Gherkin. Having never been up The Gherkin before, I was more than happy to take them up on the offer and made my way, through bitterly cold wind, into the heart of The City to attend. View Post

Why I No Longer Respect My Elders…

Respect My Elders

Just to preface this post, I’d like to note that I do respect the elders that I know. I have a great deal of love and respect for my family, friends and co-workers who are of an older generation than me, due to the fact that I know what kind of people they are and where their values lie. My issue here is with the generic blanket statement “respect your elders” and how I’ve decided to reject this philosophy in recent years, simply because I don’t believe they respect/care for younger generations any more. View Post