James Haskell: My holiday essentials
By JAMES HASKELL
Sadly my annual off-season has finished again and I am back into training; and I must say it passed all too quickly. It seems bizarre that you train non-stop for 11 months of the year and then only get four weeks off, but then that’s life!
As is always the case in my off season, I try to pack in as much as I can into the four weeks I’m allotted and I do believe I may have surpassed myself with my recent world travels this year!
Our columnist James Haskell takes a well deserved holiday after returning to the England Rugby Squad for the New Zealand tour
I was lucky enough to spend time in LA, Vegas (my favourite yearly destination), Marbella, and to round things off nicely, a 3 day stint with my brother at the world’s greatest music festival: Tomorrowland, in Belgium.
The point of this feature is not to gloat about my travels and adventures but more to recommend some key essentials and tips that I have picked up over the past couple of weeks. These are all things that I recommend on taking with you to get the most out of your holiday and also to get you looking your best at all times.
Leo Joseph Swimming Shorts
I am very luck to have a good friend of mine who has started an excellent men’s swim short line. They’re unique pieces with brilliant character, detail and fit. I spent most of my time in both LA and Vegas rocking these great shorts and was more than pleased with the attention they received! I loved the fun designs and the fact that they are the perfect length; neither porn star extra short, nor old man super long! Check out www.leojoseph.co.uk for more info.
Leo Joseph swimming shorts
Beats By Dre Earphones
Whether I’m sitting by the pool, or doing some work in the work in airport, the one thing I’m never without is my Beats By Dre earphones. Listening to music helps me to shut out the outside world and helps me concentrate on the work at hand. The headphones come in a huge number of shapes and sizes, and so there is one to suit nearly every person. I’ve gone with the big, pro-studio as I find they are the most comfortable for extended listening (and the Bass is awesome!). I’ve also decided to go for the white as it’s a sneaky way of highlighting your tan! You will often find me reaching for my earphones if the topic of conversation turns to rugby when on holiday – it’s a work free zone! You can see their entire range at www.beatsbydre.com
Gucci Loafers
I have taken a lot of heat for my general shoe game. Unfortunately having size 13 feet means that shoe shopping is far too often a complete nightmare and means that my available choices are severely limited. So on holiday in the US I decided to up my game and invest in some Gucci loafers – they’re not too ostentatious, but make a great statement and are perfect to loaf around the hotspots of LA in, pardon the pun. I decided on a relatively safe black pair as well as a more fun blue pair, which are bang on trend this summer. See www.gucci.com for their full range.
Gucci loafers offer style and comfort
Crystal Kicks Beads
I have never been a big one for jewellery; mainly because I have to take everything off when it is time to train or play. However, when I saw my fellow Teammate, Christian Wade, wearing one of these smart and rather cool pieces I thought I had to get some! They’re made to standout and also be fun, aren’t hugely expensive and come in a wide variety of styles. I’ve pretty much worn them nonstop on holiday whilst going out and have got a fair few compliments on them. I recommend them to any one who is looking for something to add a bit of flair to their look and would appreciate the ease in which they can be taken on/off. For more info check out www.crystalkicks.co.uk
Tom Ford for Men, Moisturizer
Spending long days out in the sun and even longer nights enjoying all that Vegas has to offer means that you can wake up in the morning feeling pretty dehydrate and looking even more so! That’s where this great moisturizer comes in. It helps to brighten my complexion, rehydrates the skin and generally gets me looking into a half decent way for the rest of the day. It is non-greasy, has a great scent and works like a charm, so I’m more than happy to embrace a daily moisturizing and the requisite banter that comes with it, for a refreshed face!
Tom Ford’s moisturizer
Core 150 Shaker
Even though I am on holiday and letting my hair down. I still need to make sure I look after my nutrition. This involves having to carry around powders, pills, shakers with me. This can be somewhat of a pain, however I have found a solution, which is great of the holiday – the Core 150. This shaker has a removable section, which contains enough space for 3 good servings of powdered supplements, pills, or a combination of the two. The size of the shaker means that it holds a lot of water too and so is great for using as a water bottle in the gym.
Man-Bag
I often get comments that I never leave the house without my man bag and holidays are no exception! Having the need to work in my downtime on my fitness business, JHBodyFire. I am always carrying my laptop, papers, earphones, and other ancillary bits around with me, which necessitates the need for a bag of some sort. So, if you are going to dip into the realms of sporting a man-bag then you could do far worse than one from Louis Vuitton’s range which are both pratical, stylish and have some male friendly designs. They’re always coming up with new great styles so have a look at www.louisvuitton.com
Louis Vuitton has a great ranges of man-bags
Ray-ban Sunglasses
It would be fair to say that I am no oil painting to look at, and unfortunately I have a rather extensive nose, which prohibits me from wearing over 80% of the glasses available on the market. I often find that glasses sit too high on the bridge of my nose and so give me a less than flattering look. Ray-bans, however are available in a variety of style and sizes from the very small right up to bashed up rugby player friendly sizes. They are always in style and have great UV and anti-glare protection, so are perfect for pool or beachside activities. Find out more at www.ray-ban.com/uk
Hades Fat Burner & Pre-Trainer
Even when I am away there is still the need to keep up a good general level of fitness. However it is difficult to always find that ‘get up and go’ attitude, especially after a night out! To help with this, I take my very own, all natural pre-trainer to give me that boost. It has been brilliantly received with some excellent reviews, and being Informed Sport Approved means that it is totally natural and safe for me, a sportsman, to take. You can find out more info on my products at www.jhbodyfire.com
James has his own Hades supplement to help give him the get up and go on holiday
