1 Up and at it – what is your morning routine?
My body usually wakens me up naturally, some time between 6am and 8am, depending on what my schedule is like for that day. I'll make a coffee and then check out Sky Sports news. After that, I'll do my regular yoga – I've been doing yoga for 20 years and it works for me. Then, on a good day, I'll do 10 to 15 minutes of meditation that I learned at the Black Mountain Zen Centre in Belfast. It helps keep things in perspective.
2. What might you eat in a typical working day for...
Breakfast? For breakfast I'll have fruit. Today I had blueberries and oranges with yoghurt, honey and rapeseed oil which is a good healthy oil with a lot of richness. I put it on my porridge as well; it is especially good with my own, home-made apple porridge.
Lunch? Home-made soup – I love making soup; it's so healthy and quick to make.
Evening meal? I tend to have the protein and two veg option which, if I'm feeling really healthy, will be eaten on its own or with green salad, although I do like spuds or pasta at the side.
3. Is nutrition important to you?
Yes, nutrition is important, mainly because I have a weak digestive system, so I need to be careful about what I eat. For instance, if I eat too much bread or refined carbohydrate, I'll suffer for it.
4. Are you a calorie counter?
No, although I once went to the gym and tried to eat more calories to put on weight, but it didn't really work out; my digestive system can't handle too many calories.
5. Best meal ever?
That's a difficult one and is usually dependent on the occasion, how hungry I am and who I'm with at the time. When I was about 11 years old and had just come out of the sea in Portrush, my mum handing me a steaming cup of tea and a hot sausage sandwich was something I'll never forget. On a more sophisticated level, my best meal ever was probably in Joel Robuchon's restaurant in Paris. The food was incredibly simple – a sausage salad with truffle – but it was home-made, beautifully balanced and cooked to perfection.
6. Do you have a guilty pleasure?
I love Snickers bars. If I had a pack-of-four in the house, I'd eat them all, so I don't buy them any more.
7. Have you ever been on a diet? If so, how did it go?
I'm supposed to be the perfect weight for my height but people always tell me I'm too skinny and, eventually, that gets to you a bit. It pushed me in the direction of the gym once, in an effort to put on some weight and build muscle. I snacked on oatcakes smeared with peanut butter. I did put on about half a stone but it was a lot of effort.
8. Do you take health supplements?
I do, but I don't really believe in them. It goes back to my childhood when my mother, who was a great believer in extra vitamins, beat them into us kids – especially Haliborange. I remember standing at the bus stop with mouthfuls of sesame seeds spilling out of my mouth. Today, I still take vitamin C, along with multivitamins, fish oil and probiotics.
9. Tee-total or tipple?
A tipple, definitely, especially vin rouge.
10. Fruit or fry-up?
Both – I'll have fruit most days of the week, but I like a classic fry-up at the weekend, with soda and potato farls included.
11. Stairs or lift?
The stairs, unless my destination is 30 flights up.
12. Do you have a daily exercise regime?
I don't have a routine, but I exercise when I feel like it. I like walking and I love hills. If I see a hill, I have to climb it, but I couldn't do 22,000 feet like I did when I was 20. We were trekking in Ladakh in northern India, along the side paths, carrying about 30lbs on our backs, and it was no problem. Today, if I flew into 22,000 feet, I'd probably die from altitude sickness.
13. On a scale of one to 10, how fit do you think you are; how fit would you like to be?
I think I'm about a six. I'm a bit lazy these days. Compared to my brothers, though, I'm a 10 as they never do any exercise at all.
14. Best tip for everyday fitness?
Do something every day – it doesn't have to be a lot but one thing encourages you along a path to the next. One of my yoga teachers said that he rolled out his yoga mat every day and he stood at the end of it. That small act then made him think, 'Well, I might as well do this now, and then, that...
15. Do you have a memory from school sport / PE days you would rather forget?
Hmm... I was sort of an elite sportsman at school, so I can't remember any bad memories. I played for the First XV rugby team at school and I was the second fastest sprinter in my year. The guy who beat me went on to be Irish champion.
16. Did you ever have a health epiphany which made you change your lifestyle?
I didn't have an epiphany, as such, but after I started getting trouble with my back, I turned to self-help methods and discovered yoga. One summer I went to Crete just for the yoga at two amazing places – Yoga Plus and Yoga Rocks. I try to go back every year.
17. Best health advice you were ever given and would pass on to others?
Stick as closely as possible to foods in their natural state and live life as simply as you can.
18. Who would you try to emulate in terms of fitness / attitude to life?
I really admire the couple who run Yoga Rocks, an English couple called Helen and Phil, who have found this amazing balance in life. There's a pace to what they do, but they don't get stressed out like chefs in a restaurant.
19. What keeps you awake and do you think you get enough sleep?
Most of the time I get enough sleep, even though I get to bed quite late – around 12-ish most nights. I find my meditation exercises help lull me off to sleep, even if I'm feeling stressed.
20. Would you say you have a healthy attitude towards your own mortality?
Yes, I've had a great life and the Good Lord can take me any time he wants.
:: Paul Rankin is currently appearing in Paul and Nick's Big Canadian Food Trip on UTV, Mondays, 8pm.
