1. Up and at it – what is your morning routine?
I'm up at 7am – or 4.30am if travelling. I have a shower and check email for business and WhatsApp for fun. Then I read the headlines – mostly sports. I want to do yoga – it's on the list... If travelling, I'll eat on the go and if I'm at home, I love to eat brekkie with the kids. They hum, sing, tease one another, play, slurp and generally entertain me.
2. What might you eat in a typical working day for...
Breakfast? I'll have porridge or mini Shreddies, two slices of granary toast with marmalade, green tea with ginseng (or Rooibos tea).
Lunch? Lunch will be a smoothie, jam-packed with lots of good things – all types of fruit, maybe some veg, seeds, yoghurt and a wee dash of honey. The Nutri Bullet is an awesome blender. I'll finish with a bunch of unsalted nuts and maybe a sandwich too.
Evening meal? I eat rather large portions – it's been a habit since childhood. Being the youngest, it was eat or be eaten, so I eat all foods, probably carbs and protein mostly. I eat a lot of rice and noodle dishes and no matter where the venue, I can be seen knocking back a pint of full-fat milk.
3. Is nutrition important to you?
Yes, I use food to fuel my activities. I eat lots of nutritious food for cycling and, generally, I eat quite well. I am not intentionally disciplined, but I never really 'snack'. If I do, it tends to be fruit and nuts rather than chocolate and crisps. I wish organic food was more practical and convenient and also more cost-effective too.
4. Are you a calorie counter?
Not at all. I remain blissfully unaware.
5. Best meal ever?
I recently went to Saigon Restaurant in Cape Town, South Africa. The mushroom dumplings with satay sauce for starter, crispy ginger fish with sticky rice for mains and chocolate bon-bon (fondant) for dessert were unreal.
6. Do you have a guilty pleasure?
Almond Magnum ice-cream while watching a movie.
7. Have you ever been on a diet? If so, how did it go?
I've never been on a diet, but I've always been involved with competitive sport. A diet goes against my mindset – if you think too much about your weight, then you are likely focusing on being overweight. In short, I believe, what you think about, you bring about...
8. Do you take health supplements?
I get the majority of what I need from my diet, but with seasonality in fruit and veg, I usually take one product called Natures Plus Source of Life Gold Liquid.
9. Tee-total or tipple?
I very rarely drink and I'm comfortable having a pint of stout or a bottle of beer now and again. I am more likely to have some wine when my wife, Paula, and I go out for a meal.
10. Fruit or fry-up?
Neither. My favourite brekkie is Eggs Benedict.
11. Stairs or lift?
Stairs where practical and I'd even take the stairs instead of an escalator. My ex-boss from my first job, Eithne Kelly from Keystone Group, still points out this oddity when we meet at an airport.
12. Do you have a daily exercise regime?
I consider myself an ex-athlete and now a semi-competitive cyclist. I competed heavily in cycling, football and Gaelic football in the past, all to a fairly high standard. I recently bought a Wahoo Kickr home trainer for cycling – it suits my unpredictable schedule. I cycle anywhere between 0-6 hours per week – three hours with Harps Cycling Club on a 'Sunday Run' around the highways and byways of mid-Ulster. My wife runs marathons and we plan to do one together this year.
13. On a scale of one to 10, how fit do you think you are; how fit would you like to be?
Currently, 7. I was 10 for most of my life and I am still confident that I can get to 10 reasonably quickly for a competitive event.
14. Best tip for everyday fitness?
I used to do 45 minutes daily of 'room fitness' in my 20s – press-ups, dips, core-work – just using my own body-weight, at home, away or in the gym. I fondly remember being in great shape as a result of these daily disciplines. I also get regular sports massages from my wife, who is training in sports massage therapy.
15. Do you have a memory from school sport / PE days you would rather forget?
I went from being fairly tall and on the first team in primary school, to being small and overlooked at grammar school when I was 12-14 years old.
16. Did you ever have a health epiphany which made you change your lifestyle?
My South African first cousin was recently diagnosed with a Stage 4 glioblastoma brain tumour which is inoperable and highly aggressive. He is an elite ultra marathon runner and his attitude and journey inspires me to live a healthy lifestyle and to protect my own health and well-being for my family.
17. Best health advice you were ever given and would pass on to others?
Everything in moderation, as advised by the wise Nuala Eastwood, otherwise known as my mum.
18. Who would you try to emulate in terms of fitness / attitude to life?
My father-in-law, Paul Martin. He is fit as a fiddle, runs most days, mentors other runners, has a great sense of humour, and is so comfortable in his own skin.
19. What time do you get to bed normally and do you think you get enough sleep?
I'm asleep by 11pm; I sleep well and feel well-rested most days, but my wife doesn't always get as much sleep as I do, being on 'kiddie duty' when I'm away.
20. Would you say you have a healthy attitude towards your own mortality?
I do now. Kids keep you young and you want to be able to see them (and their own kids) develop. I try to balance work, family time, fitness and the all-important need to have meaningful interactions and experiences with the people you want in your life. My mantra: Focus on What You Want.
