1 Up and at it – what is your morning routine?
I have three kids under the age of six, so a lie-in is a thing of the past. Normally, I am wakened by one of them announcing their appearance, usually before 7am. We try to sit down and eat our breakfast together. The kids have very different and unique demands, ranging from fresh strawberries to chia seeds and agave nectar in their Weetabix. Gordon Ramsey would struggle to keep up.
2 What might you eat in a typical working day for...
Breakfast? If I have time to eat it, breakfast is normally a cup of coffee followed by whatever cereal and milk have been left for me.
Lunch? I try to get a sandwich for lunch, with some yoghurt and a piece of fruit.
Evening meal? My wife cooks us all a great evening meal; house favourites are a curry, stir-fry or a pasta dish.
3 Is nutrition important to you?
Nutrition has become more important to me, probably since the kids came along and I realised that I am a role model for them. There's no point in me trying to convince them to eat their greens if I am eating a plate of chips.
4 Best meal ever?
I am very partial to a salt-aged rib-eye steak and my wife and I had a great meal in Meat Locker a few months ago.
5 Do you have a guilty pleasure?
Certainly – I have a good few guilty pleasures, but I don’t feel guilty about them because I don’t have them that often. My latest is red salt and chilli chicken with half chips and half rice from the local Asian takeaway.
6 Have you ever been on a diet? If so, how did it go?
About five years ago I lost a lot of weight by really training hard and not eating a lot of food. I was probably 10kg below my usual weight and although I felt like I could run and cycle faster being lighter, I lost a lot of strength and probably did not look well. I have taken up martial arts recently and a lot of the weight has come back on, but with no loss of speed and with an increase in strength, so I don’t think I would try to lose a lot of weight again.
7 Do you take health supplements?
Nope. I don’t see the point. Supplements are not a short cut to a healthy lifestyle.
8 How do you relax?
I find running and martial arts, bizarrely, relaxing. I don’t run with music and am quite happy trotting along for nine or 10 miles, just listening to the world around me.
9 Teetotal or tipple?
Since I became coroner, I have seen just how damaging alcohol use can be to a person’s health. I probably consumed more alcohol more regularly before I took this job. Now, I would still enjoy wine or the odd beer, but in moderation.
10 Stairs or lift?
Lift. My legs need rest sometimes.
11 Do you have a daily exercise regime?
I try to run, cycle or swim as much as work and family life allows.
12 Best tip for everyday fitness?
Just do it. I would say that fitness is more likely to be a long-term thing if it can be incorporated into everyday life – like cycling or walking to work.
13 On a scale of one to 10, how fit do you think you are and how fit would you like to be?
I am training for a triathlon at the minute, so I would say that I am a high eight. I would like to be faster on the bike and my aim for the next while is to focus on shorter, faster training sessions involving hills.
14 Have you tried, or would you try, alternative therapy?
I practise yoga occasionally and use a mindfulness app when I need to take a break and refocus my mind, during a difficult inquest, for example. I am also fond of cold therapy and have recently joined a cold water swimming group.
15 Were school sports happy times or do you have a memory you would rather forget?
I would describe myself as a keen participant in school sports and I always enjoyed taking part, even if I did not excel at sports. If my school sports teachers are reading this, they will be amazed by the mention of triathlon and martial arts.
16 Did you ever have a health epiphany which made you change your lifestyle?
Around 2010, someone took a photo of me in my cycling gear and I looked less than impressive. I had put on a few pounds working as a barrister, travelling around the courts eating fast food. I decided to be more careful about my diet and train a bit more. That attitude has remained ever since.
17 Best health/lifestyle advice you were ever given and would pass on to others?
I have picked up so much good and bad advice over the years, but I am not an expert on either health or fitness, so I have no intention of trying to pass on any advice about these issues. However, as coroner, I see an increasing amount of younger people dying from heart disease and it is a worrying trend. So I would say, try to look after your heart before it is too late by exercising and eating well.
18 Who inspires you or who would you try to emulate in terms of fitness / attitude to life?
Carl Frampton is a really inspiring and impressive man, both in terms of fitness and attitude to life.
19 What time do you normally get to bed and do you get enough sleep?
I am in bed normally before 10 and the amount of sleep I get will depend on my children’s nocturnal habits.
20 Would you say you have a healthy attitude towards your own mortality?
In my job? I would say that I am realistic about my mortality. Luck plays a part, but I think people can make certain choices which can stack the odds of living a longer, better life in their favour.
