1. Up and at it – what is your morning routine?
My morning routine is pretty much the same every day. The first thing I do is put the kettle on for a cup of coffee – that’s a must. I’ll always have a quick flick through Twitter to see what’s happening in the world before I make breakfast. After that, duty calls and I take the dog for a quick walk before I'm off to training.
2. What might you eat in a typical working day for...
Breakfast? For breakfast, I typically have a smoothie filled with strawberries, blueberries, bananas, Greek yogurt and a splash of milk – it's my favourite combo. Additionally, if it’s going to be a long day's training, I'll add a bowl of porridge in there too... Oh, and my coffee, of course.
Lunch? Lunch can differ, – normally, I'll have done a session in the morning and so lunch is my refuelling stage before I go out training again. It will always include meat (probably chicken), lots of vegetables and some carbs will be thrown in there, which could be potatoes or rice.
Evening meal? Dinner is my favourite meal and I like to think I'm a bit of a master chef when cooking my dinner, as I like trying new dishes. My latest specialty dish is a Thai green curry, for which I make my own curry sauce and add in chicken and veg with some boiled rice. It's my new favourite.
3. Is nutrition important to you?
Yes, nutrition is vital, as without the right foods you cannot function – it’s like trying to drive a car without any petrol. You just wouldn’t do it.
4. Best meal ever?
I love food. so I have a lot of favourite meals and picking one is just so hard. As long as it has all the food sources I need, it’s good for me. Any time I go out to a restaurant, I'll always look for their steaks straight away, preferably a fillet steak, medium cooked with peppered sauce.
5. Do you have a guilty pleasure?
Oh, it has to be chocolate... everyone loves chocolate, but that’s only ever a treat, ha-ha.
6. Have you ever been on a diet? If so, how did it go?
I’ve never been on a diet as such, as I’ve always eaten sensibly. When I'm in my training season, I'm a lot stricter about what I eat. On my training days, I will eat more carbs and balance my proteins and veg and when I'm not training, I will increase my protein and balance my carbs and veg.
7. Do you take health supplements?
No.
8. How do you relax?
I like to unwind by listening to chilled-out music and putting my feet up. I play the guitar so I like to whip that out too. Other ways I chill out include watching a few episodes of my favourite TV series – Game Of Thrones is the most recent one.
9. Teetotal or tipple?
Tipple – on special occasions.
10. Stairs or lift?
I’ll only ever take the lift if I’ve got heavy bags that prevent me taking the stairs. I can be quite impatient, so when I am waiting for a lift, I'm always thinking 'I'd be half-way up the stairs by now...'
11. Do you have a daily exercise regime?
Yes, well, I'm in training almost every day and that’s two times a day, so I'm very active. We train in the morning, but the training can differ in intensity, depending on our recovery or if we've played a match or something. We have our lunch in between and then have another session after lunch which is usually in the gym.
12. Best tip for everyday fitness?
Enjoy what you're doing – if you enjoy it, then it won't feel as though it’s a chore. Shake it up a bit and make it interesting so you have fun as well and don't get bored.
13. On a scale of one to 10, how fit do you think you are and how fit would you like to be?
I'd say I am a nine. I’ve been involved in elite sport since I was a teenager, so being fit is all I've ever known. I wouldn't say I'm a 10, as there's always room to be better and to keep improving.
14. Have you tried, or would you try, alternative therapy?
Yeah, I get sports massage regularly; it helps after a tough game, especially if I'm feeling sore and tight.
15. Were school sports happy times or do you have a memory you would rather forget?
I loved sports in school and I played everything: football was the first choice, obviously.
16. Did you ever have a health epiphany which made you change your lifestyle?
No, I’ve always been healthy and very active since an early age, so I’ve not really known how to be any different.
17. Best health/lifestyle advice you were ever given and would pass on to others?
Eat your vegetables, kids!
18. Who inspires you or who would you try to emulate in terms of fitness / attitude to life?
I’d have to say my partner, Mark. He has an incredible attitude towards life and his positive mindset is something that I love being around. In terms of fitness, more specifically football, David Beckham was always my hero as a kid. I use to practise being able to curl a ball like him.
19. What time do you normally get to bed and do you get enough sleep?
I always try to get eight or nine hours sleep every night. I’ll go to sleep about 11pm and wake up around eight o'clock or 8.30.
20. Would you say you have a healthy attitude towards your own mortality?
Yeah, I like to live my life to the max. I spend every day doing something that I love and that’s a dream come true for me. Inevitably, some day it’s all going to end, but I would rather have spent my time doing something I love every day than being unhappy and settling for something less.
