fitmuncher: February 2022

Monday 28 February 2022

How To Make Tandoori Afghani Chicken In Just 30 Mins

If you love tandoori chicken just like we do, here we bring you a creamy, velvety recipe you must try. It is called Tandoori Afghani Chicken. It is also called White Tandoori Chicken recipe.

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7 Soya Snacks Recipes You Can Prepare In Just 30 Mins

Whether you're short on time or just too lazy to cook or simply too hungry to wait, these soya snacks will come in handy. Take a look:

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Watch: 3-Year-Old Identifies Indian Spices Like A Pro; Internet Calls Him A Star

A young boy can be seen identifying Indian spices and lentils like a pro. Watch the adorable video here.

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Sunday 27 February 2022

Ranveer Singh's Sunday With In-Laws Includes This South Indian Sweet From Bengaluru

Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone are spending some time at Deepikas parents' place in Bengaluru, and Ranveer took this opportunity to enjoy a regional delicacy.

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The Rock Has This Food As His Cheat Meal This Sunday

Cinnamon, with its woody scent, was one of the first spices used in the ancient world

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7 South Indian Breakfast Recipes That Can Be Made In 15 Minutes

These easy South Indian recipes can sort your breakfast worries on a busy day

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This Breakfast Egg Burger Is A Delish Recipe That Will Load You Up With Proteins

All you need to do in this recipe is prepare some eggs, assemble them with sauces, some veggies of your choice and devour!

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Chef Kunal Kapur Reveals A Secret Ingredient To Add Smoky Flavour To Food

Chef Kunal Kapur shared a secret ingredient to add a smoky flavour to food, and you can try it at home too

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Karisma Kapoor's Delicious Breakfast Will Tingle Your Sweet Tooth; See Pic

Karisma Kapoor and desserts are a match made in heaven.

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Saturday 26 February 2022

Rakul Preet Singh Is In The Maldives And Here's What She Devoured

Rakul Preet Singh shared a glimpse of her food indulgences from the Maldives and left us craving

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Is That A Burger Or Cake? Woman Plays A Prank On Husband. Video Inside

Kristy Sarah, a YouTuber and social media influencer, served her husband a burger, which was actually a cake

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Watch: How To Make Appam In 5 Minutes Without Oil (Recipe Inside)

Appams are a South Indian staple that is typically cooked with rice, coconut and milk. They are simple to prepare and cook in a short amount of time.

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Five Papdi Chaat Recipes For Weekend Indulgence

So, here are five recipes of papdi chaat that foster the essence of chaat.

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Food, Art And History Meld Together For An Incredible Dining Experience At The Spice Route

The Spice Route promises a food crusade like no other, which begins the moment you step inside the restaurant.

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Friday 25 February 2022

What Food Is Keeping Karisma Kapoor Delighted This Weekend?

Pizza holds a special place in Karisma's food diaries. Take a look inside.

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For Masaba Gupta, Noodles Is The "Fuel" That's Keep Her Going For Many Hours

Masaba loves to keep her Instagram family posted about her weekend delights.

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Ande Ka Funda: 7 Interesting Egg Dishes For Weekend Indulgence

Eggs are one of the most versatile food items. Here are 7 fun ways for you to enjoy them this weekend.

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7 Restaurant-Style Paneer Dishes That You Can Make At Home, Recipes Inside

From tikka to pakodas, there is something for everyone on this list of 7 paneer recipes

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Thursday 24 February 2022

Urvashi Rautela Marks Her Birthday With This Decadent Floral Cake

Urvashi Rautela's birthday cake looks beautiful and heavenly at the same time

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4 Idli Maker Options To Make Restaurant-Style Idli At Home

We have selected an excellent variety of idli makers that shall be the perfect addition to your kitchen.

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5 North Indian Comfort Foods We Can't Live Without

Comfort food varies from person to person, some can like a spicy meal while others prefer something more mellow. But one thing we all can agree on is that certain dishes just scream comfort!

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4 Stainless Steel Handi Option For Your Kitchen

We have brought you some good-quality stainless steel handis that shall make an excellent addition to your kitchen.

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High-Protein Breakfast: These 7 Nutritious Egg Recipes Will Be Ready In 15 Minutes

Eggs are one of those things that we use in our daily cooking. Here we bring you some yummy egg breakfast recipes to make in 15 minutes!

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NFL Futures Betting Guide: Teams and Players to Bet on for Next Season

NFL futures betting is not for everyone, and it is far from the most efficient way to make money, even by the highly uncertain standards of sports betting. Observers struggle to understand the present in sports, much less predict the future, and even successful futures bets require the bettor to let a sportsbook hold their money for extended periods. That’s time that could be spent putting your money to work in various other ways.

On the other hand, NFL futures betting is fun. To the extent that gambling on a sport can provide a thrill, nothing beats having something pegged months in advance and watching it pay off. I recommend it only in small doses and as a way to give yourself something to keep track of over the course of a season or even offseason. The best futures strategy, I’ve always found, is to spread money around on a couple of intriguing prospects and see what happens—while keeping your expectations limited.

With that attitude in mind, here are a handful of early NFL futures bets for 2022 that deserve consideration. Let’s use American odds, where -110 correlates to a $110 bet needed to win $100 and +700 correlates to a $100 winning bet returning $700 (see this article on Super Bowl bets for an odds explainer). Odds here are via the online sportsbooks at DraftKings and FanDuel.

NFL Futures Bets to Make Ahead of Next Season

JUSTIN HERBERT THROW OF THE YEAR
pic.twitter.com/D8yrfssmKY

— PFF (@PFF) December 12, 2021

1. Los Angeles Chargers to Win the Super Bowl: +2400

If you’re going to park money on a futures bet for almost an entire year, don’t do it for a small return (in the event your bet hits). That typically means not picking the favorites, which in this case are the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills at around +750 odds each. This past season’s champion, the Los Angeles Rams, had the seventh-best odds at this time in 2021 (+1500). Nothing’s a guarantee, but it’s not a bad idea to pick teams with similar odds this year.

The Chargers are an intriguing lottery ticket. They have a (hopefully) ascendant quarterback in third-year man Justin Herbert. After winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2020, Herbert didn’t take as big a leap as he might’ve preferred in 2021. His interception rate ticked up from 1.7 percent to 2.2 percent of his throws, his adjusted yards-per-attempt held steady at 7.6, and his QBR hopped from 62.6 to 65.6.

The numbers aren’t the full story, though. Herbert has some best arm talent in the NFL, and he thrived in tough moments to manage five fourth-quarter comebacks. The Chargers had one of the worst defenses in the NFL last season, but there’s enough individual talent sprinkled around (defensive end Joey Bosa and safety Derwin James are the headliners) that a step forward in 2022 seems like a good bet.

DAMIEN HARRIS. BEASTMODE. #ForeverNE

: #NEvsNYJ on CBS
: NFL app pic.twitter.com/3n94YA52iC

— NFL (@NFL) September 19, 2021

2. New England Patriots to Win the Super Bowl: +2800

The Patriots got dragged around the field by the Bills in the wild card playoff round, but they’re a good value at these long odds, too. They finished the regular season fourth in Football Outsiders’ DVOA, a play-by-play efficiency stat that tends to be relatively predictive of who’s good and who isn’t. Quarterback Mac Jones was the league’s best rookie passer by a wide margin in 2021, even though New England didn’t ask a lot of him. If Jones gets better, the Patriots could be a threat.

This kid Justin Herbert…

think he might be pretty good. #BoltUp pic.twitter.com/yzp4BNG2OY

— NFL (@NFL) October 5, 2021

3. Los Angeles Chargers to Win the AFC West: +400

The Chiefs have won this division six years in a row and frequently piled long playoff runs atop their dominant regular seasons. But eventually, every dominant team gets some bad breaks, like injuries, and slips up a bit. The Chiefs are still the best bet in the AFC to contend for the Super Bowl in any given year, but they’re due for some bad luck, and 2022 seems like it could be the time.

They’ll probably put the franchise tag on free agent tackle Orlando Brown, but there’s a good chance that an inconsistent secondary loses its best player (safety Tyrann Mathieu), one of the league’s better cornerbacks (Charvarius Ward), and maybe another player or two. If the Chiefs take a small step backward and the Chargers make the leap I’m expecting, then L.A. becomes an attractive option here.

TREY LANCE. 80 YARDS.#KCvsSF #NFLPreseason pic.twitter.com/ixGwWzCcgj

— NFL (@NFL) August 15, 2021

4. San Francisco 49ers to win the NFC West: +200

The Rams are, of course, the division favorites at +150. But let’s note a few things: The 49ers beat them in Los Angeles to close the regular season and very nearly did it again in the NFC Championship. The Rams are excellent and will stay that way for a while, but it’s difficult to see how they’re better than they were in 2021.

Cooper Kupp just had the best receiving season ever. It’s hard to go up from that, and the Rams’ No. 2 receiver down the stretch, Odell Beckham Jr., is staring down both free agency and rehab from the torn ACL he suffered in the Super Bowl. Matthew Stafford, the title-winning quarterback, will be another year older at 34. Andrew Whitworth, the 40-year-old left tackle who somehow continued to play at an elite level in 2021, will probably retire. Von Miller, the similarly ageless pass-rusher, is a free agent and might roll out of town. Even if he doesn’t, the Rams have an old roster core with lots of contractual uncertainty. They are a brilliantly managed team and will be fine in the long run, but they might drop down a peg in 2022.

The 49ers are poised to get better, and they’re clearly not far behind the Rams to begin with (they finished fifth in DVOA to the Niners’ sixth). Second-year QB Trey Lance, who figures to have a lot more upside, if a lower floor, than Jimmy Garoppolo, is likely to take over behind center. They aren’t going to lose any premium free agents and only have one player, guard Laken Tomlinson at No. 26, in the top 75 of the Pro Football Focus free agent rankings. For those reasons, the Niners are a good futures bet in the West, and probably for the NFC title and Super Bowl, too.

Guys I think some of you are overthinking Kayvon Thibodeaux too much. pic.twitter.com/4omMSmodAK

— Tyler Brooke (@TylerDBrooke) February 23, 2022

5. Kayvon Thibodeaux to be the NFL Draft’s first pick: +800

Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal at +120 and Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson at +200 are the far-and-away market favorites to go first in April’s draft. I don’t see a ton of value there, and it’s not clear the Jacksonville Jaguars have figured out who they want. But Thibodeaux at +800 looks like the pure value play. He entered the 2021 college season as most people’s favorite, and he’s likely to test off the charts in the pre-draft workout circuit. I must caution, however, that placing any bet on the Jaguars’ decision-making is a dangerous exercise.

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Best Coffee Alternatives to Get Your Caffeine Fix Without the Crash

Searching for coffee alternatives? We don’t blame you. You don’t need a Tasmanian devil-like personality for a second (or fifth) cup of joe to set you off on a high-octane spinout. While coffee has plenty of health benefits, caffeine constricts blood vessels but surges blood pressure and adrenaline, causing that overstimulated, shaky-Chihuahua sensation, followed by plummeting energy.

Avoid the boomerang by reaching for one of these piping-hot coffee alternatives. They’ll keep you laser-focused without the jitters—and you’ll reap some unique health benefits, too.

Best Coffee Alternatives: Table of Contents

Blume
Crio Bru
MUD/WTR
Laird Superfood
Superbolt Tea

Reach for one of these caffeine alternatives to keep you laser-focused without the jitters—and you’ll reap some unique health benefits. — Courtesy Image

1. Blume

If you’re matcha-averse because it’s too dang vegetal (mmm, grass in a mug), try Matcha Coconut Blend. Tea leaves grown in Nishio, Japan, are handpicked then stone-ground with organic coconut milk powder and antioxidant-rich moringa leaf powder (7x more vitamin C than oranges, 15x more potassium than bananas). The blend is subtly tropical and velvety in texture. Mix 1 tsp with a splash of boiling water, then add 1 cup hot or cold milk for a killer latte that has half the caffeine of coffee.

[$25; itsblume.com]

Get it

2. Crio Bru

If you love the routine of pour-over but hate its acidity, reach for Ghana French Roast. Pure ground cacao is roasted and ground just like coffee beans. Give the bag a good huff; the aroma is devilishly good, like an earthier dark chocolate. While brewed cacao is practically caffeine-free, it contains a stimulant called theobromine that delivers a slow burn of energy. It’s also packed with mood-boosting antioxidants. For a robust brew, double the amount of grounds and steep long and hot in a French press.

[$13; criobru.com]

Get it

3. MUD/WTR

For a mindful approach to wakefulness, you can’t beat this blend. Masala chai—aromatic and spicy with cinnamon, cardamom and peppercorns—is an ayurvedic mainstay that sharpens mental acuity. Lion’s mane, cordyceps and reishi mushrooms support immune function and energy. Turmeric and cinnamon lend anti-inflammatory benefits, and cacao improves mood. Pour boiling water over 1 tbsp, then use a frother to whirl it up. Add the brand’s MCT creamer for a touch of sweetness.

[$40; mudwtr.com]

Get it

4. Laird Superfood

We’ll drink the Laird Hamilton Kool-Aid— especially when it takes the form of Chai Instafuel. Black and rooibos tea gets married to a zesty chai blend that’s mellowed by the brand’s Original Superfood Creamer, made from coconut milk powder, seaweed-derived calcium, organic coconut sugar and organic extra-virgin coconut oil. The full range of MCT oils promotes energy and satiety. This is indulgent without artificial additives. Add 3 1⁄2 tbsp to 12 oz hot water and mix with a frother.

[$15; lairdsuperfood.com]

Get it

5. Superbolt Tea

Tapping into traditional Chinese medicine, this powerhouse tea is targeted at athletes hoping to feel energized and clearheaded. The caffeine in green, white and Ceylon black teas enhances blood flow to the brain without jacking up your heart rate. Siberian ginseng helps keep you mentally stimulated, yerba maté ups antioxidant levels, and ginger and adaptogen-packed herb schisandra offer immunity support. The flavor is light and herbal. Steep tea bag in boiling water for 5 minutes. Add honey, if desired.

[From $13; superbolt-tea.com]

Get it

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Wednesday 23 February 2022

How To Make Balti Chicken: A Delicious Chicken Dish To Make In 30 Minutes

A balti is a sort of curry served in a 'balti bowl', which is a thin, pressed-steel wok. This type of curry is cooked fast over high heat in the stir-fry style, using vegetable oil rather than ghee.

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NFL Offseason 2022: This Year's QB Prospects, Free Agent Moves, and More

The NFL has built itself into a year-round eyeball magnet. The NFL offseason supposedly begins after the Super Bowl, but in reality, the pro football machine keeps right on turning. The pre-draft showcase and workout season get underway even before the Super Bowl is over, free agency begins in mid-March, the draft happens in mid-April, and then there’s only a few months of (relative) quiet before training camps open at the end of July. Even with no games on the calendar, the league has a way of generating enough drama to stay top of mind.

That said, the NFL does seem to be headed into an unusually wide-open offseason. The greatest quarterback ever just retired, as did another future Hall of Famer. Another one may or may not leave his career-long franchise, and the pecking order of QBs in this year’s NFL Draft is even harder to determine than usual.

So what’s going to happen? Below, I’ve called out four key questions that’ll shape the NFL over the next year.

NFL Offseason 2022: Quarterback Prospects, Free Agents, and More

What if the Broncos make a blockbuster trade with the Packers for Aaron Rodgers? pic.twitter.com/0ZKHFzZPMW

— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) February 21, 2022

1. What will Aaron Rodgers do, and how quickly can we stop discussing him?

I have lost interest in acquiring new information about the Green Bay Packers’ four-time MVP quarterback. At this point, everyone gets the idea: He is a preternaturally great quarterback and a preternaturally self-obsessed individual.

After his relationship with the Packers deteriorated to the point of a trade becoming a real possibility last year, Rodgers had a singular 2021 season. He won another MVP award (which is normal for him), lost another home playoff game (also normal for him), misled the public and probably the NFL about his COVID-19 vaccination status, and compared himself to Martin Luther King Jr. for not taking the shot. I learned more than I ever wanted to about his relationship with Shailene Woodley and his offseason cleansing regimen, which you should not read more about if you have a weak constitution.

As we head into the NFL offseason, Rodgers’ football future is uncertain. The Denver Broncos hired his Packers offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett, as head coach, prompting speculation that Rodgers might head to the Mile High City. Maybe he’ll retire, or get traded somewhere else, or find some other path away from Green Bay. Maybe he’ll just play there again next year. He’ll single-handedly make whichever team he plays for into a title contender. Or maybe he’ll go into public health consulting.

2. Some legendary quarterbacks are retiring. Who will replace them?

Tom Brady’s NFL career is over after 22 seasons and seven Super Bowl wins, and he has cemented his status (among most observers) as the greatest to ever play the position. Ben Roethlisberger’s career is over after 18 seasons, two Super Bowl wins, and a much grimmer off-field legacy. Rodgers may or may not leave the Packers, but that’s at least two teams—if not three—who need to replace Hall of Fame passers in 2022.

Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming from a position of strength: They’re just a year removed from a Lombardi Trophy and have a quality defense. This franchise spent most of the century getting mediocre QB play or worse before Brady signed ahead of the 2020 season. In his absence, the frontrunner might be 32-year-old backup Blaine Gabbert, a long-ago first-round draft bust who has a couple years’ experience playing behind the best ever and learning the system of head coach Bruce Arians.

It sounds uninspiring, but it’s hard to immediately replace a generational QB. The Steelers will likely learn that while finding Roethlisberger’s successor. The in-house frontrunner is Mason Rudolph, a backup for most of the last four years who played poorly after Roethlisberger suffered a season-ending injury early in the 2019 season. The Steelers gave him a tepid “if the season started today” vote of confidence. External faith in him is almost nonexistent.

On the other hand, finding a worthy replacement in the draft is possible. But it won’t be easy.

Kenny Pickett hit the fake-slide pic.twitter.com/8f4VoUtxV4

— PFF (@PFF) December 5, 2021

3. The quarterback class in this year’s NFL Draft is something of a mystery. How will teams handle it?

There are no sure bets at QB or in the draft, but most years have one or two quarterbacks who analysts believe are worthy of high first-round selections. Last year had several: Quarterbacks were snapped up for the first, second, third, 11th, and 15th picks.

This year’s class has a handful of passers who might turn out to be good NFL players. Pitt’s Kenny Pickett morphed into one of the most exciting and productive college QBs in 2021. Liberty’s Malik Willis has a bazooka arm and will immediately be one of the most effective running QBs in the NFL. Matt Corral from Ole Miss could thrive in an offense that’s heavy on run-pass options and deep balls. Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder gets high marks for both his leadership and athleticism. North Carolina’s Sam Howell is mobile and can throw hard, but he didn’t play well against the ACC in 2021. Nevada’s Carson Strong is, well, big and strong, but he’ll have to answer questions about the quality of competition he faced in the Mountain West. (Though Wyoming’s Josh Allen has shown that the conference can produce NFL-caliber QBs.)

It’s safe to say that a few of these players will be solid NFL quarterbacks. But I have a hard time deducing who, exactly, will break through. Pro Football Focus doesn’t rank any of them higher than No. 20 overall (Howell), and it’ll be interesting to see how high a team reaches because it needs a quarterback.

The accuracy from Packers’ QB Aaron Rodgers on this throw to WR Davante Adams is unreal.

(: @NFL)pic.twitter.com/qandwtracc

— NFL Talk (@NFL_Talk_Sports) January 6, 2022

4. This year’s free-agent class is heavy on wideouts. Who’s going where?

By PFF’s ranking, the No. 1, 3, 7, and 10 players available in free agency this NFL offseason are wide receivers: Davante Adams (Green Bay), Chris Godwin (Tampa Bay), Mike Williams (Los Angeles Chargers), and Allen Robinson II (Chicago). A couple of them seem like obvious targets for the franchise tag, where their teams hang onto them by offering them a one-year contract for what’s likely to be about $19 million each.

If the Packers get Rodgers back, it’s hard to see them letting Adams, his longtime No. 1 target, walk away. Williams seems another likely candidate for a tag if the Chargers don’t offer him a long-term contract extension—they have cap room and a mega-valuable young quarterback, Justin Herbert, who needs capable receivers.

The Bucs might be in for a lot of hurt. They could tag or extend Godwin, but they are short on salary cap room and don’t know how Brady’s contract will affect their cap room now that he’s retired. They have two other premium free agents in center Ryan Jensen and cornerback Carlton Davis, and they still need to sort out a quarterback. So Godwin might be on the move, and if he’s not, someone else, or even a couple of his teammates, will be.

In Chicago, Robinson also seems poised to hit the open market. His departure will sting for second-year Bears quarterback Justin Fields but be a boon for whoever signs him.

There’s uncertainty in every offseason, but 2022’s uncertainty seems concentrated between those who throw the ball and those who catch it.

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Expedition Cruises: Adventurous New Voyages to Book in 2022

After two years where passenger ships were largely kept in port, it looks like 2022 will be the year that cruises make a comeback. And to celebrate that, sailing companies across the board are rolling out all kinds of exciting new itineraries.

If you’re thinking about a cruise this year and want to experience something different, consider going on an expedition. Simply put, expedition ships are purpose-built to explore some of the most remote destinations on the planet, ranging from the Arctic and Antarctica to the Galapagos and tiny Pacific islands.

While large-scale cruising vessels are characterized by having hundreds (if not thousands) of rooms and a rigid itinerary of sailing from one port town to another, expedition ships are more intimate and have looser itineraries. Their smaller size allows them to stop in places that can’t accommodate massive cruise ships, and the flexible itineraries mean no two trips are ever the same. That might mean tucking into a secluded cove to swim with curious seals, hiking to a penguin colony, zipping between icebergs on an inflatable dinghy, or spending time in small communities that don’t often see visitors—let alone the hordes of tourists that typically arrive with bigger cruises.

Read on for our list of some of the newest and most exciting expedition itineraries on offer for 2022.

The Best Expedition Cruises to Book in 2022

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7 Rivers in 7 Days: Ultimate Kayaking Odyssey in Ecuador

While in Ecuador, I learn a new word in Spanish: nudillos. It means “knuckles,” and that’s exactly what a sloth is extending us—all three knuckles—as we hike along a jungle-lined trail from Middle Jondachi River. Most people come to Ecuador to see the Galapagos. For good reason. It’s one of the most pristine marine eco-systems on the planet. But from climbing and skiing volcanos to bird watching in the Amazon Basin, there’s plenty more to do as well. Our trip just so happened to focus on paddling. A lot of it. Seven rivers in seven days, in fact, thanks to the team at Small World Adventures, whose founders have been exploring the region’s rivers for nearly 30 years.

After arriving in Quito and overnighting at the Hotel San Juan De Pembo, we’re picked up in the morning by company co-owner Darcy Gaechter. You might know her from her book, Amazon Woman, detailing her 148-day journey in 2013 to become the first woman to kayak the entire Amazon River.

On the drive, our guides outline what’s in store—and thankfully, this expedition won’t be as arduous as that. We’ll be sleeping on cushy hotel beds, dining on homecooked fare (yes, cuy, or guinea pig might be on the menu), and shuttled around to different rivers every day, which we’ll paddle under the watchful eye of certified guides, including Gaechter; her business partner, Don Beveridge, who joined her on the Amazon; and a cadre of the top kayakers in Ecuador. They’ll decide what to paddle each morning based on rainfall reports.

Formulating a Game Plan

First, we climb to the top of 11,394-foot-high Papallacta Pass, the very same spot crossed by conquistadores Gonzalo Pizarro and Francisco de Orellana in 1541 in an ill-fated expedition to find the Land of Cinnamon. (Eventually, Orellana would go on to complete the first known navigation of the entire length of the Amazon, initially named “Rio de Orellana.”)

From there, we descend into the Amazon Basin, or El Oriente, passing the town of Papallacta at 10,827 feet, the highest town in the country and one of the highest towns accessible by car on Earth. Finally, it’s down to the town of Borja, situated at 5,200 feet along the Rio Quijos, our home for the next three rivers. The river’s water is funneled down from the 18,875-foot Antisana volcano, nearly 13,000 vertical feet above.

We unload our gear pull at the Hotel Luxor before walking over to the boat shed, or bodega, to pick out our kayaks from a well-appointed quiver (“The world’s largest selection in Ecuador,” Don says). We’ll come back each night in a vain attempt to dry our gear, and pack it all up wet again each morning.

We also meet our Ecuadorian guides, Vladimir (“Blaster”), Andres, Brian, Jair, and Byron. With Don paddling here since 1993 and Darcy since 2005, they’ve both done wonders in growing the local paddling community. They, along with company co-founder Larry Vermeeren, are the de facto Godfathers of kayaking in Ecuador, even writing its guidebook The Kayaker’s Guide to Ecuador. Now in its third edition, the definitive book details the 77 different runs they’ve paddled.

Group of kayaks paddle down a calm stretch of river in Ecuador — Eugene Buchanan

The Seven-Foot Launch Test

On day one, we put on the Oyacachi, launching off a seven-foot-high drop just three strokes into the run. Welcome to kayaking in Ecuador, I muse, after we regroup in the eddy below. With one guide in front showing us the line, one in the middle (so our runs don’t turn into that kids’ game of “Telephone”), and a third running sweep, we make our way down countless horizon lines, Don ushering us through like a mother duckling. It’s good he does. From the low vantage of a kayak, every rapid is a distinct horizon line, which would have taken us days to scout and run on our own.

Later that day, we dump into the Rio Quijos—confronting such Class IVs as Chuchqui (which means “hangover”) and Curvas Peligrosas, which promptly knocks me over. But at least I fare better than Jim, who rolls then gets pushed in the wrong channel, requiring a boat hike. Scour marks 40 feet high up the canyon’s basalt walls show how high and powerful the water can get come rainy season.

Soon we hit the take-out, hiking our kayaks up to our driver, Lobo, and a cooler of Pilsner beers. Back at the hotel, we luxuriate in a hot tub and enjoy a home-cooked dinner of braised chicken with fried plantains—before notching a sheet for an honor system bar (20-ounce Pilsners and tequila shots: $2!) and sharing stories of the day.

A Wet Slap in the Face

On our second day, we hit the Quijos’s El Chaco section, battling such rapids as Slap in the Face, pulsating El Toro and Gringos Revueltos (“Scrambled Foreigners”), which leaves two of our group swimming. We continue paddling through yesterday’s Bombon section, faring better this time in Curvas Peligrosas, and continue down into the Lower Quijos, marking a tiring, 17-mile day.

Kayaker slaloms through a rocky patch of whitewater in Ecuador — Eugene Buchanan

We take out about 10 miles above one of the biggest geologic anomalies on the planet: the recent disappearance of 490-foot San Rafael Falls, the tallest and most visited waterfall in Ecuador. Yep, it completely disappeared in 2020, like someone making off with Niagara in the middle of the night. Puff, gone. Fingers point to the $2.6 billion Coca-Codo-Sinclair hydro dam built 10 miles upstream—that came on line in 2016—as the culprit. Capable of producing 1,500 megawatts, or 8.8 billion kilowatt-hours per annum, and supplying 35 percent of Ecuador’s overall consumption, one theory suggests it’s taken sediment out of the river, causing the river to take more out downstream.

Combined with a new sinkhole appearing near the waterfall’s lip, the river scoured a new sieve, de-watering the country’s most visited waterfall. (An oil road that used to be level with the river is now 400 feet higher—the river absorbing the gradient previously provided by the falls.)

On our third day, it rains cats and dogs. Wait, that is a dog—barking at the dawn roosters crowing away. Still, it’s misting out and we’re up early and in the bus, massaging sore shoulders and backs. Don outlines the day’s plan and we load up and drive over 8,000-foot Guacamayo Pass, splitting two national parks, before descending to 1,800 feet in the Amazon Basin town of Tena. Today’s run is the crown jewel, Middle Jondachi—a jungle-lined, pool-drop fun fest that instantly rises to the top of everyone’s list for the week. “It’s at the perfect level,” Don says, advising us to wear soccer socks, if we have them (which I don’t), for potential bugs at the takeout. Next time.

A Fish-Eating Spider as Big as a Baseball Mitt

The horizon lines are nonstop as we follow the guides “blue angel” style, pulling into an eddy, looking over your shoulder to watch where the front person goes, ] then peeling out so the next paddler can take your spot. Everyone has some trouble somewhere, with two more swims tallied for the group in such rapids as Gringo Tostadas (I’m sensing a theme) and Guy (Guinea Pig) Roulette. As the river tapers off toward the end—after 60 Class IV rapids in 12 miles—waterfalls cascade in from the banks. In one eddy Mike spies a spider as big as a baseball mitt, which Don says actually eats fish, before it disappears into the water below us. Definitely don’t want to roll here…

Solo kayaker heads down a small whitewater shelf on an river in Ecuador — Eugene Buchanan

After a short hike up from the takeout, we spy our knuckles friend, a three-toed sloth giving us the slooowest three-knuckle fist pump in the books—congratulating us on our run. Overhead, Dr. Seuss-like bird nests of the “oro pendula” droop from a tree.

Up top, we load the kayaks onto the bus and crank the tunes as Lobo drives us to the Hotel Yutzos in Tena, right at the confluence of the Pano and Tena rivers. Tonight’s “debriefing” comes at an outdoor bar, in between shouts for the Ecuador/Peru soccer game, which ends in a tie. The plan: Tomorrow we’ll hit the magical Rio Piatua, an hour south, if water levels hold. Don hopes something else holds as well. Glancing up, he sees five bats wriggling around on a tree branch just a few feet above his head.

Day four has us sharing coffee with treetop monkeys next to the hotel’s porch. The rainfall is dynamic here. Going with Darcy instead of Don today, and without any word from their colleague on the state of the river, we head to the Piatua anyway with fingers crossed on the flows.

Change for $1,000—in Singles

A swinging bridge to nowhere, put there by dam builders before the project stalled, marks our put-in. Blindly following her Amazon-honed line drop after drop, we monkey-see-monkey-do Darcy down to the junction with the Piatua Blanca, beneath rich green banks lined with the red flowers of Yutzos trees. There are way too many rapids to distinguish. Eventually, we reach a hidden take-out on the right—there would be no way to find it on our own—and carry our kayaks up a steep hill to Lobo and the bus. On the way back to Tena, we stop at a roadside store and buy fresh cacao and wayusa, Ecuador’s natural version of Red Bull. We pay with an assortment of small bills, mainly ones.

Ecuador replaced its sucre currency with the U.S. dollar in 2000 after using it since 1884. Back on the bus, where Lobo passes a single-bed truck with a giant cow standing in it, Darcy says their former partner Larry once went into a bank to exchange $1,000 U.S. dollars and came out with two huge duffel bags of sucres.

Day five has us on a nine-mile section of the Rio Anzu, similar in rock-drop character to the Piatua, only with more water. It’s our longest hike yet, shouldering our boats to get to the put-in, but we’re rewarded with yet another idyllic waterway—emerald green water, coursing its way through a maze of rounded boulders. A wall of orchids cling to the cliff on the right. It’s a step up from the Class III-IV Piatua, and a step down from the Jondachi. In other words, right in our wheelhouse yet again.

The crux in Anzu Falls is a maelstrom of boulders channeling water through multiple spouts. We take a line down the far right, per Darcy, sliding over a series of rocks into a “lagoon” to scout. Eric misses the move and paddles over the next brink blind, causing Jair to give chase. He makes it to a pool far below—okay, but not without redlining his adrenal glands. Another paddler in our group swims, and another nails a combat roll to avoid it.

Two solo kayakers head down a drop of whitewater on a river in Ecuador — Eugene Buchanan

Farther down, we see a rodent—a guatusa—swimming across the river using its snout for a snorkel, popping up, surprised, in the middle of our kayaks. A whirlpool sucks him back under and he disappears. Just when we think he might drown, he pops up again, barely making it into an eddy before the current careens off another ledge. We’re not the only ones struggling in the river. “I was going to help him, but they bite pretty hard,” says Andre as we paddle on toward the next drop.

Soon the takeout appears on river left, where Lobo is waiting. There’s no hike out this time, thank God. Just a cooler of cold beers. That night we rehash stories of our past three days in the Tena region, a general consensus ranking them in order: Jondachi, Anzu, then Piatua. But that’s not fair to Piatua, because it’s one of the best rivers we’ve ever paddled.

One Nasty Bump on the Head

After a breakfast of rice, beans, eggs, and plenty of hot sauce, day six sees us hike from a house along the road down to the Cosanga. The level is low but good for its continual Class IV. “It’s a creek-y river,” Don explains, as if that sums it all up. Their guidebook calls it one of the prettiest Class IV rivers in all of Ecuador, but we find that hard to believe after what we’ve paddled already.

Rapids such as Starts with a Bang, Go Left or Portage, Menage a Rodeo, and Chibola (“Bump on the Head”) come as quickly as our braces. The rain comes as well, falling down in sheets. It’s easy to see how quickly rivers here can rise. Our bump in the head comes at a rapid called Random Acts when Jim tips over and hits a rock. When he rolls up, blood pours down his cheek. Fortunately, there’s a swinging bridge just downstream. Darcy patches him up and calls Lobo to meet him and Jair after they hike out a steep trail up to the road. They leave their kayaks stashed high on the bank; Don and Andres will hike back down and paddle them out later this afternoon. The end result at the hospital: five stitches.

Two kayakers float on the river at the foot of a cliffside waterfall in Ecuador — Eugene Buchanan

The rest of us paddle on, passing tall, Kauai-esque waterfalls freefalling from 1,000 feet above, the ribbons of white contrasting the primordial green. Soon we spill into the Quijos, halfway down its Baeza-to-Borja section. The water is bigger and more powerful, with a couple rapids requiring moves to miss holes. Soon we see Lobo on river left—with a freshly stitched-up Jim.

On the drive, Darcy opens up about everything from rivers to relationships. Writing her book was hard, she says, adding the project took six and a half years. “I thought I’d do it in eight months, but it took a lot longer,” she says. “It was like running a rapid: challenging, but fun trying to figure it out. I’m more proud of having written the book than kayaking the Amazon.”

Then she moves onto Don and the third member of their party, David “Midge” Midgley, whose idea it was for the expedition. “I was very determined not to side with Don in any arguments we had, which sometimes made it extra hard on him,” she says. “Our relationship was a little bit damaged right after, but now it’s way better. If we can survive the Amazon, we can survive anything.”

I feel the same way about the markedly un-sloth-like week we just had. Back at the Hotel Luxor, we drink beers and enjoy $30 massages to coax our upper bodies into one more day of paddling after six straight.

Our last day in Ecuador, we hit the Oyacachi and Quijos again, this time Curvas Peligrosas getting the upper hand despite our experience with it already. Four of us get knocked over in its main hole, which is difficult to miss, while both Ben and Jason swim out of it. Darcy counts six seconds of downtime for Ben, a stage four colon cancer survivor, who’s dragged his friends here for this bucket-list trip. Even Andres gets knocked over. It’s as if it’s saying “Hasta luego, gringos,” before we leave. Something to remember it by.

Back at the hotel, we feebly try and dry out our equipment while eating empanadas and packing up. It doesn’t work and our gear goes into our luggage wet. Lobo shuttles us back to Quito for our late-night flight home.

Don, whose record here is 123 straight days of paddling (148 on the Amazon with Darcy) tags along to shop and pick up the next group in the morning to head right back out.

After all, they only have two weeks left in the season.

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If Outdoor Retailer Returns to Utah, Patagonia, REI, and More Will Boycott

Some of the largest outdoor companies in the U.S. are making it clear they won’t attend Outdoor Retailer, the industry’s largest trade show, if it moves back to Utah. This was the subject of a letter sent to Utah Governor Spencer Cox by The Conservation Alliance, an organization that includes 270 companies including REI, The North Face, and Patagonia. The alliance said that unless the state changes its policies toward public lands, its members won’t be coming back.

“…We will not support or attend a trade show event in Utah so long as its elected officials continue attacks on national monuments and public lands protections,” according to a statement from The Conservation Alliance.

Outdoor Retailer is the largest trade show in the outdoor industry, hosting both summer and winter shows. For the $689 billion outdoor industry, these are major events and, for the last five years, they’ve been hosted in Denver.

A history in Utah

Prior to Colorado, the Outdoor Retailer show had been based in Salt Lake City for more than 20 years. That changed in 2017 when President Trump reduced the size of Bear Ears National Monument by 85 percent and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by half. The move, with support from Utah officials, was the largest national monument reduction in history. Responding to the loss of these public lands, Outdoor Retailer sought another host city for their events, eventually selecting Denver.

Now, Outdoor Retailer’s contract with Denver is set to expire at the end of 2022. While it may stay in the city, the show’s director, Marisa Nicholson, said there were other possibilities. She mentioned Anaheim, Las Vegas, Orlando, and Salt Lake City as all being in the running this past summer.

In hopes of a show return, Governor Cox cited airport improvements and a new Salt Lake City hotel. The governor also stated the state was working with the Department of Interior to find ways to manage the national monuments. However, officials have continued to argue against protections for Bear Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante restored by the Biden administration. It’s these continued challenges to public lands that has The Conservation Alliance saying it won’t be returning anytime soon.

When asked about this possible boycott of Utah, Governor Cox seemed to be conflicted on the subject. At a press conference, Cox said, “We did not miss them at all.”

The governor then said he would welcome the return of Outdoor Retailer. “We would love to have you. It would be amazing,” said Cox. “Or don’t. Whatever. It’s fine.”

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The Best Outdoors-Focused Hotels and Hostels for Adventurous Travelers

As soon as we hopped on our bikes for a ride at the base of Oregon’s Mt. Bachelor last June, storm clouds moved overhead and rain began to fall between the trees. The area’s coveted loam turned to mush. Had we been staying in our camper van without a heater or shower, I would’ve been less enthused about getting drenched and caked in mud. But my husband and I were in luck. For this trip, we looked for outdoor-focused hotels and booked a stay at the Campfire Hotel, an outdoorsy motor lodge in Bend, OR. That meant we could warm up and clean up after our ride. We zipped through the trail’s berms, turns, and bumps as silt and mud splashed all over us, knowing that a hot shower awaited when we returned.

We were in good company back at the Campfire. Other guests had also been caught in the storm, and they wore mud stains and grins as big as ours. That’s exactly what I love about outdoor-focused hotels, resorts, and hostels. They attract people just as keen on outdoor adventure as you, and since these hotels often feature communal gathering places, you have plenty of opportunities to connect with like-minded people around the campfire or while soaking in the hot tub. You might even make some new friends for the next day’s ride. When you book a stay at one of these unique properties, you become part of a bigger community.

For this guide, I drew on my experience staying in outdoors-focused hotels and talked with fellow travelers to learn about spots they recommend. Below, I’ve compiled a list of seven of the best hotels, motels, and hostels that cater to outdoorsy travelers and help them enjoy the wilderness, too.

The Best Outdoors-Focused Hotels and Hostels for Adventurous Travelers

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'Ozark' Season 4, Part 2: Netflix Releases Teaser Trailer

Netflix is really drawing out the fourth and final season of its hit show Ozark. The streaming giant is releasing the final season in two parts: Part one premiered in mid-January, and part two is scheduled to drop in late April. Ahead of the release, Netflix released a short teaser trailer, and it gives a brief glimpse of the show’s thrilling climax.

The teaser centers on Ruth Langmore (played by Julia Garner), who’s shown driving alone and crying before the clip cuts to other scenes from the series, including shots of Ruth and her brother, and an armed confrontation between Ruth and Marty Byrde, played by Jason Bateman. In voiceover, Ruth elaborates on what it’s like to be a member of her family, which has been plagued with violence and misfortune.

“My childhood traumas are not like yours,” she says. “I’m a cursed Langmore, long inured to violence and death.”

For the uninitiated, Ozark begins with Marty, a financial advisor who secretly launders money for a Mexican drug cartel, in the midst of a serious bind: He has to launder $500 million in five years to keep his cartel boss happy. To do it, he moves to the Missouri Ozarks along with his wife Wendy (played by Laura Linney) and two kids, and gets to work creating a successful money laundering operation in new territory—but it’s no easy task. Ruth Langmore eventually joins his operation, and they face all kinds of trouble: meddling FBI agents, powerful (and violent) local landowners, and more.

The show has generated considerable buzz over the years and received some impressive accolades: Bateman picked up an Emmy for directing, and Garner nabbed two Emmys for Outstanding Supporting Actress. The buzz hasn’t died down, either. Earlier this year, the Season 4 premiere racked up 2.9 billion streaming minutes in the U.S. shortly after it dropped on Jan. 21, Deadline reports.

Now it’s all coming to a conclusion: Ozark Season 4, Part 2 will premiere on Netflix on April 29. Looking for something a little lighter? HBO’s dark comedy Barry, starring Bill Hader, returns this spring as well.

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Best Welsh Whiskies to Celebrate Wales' National Holiday

The island of Britain is home to the most famous whisky in the world, scotch. But Scotland doesn’t have an exclusive lock on British single malt. Its neighbor to the southwest, Wales, has its own whisky tradition that’s worth getting to know. And Saint David’s Day, which happens on March 1, offers the perfect excuse to try some Welsh whiskies.

As the national holiday of Wales—similar to Saint Patrick’s Day in Ireland—St. David’s Day commemorates Dewi Sant, who lived in the 6th century and was said to have died on March 1. He founded 12 monasteries and performed many miracles, including raising up a hill as he was preaching to make it easier for people to see and hear him. The symbol of Saint David is a leek. Legend says that, before a battle against the Saxons, he advised the Welsh fighters to fasten a leek to their helmets so they could recognize each other.

To this day, people sport leeks—or, perhaps because wearing a pungent allium isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, daffodils—as a symbol of Welsh identity on Saint David’s Day. They also hold parades and concerts, perform traditional dances, and prepare Welsh specialties like a tea and spice cake called bara brith and a meat and vegetable stew called cawl. There’s even a Saint David’s Day marathon. And of course, many people imbibe Welsh whisky.

David himself was a teetotaler, advising the monks who followed him to adhere to a simple diet of bread, salt, and herbs. There was only water to drink. But we are not monks, and enjoying a dram of Welsh whisky on his day can be a fitting tribute.

A long whisky history

Wales has a long history of distillation that dates back to the Middle Ages. However by 1910, with the country in the grip of a temperance wave, there were no operational distilleries left. Ninety years later, the Welsh Whisky Company—now called Penderyn—opened a distillery in Brecon Beacons National Park, launching its first whisky on Saint David’s Day in 2004.

Penderyn is currently the largest whisky producer in Wales, having expanded to a second location in Llandudno in 2021, with plans to open a third site in Swansea in the future. But in the last decade it’s been joined by four other distilleries: Dà Mhìle (opened in 2012), Aber Falls (2017), Coles (2017), Anglesey Môn (2018), and In the Welsh Wind (2018).

Wales’ modern whisky industry is still young, and most of the distilleries are craft in scale, selling locally. Only Penderyn currently exports to the United States. Luckily, it has a broad portfolio that encompasses a wide range of cask finishes, all building on the unique flavor profile created in its unusual Faraday still, which is a combination pot-column hybrid.

“The columns and associated fractionation plates allow for the fine distillation of a spirit that is exceptionally pure, clean, and light,” says commercial director Giancarlo Bianchi, adding that the spirit comes off the still at 90 percent ABV, a much higher proof than most other whiskies. “At 90 percent ABV, the spirit doesn’t contain heavy, oily compounds that are characteristic of traditional double distillation, resulting in a distillate that’s fruity on the nose instead of malty. This characteristic is still detectable after several years of maturation in oak casks and defines the Penderyn style.”

In addition to its Faraday stills, a few years ago Penderyn also began using traditional “lantern-style” pot stills to make a slightly different type of whiskey. “Our master blender, Aista Phillips, has been introducing it selectively with our core range,” Bianchi notes. “How and where is at her discretion, and it is a little secret she doesn’t even share with her colleagues!”

Where to find Penderyn whisky

Penderyn’s whiskies are widely available in the U.S. Any one of them would be a worthy beverage for Saint David’s Day. If you’re having trouble choosing, check out the recommendations below. And as they say in Wales, Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus (dee-the goil De-wi ha-peece)—Happy Saint David’s Day!

Best Welsh Whiskies: Table of Contents

1. Penderyn Madeira

The distillery’s flagship whisky is initially matured in bourbon casks, then finished in madeira casks. It showcases both dried and tropical fruit, vanilla cream, and rounded oak. It’s bottled at 46 percent ABV and non-chill filtered to preserve a rich mouthfeel.

[$70; reservebar.com]

Get it

2. Penderyn Celt

Finished in quarter casks that previously held peated whisky, this single malt offers a gentle introduction to smoky, maritime notes. Normally bottled at 41 percent ABV, the proof goes up to 43 percent ABV for the U.S. market. This adds more texture and flavor.

[$60; totalwine.com]

Get it

3. Penderyn Single Cask

Though more limited than Penderyn’s core range, the single cask offerings are well worth seeking out. Bottled at cask strength, these releases showcase unique maturations like tawny port; extra age, ranging as high as 15 years old; and even the pot still-made single malt, available now in the U.S.

[$120; finecask.com]

Get it

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5 Pizza Sauce Options To Make Pizza At Home

If you want to make pizza at home, then here are some pizza sauce options that shall help make this delicacy at home!

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Tuesday 22 February 2022

New Restaurants In Gurugram That Are Worth Visiting in 2022

Visit these restaurants that have opened recently in Gurugram and get a well-deserved break from the mundane work-life

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Watch: Make Soft And Fluffy Poha Appam In Just 10 Minutes For A Quick Breakfast

Typically, appam is made from fermented rice and grated coconut, but this recipe teaches how to make this popular delicacy without the fermentation process.

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How To Make Aloo Roastie: A Delicious Aloo Recipe That Spells Indulgence

This aloo roastie is a simple recipe to make and will be ready in 20 minutes. You can have it any time you feel hungry or when you are running out of time to make breakfast.

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UFC Champion Israel Adesanya on Who He Wants to Fight Next

Israel Adesanya is currently one of the most dominant fighters in the UFC, defending his middleweight title successfully four times. The latest defense came against Rob Whittaker, who he’d knocked out in their last crossing. This time, the win came in the form of a unanimous decision after five rounds at UFC 271. Even though the champion sits comfortably at the top of the rankings, and was a kickboxing champ before that, his star is still rising in the world of mixed martial arts. Not just because of his technically impressive performances, but also the unique energy he brings to the Octagon.

“I’m an entertainer by nature,” Adesanya tells Men’s Journal. That passion for performance beyond the norm and his pursuit of mastering all fighting styles is where his nickname “The Last Stylebender” fits, a reference to Nickelodeon’s animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. The action cartoon also makes an appearance on his forearm, where he’s the character Toph Beifong tattooed. “I watch anime for the fight scenes, and I try to bring their spectacle to my finishes.”

We spoke with Adesanya about his favorite shows, training camps, brushes with Hollywood, and who he plans to fight next.

Men’s Journal: Going into a title defense where you’ve already beaten the fighter, how do you make sure you aren’t going in the Octagon overly confident?

Israel Adesanya: There’s an element of that you need to address, but there’s also additional urgency there because I really can’t lose to this guy. I’ve already beaten him. I’ve got that motivation to work with, and I push that forward. Even though I’ve been victorious before, I make my pursuit to find a way to do it in a more impressive fashion, if possible.

The knockout you scored on him the first time was pretty flawless. How did you find that moment?

I didn’t even go by our game plan during the first fight we had. For this one I brought back a few old weapons I wanted to use while also upgrading. To be honest, I wish I’d been more fluid in my decision-making this last fight, because there were times when I saw opportunities to take him out. I was feeling very comfortable southpaw, and I should have leaned into that. But in the end, I decided to stick with our original game plan.

When did the fight camp for UFC 271 begin?

This one we started in November of last year and there was a lockdown in Auckland. I used that time to get in the best shape of my life, going into a camp by doing these prison-style workouts with my best friend, Chance. He also used to work as a personal trainer, so he knows what he’s doing. That also meant he had a bit of equipment in the house as well. We set up some TRX bands to use on the doors and sandbags to add to the bodyweight training. I got pretty swole. I rolled that physique right into my camp. I was thicker, more muscular, and had gas for days. During fight camp, I’m working out two to three times a day. I put in a full days work, just like anyone else, but it’s probably a lot more fun than other gigs.

UFC fighters in Octagon — Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker duking it out in the Octagon. Courtesy Image

How strict is your diet during a fight camp?

Everybody knows I’m one of the healthiest people in the world, vegan and gluten-free. Just kidding! I like to enjoy life. Food is one of the great equalizers in this world, and one of the things I most look forward to when I travel around the world. I love going to eat when I’m in America—the more disgusting and sweet the better. I’m glad I’ve got the metabolism I do, because if I didn’t we’d have a problem. I try to eat relatively healthy when I’m in a training camp, but the last few weeks I really dial it in. I cut back on the Uber Eats. On fight week I work with Jori from The Fight Dietitian. He knows what to put in my food to optimize me completely. On the actual day of the fight I tend not to eat. I want to earn my kill.

Is there a tried-and-true training exercise you use during camp?

Hill sprints. There’s a street in Auckland where we’ve been going for over a decade called Air Street. That hill has created so many champions. It’s a hill that can’t be beat, nobody has. It takes a minute and a half to run up it. And you have three minutes total to get back down. Whatever time you have left is your rest time. I‘ve gotten close to hitting the record there, but never actually made it to the top in time. I did it with ten seconds left and nobody has beaten that yet. It’s a fucked up hill, man. It’s a soul destroyer. We ended up having to do these sprints in camp one summer, and it was pain. I just take my shirt off at the beginning now, because I know that one round in I’m going to be absolutely drenched.

The practice is about pushing yourself. It’s not about beating anyone else’s time. It’s about beating yourself and your own doubts. It’s good to train those mental states—how you can push through those boundaries. I know exactly when I hit my first wall. The first hurdle is getting past that. The second wall comes by this driveway, and I look forward to ways to dig deep. That’s the energy I need going into the final round in the UFC.

Any new techniques or disciplines you’ve adopted to improve your game?

I recently started to do breath work training with my guy Dave Wood back home in Auckland. He’s from Piha and has a very unique way of thinking. He gave me the red pill [so to speak]. My eyes were opened to how the way we breathe changes how we perform. There are a lot of people out there who breathe constantly through their mouths and don’t even realize it, even athletes. So once he showed me there was a new level to be unlocked, I went to gear three. You can see it during the fight but also between the rounds, when my eyes are closed, just focused. That’s probably the most recent game-changer. I’ve been working with him closely for about nine or ten months.

How did that translate to how you fought this last battle?

I was more present in this fight than I’ve been in any fight previously. I had a few flashes later in the fight, a few milliseconds though, but that was about it. You can’t lose focus in a fight at this level. You can’t. A momentary lapse of judgement can cost you greatly. That’s a quick way to wake up looking at the lights. But because I was more present in this fight, there was no chance I was going to lose.

Given that you’re the champ, there’s a lot riding on your next fight. How do you make sure your body is taken care of?

I’m all about doing prehab instead of rehab. I have a massage therapist, physiotherapist, and chiropractor I see once a week during fight camp. I still feel very young, but I’m not as young as I once was. I don’t recover the same. It takes a lot more time. I can’t party all night then show up fresh to the gym in the morning anymore. I have to take care of my bones and my flexibility consistently. I use the Theragun on my legs, especially before hill sprints.

What do you look forward to most after a victory?

My shower. There’s so much stimulus after a battle in the Octagon, getting dragged here and there. First you’re off to get a medical check, then to sit down with the media. Once that’s over I’m getting into the shower with my bare essentials. That’s when everything else in the world is stripped away. For me that space is like the white room in The Matrix when Neo is first tapped into his training. The next thing I absolutely need is get a great meal. I want to try the local cuisine, or whatever is being talked about in the area.

What do you say to people who are calling for a third fight between you and Rob Whittaker?

What for? The only people who are calling for another fight between me and him are people who want to see me lose. I’ve already beaten him twice. I knocked him out the first time, and bested him the last. I’m ready for the next chapter.

Do you have your sights set on someone in the division?

I’m ready to fight Jared Cannonier next. I think he did great in his last fight and I already told him at the weigh-ins he better do so because I need some new challengers. I’m excited for some new blood in the Octagon with me. I know he wants the work, too. I have a rough game plan as far as what I’m going to do to beat him. I know my coaches are watching videos and ready to come with their own ideas.

You’re undefeated in your division, but who gave you the biggest competition?

Kelvin Gastelum was the greatest challenge I’ve had, because at the time he posed the greatest threat. He made me dig deep to that other level. I knew I had that fighting spirit in there and this fight unlocked that. Going into the fifth round, I felt the most adversity, because I knew we were tied up in that moment. That moment it’s all about who wants it more. I’m not sure you can see in the video, but I mouthed to him, “You can’t beat me.” I was prepared to die. What a glorious death that would be. I wasn’t just ready to die, I was also ready to kill.

There have been a few impressive technical knockouts already, but do you have a move or finisher you’re hoping to land in the future?

I’m trying to snatch someone’s neck to be honest. I’ve done it a few times in the past, like when I snatched Brad Tavares and Kelvin Gastelum’s neck. I could’ve done it in my last fight with Rob Whittaker, but I just didn’t trust my instincts unfortunately. I’ve been drilling submissions during my sparring sessions and they’ve been coming to me easy. Someone’s going to be caught with one soon, I’m telling you.

You’ve racked up some cool supporters, like The Rock. What was it like to have him send you a little carb load before your fight?

It was awesome. He sent me Brique French Toast, aka The Rock Toast. It’s so thick…with those coconut flakes. I want to have more right now. I feel like I’m going to have to meet him a couple more times for it to really sink in. I grew up watching him fight in the WWE, back in that Attitude Era. Back when he was fucking guys up on the mic, then fucking them up in the ring with the Rock Bottom. I met him in New York once, and he’s just a cool guy who’s very level headed. The young Izzy still freaks out that I’m just talking to The Rock like it’s nothing.

Feels like you’re getting more and more connected with Hollywood. Do you have any plans of doing action movie roles?

Back in June, we had a really big offer come in that would’ve been right up my alley. But unfortunately I didn’t have an O-1 visa, which is what I needed to work. That being said, I’m ready now if the right project comes around. It’d be exciting to square up against Tony Jaa from Ong-Bak. Keanu Reeves would be great, too. The Rock, too. I would like to see an onscreen match between us, maybe CGI’d.

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